Chapter 51
Chapter
Fifty-One
MARCUS
Iglared down at Colton, his icy blue eyes challenging me. Lately, he had been giving me so much sass, but I didn’t really realize just how sassy he was being. Apparently, my not acting like his Alpha was a free pass for him to sass me and even challenge me.
“You win?”
He nodded, as much as he could with my hand holding his jaw in a vice-grip.
“Colton Reinhardt Alford, you say you won, but you can’t even stand up on your own right now.”
Tears spilled from the corner of his eyes. He blinked, making them fall faster. His claws tightened around me, and I felt my shirt rip. It was very apparent from how he was squeezing how much weight I had gained.
I expected this from my family, honestly. It was absolutely something they would do. If anything, I wouldn’t be surprised if Beau was the one who egged Colton on. However, I didn’t expect it from my own Omega. Whether I remembered him, I didn’t expect him to use that as an opportunity.
He didn’t need to reply. He didn’t need to sass me or challenge me using words.
His simple movements of grabbing tighter onto my new curves were enough.
Enough for me to want to make him heel. Not only that, but I was over here seventy pounds overweight and he was so underweight that Eva was having to step in.
“There will be consequences for this, Little Omega. You understand that, right?”
Colton nodded again, more tears falling. Letting go of his jaw, I brushed the tears from his cheeks. He was shaking, and I gave him a soft smile.
“Alpha…”
“I’m sorry, Colt. Trust me when I say, I am so sorry.”
My knees gave out, and I started to fall. We fell together, but I made sure not to fall forward on him. Colton was crying out my name, and I could hear my mom and dad as well. My eyes rolled, and I lost consciousness before I fell.
“I don’t know, mate! I don’t have any answers for you right now!” Dad was snapping at Mom.
“He’s about to have a breakdown! It’s been three days! Lauren can’t even get through to him! He just…empty.”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I blinked and let my eyes adjust to the lighting. Dad was leaning over in his chair, his hand holding Mom’s. He was worried. It was written all over his face. When he turned to look at me, his back shot up straight.
“Marcus, you’re awake.”
I nodded, rubbing my eyes. Slowly, I sat up, trying to make sense of my head. Everything felt jumbled. Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to think of the last thing that was clear. My eyes widened and looked over at him.
“Mason…is Mason okay?”
Mom covered her mouth, holding back her sobs as she stepped back. Dad smiled, his eyes turning glossy as well. However, it wasn’t sadness; it was relief. Their reactions didn’t make sense.
“Mason is fine, son. He came home that day without a scratch.”
“What happened after? They drugged me. They drugged me and I…” My eyes narrowed, trying to think. “It’s fuzzy. There was a car, and we were moving. They put me in the snow…after that…”
My mom shook her head, her hand covering her mouth.
She walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her quietly.
Dad watched her for a moment before turning back to me.
It didn’t give me any confidence that something hadn’t happened.
Physically, I seemed fine. Outside of the headache, I didn’t feel any issues.
“They moved you back to the house. Ebony wanted Colton as well. So she waited for him to come home.”
My heart sank into the pit of my stomach. “He didn’t…tell me he didn’t go. Mike was with him. He would have known. They would have been able to make a plan…”
Dad shook his head. “Colton saved Mason, making an exchange with Ebony for disappearing and not showing his face again. It was all a show. All of it. Ebony wanted you, and she was working with Alpha Genesis. The little shit wanted Colton and to tear the two of you apart. Ebony wanted you, and so…she kept you. To save both Mason and your hatchling, Colton left.”
I looked down at my hands. I was so sure of myself; I thought I could handle them easily. My ego and my emotions took over, and I thought I was strong enough to take them all. They were smarter. Ebony had been ready for me, knowing my weaknesses, both as a person and as a dragon.
“I thought…I thought I could take them all and save Mason. I was so stupid.”
