Chapter 26

Trey gurgles his last breaths as I hold my omega in my arms. Wren’s heartbeat is racing, and I kiss her forehead, despite the streaks of blood left behind from my clean up job. I’m going to need something more than my white dress shirt to get this off.

Standing, I hold her tightly to me as I walk her to the bed, refusing to put her down as I wipe away more of the blood with one of the blankets.

Sighing, I look around the room, wishing I could light the whole damn thing on fire as I drop the soiled blanket. All of a sudden, I feel the bonds with my alphas come alive, and I yell down them to come get us the fuck out of here.

I’m starting to feel better, so I’m attributing distance and the fucking sedative as the reasons why I couldn’t feel them. Walking across the room, I crouch to look down into Trey’s unseeing eyes. Checking his pulse for good measure, I spit on his face when I can’t find one.

Wrapping my arms around Wren again, I stand, moving to the door to open it. I can hear footsteps and yelling as I walk into the hallway, immediately recognizing the voices of my alphas. Turning left, I follow the sounds until I find the stairs.

“Hey, it’s about damn time!” I yell, standing there with my girl in my arms.

The guys have been tossing the first floor looking for us, and Shaw has an employee of the house up against the wall as he interrogates him. At my voice, my alphas laser in on me, and I see Jasper is with them too.

“Is she okay?” he asks, his long legs racing up the stairs as Shaw drops the employee and follows alongside Everest and Ambrose.

My alphas are intense, and I can feel how worried they are. I bask in the presence of the bonds before responding.

“She passed out,” I tell Jasper. “Some really fucked up shit went down. Trey was waiting for us, hidden while we looked for you outside of the bathroom at the Kelly’s. Asshole injected me with a sedative, and then tasered Wren when I told her to run.”

“Where is he?” Ambrose snarls, his eyes demanding death. Too bad he’s too late.

“Dead,” I say simply with a shrug. “He’s in a too-pink room decorated for a little girl, missing his knot and his cock, with his throat cut.”

The alphas’ jaws drop in surprise, while I shift in discomfort. Now that the adrenaline is starting to fade, I’m feeling really sore.

“The rest I’ll tell you when we get home,” I tell them with a tight smile, not wanting to get into this in front of Jasper. “Can we burn this place down, starting with that godforsaken room?”

Jasper and Everest nod, pulling out lighters.

“I don’t need to see. Take a picture for me or something of the bastard,” Ambrose mutters, holding out his hands for Wren as I weave on my feet. “You did so good, baby. I’ll take her and Shaw is going to hold you upright, okay? I’m worried you may both fall if you try to take these stairs.”

Nodding, I give Wren to Amb, and Shaw wraps his arm around my waist to help hold me up.

“Be quick,” Shaw barks. “Burn it all down.”

As Everest and Jas hurry away, he puts his mouth to my ear.

“He hurt you, didn’t he, baby boy?” he rasps, and tears fill my eyes again as I gasp in a breath, nodding. “I can feel it.”

“Me too,” Amb mutters, eyes on me. There’s no pity in his gaze, just sympathy and pride. “We’re going to chat when we get home, but you did so good.”

“I didn’t do anything,” I sniffle. “Wren broke Trey’s alpha bark and snapped, picking up the knife and throwing herself at him to get him to stop hurting me. He… he was in a rut.”

“Bastard. Fucking animal,” Shaw says. “Do you want me to carry you to the car?”

“No,” I sigh. “I’m just sore as fuck. I got an up close and personal view of Wren’s hell for the last ten years too. Trey… he deserved worse.”

“That room is going to give me nightmares,” Jasper announces, ashen as he walks quickly toward us. Everest’s usual smile is nowhere to be seen either as he comes closer.

“She… fuck,” he says, swallowing hard. “It looks like Wren stabbed Trey, and then couldn’t stop. There’s so much blood in there. Our girl is a badass.”

“I wish I could say I was surprised my baby sister was capable of that, but I’m not. She did a damn good job for someone without any training,” Jasper says. “Did you help?”

“I held him down,” I tell him. “The sedative is just working its way out of my system, so it was hard to do anymore. Did you light that awful room on fire? I should also mention that Wren needs a doctor, I think. We’re both probably in shock.”

