Chapter 5

The rat is screaming well for us. Unfortunately, he also just pissed his pants.

“Gross,” I mutter, picking up a new knife. “If you’re going to steal from the boss and try to sell our secrets, the least you could do is hold your bladder, Barton.”

“You don’t understand, he made me do it,” he whimpers.

Shaw rolls his eyes, gazing dispassionately at Barton who is currently tied to the chair in front of us, sitting in a puddle of piss. I swear, we’ve only managed to remove a few fingernails and broken a kneecap. Fucking weak.

“Who made you do it?” I ask. I am supposed to be getting intel out of him after all. Corbin stands against the wall with his arms crossed, frowning.

“Crowson,” Barton whispers.

Fuck.

Corbin and Crowson were pack brothers once, in love with the same omega. Everything was fine until she died, and Crowson blamed Corbin since a rival of ours kidnapped and tortured her. It looks like there’s still trouble between brothers.

“What did he promise you?” Corbin asks, his voice dead.

I hate seeing him like this. The two of them were thick as thieves, even if Crowson’s work was all legitimate. He’s a big city lawyer, at least he was before Hillary died.

“I need money,” Barton says. “I’m in a lot of debt, funny enough to him. He brought my debt to the attention of the casino I also owe money to, and threatened my family.”

“I wish you’d come to me,” Corbin rasps, shaking his head. “You know I would have taken care of you. Now… I’m very disappointed.”

“Boss, I’m sorry!” Barton yells, crying. Shaking my head, I’m kind of sad my fun is going to be cut short. Well, it really depends on whether or not Corbin wants to give him a clean death

He promised us a long, bloody night. It’s barely been a couple of hours.

“There is no mercy for rats,” Corbin intones. “None! This family works off of trust and loyalty, and you’ve broken both for a man who wants to destroy me.”

I meet Corbin’s red-rimmed eyes as he blows out a breath. I know this hurts him, but I can also see the truth in his gaze.

“I don’t want anyone to be able to recognize him by the time you’re done with him,” he growls. “I’m not just talking teeth, I want him to be mangled meat for the pigs!”

Corbin stalks over to Barton, spitting in his face before leaving the room. Shrugging, I drop the knife and pick up a blow torch.

“I wonder if your cock will still burn even while you’re covered in piss,” I say with a grin, grabbing my protective glasses. I have an omega at home waiting for me to come back whole, after all.

I studiously ignore the fact that I have two at home and I turn on the torch as I walk over to Barton.

“Take your punishment like a man, beta,” Ambrose snickers as he grabs Barton”s greasy hair to make him watch. Thankfully, we’re all wearing our work boots and dark gloves. It’s gonna get messy.

My unhinged smile is all Barton sees as the flame lights up his pants, and the pussy passes out just as we get to the good part. Shaw dumps water over the beta’s head, careful not to get it on his pants, laughing as Barton screams.

We are what goes bump in the night, but sometimes we do our best work in the light of day, too.

My lips twistin mock sadness at the chunks that are left of Barton hours later.

“Rot in hell, rat,” Shaw says, kicking the beta’s torso across the room.

“You can go fetch him,” I groan. “Grab the buckets.”

Shaw simply smirks as he stomps through the blood, making me roll my eyes.

“Don’t ruin his fun,” Ambrose snickers. “This is basically the only time he smiles.”

It’s true, our alpha is a bit overbearing and grumpy, but it’s part of his charm. His own soft side belongs to our omega.

“Yeah, Everest,” Shaw says, lifting the hunk of flesh and moving it over to a huge bucket to drop it in. The squelching thud doesn’t even bother me anymore, because I’m so used to it.

As the guys grab the pieces left of Barton to take to the pigs, I change my gloves out as I find the bleach and start cleaning up after ourselves. Forty-five minutes later, the scent of bleach is strong, but you’d never know we were here. The guys and I even cleaned up our tools.

Lifting the huge buckets, as we all change our gloves once more for a fresh pair, we walk out of the room and through the halls of the warehouse. Everyone gives us a wide berth, and we’re going to use one of the vans to drive the soon-to-be covered buckets.

Flynn has a very sensitive nose, so we try not to transport bodies inside of our vehicle. We can be accommodating as fuck for him.

