Chapter 10 #2
“What?” My brows furrow. “She left? Was she alone?”
“Uh, no.” Nina laughs awkwardly. “From the way she was all over the two guys she was with, I think she’s about to have a fun night. Not with those dumbass Alphas she came with. Good on her, though. She deserves better.”
My heart begins to race, and anger is boiling in my chest. She left, she fucking left. With two guys? Does she even know them?
“Thanks,” I grind out.
“Is everything okay?” Her smile drops.
“Just peachy.” I turn around and storm toward the exit, pulling my phone out and calling her number.
It rings once before going to voicemail. What the fuck?
I text her, demanding to know where she is.
Worry bubbles inside me, clawing at my chest.
I’ve spent years not knowing if she was safe, who she was with, and worried whether she was okay.
When she moved back, I didn’t think I’d have to worry anymore. She spent all her time in the house.
Then she started going out with the dumbasses. They gave me bad vibes, rightly so. So I may have, kind of, installed a tracking app on her phone.
Before you judge me, I was doing it out of concern for her safety. She’s an unmated Omega in a big city.
It’s proving to be a good thing because I can just pop up the app, see where she is, and go get her.
When I open the app, it says she’s not online. Fuck! She must have turned off her phone. I thought she might have just set it on silent.
I head back inside to find my dad. “What’s wrong?” he asks when he sees the fury on my face.
My hand grips his arm as I pull him to the side. “Addie is gone,” I hiss, trying to keep my voice down.
“Okay?”
“Not with the pack she came here with. Nina said she saw her leaving with two guys.”
My dad's lips twitch. “Huh. Well, good on her. I know how much she hated the guys her mother was trying to set her up with.”
“Good on her?” I snarl. “Are you fucking kidding me? She left with strangers, Dad.”
“She’s a big girl, Damien. She’s twenty-five and has been living on her own for years now. She can take care of herself.”
“No, she fucking can’t,” I snap. “That’s why she moved back in with us.”
“You need to calm down. Why are you getting so upset? I get that you're concerned about your sister, but don’t start with the overprotective big brother stuff now. She’s too old for that.”
Trust me, the last thing I fucking feel right now is brotherly. Nothing I want to do with that woman is something a brother would do with their sister.
But I don’t tell him that.
“You’re not going to do anything about it?”
“No,” he says, pissing me off. “Leave it be, Damien. She’s free to do what she wants.”
“Fuck this.” I spin around and storm out of the building. I head toward the valet and get my car.
I probably shouldn’t be driving right now, not with the way I’m feeling. I’m vibrating with a plethora of emotions I can’t quite handle right now.
Maybe they took her home. She could have been drunk, and they’re taking her home. Or, maybe they just took her outside, ordered her an Uber, and she’s on the way home right now.
That's where I’ll check next. Before I lose my mind.
The drive home was quick because I was speeding the whole way. Thankfully, no cops pulled me over. I make the two-hour trip within an hour.
Throwing my car into park, I shut the engine off and head inside. “Addie!” I shout, jogging up the stairs. She’s not in her room.
I head back downstairs and find my stepmother at the bottom. “What’s wrong?”
“Did Addie come home yet?”
“No,” she says. “She’s at the gala, where you should be. Why?”
I must have beaten her home.
“Never mind.” I brush past her. I’m sure as hell not going to tell her that her daughter isn’t at the gala with the asshats and instead left with two strange men. As much as I hate that she’s done that, I’m not going to tattle to her witch of a mother.
“Are you alright?” She follows after me. “You seem upset.”
“I’m fine.” I fight with my tie, trying to get the damn thing off. I give up and work on my jacket next.
“You seem worried about Addison. It’s best that you’re not.” Eloise’s voice is harsh.
I stop unbuttoning my jacket and spin to look at her. “Why wouldn’t I?”
Her pale blue eyes are hard. “Don’t think I don’t know about your little crush on my daughter.
I saw how you looked at her when you were younger, and I see how you look at her now.
She’s not yours, Damien. Leave her be. She’s going to be mated to a well-respected pack and make a name for herself in society.
Do not get in the way. If you do, you won’t like the consequences.
Just think about your reputation, your father’s, this family.
You wouldn’t want to be the reason we lose everything, would you? ”
This fucking bitch. Who the hell does she think she is?
“I don’t know what you’ve been smoking, but I don’t have feelings for your daughter,” I snarl. “Just because someone treats her better than you do, doesn’t mean they’re in love with her. It’s called human decency. Try it sometime.”
“Watch how you talk to me, young man,” she warns.
“Don’t young man me,” I snarl. “You might have my father by the knot, but you don’t own me. You’re just some bitch he married, and that’s all you’ve ever been. You don’t deserve him, or Addie, so mind your own fucking buiness or you will be the one who doesn’t like the consequences.”
She narrows her eyes, her lip peeling back in a snarl. But the woman does something smart and doesn't open her mouth. Good, I’m too fucking wound up, and god knows what I’d say or do if she pushed me.
