Chapter 29
THE SHOWDOWN
It didn’t take long to arrive at Ballus’ house. This time, Hades parked across the street instead of hiding his car on the next street over. Aaren peered through the passenger window.
“What do you think?” Hades said.
“His truck’s there, but I don’t see movement in the house. Maybe he’s asleep.”
Hades studied the house too.
He had never liked Ballus’ place. For all his criticisms about Aaren not meeting his idea of perfection, Ballus’ own living conditions were subpar; the windows falling apart, the paint faded and peeling.
What a fucking hypocrite.
They got out of the car and crossed the street. Hades waited in the driveway while Aaren sneaked up to the windows, peering in.
Aaren waved him over to the front door. “No movement. I think now’s a good time.”
Just in case he was wrong, Hades rolled his shoulders and flexed his limbs. He stayed close as Aaren unlocked the door, watching closely when the door swung open.
The house was silent as they stepped in. Aaren made his way to the bedroom, passing rooms and furniture that Hades had grown familiar with.
“Is everything you want in the closet?” Hades murmured.
“I want my chocolate chip cookies. They’re in the pantry,” Aaren whispered back.
Hades nodded and followed Aaren to the bedroom, to make sure Ballus was still asleep. He was.
Hades slipped away to the kitchen and found Aaren’s cookies—a disappointingly light package, like there was only one cookie left in there. Had Ballus eaten the rest of the package?
Either way, there was no point in carrying one cookie out of this place. He would buy Aaren a new pack.
Scarcely had he turned back to the bedroom, when Aaren tripped.
Hades watched in slow motion as Aaren lurched forward, arms flailing, trying to catch himself. His own stomach dropped.
Ballus snuffled at the sound; not a priority. Hades was in the bedroom and catching Aaren before he knew it, so Aaren wouldn’t crash face-first onto the floor.
“Sweetheart,” Hades murmured. “Are you okay?”
Aaren looked up and gaped, like he was surprised not to be curled up on the floor in pain.
“What the fuck is this?” Ballus snapped, shooting upright in bed.
Aaren stiffened. Hades glanced over; Ballus wasn’t a threat yet.
“Sweetheart,” Hades repeated, squeezing Aaren’s arm. “Did you hurt anything?”
Aaren blinked and looked down at himself. “Um. I don’t think so.”
“Good. Did you get everything?” Hades scanned the pillowcase in Aaren’s hand, stuffed half-full with things.
“What the hell is going on?” Ballus growled, getting out of bed wearing just his boxers. “What the fuck are you doing in my house?”
That last bit was aimed at Hades. Hades straightened, pulling Aaren to his feet. “I’m helping my omega get his things.”
Ballus spluttered. “He’s not your omega.”
Hades grinned savagely. “Isn’t he? Tell me, Aaren, where have you been spending the past few nights?”
“In your bed.” Aaren snuggled into Hades’ side, rubbing his face against Hades’ chest. “It’s such a good bed.”
Ballus’ eyes almost fell out of his head. He stalked closer; Hades tried to tuck Aaren behind himself, but Aaren straightened his shoulders and stepped in front of Hades.
“I’m not yours anymore, Ballus,” Aaren said, loud and clear. “I’m breaking up with you. You’re a sorry excuse of an alpha and you suck. Not even in the good way.”
Pride swelled in Hades’ chest. “Good omega.”
Aaren preened.
Ballus’ face twisted. “That’s bullshit. You’re mine.”
“Ugh.” Aaren wrinkled his nose. “No. I’m done being yours. You keep telling me I’m fat, and all you do is make me cook for you and sleep with you!”
“That’s all you’re good for,” Ballus said, fists clenched. He was starting to get pissed.
In response, violence began to sing in Hades’ veins.
Aaren laughed. “You don’t know me at all, Ballus. I’ve had so much sausage lately, you know? Big, meaty sausage.” He turned and groped Hades through his pants, sliding his hand from base to tip. “Mmm!”
Ballus froze, struck speechless. “You—”
Hades smirked. “Yeah. Aaren spent his heat on my cock. Such a lovely omega, taking my knot. He screamed so loudly for me. But you don’t know what that sounds like, do you, Ballus?
You’ve never heard him scream, because he’s been faking it with you this whole time.
I was in here when you fucked Aaren that last time.
Such a poor performance. After you fell asleep, I had to satisfy Aaren with my cock, get him all loose with pleasure.
You dropped out of the running when he met me. ”
Ballus’ face turned purple. “What the fuck, Aaren. You fucking cheated on me.”
“If you treated me better, I wouldn’t have,” Aaren retorted.
Hades placed his hand over Aaren’s, grinding into Aaren’s palm. Aaren purred; his cheeks turned pink.
“So beautiful,” Hades murmured.
