28. Apollo

Michael told us not to kill anyone.

He was very explicit.

No killing.

Not a single person.

They had given us dart guns and tasers. No bullets, only casualties.

Arrow's men aimed for arms and legs. Arrow had given us earpieces, but it only muffled the shouts that ripped from the guards who attacked us at every corner.

The mansion was well-guarded, but Michael's security team were professionals, and we moved fast. We spread out, taking different floors and corridors, but it was obvious where she was. There was a strong trail of her scent like sugared breadcrumbs.

I didn't care what Arrow said—he couldn't stop us from reaching our mate.

They could punish us when we got her back. I needed to know she was safe.

"Apollo!" Arrow barked as I took a left, her scent growing stronger. "Stay in formation!"

I bit my lip as I ignored him. My aura vibrated around me, my instincts telling me that, as pack lead, I had to be in charge of the whole situation. No matter what Arrow said, this was our omega. The added tension from both Zeus and Odin through the bond made me more determined to keep us together. They flanked me as we made quick work of the stairs.

The mansion was in shambles. Everything was rotting, torn, or bare. Empty picture frames on the walls, indents in the carpets where furniture used to stand, spiderwebs hung from rusted chandeliers, peeling paint on every wall, and wide patches of brown from leaks in the roof.

Whoever this alpha was, he wasn't the same quality of customer who could afford our hosts, and he definitely couldn't afford Candy.

"For fuck's sake!" Arrow's yell buzzed through my earpiece as the three of us raced through the corridors—we were already too close to stop now. "Bones, go after them!"

I kept my dart gun pointed down, all my attention on finding her, no matter what. I'd already thrown away the sling, though my shoulder stung like hell.

Odin and Zeus ran behind me, our bond strong as we moved as a pack, hunting, stalking with one thing in mind. The guards in the mansion had no chance.

We didn't need to say a word to each other. We'd been through endless training, we'd done our time in the shooting range, and we were in the dojo every week. Arrow's team might be more experienced, but their omega wasn't at stake.

My arms were locked in position, ready to fire at any moment. I should have relaxed my muscles, should have been able to focus, but images of Odin and Zeus crumpled on the floor kept assaulting me. Twice now I'd failed them, and I had to fix it.

The three of us held each other steady, an intense calm running between us, firing off darts any second a black masked guard appeared.

"If he's so much as touched her…" Odin's deadly tone promised death, his scent an icy storm which blanketed the pure fire raging from Zeus. Not a scratch of emotion from him, as opposed to Zeus's sparking fury, infecting both of us with his power. If either of them snapped, I wasn't going to be able to control them. I was burning too brightly. I couldn't calm myself.

Every shot sent a thrill murmuring through me. My mates were incredible, no matter what they did.

"Let's move," I said through gritted teeth.

Bones caught up with us, staying tight as we finally turned into the corridor where her scent was strongest. There were five guards stationed outside the door, but Bones was ruthless. Odin and Zeus took down a guard each, and, by the time the darts had left their guns, Bones had already dropped the other three.

Bones jumped forward, grabbing their limp bodies, dragging them aside, making room for us to burst through the doors with a snarl.

My knees nearly gave way, my heart freezing as our eyes landed on her.

Tied to a chair, an alpha with a knife to her throat, her scent stained with fear as she trembled.

I didn't think. I couldn't.

I ran for them.

My aura exploded as I yelled.

She was trapped underneath the wheezing alpha, a sick grin on his face as a sharp line of blood beaded on her throat.

And the calm I kept so tightly wound inside me for years shattered; any restraint or control I'd honed since we almost lost Odin reduced to shards.

Rage blasted through all three of us, but I got there first.

Zeus raised his gun and Odin turned to the guards on our right, but I was faster.

I shot forward the moment Candy rocked her chair, hurling herself backwards, risking her life as she hit the alpha's stomach.

They both went down, and the alpha stumbled backwards and away from her.

There was nothing to stop me.

With my mates behind me, I fell on the alpha, his knife clattering away as I threw the first punch.

My mind flickered back to the bar five years ago, when Zeus stabbed an alpha as I bent over Odin, the chair leg thrust through his eye, rocking back and forth as I screamed.

