28. Leo

Chapter twenty-eight

Leo

I acted on instinct. Even before the bomb went off, I pushed my Omega to the ground and got her out of harm's way.

A bit of shrapnel hits my back but otherwise, I'm fine.

All that matters to me is that Belle is safe.

Jeremy falls down next to us, and now he mutters "shit" as chaos ensues.

People scream and scramble, and it's only when I look around that I see the bodies.

Some have fallen. Alphas bigger than me died to protect their Omegas, and a lump lodges in my throat at the sight of all that carnage.

An Omega screams over the body of her Alpha and I grit my teeth.

This was supposed to be an exciting event.

Packs were supposed to show off their Omegas tonight, but some bastard decided to ruin it.

It may be premature to point fingers, but my bet is on the Beta Rebellion.

The one currently growing like a cancer in our society, and we need to nip it in the bud before it has a chance to grow and destroy us all.

Belle tries to sit up beneath me, but I shield her eyes from the screaming Omega.

She shoves my arm aside and I concede at last, letting her see the horror for herself.

Belle just gazes at it all with a blank expression on her face.

But then fear dances in her eyes, and her head shoots straight toward the stage. "Rian!"

We all look up.

Gryphon Hart not only protected his Omega, but he protected ours too, and I feel nothing but gratitude for the Alpha next.

It looks as if our packs really do have each other's backs.

Mila reassures Rian, but he only has eyes for us.

We've got to get out of here.

Governor Lavender and her Beta bodyguards are nowhere in sight and we need to get the hell out of here.

She obviously knows what's coming next.

Rian jumps off stage and makes his way toward us, pushing through the crowd.

Gryphon takes Mila and heads toward his own pack, and I see the way their second Omega watches Belle.

I don't miss the relief in his eyes when he sees she's safe, and then he nods at me in thanks.

Why?

Then they're gone.

It's time we left too.

"Where's Troy?" Rian asks.

Fear spears me like a lance, and now I forget that I'm mad at the prick, snapping my head in every direction.

He's nowhere in sight.

Fuck.

There's no way he got caught up in that explosion.

I try contacting him via the bond.

We had forged a bond way before Rian came into our lives, but he's blocked out all connection.

He's alive though; I can sense it, and now I sigh with relief.

If he thinks he can get off that easily…

No matter how much the bastard aggravates me though, he is still my brother.

I can't stay pissed at him forever, and I know that Rian is having the same thoughts.

Barret comes back for Jeremy, and now the Alpha leads us out to the parking lot.

He pats Jeremy's shoulder before he leaves for his own pack and it won't be long until the authorities arrive.

They will want to question everyone, but all I want to do is get my Omegas home.

Rian is fine enough, but Belle is still a little shell-shocked.

I tried to shield her from the horror, but she pushed me aside in the end.

She wanted to see.

Her eyes are glued on Gryphon's pack, and I rub her arms, trying to knock some sense into her.

"It's fine. Belle. We're safe… We're going to take you back home. We can even go into the nest."

She won't stop looking at the Hart Pack.

Her eyes are fixed on Oliver, and it's not desire I see at all. Far from it.

Sure, the guy is even prettier than me, but there's still yearning in her eyes all the same.

Despite the horror of the night, she smiles.

Rian and Jeremy follow her gaze.

"What is it, kitty cat?" I ask.

She sighs, shaking her head. "N-nothing."

Confused, we all look at each other then.

Jeremy shrugs.

Rian speaks at last. "Do you know Oliver, Belle?"

Well, I'm sure she has come to learn about him at some point.

He's pretty famous.

She smiles wider. "I did once…"

My heart thumps, and now I lock eyes with Jeremy.

He steps toward her, peering over his shoulder at the other pack in question.

Oliver is looking over at us now, and he wears a similar expression to Belle.

As does his Omega, Mila.

Finally, Belle meets my eyes. "Did I ever tell you that I had an older brother?"

No. She didn't.

She laughs. "I had hoped he was alive, but when I saw him tonight… He hasn't changed. Not really. Though he has a bit more stubble now."

Jeremy rubs between his eyes. "Fuck… you are that sister?"

She glances at him. "You… know about me?"

He laughs. "Only from what Barret has told me… shit. What a night."

Yeah, I second that.

I'm still not sure what the hell is going on, but I just want to get my Omegas home and safe.

All I can think about doing now is wrapping them both up in some blankets and hiding them away from the world.

Rian never got to Present.

I hope they find that bomber's body and burn it.

"Come on, let's go," Jeremy announces.

Gladly.

We leave the venue behind us just as a car pulls up on the sidewalk.

It's a government car and it looks like Gryphon called one in for us.