“Brutes,” mutters someone under her breath. Corbin has a few alpha females working for him, but they look down on us for killing the way we do.

I love our work, it helps keep the aggressive rage in check that’s part of our nature. Not every alpha is like this, but Ambrose, Shaw, and I have much better control than others.

Baring my teeth and snapping them to scare the shit out of the woman, who jumps a foot in the air, I chuckle as we seal the buckets and secure them in the van.

“Don’t scare the crew,” Corbin teases as he walks up to us. “I meant to ask if you found anything at the auction? I know we’ve all been trying to help Jasper.”

After a drunken night where he told us everything, I encouraged him to reach out to Corbin as well. He has a soft spot for omegas after what happened to his mate. It may be one of the only things that is soft about him after his brother fucked him over.

Crowson’s betrayal runs deep, and we’re still figuring out just how far it goes. He’s been making connections with all of our rivals. Personally, I think we should just kill him, but Corbin isn’t ready to make that step yet.

We have no beef with the British mafia, so it’s not a conflict to assist Jasper, either.

“Flynn may have bought an omega,” I confess, my voice dropping to barely a whisper. I don’t really want it getting around that I have an unbonded omega living with us.

“Really?” Corbin asks, lips twitching. “Impetuous little shit. Why did he do that?”

“We’re still trying to work it out,” Shaw rumbles. “He says he was drawn to her, and couldn’t resist. Instincts are hard to explain.”

Corbin nods, knowing exactly what he means. As a mafia man, instincts keep you alive. As an alpha, they keep us sane. The most miserable alphas are the ones that fight their instincts.

“Yeah,” Ambrose murmurs. “I wish we had better news for Jasper, but we still haven’t found his sister. He’s been looking for her for years. I feel bad for him.”

“He’ll have to find peace with the fact that she’s probably long gone,” Shaw grunts. “Our world isn’t the safest for omegas. People have the oddest ideas about what they’re capable of, almost as if they’re magical. It makes them do stupid shit, like sell their children when they present at the age of ten years of age. Has he asked his parents about this? I didn’t have the heart to ask.”

“They died after his dad crossed the wrong people,” I explain. “He developed a drug problem after he sold his daughter, to the point that his youngest son went to live with Jasper at the age of thirteen. The guilt slowly killed both his parents, and Jasper went to speak to them about Harley because Bentley, his brother, kept telling him their dad was talking about her when he was high.

“His mother had a bullet in the head when Jasper walked into the house, and his dad was dying of several knife wounds. He was skewered to the floor by the blades, spread eagle and naked. Jasper asked his questions, and then left his father to die alone. He’s been looking ever since. That was three years ago.”

“Fuck,” Corbin mutters. “His parents deserved worse. Hope is both a blessing and a burden. Alright, boys. Off you go, then. Take the rest of the day after you feed the pigs, yeah?”

Nodding, my lips twitch as I think about how well the pigs will be eating. Ambrose removed all of Barton’s teeth for fun, grinding them up in front of him as Shaw shaved his head. Barton was a vain fucker, so psychological torture is fun, even if they know they’re going to die.

Climbing into the van, Shaw drives us out to one of the farms Corbin has an understanding with. We feed their pigs well, and the owners look the other way.

God, I can’t wait to get back to Flynn. Leaning against the van, I watch as the pigs eat what is left of Barton greedily.

“Is anyone else hungry?” Shaw asks, watching them. “We ran out the door, and it’s been fucking hours since then. How does pizza sound to everyone?”

Looking up at the sky, I glance at my watch now that I’ve put it back on. The grunts at the warehouse will clean up the van and the buckets, so we’re pretty much done. It’s almost three in the afternoon, so it sounds pretty damn delicious.

“I’m in,” I grunt, knowing we’ll have to wait for the pigs to be finished before we can leave. Can’t have anyone coming over to see why they’re in a feeding frenzy.

“Fuck yes,” Ambrose groans, rubbing his stomach. “God, I’m starving. Do you think Flynn found the omega yet, by chance?”

My lips press together as I think about that. I’ve been trying to ignore our little problem as much as possible.

“I need to check in with him anyway,” I murmur, pulling out my phone. Unlocking it, my fingers fly across the keyboard to text him.