That same scream echoed in my ears as I swung for him.

His nose crunched as my fist hit home. But that was just the start.

I couldn't stop.

Because all there was, was red fury.

It took me over.

I had to kill him. I had to end him.

She was ours. Our mate. Our love, and he dared to touch her.

A roar ripped from me as another punch landed. And another. And another. I kept going until my arms were swinging wildly, flying into every part of his body I could reach. I felt my shoulder go again; the pain devouring me, but in my rogue state, it was nothing.

My hips kept him pinned, but it wasn't enough as he jerked, knocking me upwards. It gave me more space to slam my good hand against his throat.

Pressing my bleeding fingers into his neck, my aura flared as I choked him, his skin popping under my nails as my killing rage dominated me.

It suffocated me, clenching around my body like a black coil that I could only be free from if I saw the light fade in his eyes. I needed the darkness, pitch black nothingness, my light lost forever. Because it was for them.

My nails dug into fat flesh, and I heaved out a strained sob as I squeezed.

But before I could feel his last breath, strong arms around my waist yanked me backwards.

I snarled, throwing out my fist, connecting with hard muscle as my hand thudded on Zeus's upper arm.

"Apollo! Stop!" he shouted.

It was no use. I was gone. The rogue state had taken me over, and I had to destroy everything in my path to protect our omega.

Part of me could hear Zeus, could see Odin and Bones bent over Candy, cutting her from the chair. Odin held her as she looked across at the mangled face of that alpha in disgust.

Zeus pressed me to his back, a hand on my breastbone, the other firm around my stomach, but it didn't stop me hissing like a ferocious beast.

I had to get her. I had to protect her.

I had to rip that alpha's body apart so he could never touch her again. I was going to kill him. I was going to tear his limbs, gouge out his eyes, drain his blood so the only thing left was a husk of flesh.

"Apollo! For fuck's sake!" Zeus struggled against me as I tried to get to the alpha. Kicking out, chucking my head back, scratching at his arms as I snapped at him.

The alpha's chest was rising and falling. My job wasn't done.

Still shaking, still roaring, my senses blasted, my need to kill dominating me.

Candy was right there. I knew she was safe. But it just wasn't registering.

Other team members were filtering into the room, starting to wrap up the scene as if nothing had happened.

My harsh breaths were consuming me. My throat tight, my lungs burning, the blood rushed through my veins faster than I could take. My rogue state dominated any sense of reason.

There was no hope for me. I could feel Odin and Zeus trying to break through. My full alpha instincts had been unleashed, and it was like they were banging on one-way glass. I could hear them, but I had no way to see or find them.

My attention was fixed on Candy as she rose, trembling as Odin gripped her, pulling her up. But she only had eyes for me.

She stumbled towards me, naked, red marks riding her wrists and ankles, the bloody slash on her neck running a crimson path to her collarbone, unleashing a new wave of fury that he dared hurt her.

I couldn't tell who was who. Even Candy, so close to me, was something I needed to annihilate. I had to kill. I had to stop everything in my path so I was the only one left alive.

I was the true alpha, and I would kill anyone who got in my way.

"Apollo!" my omega gasped, reaching for me. "Apollo! Please! I'm right here!"

She stood, composed as she turned her palms to me, her lids fluttering closed, and she perfumed.

It took seconds, her bubblegum surrounding me, binding me, blinding me, absorbing itself into my lungs.

My omega. My sweetheart. The woman I loved.

I choked as my head began to clear, but it didn't stop. I had to dominate everyone. I was the pack lead, and I hadn't protected her, or Zeus, or Odin.

She pushed through, past my writhing arms and the moment she touched me, the second her aura surrounded me, my senses collapsed and my body gave way.

"I'm right here," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around me, nudging Zeus away. But he held firm, knowing firsthand how out of control I was.

Candy was ours. And her scent already pumped in my veins, a summer breeze to my blazing light. "I'm here. Apollo. Look at me." She cupped my cheeks, pulling me down, forcing my lips to hers.

Waves of heat crashed through me as her taste filled me. She swept her tongue across mine, her breath filling my lungs. Every part of her essence captured me as her arms pressed around my back with her naked body on me.

