Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

BELLA

Consciousness returns slowly, like surfacing from the depths of a dark, endless ocean. Pain is the first thing I become aware of— a deep, throbbing ache that seems to radiate from my very bones. Every breath sends a sharp stab of agony through my chest, and even the slightest movement feels like an impossible task.

I try to open my eyes, but my lids are heavy, weighed down by the lingering effects of whatever drugs they've pumped into my system. It takes a monumental effort, but finally, I manage to crack them open, squinting against the soft glow of the lamp on my bedside table.

At first, my vision is blurry, the shapes and colors around me bleeding together in a hazy swirl. But gradually, the room comes into focus, and I realize with a start that I'm back in my own bed, in the mansion that has been both my prison and my sanctuary for as long as I can remember.

The silence is eerie, broken only by the steady beep of the heart monitor beside my bed and the soft, even breathing of the four men who sit in chairs around me like sentinels. My alphas, my mates, my protectors.

Silas is closest to me, his silver hair disheveled and his golden eyes rimmed with red. He looks like he hasn't slept in days, his chiseled features drawn and haggard. But when his gaze meets mine, the relief that floods his expression is palpable.

I try to sit up, but a searing pain rips through my chest, stealing my breath and sending stars exploding across my vision. A strangled cry escapes my lips, and instantly, Silas is there, his strong hands gently easing me back against the pillows.

"Easy, baby," he murmurs, his voice rough with emotion. "You're still healing. Don't try to move too much."

I swallow hard, my throat dry and scratchy. "W-what happened?" I rasp, my voice barely above a whisper. "How did I get here?"

Dante leans forward, his intense gaze fixed on my face. "Micha got us into St. Mary's through the back. Dr. Smith was able to remove the bullet and stabilize you, but it was touch and go for a while. You've been out for over a week."

A week. The words hit me like a physical blow, and I feel a wave of dizziness wash over me. I close my eyes, trying to process the information. The last thing I remember is the searing pain of the bullet ripping through my chest, the taste of blood on my tongue, and the sound of Silas's anguished screams echoing in my ears.

"Nic," I whisper, my heart clenching at the memory of his lifeless body crumpling to the ground beside me. "He's dead, isn't he?"

Hector nods grimly, his jaw clenched tight. I know he hated Nic, but the guy didn't deserve what he got. The last thing I remember is….

"He took the bullet for me…"

Silas nods again. "Motherfucker did something right at least."

Sam and Hector blink their eyes open. Sam stands immediately, coming to the bedside, while at the same time Dante rushes to the monitors to check my vitals.

My hand drifts to my chest, feeling the thick bandage beneath the thin fabric of my nightgown. The pain is a constant throb, pulsing in time with my heartbeat. I take a shallow breath, wincing as my ribs protest the movement.

"What about the others?" I ask, almost afraid to hear the answer. "Rosa, the girls...did they make it out?"

Sam nods, his expression grim. "Most of them. They're safe now, scattered to the wind. We made sure of it."

Relief washes over me, so intense it brings tears to my eyes. I blink them away, not wanting to show weakness, even in front of my mates. They've seen me at my lowest, but I still cling to my pride like a shield.

"Where's Rosa? I need to see her." A sudden desperation claws at me. Ten long fucking years. I need to see my sister. I need to know she's real.

Hector comes to my side, sitting on the bed as softly as a man his size can without jostling me. "We've been taking care of your sister, don't worry, sweetheart. She's coming off of some pretty heavy drugs, so it's going to be a while before she's back to her normal self, but all things considered, she's a fucking fighter."

I blink back tears. "And Mama?" She wasn't at the auction, but there were still men guarding the house that night.

As if conjured, the door to my bedroom opens, and a familiar face peeks around the corner. Mama's gentle eyes meet mine, shining with unshed tears. She steps into the room, her movements hesitant as if she's afraid I might shatter at the slightest disturbance.

