Chapter 32
River
Isit up, thinking I heard something, but it’s quiet. The ache in my core continues to intensify. The pack should be here soon. At least I think they should. Torin said he’d contact them, and according to what Heatwave told Tav, they’d be on standby ready to come straight here and fuck me.
There’s a hard thudding sound, followed by some grunting. Something’s going on. I slowly get out of bed, the effects of my heat hitting me so hard that I can barely move. All I can think about, all I want are knots. To be fucked.
I’m barely off the bed when everything goes quiet. Was I imagining it?
The door bursts open, and two men step inside. They’re young. Around my age. Is that why Tav and the guys picked them, hoping I’d feel more comfortable? The dark haired one with a harsh look on his face moves closer to me while the blond one shuts the door behind him.
“Fuck, do you smell that, John?” the dark-haired one asks as he inhales deeply. “Our little omega is ready for our knots. For us to mark her.”
“No,” slips from my lips as I take a step backward, suddenly aware that I’m very naked. My arms move, one crossing over my chest while the other covers my pubic area.
Their scents fill the room, a mixture of smoke and grass. But something’s off about how they smell; it’s as if it’s rotten, if that’s even possible.
“You dare tell your alphas no!” The dark-haired one glares at me as he uses his alpha bark. It was made very clear in their contracts that no bonding was allowed.
“I do.” Another cramp rips through me, and I nearly collapse, falling back into the nightstand. My body starts to burn, wanting the knots the alphas have to offer me. “There isn’t any bonding allowed.”
He laughs. A deep rumbling laugh. “That’s so sweet. You think we’re the pack assigned to you?”
Fear seizes hold of me, freezing me in my spot. “Torin,” I murmur.
“The omega? Yeah, he’s no longer a problem. I’m really shocked they left someone so weak here to take care of you. It’s why you deserve a pack that knows how to handle an omega. To rut her during her heat and keep her in line when she’s not.”
Torin. They hurt him because of me. It’s all my fault.
“Why?” I ask, my lips trembling. “What do you want with me?”
“Because you belong to me.” He grins widely.
“No. I don’t belong to anyone.” Something inside me takes hold, I fight the heat, taking control.
“That mark on your chest tells me otherwise. My pack has already claimed you.”
My eyes go wide and the room starts to spin.
This can’t be happening.
Then it goes black.
***
Holden
Lounging on the couch, all I can think about is River. That I fucking missed her message because I was asleep. Now I won’t be able to talk to her. To find out if she’s okay. Her message was off. She needed me, and I wasn’t there. For some reason that doesn’t sit right with me.
I continue to flick through the channels, nothing catching my interest. It’s Sunday, and I still don’t know how long it’ll be before I get to talk to her again.
“What are you watching?” Nash asks, dropping down beside me.
“Nothing,” I mumble, finally landing on a Scream marathon. Normally, it would put me in a great mood, but today, not so much. I shift my gaze over to him, noticing he’s sharing the same mood as me. “What’s wrong with you?”
He lets his head fall back on the couch, his hands cover his face before running them through his hair, tugging on the ends.
“Fuck,” he groans, causing me to sit up and angle my body toward him. He sits up, leaning forward, his forearms resting on his legs. “I don’t even know how to tell you this.”
“Tell me what? Did you fucking kill someone? Run over a dog? You got me worried.”
“No, nothing that extreme or bad, but you might be pissed when I tell you,” he pauses as he tugs on his lower lip, his eyes lasering in on an invisible spot on the floor.
“Then tell me,” I snap, not even meaning to. It’s not something I do with him, but not being there when River messaged me is really fucking with me. It shouldn’t matter that I missed her message. It's not like we’ve ever met. hell, I don’t even know what she looks like.
“I’ve been messaging River.” His normally cheerful and boisterous voice is low and solemn.
It takes a minute for his words to process, but when they do, I explode. “You’ve been what?”
“I’ve been messaging River. I don’t know why I did it.
It just happened.” He sighs, and as much as I want to yell at him, even kick his ass, I’m going to let him explain.
It’s not Nash’s nature to be malicious and shady, especially with me.
“The way you talked about her and the draw you had to her, I just wanted to experience it. Then, once we started talking, I couldn’t stop.
I knew it wasn’t just a one-time thing, and I see why you were drawn to her. ”
“Because you are drawn to her too. But what about the girl at the job we’re doing? Aren’t you interested in her too?”