I groaned in return, red sparks flashing at the sides of my eyes, quickly replaced by wisps of sweet pink. Candy moaned, rubbing herself up against me, marking me, the scent of her heat calling me through the red haze.

She was heaven. Her scent melded with mine, her soft skin pressed against my cheeks as her tongue swept around my mouth, and I wheezed. It was so hard to breathe, to talk, to think.

Zeus held me, Odin stroked Candy's back, and I melted under the force of the three of them.

Our scents. Our aura. Our love.

It wasn't enough to bring me back.

I was too far gone. I had broken, and I couldn't settle. My mind was too shattered.

When Zeus snapped and killed three alphas, I wasn't enough to pull him back.

And they couldn't do it. I loved them both, but no matter how hard Odin and Zeus tried to reach me through the bond, they couldn't keep me grounded.

I was meant to be the calm one. I was meant to be the one that kept us safe.

I fell forward, yelling out as the agony of my ruined mind scoured my body.

Heavy in her arms, I watched on in horror as my mind started to disintegrate. I was dissolving, and I couldn't stop it.

I was breaking, destroying myself from the inside. There were so many stories of alphas losing their minds after a rogue state, though I never thought it would happen to me.

I let out a cry of pain, searching for my mates, but it was too late. There was no coming back.

Until I felt teeth on my left collarbone, until a sharp pain sliced through my skin, and suddenly I was drowning in bubblegum as my omega pierced me with a mating bite.

I gasped, my whole body jolting, my legs falling from under me as she was there—her energy melding with mine, her love blending within me.

Zeus held me as I shuddered between them. Candy clamped my flesh between her teeth, the power of her omega aura demanding I stay in place and, in my rogue state, I had no choice but to follow.

Omegas couldn't create a full bond or control others the same way an alpha could. But in a rogue state, she was the only one who could save me. Her aura bent around mine as she entered our bond, merging with Zeus and Odin, all three of them focused on me.

And she was there, just as she said. She was safe.

My pack was with me. My pack was holding me, and I needed them more than the sharp oxygen I tried to pull into my lungs.

Zeus nuzzled the back of my head, Odin's cheek on my shoulder, and Candy caressed my waist as she released the bite, pressing her head to my chest and she purred.

I gasped, moaning as her purrs vibrated through me. I finally gave way, my body limp in their arms. My pack supported me, clutching me, keeping me up. I was supposed to keep us together, and I had failed. Like I failed them when Odin was stabbed.

I couldn't protect them.

"I can't—" I wheezed, but Candy silenced me with a soft kiss to my lips.

Groaning under her, I let them take my weight. "I'm so—"

"Shh," she whispered, brushing my cheek. "Stay with us, Apollo. Come home."

Tears dropped down my cheeks, running between us as I panted against them. I almost lost them. I could have hurt them. Yet they were still here, pulsing inside me, reminding me of who I really was.

I let my breaths match theirs, all of us together, holding each other. I could hear Arrow and his team move around us, but nothing mattered but them.

I couldn't do anything except let them carry me, hold me, heal me. They were all I needed.

A hollow tap echoed in the back of my mind. I thought I was imagining it, until my mates froze, unease beating through our bond.

"How charming."

I sucked in a harsh breath as Michael's voice sounded from our left into the busy room. His presence swept around us, his quiet power blanketing us.

Tension quivered through our bond as he walked towards us, his cane sharply tapping away.

He waited patiently. We very carefully disentangled ourselves, hearts caught in our throats as we met Michael's familiar smile and style. All black, finished with a bowler hat, a long wool jacket, and his cane.

Michael's gaze slid to the mangled face of the alpha next to his feet. He sighed heavily as he knocked his cane on the alpha's chest.

"I quite clearly remember saying ‘no killing'," he said with a frown, poking the alpha again. The alpha coughed, blood bubbling from his mouth as Michael shook his head. "Oh dear, well… I'm sure he'll be fine." He turned back to us with a light smile that made me so unsure of the situation, I kept my mouth clamped shut.

"I suppose this is the cost of doing business, though I did tell him not to hurt Candy when he took her."

A hushed pause grabbed us as silence fell in the room.