Ballus scoffed, but he was stalking closer. “Beautiful? Him? You need your eyes checked. He’s just an omega, fat and ugly. Just a hole and someone to cook my dinner. He was lucky I even claimed him as mine. But it looks like I need to teach him a lesson.”
“Wow,” Hades said, disgust crawling through his veins. He lifted Aaren’s hand off his bulge, brushing a kiss across his palm. “Get back.”
Aaren backed away. “Um. Are you going to kill him?”
“Of course I am,” Ballus snarled.
“We’ll see, won’t we?” Hades murmured.
Ballus lunged. For all the posturing he did, his moves were sloppy, so obvious that Hades saw them coming from a mile away. Even without all the sparring Hades had done with his Brothers lately, this was just embarrassing.
“Seriously?” Hades said, side-stepping a punch and redirecting Ballus’ momentum to the side. Ballus stumbled. “You mean to take me down with this?”
“You fucking homewrecker!” Ballus snarled. “You—You come in and steal my omega—”
“You lost him the moment you treated him like shit,” Hades growled.
“I’ve let your assholery go on for long enough.
Aaren doesn’t deserve to have you talking down to him; no omega does.
Just because you’re too ignorant to appreciate what you had, doesn’t mean you should make him think he’s worth less than you.
Because guess what? Aaren is brave, and kind, and he’s a thousand times the person you’ll ever be. ”
“He’s a fucking cheater and a slut,” Ballus hissed, throwing another punch at Hades. Hades dodged it. “Who else has he slept with, huh? I bet it’s not just you. I bet he spreads his legs for all the drunks at the bar.”
The raging fury that Hades repressed week after week, each time he had to hear Ballus ripping apart Aaren’s confidence—all of it came rushing up from the pit he had stuffed it in. It seared through his veins and tinted his vision red.
“No,” Hades said quietly, his focus going knife-sharp.
He grabbed Ballus’ shirt and hauled him in, at the same time he cracked his fist across Ballus’ face, the sheer power snapping Ballus’ head back.
“Fuck!” Ballus snarled, ripping himself away. “You made me bite my tongue!”
“That’s all your tongue is good for, it seems,” Hades snapped. He stalked forward and grabbed Ballus by the throat, slamming him against the wall.
Ballus flailed, fists flying. One clean punch was enough to stun him.
It would be so easy to end him in one move. But Ballus did not deserve that kindness.
“For months, you’ve treated Aaren like he’s lower than dirt,” Hades began, keeping his voice steady even though he wanted to roar.
“He’s just an omega,” Ballus said, raising his fist to punch Hades.
Hades grabbed his arm and twisted viciously, until Ballus cried out in pain. “And you’re just a piece of crap,” Hades said. He punched Ballus again to shut him up, then turned him around to face the wall, twisting both his arms behind his back to the point of pain. Ballus struggled helplessly.
“You’re just a weak, helpless alpha,” Hades purred in Ballus’ ear. “How does it feel to be so powerless?”
“I’m not!” Ballus snapped. He heaved against Hades. Hades twisted his arms higher. Any more, and Ballus’ shoulders would be dislocated. But it would make it too easy to end him.
“All this time, you’ve told yourself how weak omegas are. But right now, you’re just as helpless, aren’t you?” Hades said. He grabbed Ballus’ hair and smashed his face into the wall. Then he did it again, just to hear Ballus’ nose crunch.
Ballus roared and heaved. Hades let him go to see what he would do.
Like he anticipated, Ballus whirled around, leaping at Hades with another punch.
“You should’ve gotten better at that,” Hades said, twisting to the side so Ballus barreled on ahead. “You’re telegraphing every move like an elephant clomping through a room. Quite embarrassing.”
Ballus bared his teeth. But instead of rounding on Hades, his attention landed on Aaren.
“You,” he seethed.
A little too late, Hades realized that he had allowed Ballus to get between him and Aaren.
No matter how fast he was, no matter how much better at fighting he was, a bolt of ice shot through his stomach anyway. Aaren was unprotected right now.
“I’m going to crush you,” Ballus yelled at Aaren. “I’ll teach you what it means to betray me—”
Hades tackled him to the floor, landing heavily on him.
Ballus kicked and struggled. “Let me go! I’m going to rip that omega apart. I’m going to give him my cock and show him who really owns him—”
“No,” Hades snarled. “No matter what an omega does, you will not lay a finger on them.”
“He’s mine! I can do whatever I want to him,” Ballus yelled, trying to punch Hades.
“He’s no longer yours. You’re threatening his life now,” Hades growled, his violence swelling into a vivid red haze. “Get out of here, sweetheart.”
“But—” Aaren said.
“You don’t want to see this. Or hear this. I’m done playing with him. Put your fingers in your ears.”