Me: Hey, we’re almost done here, babe. The guys and I are starving. How do you feel about pizza?

I’m apparently still avoidingthe topic as I watch the bubbles of text begin to pop up.

Flynn:Pizza sounds amazing. My usual?

I was hopinghe’d just tell me if he found her or not. Dammit. Frowning, I text him back.

Me:You got it. Did you find the omega or am I going to have to worry about getting my throat cut in my sleep?

I don’t truly believethe girl is even capable of it, but appearances can be deceiving.

Flynn: You’re kidding right? This girl has a death wish, and I had to hide all of the sharp objects, baby. I’m pretty sure the omega is more scared of you than anything.

Hmm.

Me:Where is she now?

I don’t wantto be a dick, but I don’t think Flynn should be getting chummy with her. She’s only with us until we can figure out what the fuck to do with her.

“You’re awfully quiet there, Everest,” Ambrose observes. “Did he find her or not?”

“Yeah, Amb, he found her. Apparently Flynn bought a suicidal omega,” I grunt. “I don’t really want to babysit when I get home.”

“What do you mean by that?” Shaw asks, his body stiffening. I can feel how tightly he’s coiled, and glance at him, concerned.

We’ve all been a little weird about this girl, but no one ever gets under Shaw’s skin.

“He made a comment about hiding all of the sharp objects, is all,” I explain. “I don’t know much more than that.”

Flynn:I gave her a room on the main floor to sleep in. The basement is too damn cold. I can’t believe you put her there, Everest.

“Fuck,”I mutter. “Flynn gave her a room on the main floor, which I’m fine with, but he’s a little upset I left her in the basement.”

“Not one of your finest moments,” Shaw admits. “We all forgot her in the SUV yesterday, too. We’re all self-sufficient people. I don’t want to have to take care of an omega princess after a long day of killing this asshole.”

Leaning forward, I see the pigs have done their job, and there’s nothing left of Barton.

“Well, the asshole is now being digested. Let’s drop the van off with the buckets and get home,” I tell them, moving away from the pen. “Flynn wants his usual pizza.”

“Should we ask if she wants any?” Ambrose asks, wincing. My brows rise in surprise, and he simply opens his arms to explain. “Whether we want another omega or not, we have one until we figure out what to do with her.”

“Toss her out into the woods,” Shaw mutters. “If she has a death wish, she’s free to go die somewhere else.”

Ambrose huffs in annoyance as he climbs into the van ahead of me, and it’s clear that Amb is going to continue this as Shaw lumbers into the driver seat. I can’t say I’m not mildly entertained right now.

“Okay, but hear me out. Can we at least maybe feed her before we throw her out?” he asks, making me bark out a laugh.

“What the fuck do you feed a half starved omega anyway?” Shaw complains.

“She seemed to really like my cheese, so maybe a cheese pizza?” Amb asks with a lopsided grin.

God, we need this like a hole in the head, but fuck it. “Fine, we’ll feed the omega and then kick her out. Does that suffice for you, Shaw?”

“She doesn’t have any clothes,” Amb reminds us, agast.

“Goddamnit,” Shaw groans as he turns on the vehicle and shoves it into drive. “I’ll drive by a Walmart before we grab the pizza, but that’s where I draw the line. I’m not fucking going in!”

Rolling in my lips, I wonder how far this is going to go. This girl is bad news, the faster she’s gone, the better.

The room Flynn gave me is nice, but so was Trey’s mansion. I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop, so I refuse to get too comfortable here. There’s a beautiful bay window seat here at the front of the house, so I curl up and stare out the window. I can hear Flynn moving around the house, but I remain where I am.

I’m not a houseguest. I’m an inconvenience, and I’m quite ready to remove myself from this situation. Flynn checked the bathroom that connects to this room for any sharp objects, which made me amused. I’m tired of my life, the abuse, and just want it to end.

Would I do it myself? I just don’t know, so he may be right to keep pointy objects away from me. I drift in my mind as I think, though I’m careful not to delve too deep into the past. My sanity comes and goes, fractured at best. I do better when I don’t think past the age of fifteen.

Things were very dark before then.