Silas and Hector move aside, making space for her at my bedside. Mama sinks down onto the edge of the mattress, her warm hand finding mine and squeezing softly. Her touch is achingly tender, filled with a love that transcends the horrors we've endured.

"Oh, my sweet girl," Mama whispers, her voice trembling with emotion. She reaches out with her free hand, brushing a stray lock of hair from my forehead with a featherlight touch. "I'm so sorry, Bella. I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you from this."

Tears slip down her cheeks, leaving glistening trails on her porcelain skin. She leans forward, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead, her lips warm and comforting against my clammy skin. The scent of her perfume envelops me, a delicate blend of jasmine and vanilla that brings back memories of happier times, when the world wasn't so cruel and unforgiving.

Shame and self-loathing rise up like bile in my throat. I turn my face away, unable to meet Mama's loving gaze as the enormity of what I've done crashes over me in suffocating waves. My fathers' blood stains my hands, their deaths a burden I will carry for the rest of my life.

"Mama," I choke out, my voice brittle and thin as spun glass. "I...I'm so sorry. I didn't want...I never meant for you to lose them like this."

Mama's fingers tighten around mine, her grip firm and grounding. She shakes her head, her eyes shining with a fierce, unwavering love. "No, Bella. You have nothing to apologize for. Your fathers...they were not the men I thought they were. They hurt you, they hurt Rosa, in ways no parent should ever harm their child."

Her voice wavers, thick with emotion, but she presses on. "I know the bond between an omega and their alpha is a powerful thing. Losing a mate, even one who caused such pain, leaves a void that feels like it can never be filled. But what they did to you, to our family...that wasn't love. That was cruelty and abuse, a twisted mockery of what a true bond should be."

Mama reaches out, cupping my cheek with her palm. Her skin is soft and warm, her touch a soothing balm to my battered soul. "I could never love a man who laid a hand on my daughters. You were protecting yourself, protecting Rosa. You were fighting for your life, for your freedom. And that is nothing to be ashamed of."

Tears sting my eyes, hot and prickling. I blink rapidly, trying to stem the flood, but they spill down my cheeks in scalding trails. "But they were your mates, Mama. Your alphas. How can you not hate me for taking them from you?"

Mama's voice trembles slightly, but she presses on, determined to share her truth. "At first, it was small things—a sharp word here, a possessive grip there. But gradually, their control tightened like a noose around my neck. They began to dictate every aspect of my life, from what I wore to who I spoke to. And when I dared to defy them..."

She trails off, a shudder rippling through her slender frame. I squeeze her hand, offering what little comfort I can. Mama takes a shaky breath, blinking back the tears that shimmer in her eyes.

"They would punish me," Mama whispers, her voice barely audible over the soft beeping of the heart monitor. "Not with their fists, but with their words, their actions. They would lock me in our room for days, denying me food, water, even the simple comfort of sunlight on my skin. They would force me to watch as they took other omegas to their bed, parading them before me like trophies."

A single tear slips down her cheek, glistening in the muted light of the room. She dashes it away with a trembling hand, drawing in a shuddering breath. "I thought I was strong enough to endure it, for the sake of our family. I convinced myself that their love for me, for you and Rosa, would be enough to temper their cruelty. But I was wrong, Bella. So very wrong."

Mama's gaze grows distant, her eyes haunted by memories too painful to voice. "When I learned what they had done to you, what they planned to do to Rosa...something inside me shattered."

She leans forward, pressing her forehead to mine in a gesture of infinite tenderness. Her breath is warm against my skin, her presence a soothing balm to the ragged edges of my soul.

Mama's voice drops to a whisper, her words meant only for my ears. "I won't lie to you, Bella. Losing a mate, even one as cruel as your fathers, is like having a part of your soul ripped away. The pain is unimaginable, a raw, gaping wound that feels like it will never heal."

