Chapter 33 #2
“Using investment loans to fund other projects, claiming bankruptcy, the list goes on. This isn’t the first time he’s hired this group of amateur hackers. Normally, it’s to scare and threaten people into investing. But this time, it was ego…”
Sylvan pauses, fists clenched, eyes darting over the bed cover like he’s picturing something—
“I still think we should kill them,” he says.
None of us saw that coming.
“Sylvan,” Kaiden snaps over the bond. “Stop—”
“Kill them?” Revea turns to look directly at Sylvan. “No, Sylvan. That’s—”
“I read all the emails. Every single one. Ones about others… ones about you.” His gaze darkens as it sweeps over her. “About what they’d do even if you sent the money, how they’d—”
She reaches for his hand, stopping his words. “Sylvan. I’m sorry you had to read all that. But I’m fine, thanks to you.” She smiles. “No need to talk about something extreme like killing—”
“We’ve done it before.”
“You’ve…” She pauses. “You’ve killed people before?”
“Joder—Kaiden, do something!” I growl through the bond, trying to remain composed.
“During active warfare,” Kaiden tries to cover, but when Revea cocks her brow as she looks at him, he relents, “And on very rare occasions… for particular jobs.”
Her eyes widen.
“Only when extremely necessary. A last resort,” he adds.
“Revea, I swear we’re not fucking maniacs,” I murmur against her hair, shocked she hasn’t moved away from me yet.
“The people we’ve killed. They were the worst, evilest fuckers you could imagine.
Omega traffickers with so much leverage the court couldn’t touch them without being blackmailed themselves.
They wouldn’t have stopped if we didn’t stop them. ”
“Laws aren’t for powerful people,” Val ends.
She’s silent, and we sit in it.
Dread bubbles through the bond because we’ve just admitted we’re fucking murderers. Revea’s probably considering her quickest escape route, she’ll never want to see us—
“But you didn’t kill them.” She nods to the screen. “So… what did you do?”
“Convince her we’re not psychotic serial killers, Sylvan,” I plead.
“I sent everything to your brother. They’ve all been arrested.
It’s all over the news.” Sylvan taps a key, and a muted news clip appears on the screen.
“The Pembrokes’ reputation is ruined. His family have publicly disowned him after pinning him with any and all crimes.
He’ll probably die in prison. They’ll most likely hire someone to do it. ”
She watches the news report, the aerial footage displaying his mansion and screenshots of redacted emails. Lawyers in expensive suits appear before being descended on by mobs of reporters. Crowds hold signs reading BITE BACK, OMEGA RIGHTS, and EAT THE RICH, the words painted in angry red.
When she sinks back against my chest, that small action settles my alpha more than any bark could. Because after hearing us admit to killing people, she’s chosen to stay.
To trust us.
Which I guess makes her a little crazy too.
Exactly why I like her.
Her gaze moves between us, thoughtful instead of afraid.
“I lost one of my dads, did you know that?”
My previous thoughts are washed away as I remember the day Rue’s background search was sent to us. How his impressive stint in the army was cut short by a sudden death.
“Yes,” Kaiden says. “Before we hire anyone, we conduct extensive background checks. It appeared then.”
“And what did it say?” She stares ahead at the news.
“Died in service,” Sylvan answers.
Revea lets out a bitter laugh, one that makes me tense. Our pack bond becomes taut.
“Yeah, well, my remaining dads and brothers left the army after he died. Not because he died. Because of what led to it.”
She chews on her lip.
“He was told to meet someone who’d fled a terrorist group. They said the man was willing to hand over vital intel in exchange for refugee status. That’s the story they gave my dad.”
She swallows.
“What they didn’t tell him was that the group had threatened to bomb a nearby army base. They’d already sent proof they had people inside who could do it. Their demand was simple. Hand over a few senior officers, or the base goes up.”
Her voice hardens.
“So all the powerful men in that room made a decision. They wrote five names down. Put them in a helmet. Drew them out like it was some sick raffle. Then they fed those men a bullshit mission and sent them straight into it.”
My hands curl into fists.
“One of the commanders couldn’t live with it,” she continues quietly. “He left the room and found one of my dads. Told him the names they’d drawn.”
She stares down at the bed.
“But by the time they tried to reach them… stop them…”
Her fingers tighten in the sheets.
“They found the transport blown to pieces. My dad on the road.”
I barely hold back the growl building in my chest, the urge to hunt every person involved down and ruin them humming through the bond.
“And those commanding officers,” she says, voice flat now, “the ones who sacrificed my dad and those men, were given medals for stopping the explosion.”