Black spots appear in the corners of my vision before I force myself to take a breath. Come to think of it, this place isn’t really a great place to be, either. The alphas here may not have hurt me yet, but my heart is pining for my scent match.

It’s almost five in the afternoon when the SUV I arrived in yesterday pulls in. Thankfully, there was descenting soap in the shower, because I don’t want to make trouble for the nice omega who fed me. The breakfast was delicious, and one of the sweetest meals I’ve ever had.

I didn’t miss the worried glances Flynn kept giving me, but how do you explain to a complete stranger that you’re broken? Trey systematically pulled me apart to see what I was made of, and then put me back together with missing pieces.

Losing myself and dissociating is how I survive, but as I watch Shaw climb out of the vehicle, I shudder. I don’t know how to explain it, but he has a way of tethering me to the present.

I pretended to be asleep or knocked out when he thoughtlessly tossed me into the trunk. Instead, I was awake the entire time, trying everything possible to daydream and check out of my life.

All of my usual tricks didn’t work because his scent kept interrupting me. Sometimes, when Trey was punishing me, I’d pretend I was anywhere but in the moment. I would imagine I was happily mated, and that the nightmare was my handler, the alpha who bought me at the age of ten to be his perfect little fuck toy.

Now, with the truth walking into the house, it makes it harder to pretend. Wrapping my arms around my waist, I stare down at my lap. Flynn’s sweatshirt is huge on me, and I wish the scent of custard and chocolate was still enveloped in the material.

Instead, it’s right out of the dryer, since most omegas don’t like to have other scents around them.

I’m not normal, though. I don’t know the first thing about being an omega outside of what I’ve figured out by being one or overheard. Unfortunately, with the hormone suppressants, my body doesn’t really know which way is up or down.

A knock on the door makes me jump, gasping as I turn to face it.

“Yes?” I squeak. I’m capable of speaking, it’s just safer not to. Speaking out of turn led to pain.

I often wondered when I was younger if my parents sold me because I talked too much, except with five children, I somehow doubt that.

The door opens, and Ambrose’s chili and orange scent slips through. When I see his dark brows rise in surprise, I press my lips together.

“We brought back some pizza,” he says, a tight smile on his mouth. His fingers twitch, and I can see the tension in his body.

What’s going on?

“Why don’t you come eat, and then we can maybe chat?” he asks. I have questions I’ll never ask, but I am curious about what they have to say.

Carefully sliding my feet to the carpeted floor so I don’t flash him, I stand slowly. I’m not used to having so many carbs in the morning, and I feel a little dizzy. Flynn also never came back with my panties, and I wasn’t about to ask him for them.

Taking a step, I make a small sigh of relief when the room doesn’t spin. Ambrose gazes for a moment at me as I walk toward him before visibly shaking himself. I know I’m not normal, and I truly don’t believe I’ll ever know what that is.

“Alright, follow me then,” he says. Ambrose mutters to himself as we walk, and I catch the words “so odd”, or so I think.

I remind myself I don’t care what they think, because I want to be on my way as soon as possible. I haven’t really thought out a plan of action, I just know out of this house is best. An odd pang hits my stomach as I walk into the kitchen, making me wince.

This is a room full of laughter and alpha pheromones in this room, and that’s what I blame my current stomach pains on. I doubt it’s a heat, but I think I heard somewhere that prolonged exposure to your scent match could bring one on.

I’m woefully unprepared for what it feels like to be an omega in the real world.

“Hey, Wren,” Flynn says with a warm smile, glaring at the alphas staring openly at me. “Come sit next to me and please excuse them. My mates are Neanderthals at times.”

Nodding, I can’t bring myself to smile as I force myself to ignore the three alphas slowly surrounding me. Shaw especially is beginning to scent like burned caramel, a sign that he’s unhappy.

Something in me wants to whine and ask him how I can fix what’s wrong, but I force myself to lock it down as my fingers curl into my palms. The sting of my nails digging into my skin helps to push away the haze of pheromones affecting me, and I can finally smell melted cheese, bread, and what I think is pizza.

It’s been years since I’ve had pizza.