She pulls back slightly, her eyes finding mine, shimmering with unshed tears. "But that pain pales in comparison to the agony of seeing my daughters suffer at the hands of the men who were supposed to protect them. Of knowing that I failed you, that I couldn't keep you safe from the monsters in our own home."

Tears spill down my cheeks and they won't stop. I realize now that this is the first real heart to heart I've ever had with my own mother. Her pain must be nearly unbearable, and yet here she is, sitting at the bedside of the woman who killed her mates.

My eyes flicker over her shoulder, meeting Hector's gaze. His face is drawn into a mask of icy rage. Not for me, but for what my mama and I went through at the hands of alphas. Alphas whose job it was to care for their omega.

"I'm going to check on your sister, but I think I can safely say I'm leaving you in capable hands." She looks up, meeting Sam's eyes, and I've never seen her more serious in my life. As if she's warning him not to fuck with her.

With a kiss to my forehead that makes me feel like a little girl again, she stand up and leaves the room, shutting the door softly behind her.

The guys move in closer, each of them taking a seat on my bed as slowly and as carefully as they can manage.

"I'm not made of glass, you know," I tease, trying to break the tension suffocating the room.

Dante's lips quirk into a smirk, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Oh, we know you're not made of glass, mate. But you did just take a bullet to the stomach, so forgive us for being a little cautious."

I huff out a laugh, wincing as the movement jostles my injured ribs. "Fair enough. But if you keep treating me like I'm going to break, I might just have to prove you wrong."

Silas arches a brow, his golden eyes darkening with a hint of warning. "Don't even think about it, baby. You're not leaving this bed until you're fully healed, even if I have to tie you to it myself."

A shiver runs down my spine at the promise in his words, and I feel a flush of heat creep up my neck. "Careful, mate . Keep talking like that and I might just take you up on that offer."

Sam clears his throat pointedly, his lips twitching with amusement. "As much as I hate to interrupt this riveting display of foreplay, I think it's time we let our little omega get some rest."

Hector nods in agreement, his expression softening as he gazes down at me. "Sam's right. You need to sleep. Your body's been through hell, and it needs time to heal."

A playful pout forms on my lips as I gaze up at my mates through hooded lashes. "Fine, I'll rest. But only if you promise to stay with me. I don't want to wake up alone."

Silas's eyes soften, a tender smile curving his sensual mouth. "Wild horses couldn't drag us away, baby. We'll be right here, ready to kill any motherfucker who comes though that door."

He crawls up the bed with feline grace, his powerful body radiating a comforting heat as he settles in beside me. The mattress dips as Dante follows suit, his chiseled features gentled by the warm glow of the bedside lamp.

Hector and Sam exchange a glance, a silent conversation passing between them in the space of a heartbeat. Then, moving with exquisite care, they ease onto the bed on either side of me, their strong arms encircling my waist, mindful of my injuries.

I'm cocooned in a nest of warm, musky male, their combined scents wrapping around me like a protective blanket. Silas nuzzles his face into the crook of my neck, his lips brushing against my mating mark in a featherlight caress. Dante's fingers carve through my hair, the gentle scrape of his nails against my scalp sending shivers of pleasure rippling down my spine.

Hector's hand finds mine, our fingers twining together in a wordless promise. His thumb traces soothing circles on my skin, the rough calluses a reminder of everything he's done to keep me safe. Sam's arm drapes across my hips, his touch a grounding presence, anchoring me to the here and now.

"Sleep, mate," Dante murmurs, his breath warm against my ear. "We'll be here when you wake up. We'll always be here."

My eyelids grow heavy, the pull of sleep too strong to resist. I burrow deeper into the cocoon of my alphas, feeling safe, cherished, loved in a way I never thought possible. The steady thrum of their heartbeats lulls me, a soothing lullaby that chases away the lingering shadows of pain and fear.

As I drift off, I hear Hector's voice, low and fierce with promise, rage, love and the ferocity of an alpha. "We're not going anywhere, Omega Carbone. You're ours now, and we protect what's ours."