Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

MARIE

M y brother has no idea what he's dealing with. I'm stewing in anger as I drive up to the monstrosity of a house that he owns. You can't get into the complex without him allowing you admittance from his phone or in person, because the security system is keyed to him alone.

I mutter obscenities as I park my car, still angry at how he manhandled me last night. Everything points to this omega being his scent match, the urgency he feels to protect being a huge red flag for me.

Unfortunately, I don't know if he knows this yet since the girl smelled like disinfectant and garbage from her ordeal. There were sticky fluids and blood caked to her pale skin, but instead of feeling queasy, all I could manage was sympathy.

She looked as if she barely managed to stop whoever took her from raping her, but I have no doubt that there will be other emotional scars from that night.

Getting out of my little car, I shut the door behind me, wondering what I'm going to find. I can't fucking believe he handcuffed her to the bed. God, the worst thing is that this isn't some silly kink.

It would almost be better if it was because then at least I could be sure that she enjoyed it. I never pegged my criminal big brother as a kidnapper, but it goes to show that ‘overbearing' and ‘asshole' go hand in hand.

Don't get me wrong, the city of Chicago sings the alpha's praises because he's one of the good ones, but as a human? He's kind of a dick.

Huffing out a sigh, I try to channel a less intense energy as I get ready to walk into the house. Just because I'm pissed off at Tommy doesn't mean I have to expose the person I'm going to help to that.

Taking a deep breath, I glance up at the little security camera over the front door and stick my tongue out at my brother, knowing that he's watching. The door unlocks as if by magic which makes me smirk as I open it.

"Abracadabra," I mutter as I walk inside. Closing the door behind me, I roll my eyes at the sound of it locking behind me.

God, please save me from paranoid alphas. Slipping off my shoes, I shift the medical bag with supplies and a change of clothes for her inside as I start walking toward the stairs to face either a hysterical omega, or a very pissed off one.

Swallowing hard, I find myself outside Tommy's bedroom as I peek inside. The omega, who my brother calls Cerenity, is in one of his huge T-shirts, muttering to herself as she glares out the window.

There's plenty of light outside still, and it falls over her as she lays on the bed with her arms handcuffed over her head. Tommy told me where to find the keys, and I am still mad at him for making me do this.

Of course, I also know that if he could do it himself, he would have, or he wouldn't have reached out to me again. I know his instincts were riding him hard, or he never would have pushed me the way he did last night.

"Cerenity?" I ask softly as I step into the room. Her head snaps toward me so quickly that she winces in discomfort. The skin under her right eye is puffy and bruised, and her bottom lip is split and swollen after her ordeal last night.

Her previously matted blue hair is now dry and slightly curling around her face, and flopping in her face no matter how much she tries to shrug it off.

My brother's scent match is beautiful, even if life hasn't dealt her a fair hand recently.

"Who are you?" she rasps. Cerenity was really out of it while I was helping her, so I'm not surprised that she doesn't remember me. Pushing my blonde hair over my shoulders, I move to the nightstand where my big lug of a brother has the key to the cuffs.

The handcuffs aren't cute or lined in fur, they're actual cuffs, which makes me hope he doesn't use them during his bedroom activities. I just started speaking more to him, though not because I want to. No, it's because Tommy doesn't know how to leave me alone. He'll blow up my phone until I respond or he'll have me escorted to see him.

Tommy confuses the fuck out of me, but right now I'm not above holding him down so she can hit him. I can see where her wrists are chaffed from where the iron is rubbing against her skin.

"I'm Marie Madden," I tell her and I bite my lip as I try to figure out how to get her to trust me enough to unlock her from the cuffs. "Tommy is my brother, an idiot who is handling being your scent match really badly."

A strangled laugh surprises me as her deep blue eyes crinkle at me. "I'm sorry but he's handling it badly? Did I step into an alternate reality where he's lying cuffed to a bed instead of me?" she asks.

My lips purse as I shake my head. "You probably think I'm an idiot. Tommy's instincts to protect and fix things are riding him hard, making him make decisions he wouldn't usually. Just… remember that, okay? He's being an asshole right now, but he's only an ass to me usually," I say.

Cerenity's lips twist in amusement at my words. "I don't know if you're actually building him any brownie points, but I seriously have to pee," she admits, wrinkling her nose.