She scoffs.
“But guess what? Two years later, a school was bombed by the same group.”
The bedding twists in her fist.
“I’m not saying killing people is right. But I do understand the system is rigged. That good people die more than bad.” She tilts her head towards the screen. “So for him… I think death would’ve been too easy. This way, he’s suffering.”
“What were the names of the commanders?”
“Not now, Syl,” Val murmurs over the bond. “Later. It’s too soon…”
But Revea is crying. Soft tears that might have gone unnoticed if we weren’t sitting so close to her.
“I’m sorry,” Sylvan says, voice tight with panic as he shuffles towards her. “I’m really sorry—”
She leans forward, eyes closed, pressing her cheek against his chest. He freezes, staring at me in question.
“You don’t need to say sorry, Sylvan. You asked because you care.” She nuzzles into him, and Sylvan’s tense posture deflates. “Thank you,” she murmurs a little louder. “All of you. For what you did for me. For what you’ve done for others.”
Sylvan’s fingers graze her jaw, gently tilting her face up. Her eyes flutter open. “We can still kill them.”
Shockingly, Revea laughs through her tears. “I think that’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever offered me.” She sniffles. “But you’re a little late. Karma got there first. Those commanders? Dead already.”
She tries to smile, but it slips when Sylvan’s fingers slide up to her temple, then her forehead.
“You’re still hot,” he murmurs. Then, louder, “You said she was better,” he practically barks at Val.
“I also said she needed more rest before you all barged in here,” he grumbles back.
“I didn’t barge,” Sylvan snipes, eyes snapping to me. “You barged.”
I shrug, adding a smirk when Revea looks at me. “And I’d do it again.”
I throw in a wink, and her soft laughs restart.
Fucking hell, my heart is pounding. She’s so beautiful, my body doesn’t know how to react.
“We’ll leave you with Val to rest,” Kaiden announces abruptly, decision made, already standing.
“Wait.” One word from her, and our pack alpha stills. “You can... Maybe... I dunno, like, stay here? With me?”
Her cheeks darken, and I know it’s not her illness.
Val nods once. “If you eat.”
Revea shuffles back into me. “But I feel a little sick…”
“Because you haven’t eaten.” Val’s tone is a little stern, but I know it’s concern.
“It’s not optional,” Kaiden adds calmly, nodding briefly to Val, who reaches for a small bar and holds it out to her.
I lean forward, watching her expression. Her lips curl inwards, brows pulling together.
Kaiden exhales slowly. “Please, we need you well, omega.”
Her body tenses in my lap, and when I glance at Kaiden, we know we’ve found the pressure point.
“Or I can feed you, omega?” I whisper, nipping her ear softly. “Either way, you’ll be eating.”
She clears her throat, then gently takes the bar from Val. We all watch as she takes a small bite.
After a few more chews, Sylvan murmurs to me, “I wanted to see you feed her.”
A surprised laugh escapes Revea, and her next bite is the least reluctant.
It doesn’t take long for her to finish it, and the second she does, she reaches for Sylvan’s hand, tugging him closer as she slips under the covers beside me.
Now she’s sandwiched herself between Sylvan and me.
And I’m the luckiest alpha who ever lived. I find my brother and smirk at his burning stare.
But just when she’s settling, her eyes shoot open. “I don’t want you to get sick!” She tries to push against my chest, but I’m not moving an inch.
I sink lower under the covers, pulling her hot body closer even when she tries to keep her knees up. “We’re vaccinated,” I murmur. “We’ve got good immune systems, and anyway…” I brush my lips over hers even as she tries to squirm back. “Pretty sure I would’ve been infected by that first kiss.”
She gasps, eyes wide. “I wasn’t thinking! My head’s all fuzzy and… shit. I’m really sorry, that was so selfish of me—”
“Incredibly selfish,” I tease, brushing our noses. “But if you want to be selfish again, I’m more than happy—”
Sylvan tugs her back against him, scowling at me. “She needs to rest. No more talking.”
I huff a breath, but Revea is smiling at me, until her eyes close and she sinks back into Sylvan’s chest.
It doesn’t take long before she falls asleep.
We don’t.
We’re all watching her, studying her soft, parted lips, the steady rise and fall of her chest. Completely, utterly, mesmerised.
“We told her we kill people, and she asks for a sleepover,” I murmur over the bond.
There are a few amused huffs.
“I like this.” Syl’s propped on one elbow, eyes fixed on Revea. “I like this a lot.”