"What would you like me to do with him?" Arrow asked from beside Michael.

"Well, we'll have to get him patched up. Of course, Mr Roberts understood the risk. And he will obviously be compensated for his services, though I didn't expect him to go quite so far. And his timing was rather off as well. He was meant to wait until at least mid-day."

His mouth tightened in a line before he looked at Candy. "I do apologise, my dear. For that, at least." He nodded to the scar on her neck before he stepped aside to let Arrow pull the alpha away.

"Arrow, be a dear and return Mr Roberts to his rooms. I would like to have a small…" he hummed, "conversation with him before we wrap up the entire charade."

"What are you saying?" Candy growled, clinging to me as shock shuddered through us all. "You did this?"

"You can't be serious," Zeus snapped as I trembled in his arms.

"This…This was you?" My voice cracked, awareness of the pain in my arm and knuckles flaring in me.

"Well, yes, of course." Michael tilted his head to the side, his eyes bright and clear. "I believe I told you there was a cost for breaking your contract. Though this is rather mild compared to my usual fare." He smiled again, stroking his chin. "But, I must confess, I do like four of you rather more than most, and it's always such a pleasure when we put on a performance, isn't it?"

He looked down at Arrow, who rose quickly, the alpha slumped over his shoulder.

"Yes, sir," he replied with a hard stare, completely avoiding us, looking straight ahead as he carried Mr Roberts away.

I barely registered him picking the alpha up. His face was like raw meat, and he deserved it. Even if it was some kind of act, he still hurt Candy.

I glared at Michael, the ringing in my ears fading as reality slapped back into place. The roaring need of my alpha instincts to destroy everything in sight was barely under control, especially now I knew this was all Michael's doing.

"Then," Candy said, "even when he went into rut at my show?"

"Oh, gosh, no." Michael chuckled. "Of course not. I would never do anything to ruin your night. It was simply that Mr Roberts was in a perfect position to serve you."

Zeus's grip was too strong, my good arm growing numb, and the sheer fury pounding off Odin was scrambling my concentration.

Candy's fear rippled through the bond along with us, connected to me through the bite that was so beautiful only moments ago.

Michael looked up at me and smiled. "I suppose I can forgive your lapse in judgement." His gaze roamed over us, landing on my bite mark. "Given the situation." He sighed.

My breaths churned deep into my stomach, fear of what I'd done crashing through me. The alpha had just been following orders, yet Michael let me beat him to a pulp.

He walked towards us. "It might be best if you rested for a while. You all need time to heal." He nodded at my knuckles.

"There's a car at the front of the mansion you may use. To give you some privacy in these trying times."

He dropped us a nod before turning and trailing off towards the door, leaving us to watch him go in shock.

"Oh, I forgot to add." Our heads shot to the left. He looked so small and unassuming in the doorway, despite everything he'd orchestrated. "I've reserved a slot for you tomorrow so we can have a little chat about your… hmm…" he twisted his lips before his eyes flashed in amusement, "transgression." He smirked to himself. "Ten a.m. Don't be late." Michael gave us one more soft smile before he lifted his hat, bidding us goodbye as he left. The tap of his cane bounced off the wooden floor as he strolled away.

The four of us were left holding on to each other, shaking through the horror of what had just happened.

We'd stressed so many times about what could happen if we broke our contract, but I couldn't imagine it would be something like that.

"Zeus." Odin's voice rumbled through my chest. Sandwiched between Zeus and Candy, I couldn't move, and I didn't know if I should. The madness was biting at the edges of my mind like a hunting dog, and I couldn't tell what would happen if they let me free. Both Candy and I were hurt, bleeding, and we couldn't ignore the wounds, but I still couldn't let her go. I had to know she was safe.

"Apollo," Zeus murmured low in my ear. "Come on, we have to get you to the car."

I gasped as he stepped away from me. I needed his heat, his scent; I needed my mates pressed up against me. Odin slid in behind Candy, gently peeling my fingers from her.

Everything was bright, screaming around me at the loss of my mates. Until Zeus fed an arm around my back, the other on my shoulder.

I only had seconds to see Candy's worried face before Zeus carefully pulled me to his side, and Odin swept her up into his arms.