"I'm just trying to make sure you're not going to fuck me up as soon as I take these off," I tell her as I lean over the bed to get to the cuffs. The omega underneath me snorts and actually starts giggling, and I wonder if she's broken. The damn cuffs are stuck too.

Ugh, I'm going to fucking kill Tommy!

"Are you okay? Am I hurting you?" I ask her as she continues laughing. "Umm, do you need a Xanax or something?"

Cerenity's legs kick at the mattress as she giggles. She's literally gasping for air as she laughs, her blue hair in her face.

"I'm fine," she says, snickering. "It would figure someone would come in miraculously to help me, and you're actually nice, and I'm fucking stuck in these damn handcuffs."

I can feel a giggle bubbling up as I climb onto the mattress to get a better angle on the damn locking mechanism. This is just embarrassing on my part.

"Shit," I mutter, my voice slightly breathless from trying not to laugh as I try to position the key as I move around Cerenity. "Motherfucker, please open."

"Not unless you ask a lot nicer," Cerenity snarks, and I am gone as I glance down from where I'm now straddling her head.

Howling with laughter as I bend over to hold onto the headboard, I shake my head.

"Oh my God, I didn't realize what I was doing," I wheeze. Cerenity laughs, shaking her head as I try to get myself under control. I can feel the key twist just right and cheer. "Fuck yes, and there's one!"

The omega underneath me lets one of her arms drop from the cuffs with a happy sigh, brow raised as she looks up at the last obstacle.

"This is so ridiculous," I grumble, even as I press my lips together to hold back another giggle fit. Working on the locking mechanism, I curse my brother for having such a stupid thing in his room. "I really don't need to know about my brother's sexual proclivities."

"If I ever wondered what it would be like to be handcuffed to a bed, I definitely am cured of that thought now," Cerenity crows. There's a tinge of impatience and hysteria in the laughter, and I can only imagine how long my brother has left her here.

"I'm so sorry, I almost have it," I promise her. "If it makes you feel better, I'll stop claiming Tommy as family immediately."

Cerenity snorts which gives me the ability to relax slightly as I twist the key just right in the lock, finally freeing her other wrist.

"Thank God," I sigh, moving from hovering over her head. My cheeks flush with pink at how I had to basically straddle her damn head, but it was the only way I could see.

Cerenity sits slowly, humming as she looks down at her wrists. They're red and angry, making me even more insistent on getting rid of the cuffs.

"I'll be right back, and then I'll take care of your wrists. I want to see where they broke the skin," I say as I pull away the cuffs with the key inside of it.

Marching out of the room, I walk to the laundry shoot and drop it down the hole. Tommy has someone clean for him that he lets in and out of the house when she comes, and he never goes down to the basement to do laundry.

Lisa will simply raise a brow at the handcuffs and then move them to another part of the basement so she can continue working, ensuring that Tommy will never see them again.

"Good riddance, kinky bastard," I grunt as I return to the bedroom where Cerenity is sitting up, hissing as she tries to get the blood flow to return to her arms. They were probably suspended over her head for long enough that she's having a hell of a case of pins and needles.

"Are you talking to yourself?" Cerenity asks, smirking as I grab my bag.

"Yeah, it's a bad habit," I murmur as I sit next to her on the bed to look at her wrists. "This is going to sting a little. It did break the skin."

"I have so many bumps and bruises, what's one more?" she grunts with a shrug. "Are you the sister who's been patching me up?"

"Yes," I say easily, though I wonder what Tommy has been telling her. "He called me last night, asking me to come over to help. You were severely dehydrated, beaten up, and in rough shape. I cleaned you up while he was called away and got you hooked up to an IV bag."

"I may have ripped it out of my arm," she says with a wince.

"It happens when you wake up without a clue of how you ended up here," I remind her. "I don't know much, but it looked like a hell of a fucked up night."

I clean the torn skin, apply some medicated cream to it, and then wrap her wrists in gauze.

"It kind of was. It's also the night that never ends," she mutters. "Any chance you can help me out of here?"

"My brother is a paranoid ass who didn't give me a key. He buzzed me into the house," I explain. "If you've done any investigating of the complex, you know there's no way out unless he allows it. Look, he's not a bad man?—"

"Sure," Cerenity says, a wild laugh releasing that is unamused as she pulls her wrists away. "He had a rape kit run on me without consent, handcuffed me to a bed, and is keeping me from the only person on this planet who cares about me. Tommy is a fine, upstanding citizen."

