9. Belle

Chapter nine

Belle

I wait in the Alpha's office, shivering under a blanket.

When he sees me shaking, he rises from his big wingback chair and approaches the thermostat on the wall.

I'm not shaking from the cold, though. I'm trembling with nerves and excitement.

I'm finally going to reunite with the pack.

There's still a part of me that is uncertain. That isn't sure whether this is a test of some variety.

However, the Alpha doesn't ask me any more questions. He merely returns to his desk and signs some documents.

They look like very important documents.

I don't understand. I'm an enemy of the state; it's not wise to have me in here.

Nothing makes sense.

Finally, the Alpha places his fountain pen down and gazes at me long and hard.

He's still wearing his armor, and he must be the warden of the prison.

The one who oversaw my imprisonment and torture at the prison.

Still, he says he knows the pack.

Yet he hasn't mentioned any of them by name, and I bite my lip, trying to keep my wits about me.

The Alpha sighs. "I don't bite, Belle…"

I tense beneath the blanket, gripping my cup tighter.

He even made me a cup of hot chocolate. Said it was his Omega's favorite.

Hence why he has it in his office.

I haven't met his eyes properly since he brought me to this place.

Are we even still in the prison?

There's a window in this room. We're not underground anymore…

The Alpha rises from his desk, gazing out the window.

He turns his back on me, and it seems he really does trust me now.

I am no longer the villain in his eyes.

"I must apologize about what I have put you through, Belle. I'm sorry."

I don't speak. I merely sip my hot chocolate, gripping the ceramic cup tighter.

It's good hot chocolate.

His Omega has superb taste.

"I tried to be as ethical as I could with your imprisonment. But I'm under strict orders to question every Omega who enters this prison. It seems even being governor doesn't completely relieve me of duty."

Wait, governor?

I thought he was the warden.

He turns back around and faces me, crossing his arms over his bullet-proof vest. "Ever since I took over as governor and warden, I've had to make some tough decisions. And one of them was how I treated the Omegas in our custody."

I meet my reflection in my hot chocolate, and even though the room is toasty and my drink is bordering on lukewarm, I'm cold.

"You're not the first Rogue Omega my team has found…"

So, that's what they've decided to call us?

Rogue Omegas.

"However, you're the first to show complete autonomy. You're the first to appear to have any real knowledge of our world. I knew you were lying when you said you had never heard of an Alpha before."

I shudder at the memory, and absentmindedly, I reach up to wipe my lip.

Bone dry now.

"But I am not going to hurt you now. It was never my intention in the first place."

Finally, I meet his gaze.

The Alpha stiffens when he gets a better view of my face.

It was a little dark in the cell before, but everything is brighter and much clearer now.

As well as scents.

His sweet campfire is stronger up in his office, and I can even smell two other scents on him.

Those are Omega scents.

One transports me back to my early childhood.

Around Christmas time as I recall eating gingerbread cookies before the fire.

And the other. The honeycomb…

It smells of home.

Of family.

The Alpha narrows his eyes, cocking his head sideways.

My mouth dries.

The burgundy of his eyes flares to life, and now they glow a reddish brown.

"Why do I get the uncanny feeling I have seen you somewhere before, Belle?"

I have nothing to say to that.

I have never seen him in my life.

Although there's a familiar honeycomb scent lingering on his skin that some deep part of me recalls, I do not ever remember meeting this Alpha.

I think I would remember such an encounter.

His face is hard to forget.

He shakes his head and returns to his desk. "It doesn't matter. All that matters now is getting you back to your pack."

My heart rate rises when he mentions the pack again, and I speak out of turn now.

"Is it true? Will you really return me to them?"

A small smile tugs at his lips. "Yes. My pack owes Jeremy big time."

My heart thumps faster, and I jump from my seat. My blanket crumples to the ground. "You know Jeremy?"

He falters when he looks at my eyes. No doubt they're shining, and for a moment, he seems to lose himself inside them.

But then he comes back to his senses and clears his throat. "I do. He's the cousin of my pack brother."

The tears fall down my cheeks, and I wipe them away, smiling for the first time in days.

The Alpha stares at my face and something like recognition dawns in his eyes.

I stop a moment, watching him curiously. "Is something the matter?"

He doesn't respond. He just merely sighs and shakes his head, returning to another document. "No. You just really, really remind me of someone, Belle…"

The comment takes me by surprise. But I shrug. "I guess I just have one of those ordinary faces. I probably look like a lot of people."

"Trust me, his face is far from ordinary… as is yours."

I have no idea how to respond. It seems he is talking about someone in his pack.

"Your Omega?"

"That is correct."

"The one who smells of honey?"

He puts his pen down and studies me yet again. "Have you always been called Belle?"

I stammer, thinking back. "I… suppose. I was also called Twenty-three."

"No. I mean is Belle short for something?"

What gives?

I thought we were done with all the interrogations.

"As far as I'm aware, warden… governor , sir…"

He sighs. "Gryphon. Are you positive it isn't short for Annabelle? Mirabelle? Arabelle?"

Somehow, this feels worse than when he blindfolded me and handcuffed me.

Take me back to my prison cell.

Gryphon leans forward on his desk, and it creaks under his weight. "Or maybe Isabelle ?"

The last name catches me off guard, and once again, I see myself on that hill from my dream.

He calls out my name, chasing after me as we both race to the peak.

Me and my brother...

"Isabelle!"

"Wait up! You're too fast!"

Before I have the chance to speak again, there comes a frantic knock on the door, and there's no missing his scent.

Rian.

It's true.

They really have come back for me.

Gryphon rises, opening the door to let them all inside.

Time freezes to a standstill when I meet that familiar pair of moss-green eyes.

Rian.

"B-Belle…" he whispers.

Jeremy and Leo are behind him, and I finally forget myself, running into his arms.

He wraps them around me, and I cry into his shoulder, breathing in the sweet scent of his baby powder.

It really is him.

Leo places his arms around us both, and now he lifts us off the ground.

Jeremy keeps his distance, but once Leo places us back on our feet, I run straight toward him, throwing my arms around him too.

He purrs into my ear, rubbing his hand up and down my back.

It's only when we break apart that I notice someone is missing.

Troy.

Ignoring the stab to my heart, I focus on the three before me.

Just when I thought I would never see them again.

They're here.

We're finally together.

Rian smiles, gripping my chin. He rubs a tender thumb over my bottom lip. "It's time to return home."

Home.

Finally.

I'm through with being a prisoner.