Aaren gave them a last look, and left the room quickly.
“Good boy,” Hades growled.
“What the fuck are you saying to him?” Ballus spat. “Only weak, spineless alphas tell their omegas shit like that.”
“Yeah? And who’s the weak one here?” Hades took great pleasure in grabbing Ballus’ hair and lifting his head off the floor. Then he slammed Ballus’ face down, over and over, until his bones cracked and he whimpered in pain.
Then Ballus stopped whimpering, stopped moving entirely, and the snarling beast in Hades’ chest finally grew quiet.
Hades sat back, his heart finally starting to slow down. He looked at the growing pool of blood beneath them. Then he stood, heading to the bathroom to wash his hands. He scrubbed under his nails with soap, and pulled out his phone.
Fury answered almost immediately. “What’s up?”
“Might’ve just done something,” Hades said. “Fucker threatened Aaren. Has been abusing him for months. I took care of him, but now I need help with cleanup.”
“All right. Be right there. I might bring a friend along. Hang tight.”
It was only when Hades stepped out of the bathroom and saw Aaren huddled into a ball on the couch, that he froze.
The violence and the killing—that was second nature to him.
But Aaren wasn’t involved in that life.
Hades had just ended a man, with Aaren mere rooms away.
He swallowed hard, his pulse speeding up. Fuck. What do I do?
This, this was why he had stayed away from omegas. Hades could be a ruthless beast, and... What if it was too much for Aaren? Aaren had accepted him up until now, but that was before he had seen Hades’ true nature.
What if Aaren wanted to leave him?
“Sweetheart?” Hades said, feeling more shaky than he had in a long while.
Aaren jerked his head up. Then he hurried over, scanning Hades for injuries. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” Hades cleared his throat. “It’s over. He’s over. Don’t go in there. You don’t want to see that mess.”
Aaren frowned. He watched Hades for a second, almost more perceptive than Hades was comfortable with. “Something’s wrong.”
Hades swallowed. He took a few breaths. “You know that I’m violent. I’ve told you this before. It’s just... I never thought I would do that in front of you. It’s not pretty.”
“And?” Aaren was still watching him closely.
“And I’m afraid that I’m too much for you,” Hades said, nervous now where he hadn’t been with Ballus. “I... might have lost a bit of control. You know what happened in that bedroom. He’s dead. I made him dead. If you don’t want to stick around... I understand.”
Aaren watched him for much longer this time. Then he stepped in close, wrapping his arms around Hades. “I trust you. And I trust you to keep me safe. He would’ve hurt me otherwise.”
Hades’ knees could’ve buckled; he was so relieved.
“Yeah. He didn’t even know you’re pregnant. But if he did...” The way he was going, Ballus would’ve hit Aaren, maybe hit him in the belly too.
Aaren hugged Hades more tightly. “I’m not scared of you,” he whispered. “You’re my alpha.”
Hades’ heart tumbled. He had to swallow twice before he could speak. “Sweetheart.”
“Mine,” Aaren said. And he trailed his wrists down Hades’ arms, covering Hades in his tulip scent.
No one had done that for Hades before.
“Fuck, I love you,” Hades said raggedly.
Aaren’s breath hitched. He looked up at Hades all wide-eyed, like he hadn’t expected that. Then he grew brighter, like Hades’ words had lit him up from the inside. “Hades, I—” He blushed bright red. “I think I might love you too.”
Hades hugged him, his heart so full, it felt like it might explode.
They stood there in each other’s arms, swaying back and forth, caught in a little bubble of their own. It was more comforting than Hades had expected.
Someone hammered on the door. Both of them jumped.
“Stay here,” Hades said. He left Aaren at the couch and checked the peephole—Fury, and Emmy’s cop alpha, Varrick Halstead.
He opened the door for them.
“Why am I always the one being called in for these?” Varrick muttered, but he was already stepping into the house, looking around.
“You’re the one we all trust,” Fury said lightly. “Word of mouth.”
“Gee, thanks,” Varrick said.
Hades led him to the bedroom and explained what had happened. The whole time, he half-expected Varrick to slap a pair of handcuffs on his wrists.
But all Varrick said was, “Was Aaren your omega through all of this?”
“Yes. Still is,” Hades said. “We signed a contract earlier today, too. He’s been living with me for a couple of weeks.”
Varrick nodded. “Good. You won’t get in trouble for defending your omega.”
Hades hadn’t thought he needed to hear that, but he felt weak with relief anyway.
As though he could tell, Aaren came up and tucked himself under Hades’ arm. “Things are going to be all right?”
“They are,” Hades said, thankful for everything he never thought he’d get to have.
Now, all they needed was to get through Aaren’s pregnancy.
Then it would be fatherhood for them both. Oh, dear gods.