She turns and storms out of the kitchen.
I head for the liquor cabinet and pour myself a glass of whiskey.
Glass in hand, I find myself out back, sitting on a pool lounger, waiting for Addie to get home.
Using my phone’s Bluetooth, I connect to the outdoor sound system, put on some music, and get to drinking.
By the time I’m done with the bottle, it’s been hours and no fucking Addie.
I feel numb, frozen to the spot.
I’m unable to move, my body feeling too heavy. I’m too drunk. I’ll just sleep it off. I’ll close my eyes and know that she’s with someone else tonight.
A million thoughts of Addie invade my mind. I’m consumed with the nightmare of what she’s doing, what they’re doing to her, and each thought is a stab to the heart.
It’s been three fucking days. Three days and she’s still not back.
I tried calling, no answer. If she’s not back by tomorrow, I’m calling the cops and putting out a missing persons report.
The day after the gala, I had the worst hangover. But I pulled my ass off that lounger and made my way up to her room. I didn’t bother knocking, didn’t have to, the door was open, and she wasn’t in there. No signs she came back.
Eloise found me around noon and asked if I knew where Addie was. I told her no because it was the truth. I didn’t let her see how much it was eating me alive.
She was pissed, beyond furious. I guess the pack Addie dumped called Eloise and rescinded their request to court her. They are moving onto another Omega.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Eloise’s face so red.
When she started cursing Addie, I had to leave before I did something stupid. However, not before I told Eloise that it’s a good thing because Addie deserved better than a pack of chauvinistic pigs.
My practices have been shit this week. I haven’t been able to concentrate. When my dad asked me what was wrong, I told him I was worried about Addie. He repeated the same thing he said at the gala. She’s an adult, she can take care of herself.
Last night, we had a game and we fucking lost. I was too distracted and let in more pucks in one fucking game than I have in my whole career. Eventually, Dad had to pull me out and replace me with the backup goalie.
It was too late, though; we were already too far behind to make a comeback.
Everyone is pissed at me, and rightfully so. I didn’t stay long enough to let them bitch me out. I changed out of my gear, didn’t bother to shower, and headed straight home, ignoring the look of concern on my father’s face as I left.
She still wasn’t back. Last night, I slept in her room, surrounded by her scent.
This morning, I felt like death after diving into another bottle or two, last night until I passed out.
I’m in the kitchen, trying to stomach the smell of fried eggs, when I hear the door open.
Moving the pan off the heat, I rush over to the front door.
My heart pounds in my chest, dread and excitement pulsing inside me. “You’re back.”
Then I see her. My eyes land on her face. It’s smeared with makeup, and her hair is a mess.
Murderous rage hits me in the gut. “What did they do to you?” The growl inside my chest is feral. I’m over to her in three strides, grabbing her arms. “I’m going to fucking kill them for hurting you.”
“What?” Addie’s voice cracks, brows pulled together. “Hurt me? No.” She shakes her head. “No one hurt me.”
“Then why are you crying? Where the hell have you been for three fucking days, Addie? I’ve been worried sick.”
The smell hits me hard, making my stomach recoil. Slick, cum, cupcakes, and two distinct Alpha scents. She smells like sex.
My head spins, and my chest feels like someone is stepping on it.
I let go of her and step back, lips parted, unsure of what to say or what to do. When my eyes land on the two bite marks on her neck, my heart shatters into a million pieces.
“You’re mated,” I whisper, still unsure if I should believe my eyes.
Her hands reach up and touch her marks. “I–I’m–Yeah,” she whispers.
“What the fuck, Addie?” I want to scream, but it comes out more hurt than angry.
“I didn’t plan it, okay?” she says defensively.
“I was at the gala, hiding from that horrible pack, when I stumbled into two guys. They’re.
.. they’re my scent matches, okay? It triggered my heat, and they took me back to their hotel room.
It wasn’t planned. I didn’t mean for it to happen.
” She shakes her head, wiping at her eyes.
“You know what? Nevermind. I don’t have to defend myself to you.
This is my life, Damien. You don’t have any right to judge me for what I do. ”
She takes off upstairs, leaving me standing there, battle wounds inside my heart, bleeding out onto the floor.
I’ve fucked up, I waited too long. And now I’ve lost her.
I cared too much about everyone else in my life, about what the world would think, and I let it be my downfall. Because of it, I lost my Omega. My scent match.
Fuck hockey. Fuck everything. I’d give it all up for her.
After standing in place for a long, long time, my feet start to work. I drag myself up to my room. Locking the door behind me, I crawl into bed and bury my face into the pillow. Her pillow. It’s a new one. I swap them out when they lose their scent.
Inhaling deeply, I let out a low, pained groan.
I need her. Not want. Need. Like the air in my lungs, the blood in my veins. I need her.
She’s my scent match, too. What gives those fuckers the right to come in, snatch up my Omega, and claim her as their own?
Fuck that. Fuck them. I’m not going down, not without a fight. Addie is my Omega, and I’m going to make sure she fucking knows it.