Dad sighed, his voice turned sharper. “You were. You should have called us. You would have found out that your mother never called you. No one had contacted Keith. No one knew. It was a trap, and they were ready to bring you down because they knew you would come.”
There was a moment of silence. Dad looked back at the door before reaching out and taking my hand. The gesture was so out of the norm for him that a lightning bolt of pain struck me. All that was left behind was fear. Fear of his next words.
“Dad…is Colt okay?”
He nodded, but it was slow and it didn’t help ease the fear choking me.
“Our little girl?”
“She’s alright as well.”
His tone and the way he said it didn’t give me any confidence.
A panic attack slammed into me, but Dad held my hand tighter.
He looked as if he were waiting for something, but it wasn’t me.
I’d seen him formulate how to say something when giving bad news.
What could be so bad that even after confirming Colton and our hatchling were okay?
“Marcus, I’m going to explain what happened after. I need you to stay calm.”
“You’re starting to scare me.” I let a slight chuckle into my voice to lighten the mood.
He didn’t smile. “I don’t mean to.”
“Did we lose Colton? Is he gone? I know with Mike…he could disappear…”
“Colton ended up leaving. He left for the French Riviera and the house he bought there. Ebony lied to Colton, though. Alpha Genesis already knew that Colton was an Omega. What they were doing was separating the two of you. They didn’t need Colton right then when they had you.”
That didn’t make sense. Alpha Genesis was willing to kill and tear the school apart for Colton. There was no way he would let him go. Ebony, I could see wanting Colton out of the picture, but it was too late. We had already mated. That wasn’t something you could break.
My dad must have seen my confusion and me trying to pull the pieces together. “Alpha Genesis knew Colton was useless as long as he had your mark. So, at the moment, Colton was useless to him. Instead, they focused on you.”
“Me?”
He nodded solemnly. “They were giving themselves time. At first, they kept you in the house, under their control. After a week, though, you broke free of their control. You burned down the entire house and you killed a few of their pack members as you tried to get away.”
“I came home?”
“No, they had subdued you and left by the time we could arrive. You were…you disappeared. We couldn’t find you.
We think they moved you a few times. During that time, though, they…
altered your memories. Your entire personality changed.
They even gave themselves enough time to concoct something that would break the mate bond between you and Colton without consent. ”
“Wait, what? Break the mate bond?”
My hand unconsciously reached for my shoulder.
Pressing down slightly, I could feel the wave of pleasure rush through my body.
It was faint, though. I tried to reach out through the bond, but my breath hitched.
It wasn’t broken, but it was damaged. His emotions didn’t come through and I could barely feel his presence at all.
Suddenly, my panic attack was back in full force.
“Did Colt come back?”
Dad nodded again. “He did. He came here. Well, Laila flew him to the Archives. She got in touch with me. He’s been staying here at the house with us. Alpha Genesis knows Colt is here, but the lair is safe. I wouldn’t let anything happen.”
I relaxed a little. He was no longer in danger. Taking risks like riding a dragon this late into his pregnancy didn’t settle with me. Laila was an earth-dragon, so while she could give him more protection from the wind, she couldn’t make it warmer for him. That would have been dangerous.
We should have moved before. We should have left.
I was so stupid, thinking that I could protect Colton on my own.
Clearly, that wasn’t the case. I should have put his safety above all else.
There were too many things that happened; I should have put them together.
Ultimately, I failed him. He and our hatchling.
Rubbing my face, I shook my head. “Okay. So he’s here. He’s safe.”
“He is.”
Nodding, I let out another breath. “As long as he is safe. That’s all I care about.”
Dad’s lips thinned for a moment. “I…” He stopped, his hand tightening as he held mine. “Ebony had complete control of you. The serum made you weak while she used one of her connections, a white witch, to alter your memories. At least, that’s what we think happened.”
I waited, figuring that he would go into how they rescued me or how I got away.