“I’ll call him,” Shaw grunts, pulling me into motion.

“Room is definitely lit up,” Jasper reports, flicking the lighter to catch all the dainty lacy items on the tables as he walks by. Everest follows his lead by lighting up the tassels on a tapestry before walking downstairs with us.

Jas lights a bunch of candles, tossing them around into a basket of flowers, more dainty linens, and heavy curtains. Everest does the same on the other side of the house, and then we’re moving outside. I see people running out of a side door, making me shake my head.

Trey was a monster, and there’s no doubt in my mind that his employees knew what he was doing. Wren lived here for ten years, after all.

Shaw helps me into the back seat, and Ambrose gets in beside me as he holds Wren in his arms. Everest sits on my other side, leaving Jasper to sit in the front seat with Shaw. I’m glad, because I just need the comfort of my alphas as I snuggle against Everest.

My alpha purrs as Shaw starts the car, playing with my hair. My eyes get heavy as he drives home. The seemingly fast helicopter ride is a much longer ride in a SUV.

“My car is at the Kelly’s,” Jasper sighs. “I’ll just get it later. It’s silly for you to go out of your way right now.”

“I’ll drive you tomorrow,” Shaw says, texting the doctor quickly. “The doc is hauling ass to the house now. He’ll meet us there.”

“Thanks for your help, Jas,” Amb says softly, rubbing Wren’s back. She hasn’t woken up at all, though she’s twitched in her sleep occasionally. “None of this was your fault, Trey planned this very well. If not tonight, he would have found a way to kidnap her.”

“I can’t imagine what would have happened if I wasn’t there,” I say sleepily. “I don’t think she would have fought as hard alone.”

Jasper pushes his hand through his already ruined blond hair, blowing out a breath. “I can’t imagine this being any worse,” he grunts. “You’re obviously hurt, Flynn. Wren has blood all over her, and she still hasn’t woken up. I just got her back.”

“I get it,” I tell him, yawning. “You know she’s incredibly sensitive to an alpha’s bark. Well, she was anyway. Wren fought through it, and when Trey tried to force his will on her, she brushed it off. It may just not work on her anymore.”

“Woah,” he mutters. “I’m a little bit in awe of her right now.”

“You should be. She was fucking magnificent,” I grunt.

Pulling up to our gate, Shaw meets my gaze in the rear view window and winks at me, making me smile weakly. Another car pulls up behind us, and Shaw gets out of the SUV to make sure it’s the doctor. A minute later, he gets back into the vehicle with a nod, hitting the clicker to open the gate twice, so it won”t close after we cross through it.

I’m so sleepy, I struggle to stay awake as Shaw drives us up to the house.

“Come on, baby,” Everest murmurs, opening the door to the vehicle. “Do you want to go to bed?”

“I want to be in the room when the doctor examines Wren,” I insist. “I’m falling asleep on my feet, though.”

“That’s okay, you need to be checked out too,” Everest says amiably. Wrapping his arm around my waist after I get out of the car behind him, we all walk into the house.

“Who are my patients?” the doctor asks. He’s the same alpha who treated Wren after her heat, and I’m glad. New people make me uncomfortable right now.

“Wren,” I say immediately, even though I’m sore as hell.

Doctor Field gazes at me and the fact that Everest is practically holding me up.

“Would you like to help me in the room, Flynn?” he asks. I’m sure he remembers the way that Shaw nearly bit his head off last time, and he’s smart. I’ll give him that.

I’m being stubborn.

“Yes, please,” I say, glad he’s not pushing me right now.

“Let’s do this in Wren’s room, and then I’ll have it cleaned really well afterwards,” Shaw says. The different scents will upset her if she goes into her space, but it’ll be worse if the doctor and Jasper’s scents are in our pack sleeping space.

Trudging upstairs, every step hurts as I wince. It feels as if things that shouldn’t stretch are, and I decide to have the doctor take a look after all.

“There’s a hook on either side of this bed too for fluids,” Ambrose says as we walk into the room, laying Wren gingerly on the bed. “Do you need anything from us?”