“Your name is Wren?” Shaw asks gruffly. I nod as I sit gingerly on the stool. I wish I had more clothes, but it’s nice to be wearing anything other than that ridiculous set of lingerie. “What the fuck kind of name is that?”

I make it a point not to make eye contact with alphas, but I’ll be damned if my stupid scent match is going to speak to me like that. Especially over a name I didn’t choose. Slowly, in an open act of defiance, I meet his eyes, but still refuse to give him my words.

Shaw swallows hard at whatever he must see in my gaze. I’m sure it’s not pretty, and it doesn’t last long before he breaks away.

“Okay…” Flynn says uncomfortably, looking between us as if to figure out what that was about. For once, this was a small way that I stood up for myself, and I shrug at him, because I don’t think it’ll make sense to anyone but me. “Pizza?”

My lips twitch at how he’s trying to smooth things over, so I nod.

“Good, you’ll want to have a full stomach before you leave after all,” Everest says cheerfully.

My hands drop to the stool to hold onto my seat. I’m not sure I heard him correctly.

“Leave?” Flynn asks dully. The scent of curdled milk fills the room, making my stomach pitch. I don’t like how much the idea of my leaving is upsetting him.

The entire reason I’ve been wanting to leave is to make things easier for him. It’ll make it easier for me as well not to be around Shaw, so it is a bit selfish of me.

“Flynn, we don’t need another omega in the house that we don’t know,” Ambrose says gently. “We saved her from the auction, that should be enough.”

The irony of his sentence makes me huff a little. Usually I would be still, stay quiet, but these alphas are idiots.

“She stays in her room and doesn”t say a word,” Flynn protests. Reaching out, I squeeze his hand, shaking my head.

“Better this way,” I whisper so only he can hear.

“What did she say?” Shaw asks, leaning over the island with a scowl. “Can she not speak up?”

“She said it’s better this way,” his omega says. “Better for who, Wren?”

Turning to face him, I smile softly and point at him.

“I don’t understand,” he sighs.

“I don’t either, which is why she needs to go,” Shaw grunts. “Did you even shower yet? Why does she smell like nothing? It’s making me twitchy.”

“She showered in the downstairs bathroom, but there was a descenting bar of soap in there,” Flynn explains. “I gave her one of my sweatshirts to wear afterwards. What’s gotten into you three? She doesn’t have any clothes.”

“Handled that,” Everest says proudly, showing off a bag of clothes. “Figured you could eat, change, and get the fuck out!”

“Everest!” Flynn hisses. The alpha’s truthfulness is refreshing. It’s what I wanted this morning, so it really doesn’t bother me.

That’s what I tell myself, anyway. My body feels really weird. I feel hot and shaky, but my skin is beginning to dimple with goosebumps. Maybe I need to eat?

“Pizza?” Shaw asks, opening a box of cheese pizza and handing me a plate.

Being fed by my scent mate. Hmm. Somehow I thought this would be different as a kid. The only reason I even know about this, because I went to school with older kids, and they used to talk about it. It’s a tamer introduction to the birds and the bees than the one I ended up receiving.

Taking a small slice of pizza, I take a bite and put it on the plate before standing and holding out my hand for the bag. Everest stares at me as he reaches to give it to me, beginning to look uncertain as he gazes into my eyes.

Yet another alpha I’m breaking my own rules for. I should leave before I take too big a risk and get hurt.

I’ve already shattered a million times over the years. It becomes harder and harder to put myself back together again.

“Wait,” Everest rasps, but I reach over and pluck the bag from his outstretched fingers.

Turning, I walk out of the kitchen to the room Flynn gave me. Putting the plate on the night table, I take another bite of pizza, humming in happiness at the taste. It won’t last long in my stomach, since it’s just cheese and bread, but it tastes really good right now.

My body is craving protein for some odd reason, and that hasn’t been happening lately.

We have to be happy with what we have. The words are to remind myself of this as well. I’m not allowed to want for more. I’ll never have a mate because he’s happily packed up with his omega, and I’m not a homewrecker. I’m happy for Flynn.

He can have him.

Rifling through the clothing, I find panties, a bra that’s several sizes too small, a pair of jeans, long-sleeved shirt, and a giant sweatshirt. There are also a pair of boots and socks that seem as if they may work. The door is slightly ajar, but I haven’t had enough privacy in my short life for it to matter.