I have no idea what happened to our limo or driver, but I just went to get home.

When the car drives away, Belle twists around in her seat to watch the other car with her brother, and I grab her fist and squeeze.

At least one good thing came from tonight and I'm glad she has found her family.

It seems our pack is more connected to Pack Hart than I realized.

Belle's brother is Oliver Hart and what a small world.

I don't waste any time stripping my Omegas of all their clothes as soon as we get back to the house.

Belle's corset is way too tight, and the moment I saw her coming down the stairs tonight, all I wanted to do was rip it from her and fuck her against the wall.

Rian and I help her out of the dress and then pepper kisses up and down her body, trying to chase away the horrors of the night.

A lot of knotting followed soon after, and before long, we fell asleep beneath the blankets and the pillows of the nest.

Jeremy shakes me awake several hours later, and I wake to meet his gray eyes.

That stormcloud is worse than ever and I slip free from Rian and Belle's entangled limbs and follow him out of the nest.

I remember to grab my pants on the way out.

"Pray tell, what is so important that you tore me away from my sleeping Omegas?"

Jeremy sighs. "It's Troy…"

So, he made it out alive after all.

Not that I had any doubts.

Now I can punch him in the face for scaring the shit out of me.

Jeremy takes me into the woods beyond the house, and I gaze at him confused.

His face is steadfast as he marches on and that's when we come upon what looks like an old shack.

"What the hell is this place?"

I look at the Alpha. It's his house after all—inherited from his grandparents.

Did his Grandpa have some weird kink or something?

The shack gives off serial killer vibes for sure.

"Just follow me, Leo."

He takes off again and I stumble after him, wishing I had grabbed my shoes.

Stones and twigs are getting stuck to my feet and some Alpha I am.

My ancestors would be proud.

Finally, we arrive at the shack, and Jeremy stops to take several deep breaths.

"Prepare yourself, Leo… Remember to keep some level of control."

Again, what the fuck is going on?

I growl. "Just get on with it."

I'm still pissed that he tore me away from Rian and Belle. The pair looked so cute together.

Jeremy pushes the door and it opens with an eerie creak.

It reminds me of the sound a vampire's coffin makes, and a shudder goes through my spine.

I'm not a kid anymore. I'm an Alpha.

And I'm not afraid of vampires and monsters.

But this is all just a little too creepy for my liking.

My eyes settle on that small Beta male.

He's gagged and tied up with rope, and I look at Jeremy. "Who is this?"

That's when Troy steps out from the shadows, a crazed light shining inside his eyes. They glow in the dark, and I shiver when I spy that manic glint.

Shit.

There are only a few times in my life when I have seen Troy look like that.

He rarely ever loses his temper; he was always the calm one on our missions.

But now he is scaring even me.

"Hello, Leo… so glad you could join us…"

Troy bares his teeth, and I blink a few times, wondering what has gotten him so twisted up.

I glance at the Beta male.

Holy shit.

Troy really did a number on this guy. He looks awful.

Now the stench of blood overpowers his bland Beta scent of paper and ink.

Honestly, it's kind of an improvement.

The Beta groans and I glare at Troy. "What the fuck is the meaning of this?"

Troy's eyes shine.

Not even the monster I see in the mirror has ever looked this insane.

"Leo, I would like to introduce you to Francis. He's going to be staying with us for a while."

He chuckles and the hair rises up and down my arms.

Francis.

The man who held Belle captive for years.

Who abused her, and now I feel my own monster bubbling to the surface.

Now I focus my gaze on the pitiful creature before me.

He wakes long enough to realize that he not only has one maniac to deal with now, but two.

Fear dances in his eyes and then he cries, looking at Jeremy for help.

The sane one.

Well, only on the surface.

Jeremy is just as secretly insane as the rest of us.

He has no empathy for the Beta. His face is blank, his eyes unreadable as he slowly backs out of the shack, leaving me and Troy alone.

We hover over the male, and he begins to cry when he realizes no one will be coming to his aide.

His mouth is gagged, so we can't hear his begging, but I'm beyond the point of caring.

Troy looks my way, and that twisted smirk never leaves his face. "What do you say, Leo? A truce?"

He reaches out his hand.

I regard it for a few moments, peering down at Francis.

Tears run down his face.

I meet those electric blue eyes of Troy's and take his hand. "Truce."

It looks like I have decided to forgive the bastard after all.

Just as Belle asked me to.

He brought the one person who I hate most in this world.

Francis is dead.

But we will have a little fun with him first.

Troy gives that dark chuckle again and squeezes my hand. "Just like old times…"

It is.

It looks like we're back in business again.

How I've missed this.