"I never said anything about upstanding," I tease her. Her chest is heaving, and I want to diffuse her growing hysteria. Knowing you can't leave somewhere gives the worst feeling of claustrophobia for an omega.

"Tommy is making sure the alphas who hurt you won't be able to again. Is it so terrible that he's your scent match?"

"Yes," she answers immediately, surprising me. "Any alpha would be terrible, but he and Jasper are the worst options. They'll take away my choices, thinking they're fucking God's gift to omegas."

Surging forward, Cerenity begins to pace, her fingers twitching with anxiety.

"Choices are important to you," I murmur, simply because I want to keep her talking. I only fight for things when they're truly important, and since there's so few of those in my life, people think I'm a doormat.

I know Tommy doesn't think of me like that, but I tend to cave whenever he needs me after years of not really speaking to him, since we didn't grow up together. I still give him hell about it, however it doesn't change the fact that my brother knows I'll do whatever he asks.

It's why I'm here now, after all. I'm not even upset about this, though, because Cerenity obviously needed help. Maybe even a friend.

"Aren't they important to everyone?" Cerenity rasps, rolling her eyes as she paces, tugging her blue hair with her hands. "I don't want something like a damn scent to dictate who I'm supposed to love. It's why I'm on alpha pheromone blockers for fuck's sake. I don't need growly assholes getting all possessive and telling me what to do."

"So the scent bond hasn't snapped into place for you," I say, still stating the obvious as I work through this. At her nod, I swallow hard. "Is that why you look like you'd run if you could? I don't mean to pry, but who hurt you? It damn sure wasn't my brother, or if it was, please tell me, so I can find you something to kill him with."

Tommy is so protective, I truly don't believe he's responsible for this reaction from her. He's never spoken about her before. I don't think they know each other well, or he'd know she was his scent match earlier than just last night.

No, someone else did this.

"I… don't like alphas," Cerenity murmurs. "The power alphas have over omegas has never sat well with me."

"That's because there are alphas who use it to manipulate others," I say. I did a study on alpha-omega communication and biology in nursing school, and found it fascinating. "Alphas are a safe place for omegas to land, and they're supposed to nurture and protect them."

"So not handcuff them to a bed and force them to have their babies," she scoffs. My heart starts to pound as I look back at the bed I'm sitting on, but I have a feeling this isn't the same scenario.

"No, that's called rape," I grunt. "Have you had something like that happen to you? We don't know each other at all, though I did straddle your face."

My words startle her enough to blink as she snickers. "Oh my God," she laughs. "That'll make a very interesting ‘how did you two meet' story. Fuck, sounds like my life anyway. I haven't had that happen, but my mother did, and that's how I was conceived. She ran while she was pregnant with me and I don't think we ever really stopped running."

Forcing myself to take a breath, I start to see Cerenity in a different light. I would probably be a crying mess, but her back is straight as she paces in a jagged line, because of her concussion. This is what a strong omega looks like that is nearing the end of her rope.

Tommy thinks she'll be happy to play Suzy Homemaker as his omega so he can get to know her, but fate is sending him a giant middle finger in response. Serves him fucking right.

"Why are you using alpha blockers?" I ask. "Is it so you're less likely to be influenced by them?"

"I run a club in Minnesota. I started doing it to protect myself from being influenced, and then I did it because I never want to be scent matched," Cerenity confesses. "It's a lot of power to give someone over you, and it doesn't kick in unless I can scent the other person. Until then, he's just some guy."

"That's actually really smart," I mutter with a small smile. "Small tweaks to be able to live your life. Isn't it a little lonely though?"

"I have my best friend, Augustine, at least until he meets his scent match and leaves me," she sighs. "If we're talking about a safe place to land, he's mine."

The longing Cerenity has in her voice makes me sad for her. Her heart obviously is tangled up with someone else. This isn't looking good for my brother. I don't like to take sides, but Tommy is a big alpha and can figure his shit out alone.

"I'll work on my brother," I tell her, digging in my bag for clothes. "In the meantime, real clothes may help. They're new, and straight from the store. I even bought you panties."

