20. Troy

Chapter twenty

Troy

J oin us…

It takes every ounce of willpower in my body to resist that sweet siren's call and I knew it.

We can hear each other's thoughts.

Fuck knows how that happened.

What did I ever do to forge such a bond to begin with?

I don't deserve to hear her sweet, precious thoughts.

And I sure as hell don't deserve to participate in her first heat.

Not that Leo would want me in that nest anyway.

The Alpha will be lost to the throes of his rut; if I step a toe inside that nest, he will have my head.

Still, all I can think about is snapping that nest door right off its hinges and taking what is mine.

Mine .

My Alpha has decided that Belle belongs to him now, though, for the sake of peace, I continue to resist.

Even if my knot is fucking killing me…

It's swollen and thumping hard like a second heartbeat, and sooner or later, I am going to burst.

Cum leaks from my cock, and I have to leave.

I can't spend another minute in this house.

Her scent is everywhere.

The sweet scent of an Omega in heat, and my Alpha rattles his chains.

He needs release. But he has no choice.

Neither of us deserves that Omega.

So, I brood at the top of the stairs, listening to the beautiful sounds coming from her mouth.

Belle is surprisingly loud.

Even though she is a mouse, she's a vixen in the nest and that fact just makes my knot swell bigger.

It bulges in my pants but I stay put.

I won't even give myself the satisfaction of a hand job.

This is what I deserve.

My presence would only cause her more pain. I see the way she looks at me.

She's scared of me.

A female moan seeps through the wood of the door, followed by the sweet, heady scent of caramel, and I strain against my knot, panting for breath.

She groans again and again, and I can't take it anymore.

My Alpha and I have suffered enough.

So, we both tumble down the stairs, bursting into the kitchen to grab a quenching drink.

I grab a bottle of water and swig. Then I pour the rest over my head. It drips down my back and front, but it works.

My swelling goes down, and now I take a seat at the table, burying my face in my hands.

My heart pounds.

The hours tick by endlessly as I sit in silence.

But no matter what, I cannot get rid of her scent.

It haunts me. As well as the unopened bottle of wine.

It waits on the table before me.

Belle's slick is all the wine I need, and I bet she takes even sweeter.

With a frustrated growl, I pick up the bottle and shatter it against the wall.

My ragged breaths echo through the space of the kitchen as I stare down at the remains of the bottle.

The wine pools like blood, and that's going to leave a stubborn stain.

Rian will be pissed.

A shame he isn't talking to me right now.

When I come back to my senses, I run a hand through my hair, suddenly aware of those eyes.

I'm not alone.

I turn, meeting the brown eyes of Leo.

We just stare at each other for a while.

The Alpha's gaze falls on the spilled wine on the floor and his expression is hard to read.

I open my mouth to say something, but then he just brushes past me, opening the fridge.

Her scent clings to his skin, and I keep far, far away.

The Alpha grabs four cans of cola, and it looks like they're taking a break.

He doesn't look at me again as he leaves the kitchen, showing me the claw marks on his back.

Belle's work, I bet.

My Alpha rumbles with jealousy.

Leo stops at the threshold, and I wait for him to say something.

Then he turns and I no longer spy that familiar hatred in his eyes.

All I see is pain now.

"It's not that hard to take that extra step…"

I raise a brow. What is he talking about?

Leo sighs. "As much as it kills me, Belle wants you in that nest. Jeremy and I are doing the best we can to please her, but we're not complete. Our pack isn't complete."

I bow my head.

I knew she was missing me. I heard her siren's call, yet I still resisted.

It looks like I am welcome after all. Leo is willing to forgive me for just a while. So long as it means that Belle feels complete.

But I don't take that step.

Instead, I think about the night I let her go; I even go back to the time I threatened to kill her, and I'm nothing but a joke.

This is how it has to be.

The words repeat like a mantra in my head.

I don't deserve her…

I don't deserve her.

"The choice is yours, Troy."

Finally, the Alpha leaves, and I'm alone with my tumultuous thoughts once again.

There's only one place I belong, and now I make my way into the yard, finding that garage at the back.

Then I find the cot and curl up on the yellowed mattress, and I don't even bother with the light.

One day, I can join her nest.

One day, I will be worthy of her.

And then I can finally be the Alpha she deserves.