Everest’s hand keeps twitching with anxiety, and I know none of them will be able to stay in the room. Jasper definitely shouldn’t see his sister like this either as he fists his hands while staring at her.

Wren looks tiny in the bed, blood still streaking her face and her lip is beginning to swell from when Trey hit her.

“The dress is going to be difficult for me to examine her in,” Dr. Field says, wincing as the alphas growl at him.

“Amb, can you find her comfortable clothes, please?” I ask him, rolling my eyes as the cloud of possessiveness clears from his dark eyes.

“Oh, yeah,” he mutters. “Shaw, grab one of our shirts for her, too.”

Shaw disappears to do that, while Amb walks into her closet to grab soft joggers.

“Are they always like this?” Jasper asks, wide eyed.

“Worse,” I admit, smiling as Everest snorts next to me. “Ugh, I should probably change too, but I need a shower.”

“Got you,” Shaw says, coming back in. “Change into this, and then you can shower. I want you to be checked out first. I’m a little worried that you’re a bit of a fall risk.”

“Valid,” I grunt, taking the clothes and slowly moving into the bathroom. Semi closing the door, I don’t miss the fact that Everest stations himself just outside in case I need him. I feel exhausted, but still manage to kick off my shoes and push my pants off my hips. I’m still shirtless after attempting to wipe Wren’s face from the blood spray.

Now dressed in what I see are Everest’s joggers and Shaw’s sweatshirt, I sigh as the stress from the day starts to drain away. I just want to be surrounded by my pack, knowing Wren is okay.

I don’t want anything else bad to touch her. Is it too much to want to bubble wrap her?

Opening the door, Everest nods as he sees me. Walking over to the bed gingerly, I see that the guys kicked Jasper and the doctor out of the room, so they could get Wren into comfier clothes.

She’s now wearing Shaw’s T-shirt and her own joggers, and as I lay on the bed, I watch as Jasper and Dr. Fields walk back into the room. The doctor has a large medical bag in his hand, making me wish we didn’t need him to make so many personal house calls.

“Alright, has Wren woken up at all since she passed out?” Dr. Fields asks, looking around the room as he puts down the bag. It looks as if he’s not going to kick them all out until he absolutely needs to, which is just as well.

“No,” I murmur. “She passed out several hours ago, and hasn’t woken up. Wren hit her head several times tonight, and Trey backhanded her a few times.”

Dr. Fields makes a face, looking down at Wren for a moment. “Is any of this blood hers?” he asks.

“No,” I deny. “Most of it is the alpha who kidnapped us.”

“Good,” he growls, making my lips twitch in amusement. I suppose you can’t be the personal doctor to a mafia family and not be a little blood thirsty yourself. “Any injuries I need to know about?”

“Wren was tasered earlier tonight,” I tell him, and my heart flops over at his shock.

“He’s dead, right?” he asks in a very un-Hippocratic manner.

“Yep,” I say. “She killed him, and like the gentleman I am, I held him down.”

The alphas around me snort, making me grin. I haven’t had much to smile about tonight.

“Thank fuck,” Dr. Fields mutters. “Alright, alphas, I need to examine my patients now without having to worry that I’ll get a bullet to the back of my head. Take this as your cue to head out.”

“You’re so lucky you’re good at your job,” Shaw grunts as Jasper snickers.

“It actually makes me happy to see how overbearing you lot are,” he teases as they walk out the door.

Turning toward me, Dr. Fields raises his brow at me. “Talk, now.”

There’s no bark in his voice, making me sigh. “Trey wanted to hurt Wren by hurting me. He’s the man who bought her ten years ago and had her on hormone suppressants, but decided that he didn’t want to let her go after all. Anyway, he commanded Wren not to move while she watched him rape me. Thankfully, she managed to break through the command to help me.”

“She broke it?” he asks, surprised.

“Yes, and he couldn’t use his alpha bark on her again,” I admit. “I don’t know if it’ll ever work after what I saw. I feel a little, um, raw if I’m being honest.”

“I noticed in your walk,” Dr. Fields says. “I don’t think any damage will be permanent, but I still want to check on it, with your permission.”