"Are you serious?" she gasps, a huge smile lighting up her face. Yep, Tommy is up shit's creek.

Cerenity is gorgeous, obviously smart, and thinks real clothes are much more important than stubborn, big-headed alphas. I like her.

"It's the first thing I thought about when he asked me to swing by. The clothes are new, because I know omegas don't like the scent of others," I explain. "My brother also has never brought another woman here romantically, so I knew there wouldn't be any clothes here."

"Never?" she asks, as if working through something.

Nodding, I confirm it. "I don't think Tommy has even dated in years, Cerenity. He's not a man whore. Outside of myself or the maid, there's never been a woman in this house at all," I say.

"Not that it matters, because he's an ass, but thank you for telling me," she says before taking the clothes and disappearing into the bathroom.

My lips twitch as I sit in the bedroom, deciding to give my brother hell. My bravery only really shows up when he's not in the same room as me, because he's still a big fucking alpha.

Tommy you're a dick, and you need new handcuffs.

The dick: They're cuffs that I use for work when I have to torture someone, not kinky sex shit. Why am I a dick, little sister?

God, I think I would rather they were for sex. Knowing he restrains people who piss him off makes me want to hit him.

They got stuck and her wrists are all fucked up. You hurt her. Cerenity has gone through enough, don't you think? If you can't figure out how to treat the omega with respect, then you don't deserve her. I think you should let her go home to Augustine.

Holding my breath, I watch the text bubbles begin to move before they stutter and stop before starting again.

Not so sure now, huh?

The dick: We had a rough beginning. I need to tell Augustine she's here because he's been losing his mind. He's her scent match too. This is going to be a shit show.

The door opens to the bathroom as I gasp, because I know Cerenity doesn't know that.

"Everything okay?" she asks.

This is none of my business. Marie, keep your mouth shut.

The problem is that there's been too many secrets, and I'm uncomfortable holding this one. Cerenity is wearing black pants and a blue long-sleeve scoop neck shirt now as she steps outside of the bathroom with fuzzy socks. While it's warm outside, the house is cool.

"I need to tell you something," I whisper, pushing my blonde hair off of my shoulders nervously. "Are you hungry?"

"Not in the slightest," she says, crossing her arms. "What's going on?"

"I want us to be friends despite that fact Tommy and Jasper can't see the light because of how deep their heads are up their assholes," I state, curling my fingers into my thighs. "I found out something, and I think it may be important for you to know."

"I can appreciate your candor," Cerenity says carefully, her blue eyes staring at me as if she can figure out what I'm about to say.

Somehow, I feel as if she could stare all day long and still have no idea what I'm about to tell her.

"Did you know that Augustine is your scent match?" I ask, voice cracking from the strain. I hate delivering bad news, but this shouldn't be sad.

It's just upsetting that her best friend is keeping this information from her, no matter the reason.

"That's not possible," she whispers.

Yelling downstairs draws my attention. "We have company," I mutter. "Come on, Cerenity."

Standing, I walk across the room to see who is here while the omega I've decided to befriend struggles to process the information I just gave her. Still, I'm impressed by her ability to shake herself off as she follows me, though her eyes are a little glazed.

It's no wonder with everything that's happening that she's still standing at all.

Something breaks as I hurry for the stairs, knowing it can only be Tommy, since no one else can get in.

"What the hell is going on?" I yell as I walk downstairs.

"You've been hiding her from me the entire damn time?" a voice roars angrily.

"Auggie?" Cerenity asks, looking confused as we move faster.

The sight of Jasper punching an alpha I don't know greets me as we stutter to a stop, jaws dropping.

"This is ridiculous, you're grown ass adults," I snap, hoping my voice will channel enough of my mother to get through to them.

Tommy pushes the alpha off him, punching him in the side.

"For fuck's sake, stop," Cerenity yells, walking over to the sofa and picking up a frying pan. It looks like it's heavy as she swings it hard into Tommy's back.

"Cerenity, why am I not surprised you found a weapon?" a handsome beta asks from the still open front door.

Hiding my smile, I watch as my brother yells in pain, turning to find Cerenity watching them in annoyance.

"Mind telling me what the fuck is going on?" she asks, huffing.

"Cere," the alpha who's been fighting with Jasper and Tommy whispers with so much emotion, I can't imagine him not loving her.

Things just got more complicated. Fucking great.