11. Belle

Chapter eleven

Belle

I barely recall the ride home.

I spent the whole time in Rian's arms, falling in and out of sleep.

But from the moment we pulled up outside the house, I was wide awake, eager to see all those familiar walls and floors again.

When I step through the door, I'm hit by all of their scents at once, and I take a moment to breathe them in.

Home.

Never thought I would see this place again.

The last time I was here, I'd just received that note from Francis, warning me that if I told the guys then he would spill all their secrets.

Well, he can go ahead and do just that.

Because we will find him this time.

The Alpha Governor is going to protect us now, and we couldn't be in better hands.

I've decided to forgive him for imprisoning and interrogating me. I've even decided to make peace with him torturing me and placing me in that hot room.

He is being watched by his peers, and he's even risking a lot by helping me and the pack today.

Besides, I can't stop thinking about the way he looked at me.

He asked why my face was so familiar, and I couldn't think for the life of me as to why that could be.

And he rebuked me immediately when I told him that I just have one of those ordinary faces.

Because whoever I remind him of is far from ordinary.

I put the odd encounter to one side as I brush a hand over a cabinet, tracing each wood grain with my fingers. Then I cast my gaze around, smiling.

The guys watch me with bated breath.

I've only been gone a week, but it feels like a lifetime since I last saw these walls.

I'm almost too scared to close my eyes.

What if I wake up at the prison or worse?

What if I wake up in Francis's old apartment?

I would take the prison any day over that gilded cage.

Hell, I would take the steam room.

At least it was good for my pores…

Rian steps closer, placing a hand on my shoulder, and I meet his bright moss-green eyes. "I bet you thought you would never see this place again."

The understatement of the century.

He reaches his finger toward my cheek, wiping away a tear.

I didn't even realize I was crying.

"But you're home now. We will ensure no one gets to you ever again, Belle."

Leo stands at Rian's side, and I spy the passion burning in his eyes too. "We'll all protect you, kitty cat."

I almost burst into tears at the name. I missed it when I was away.

The Alpha purrs. "If anyone tries to get to you, Belle, then they'll have to get through me first. No one will get within ten feet of this house anymore."

It's true. They won't.

Governor Gryphon deployed some of his best men, and now they stand guard around our house.

Francis won't get anywhere near me now.

I have a feeling he will be very pissed once he learns that his plan failed and that I got back to the pack.

Whatever he had planned for me went up in flames the moment I sold him out.

Now that Gryphon has his name, he can work on finding that Beta and locking him away for good. He can even start on finding his comrades.

There are many others like Francis out there.

Jeremy comes to Rian's other side, and now they all surround me, making me feel safe and warm for the first time in days.

This was what I missed the most.

Even Jeremy has a look of pure devotion in his eyes, and I think about what it was that his cousin told him once upon a time.

Something that concerns me…

Maybe I will finally get to find out what it was that he said.

We all turn at the sound of footsteps, and my heart jumps to my throat at the sight of Troy.

He didn't come to the office to collect me, and maybe he didn't really care about me after all.

I won't deny it, but his rejection hurts.

I bet he never even shed a tear while I was gone.

The Alpha barely looks my way, but I think I spy something like relief in his eyes.

Leo pulls me behind him, making sure I am out of the Alpha's line of sight, and his rumbling growl vibrates through the house.

Rian takes up a spot beside him.

Jeremy tries to dissolve any conflict before it arises. "Easy, guys…"

Leo's growl intensifies, and now I tense up behind him, hating myself.

It's me who is causing this rift.

I'm the reason why Troy is being cast aside, and I bet he despises me even more as a result.

Still, he looked at me like a dehydrated man seeing water for the first time in weeks.

He certainly looks as if he has been trekking a long and perilous journey through the desert.

I can't see him anymore, since Leo blocks him from view with his broad back, but I can still see his hand.

It's covered in bandages, and it takes me a moment to realize.

Those are the ones I wrapped around his hand. Just after he drunkenly injured himself on a glass bottle of wine.

That was the same night I left. The night Francis deposited his note and gave me no other choice but to leave with him.

He said he'd followed Troy home, and I swallow a lump in my throat when I think about Troy fraternizing with my enemy.

Did he really mean to sell me out?

No matter what, the guys cannot find out.

If they do, they will kick him out of the pack. Or worse.

They may just kill him.

Troy at least deserves a chance to explain himself.

"So… you all found her then."

Leo freezes at the remark. Then he bunches up his shoulders, stepping closer.

"Yeah. And she's here to stay Troy. If you don't like it, then leave."

Silence follows after the Alpha's bold declaration.

Troy doesn't speak for some time. Instead, he gazes down at his bandaged hand, running a thumb over the material, and the gesture is almost affectionate.

Is he remembering that night too?

It definitely lives rent-free in my mind.

I'll never forget the way his breath stuttered whenever I ran a careful finger over his injured hand.

I didn't want to hurt him, of course.

Rian speaks at last, "Is there anything you want, Troy?"

My heart hurts just hearing the way they address him.

They're his family, yet they have disowned him.

It's not right.

Maybe I can help rectify that somehow and make them all get along again.

They all wait for him to talk.

However, he keeps his head down, admitting his defeat.

Leo digs the knife in further. "If you know what's good for you, stay away. Belle has enough to worry about. She doesn't need a threat under her own roof."

Troy sucks in an audible breath, nodding his head.

He's barely a fraction of the Alpha he used to be.

Sure, that Alpha used to snarl and threaten me, but at least he had been alive.

Now he's nothing but a ghost.

I'm worried for him.

Leo scoffs, then leads me upstairs to my room. Rian follows behind us.

My heart thumps in anticipation. My old room!

I hope all my books are still there.

I sense Troy's eyes on my back as the three of us head upstairs, and before we reach the top step, I steal a quick peek behind my shoulder.

Our eyes meet, and there's no missing the regret and the apology.

But also the relief.

I'm glad you're back.

His voice echoes back to me, and it takes me by surprise.

Did he say that out loud?

He couldn't have. His mouth was shut the whole time.

Before I can think more about the strange phenomenon, my room looms into view, and I hold my breath in anticipation, bracing myself.

Home sweet home.