Keeping my back to the door, I tear off the tags on a pair of panties and slide it up my legs. They fit well, even though it’s a thong. Alphas… Stepping into the jeans, I find they also fit well. I haven’t worn pants in I don’t even know how long. Next, I pull Flynn’s shirt up and over my head, reaching over blindly to grab the new one.

“Fuck, I’m sorry—” I hear, and I quickly band my arm around my breasts as I look over my shoulder.

While I haven’t been able to enjoy privacy in years, I don’t want to anger the omega who lives here. Especially not so close to my leaving.

Shaw is standing there awkwardly, the scent of caramel and salty popcorn filling the room. I can almost taste the salt on my tongue, and I ask myself what God I must have pissed off. Was I born under an unlucky star?

Ignoring the alpha, I pluck the shirt up, wrinkling my nose when I see how fucking thin it is. It’s a pack of three, so I quickly put all three on. The entire time, I ignore Shaw, but the back of my neck starts to sweat as I do.

Maybe the hormonal suppressant after effects are kicking in now?

While my body continued to develop, Trey made me continue to take them, desperately trying to stop my body’s growth. Unfortunately, my body started to reject them, and they made me really sick.

The doctor told Trey that the suppressants could kill me, so he stopped giving them to me. Trey grew uncomfortable quickly around me, and that led to my sale at the auction.

“If you speak, why don’t you?” Shaw asks me as I pull the tags on the sweatshirt and put it on.

My pizza is devoured now that I’m dressed, so I sit on the bed and put on the socks and boots. The shoes are a little big, but I’ll survive because the socks are thick.

“There’s something very odd about you, Wren,” he growls.

And you’ll never know what it is, asshole. This is for you. Funny how I don’t think you deserve it.

Standing, I walk up to him. If he wants a word, I can give it to him.

“Out,” I tell him.

Shaw takes a shaky breath as he hears my voice, and I notice that he’s rubbing his chest. I don’t care if he has a heart attack right here, I won’t be around to see it.

Okay, maybe I care a little, but only because Flynn loves him.

“Fine,” he mutters, turning and stomping out. As I follow, I silently wish the omega a good life with his alphas. My eyes prick with tears, making me blink in shock.

I haven’t cried in years. What’s so special now?

Forcing them away, I decide to figure it out later, because Shaw is walking me right to the front door.

“It’s about a mile walk to the gate. Once you get there, the sensor will tell me, and I’ll let you out,” he grunts. Shaw makes sure his body shields the alarm keypad as he punches in the code.

I roll my eyes at his back, because I’m never coming back here anyway. I would swear his scent is getting in my hair, in my pores, in my clothes, and I shudder. I’m not sure if I want to keep it with me or have it gone forever.

Being an omega is so confusing. The moment he unlocks the door and opens it, I duck under his arm and into the waning sunlight.

The cold helps to clear my senses, and I take a deep breath as I walk.

“Wren!” Flynn yells, making me shake my head as the wind causes my hair to go wild.

His long legs still overtake me, pulling me to a stop. Turning me, his eyes look over me as if to make sure I’m in one piece and I smile at him sadly.

“I’m fine,” I whisper, even as a cursed tear leaks out. Fuck, I don’t cry.

Flynn reaches out to rub it away when he freezes. “You feel kind of hot, Wren. I don’t think…”

“I’m good,” I tell him, shaking my head as I take a step back. “Thanks for everything. Take care of your alphas.”

Whirling away, I break out into a run, letting my body flee.

No more omega. No more alphas who want me gone. Just need to keep putting space and time between them.

My stomach cramps as I round a tree, making me gasp. “What the hell?” I mutter, bending over in pain. “I don’t have time for whatever this is.”

Straightening, I rub my stomach as I walk. The wind blows my brown hair everywhere, so I tuck it into the hood and pull it over my head. The scent of caramel makes me whine, and I clamp my hand over my mouth.

He’s not yours, Wren. Walk away.

I talk myself out of turning around a million times, until I make it to the stupid gate. Except, it doesn’t open, so I climb over it and jump to the ground.

It’s not the first time an alpha has lied to me. I doubt it’ll be the last.