He nods. “I am, and mystery girl, yeah there’s something about her too. But she’s just this mysterious person in a window. River, she’s real. She messaged me Friday night, and I was asleep. Now she’s not answering because of her family emergency. I’m just worried.”
I get what he’s saying. I’m worried too.
“She messaged me too while I was sleeping,” I tell him. “It’s killing me that I wasn't there. The text just sounded off. Like she needed me, and I let her down.”
“I feel the same way, Holden. It’s fucking weird. Are you mad? I know I should’ve told you.”
Am I mad? It’s hard to say. If we both weren’t feeling like this, would he have told me, or would I still be in the dark?
“No, I’m not mad. Just no more secrets.” I smile at him, and he nods.
“I wonder what she needed.”
“No clue. Maybe she’ll find a way to message one of us and let us know. I just wish I knew why both of us are attracted to her.”
“I ordered pizza,” Roman announces as he steps into the room, beer in hand, and sits down in his recliner.
“Scream. Hell yeah. Billy Loomis is by far the best Ghostface.” This has been an ongoing debate in our house.
We all love Billy, but we love to rile Roman up by debating that the others are better.
“He’s okay,” Nash says, already trying to piss him off.
“Okay, you’re fucking insane. You obviously have shitty taste in what’s good and what isn’t,” Roman barks.
I already see Nash jumping at the bit to give him a snarky comeback when the doorbell rings. Not just a ring, but someone is laying on it, like an arrogant ass.
“What the fuck,” Roman growls.
We all jump up and head to the door. Roman beats us, taking hold of the handle and yanking it open. But it’s not the pizza guy, or an unknown stranger being chased by Ghostface. It’s Henry. His lip is swollen, face is bloody, and he has a black eye.
I push past Roman, taking hold of Henry, giving him support because it looks like he’s about to pass out. “What the hell happened to you?” I ask as I guide him inside the house, helping him sit on the couch.
“You were so right about that pack.” His voice cracks as he tries to talk through the pain and hold back a tear.
“They did this to you?” Roman asks him, but it’s as if Henry doesn’t hear him. “Henry,” Roman says his name again, using his alpha bark this time.
“They did, because I didn’t want to join them. I’m so sorry, Holden, if I knew, I would’ve never asked you about her. I’m so sorry.” Henry’s a heaving mess as he rocks back and forth.
“River? They did this because of her?” He nods his head, not even looking me in the eyes.
“Isn’t that the name of your project partner?” Roman asks, slightly confused.
“Yes,” I blurt out, concern marring my face.
“Henry, you better tell us everything and NOW.” Nash’s voice rises with the last word, his own alpha bark projected at Henry.
“Marcus kept going on about how she was meant to be his. That she belonged to his pack.”
Nash, Roman and I all gaze at each other, confused about what the hell Henry’s saying.
“Why would they want a female beta?” I ask.
“She’s not a beta. She’s an omega.” My fucking world starts spinning. I couldn’t have heard him right. River is an omega. Why would she lie about being a beta? Pretend to be one?
“How do you know that?” Nash growls.
“Marcus was supposed to join another pack, but before he turned eighteen, they were killed and their omega was taken. They’ve been watching her brother and found where she was.
He wasn’t sure what she looked like at first. They found who they thought she was, but it wasn’t her.
They killed her. Then they started checking every place she could go to for help, monitoring them. ”
“Can we speed this shit up?” I’m fuming. All this doesn’t make sense. The only thing I do know is that it sounds like River is in trouble and I need to help her.
“He found her, River. But he couldn’t get to her.
The pack she’s staying with keeps a tight watch on her.
Until now. She just went into heat. She’s using this place called Heatwave and Marcus managed to hack into their records.
They found out what pack she was using and waited.
They got the call today. When I wouldn’t join them to reclaim her, they did this. ”
“They’re going after her?” My heart drops, and I feel like my world is spinning.
“Do you know where she is?” Roman steps up, asking the question that is the most important at the moment.
“I do. There’s a coded gate to get into the place. I managed to see it all before shit went sideways.”
“Give it to us. I need to know how many are headed there and if they are armed.” Roman’s face has morphed into the cold exterior he uses in the cages.
“Two. They are both alphas. I was meant to be their beta. But what they plan to do, I don’t want any part of that.” He's still stunned, and I feel bad for him, but I did warn him. A part of me is glad he didn’t, or we wouldn’t know she needed our help.
Roman disappears up the stairs, returning five minutes later with a bag in hand. “Let’s go,” he orders.