“They made you forget Colt. Wiped him from your memory and they altered your entire last couple of years. Changing your perception of us. Mostly, changing your memories of Ebony. ”
My brow furrowed. “To what?”
“To believe that she was your fated.”
Scoffing, I shook my head. “I could never. I know not everyone thinks Omegas have fated mates, but I truly believe that Colt is my fated. There is no one but him. He is my mate.”
“She did, Marcus. You were hers. You whole-heartedly believe that she was your fated mate. She set up this entire story. You had lost your dragon, she stayed by your side, that you had night terrors, and she convinced you we, the family, didn’t approve of your bond, and so you didn’t speak to us for years because of it. ”
I stared at my dad, not sure what I was hearing. His words were slow and deliberate. The pain and frustration behind them showing just a little. Dad ran his hand through his hair, but it looked like he had been doing that for hours.
“We searched for you. I had most of my connections looking for you. Mike was looking for you as well. Colt buried himself in the Archives, looking for any way to use magic to find you. We did everything we could.”
“But that…” I shook my head. “That doesn’t make sense. It makes it seem like I was gone for weeks…”
He didn’t say anything for a moment. I could still see he was muddling through information on what to give me. It didn’t make me feel better; he didn’t completely disregard the fact that weeks could have passed.
“When you finally popped up on the radar, you were with her. Vacationing in Fiji, come to find out. We didn’t know how to extricate you.
Not without putting you at risk. That was until you reached out to me.
I got you to think about coming out, and ultimately, it worked.
We planted a seed of doubt in your head, but you went back to her and it almost killed you. ”
“I couldn’t possibly…”
Voice cracking, Dad looked me in the eyes. “I really thought we were going to lose you. That Colt would be left…or worse…”
I cut him off, my power coming forward. “No. I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t do that to Colt. He’s my mate. He’s my Omega, Dad. I love him. With everything…my entire being, my soul!”
“You didn’t remember him. It was as if you had never met him. Your feelings were twisted to be directed at Ebony.”
We stared at each other for a long time before I shook my head. Yanking my hand out of his, I threw the blankets off me. Moving my legs to the side, I tried to get up, but wobbled. Feeling just how weak I was right now stole my breath for a moment.
“Marcus…”
“No! I’m not listening to this anymore! I would never do that to him.”
Dad put his hand on my shoulder. “Marcus, I know this will not be easy. We didn’t know what would happen.
We could finally get to you. With the seed we planted, helping your dragon restore his connection, you could break through and get away.
Barely. She still managed to poison you, but you flew home. ”
My hands shook, and I tried to pull on the bond, not listening to him anymore. It was shocking how weak my dragon was. He appeared relieved, as though he had waited for me to come to my senses. Pushing my dad’s hand off me, I got up slowly.
“I need to talk to Colt.”
“Marcus, stop. Right now…”
I growled at him, glaring. “No! I need to talk to him. I don’t know what you’re trying to spin, but I’m not having it. I know what Colt means to me. Everything that you’re spewing makes no fucking sense.”
When he said nothing, I tried to walk past him.
He stood, barring my way to the door. His hand was firm on my shoulder, and I tried to push him off, but he didn’t budge.
I knew his dragon was forward, and I didn’t look him in the eyes.
One thing none of us could do, even to this day, was blatantly disrespect his dragon.
“You will listen, son. You will listen because you need to understand. Colt is not the same person you remember. You will lose him if you lash out.” His voice was so much lower when his dragon was forward. “I need to tell you…”
I snapped at him. “Tell me what.”
“I want to apologize…”
Raising my voice louder, I looked up at him, our dragons staring at each other. “Tell me what! Stop trying to apologize!”
Slowly, his eyes changed back, and I stared at my dad, his face riddled with guilt. “It took us more than a few weeks to rescue you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Marcus…son…” I almost roared at him, but I felt like someone had poured cold water on me. “It’s almost August. It’s been seven months since Ebony first got her hands on you.”