I appreciate the opportunity to give consent. “Yeah, that’s fine. After Wren though.”

He smiles at me and begins to examine her, wincing at the bruises from the taser. Cleaning the area, he also adds more arnica cream to help.

“I’m going to clean up her face to examine her, and then I’m going to start an IV before I wake her up. I definitely think she has a concussion,” Dr. Fields says. “My next question is a little delicate. Did Trey… hurt her anywhere else?”

Realizing he’s asking if she was sexually assaulted, I shake my head. “No, he went into a rut and kind of lost it while he was taunting her with me,” I explain. “It’s probably why the asshole didn’t realize she’d broken his alpha bark until she was sinking the blade into his back.”

“Serves the idiot right,” he mutters. “Okay, let’s get you two fixed up.”

Wearing gloves, he wipes the blood with a medical wipe from Wren’s face. The scent makes me crinkle my nose as I watch, but he’s quick and effective as he works. Soon, we both have an IV with fluids and vitamins to help stave off shock, and he’s attempting to wake Wren up.

“Wren, I need you to open your eyes,” he says, snapping his fingers in front of her. Wren whimpers, and Ambrose is at the door immediately, murder in his eyes.

Shaking my head, I smile at him to help him know she’s okay.

“We need to wake her up,” I tell him. Frowning, he nods as he walks back out, though I know he won’t go far. Reaching through my bond with Wren, I tug on it to see if it’ll help. Gasping, she cries out as she opens her eyes.

“Sorry, Little One,” I say, feeling bad that I freaked her out. “You’ve been asleep for a while. The doctor wants to check on you.”

“We have to stop meeting like this,” she says with a weak smile.

“Indeed,” he grunts. “I’m glad you’re alright. You have some nasty bruising from the taser and it appears to be a concussion as well.”

Running some tests, he confirms she has a mild concussion, and will need to be woken up throughout the night.

“It’s a precaution, Wren,” he says. “There’s a pretty big bump on the back of your head, too. Does anything hurt anywhere else?”

“I’m just sore,” Wren says, eyes fluttering again. “Can I go back to sleep, please?”

Smirking, the doctor chuckles as he nods. “Sleep well, little omega.”

Wren falls back asleep as the doctor changes his gloves to come over to me, first closing the door to the bedroom. It immediately opens.

“I’ll open the door as soon as I’m done examining Flynn,” he says, closing the door firmly. He doesn’t lock it, making me know it’s just a small barrier to keep the alphas from storming the room in case I make a noise.

“Alright, let’s check you out before they lose their shit, Flynn,” he says with a chuckle. An examination shows that I’m fine, though the doctor recommends a soak or two in some Epsom salt.

“If anything changes between the two of you, please don’t hesitate to call,” the doctor says. “Oh. Ah, one more thing, though I wish she was awake for me to tell her this.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” I grumble. It’s like everywhere we turn, something else comes up.

“It’s about her heat,” he explains. “I was worried that she may not have one because her body wouldn’t allow her to between the stress and trauma of her previous one. Add to that the post trauma from her experiences with her past alpha, that would be enough to keep it completely away. Except…”

“Spill,” I bark, annoyed that he’s beating around the bush.

“Your dynamic has changed, and Trey is dead now,” he rushes out. “I can see the double claiming from the rings around Shaw and Everest’s eyes, so it could be a matter of time before she goes into heat. Keep an eye out for the usual signs, though hers could revolve around being more irritable.”

“You’ve clearly never been around me while I’m nesting,” I snort. “I’m the worst. I’ll keep an eye out, and I know she was worried about it. Do you suggest I warn her?”

“Yes,” he says with a nod. “If she was awake, I’d tell her myself. The body has a way of bouncing back quickly when the previous obstacles are taken away. I don’t want you all to be blindsided.”

Like before.

“Thank you for telling me this. The guys are at the door,” I tell him with a smile. “I think they want in.”

“Shit, I forgot to open it again,” he mutters, rushing to rectify that.

“I’m just about done,” Dr. Fields tells them. “I’m going to leave an extra fluid pack for Wren, but Flynn should be good after this one. Do you have Epsom salt in the house by chance?”

The guys look surprised by the question, but Shaw nods. “I always put some in Flynn’s baths, so I know we do. We also have it in case of pulled muscles,” he explains.

“Perfect. You’re all set, then. Please wake Wren up every five hours or so. Ask her a question or two, and then she can go back to sleep. She definitely has a mild concussion,” Dr. Fields says, packing up. “If you need anything else, please call.”

Thanking him, Everest walks him out.

“So she’s really okay?” Jasper asks, staring at his sister.

“Yes,” Amb says with a nod. “Let’s get you set up in a room and I’ll get you clothes to sleep in. It’s been a long fucking night.”

“Yeah, it really has,” he mutters. “Thanks.”

My infusion bag drains pretty quickly, and I need to pee and shower. Shaw comes over to pull the needle from my arm and toss out the bag and tubing before turning to me with a worried look on his face.

“Do you need to tell me anything?” he asks.

“I’m good, just sore,” I admit. “The doctor checked me out and said nothing tore, but suggested Epsom salt baths.”

“Sneaky,” he mutters. Dr. Fields protected doctor-patient confidentiality pretty well amongst a group of growly alphas. “I’m going to draw you a bath, but you probably want a shower, huh?”

“I feel gross,” I grunt. “There’s dried blood all over me, and I don’t really want to sleep in it.”

“I’ll handle the sheets and stay with Wren,” Amb says, walking back in.

“I need a shower anyway, and it’s not a hardship at all,” Everest says with a grin as he follows. I can see that now that things are starting to go back to normal, his smile has returned.

“Okay, thank you. I think it’ll help.”

Getting up, I close my eyes as the room spins.

“I got you,” Shaw murmurs, picking me up in his arms. Sighing, I feel tears prick my eyes because I’m so damn tired of my body working against me. “You’re fine. You protected our girl, and in turn she protected you. Now we’re going to take care of you.”

Together, Everest gets me cleaned up, while Shaw gets my bath drawn, and no one says a word when I break down in the shower.

“Adrenaline crashes suck,” Everest murmurs, hugging me tightly. “I got you. I’m going to finish washing your hair, and then Shaw is going to take a bath with you, okay?”

Nodding, I take a shuddering breath as I pull away, and my alpha purrs for me as he rinses out my hair. The only reason I’m not telling him to go be with Wren is because she’s asleep with Amb, and I need the cuddles right now.

Tonight was fucked, and so much could have gone wrong.

“Who betrayed us?” I ask as I get out of the shower to sink into the tub. I’m feeling a little better after I cried surprisingly.

“Corbin’s brother,” Shaw grunts, undressing. “We need to get some answers and then execute him. The pack is going to take a step back as Corbin’s enforcers after this, though.”

“Really? What will you do? Is he okay with that?” I ask, knowing that once you’re in the life, that’s it.

“Make room, baby boy,” he murmurs, waiting for me to move forward, so he can slide his body behind me. His caramel popcorn scent surrounds me as he pulls me tightly to him, making me relax completely.

I’m exactly where I need to be.

“We’ll deal with that when it comes to it,” Everest says, a towel wrapped around his waist as he leans down to kiss my lips.

“Corbin knows it’s coming,” Shaw grunts. “Our focus is split between you and the family, and it’s not right anymore. He needs more people he can count on, so we’re not running interference. There are things I can do for him from home, and Everest can work with the business owners we funnel money through from here as well.”

“As for me,” Ambrose says from the doorway, his body wound tight as he keeps himself angled so he can watch Wren. “Once the rest of the traitors are dealt with, I have a feeling I won’t be as busy and will need another position anyway. I used to keep the shipments running until Hillary died. I may be able to pick that up again.”

“It’ll be as peaceful as it ever is once Crowson is killed,” Shaw mutters. “The Irish families are tired of the bullshit. It’s time to find a balance.”

The warmth takes me away after that, and I fall asleep in Shaw’s arms, barely noticing when he gets me out of the bath to dry me off and put me to bed.

My pack is surrounding me, we’re all safe. That’s all that matters to me right now.