29. Belle

Chapter twenty-nine

Belle

I barely see my Alphas for the next few days, and I have no idea where Troy even is.

I'm not sure if he made it out alive or if he even survived the explosion, and I haven't stopped biting my nails since we returned.

In the end, Rian had to reassure me that Troy was fine.

He was just a little preoccupied. And Leo, too, for that matter.

I haven't seen the latter since we returned from the ball.

One moment, we were all in the nest, and the next, he was gone.

Gone where exactly?

What are they all so preoccupied with?

Jeremy comes and goes, but he seems to be 'preoccupied' himself these days, and it's time I get to the bottom of this strange behavior.

I get the sense that the guys don't want to tell me.

But I'm a part of this pack now. I ought to know.

It's in all our best interests.

Even Rian is in on the secret. At first, he was just as confused and even angry, but then Jeremy took him aside, and then the Omega's face turned pale.

Rian hasn't been able to look me in the eye since.

I'm going to find out what they're all hiding.

I'm not as soft as I look. I can handle it.

I have my theories anyway.

Troy found the bomber. It's the only thing that makes sense in all the chaos.

Despite everything that has happened, I haven't stopped thinking about him.

Oliver—my brother.

He's alive.

I guess I never really believed he was dead.

Nor did I forget his name.

I never really forgot my own either.

Isabelle.

It's time we got re-acquainted again.

Rian eats at the breakfast table with me one morning, yet he hardly looks my way.

Instead, he chews his cereal slowly as he looks as if he has seen a ghost, and I try to get him to talk.

"Are you all right, Rian?"

The Omega flinches, but again, he doesn't meet my eyes.

I reach across and grab his wrist, and he tenses beneath my touch.

Something is bothering him.

I run my thumb over his pulse. "It's okay, Rian. You can tell me."

His other hand clutches the spoon so tightly that his fingers turn white, and a shudder slithers down my spine.

Something has happened…

But that's okay; I can handle it.

"Is it Troy? Did he get hurt after all?"

Rian sucks in a breath. "N-no…"

"Then what?"

I study his face and his skin is void of color. So, I reach across, brushing one of his soft brown curls aside so I can see the moss green of his eyes.

"Rian?"

The Omega's face contorts and then he lets go of his spoon, massaging his temples.

"It's fine , Belle."

He really isn't a good liar at all. But I don't push him further.

Instead, I steer the conversation toward the ball.

"You will get a chance to Present again."

The explosion went off just before he walked onto the stage, and I thank my lucky stars every day.

Any second later, and the Omega wouldn't be sitting next to me now.

He was saved from the shrapnel by my brother's Alpha.

Gryphon.

Governor Gryphon, for that matter.

He knew. Even back then, in his office.

Gryphon knew who I was. But he didn't push it.

Mila realized who I was too at the ball.

They both acted as if they had found their own little sister, and it must be a result of their pack bond.

All of Oliver's memories have become theirs now, and they must have relived the heartbreak of losing me right along with him.

My throat grows tight.

Not only have I found my brother… but I have gained a new family too.

Four brothers and a sister.

I smile, squeezing Rian's hand. "Maybe we can Present together at the next ball."

That finally gets Rian's attention, and now he finally looks me in the eyes. "I would like that."

And just like that, all is right with the world again.

"At least some good came from that night…" he mutters, and I watch him strangely.

But before I can ask him what he means, the kitchen door opens, and the last person I expected to see steps inside.

Troy freezes when he sees me, and I get to my feet at once.

"Troy? You're okay!"

The Alpha doesn't look as if he knows what to do with himself.

Instead, his eyes drift toward Rian.

The Omega doesn't meet his gaze. "It's okay, Troy. You have permission to talk to her."

Troy opens his mouth. "It's… good to see you too, Belle…"

An awkward silence passes between us, and I resist the urge to rush over and wrap my arms around him.

There was a point where I thought he was dead, and I don't want to live another moment in regret.

Life is too short.

And it looks like Leo took my advice because he and Troy are spending far too much time together now.

Are they making up for lost time?

Rian is still awkward around Troy, but I know it's not because of that night.

The night Francis bribed me.

I glance at Troy again, and that's when I spy the spot of blood on his shirt.

"Did you hurt yourself?"

Troy stiffens and his eyes dart back to Rian.

The Omega grinds his teeth, and for the first time, he meets his Alpha's eyes.

They're communicating non-verbally now, and of course, I can't hear what they're saying.

I've not been bitten into the pack yet.

Troy heaves a sigh, turning his back on me again. "I should go."

Before he leaves, I go after him, grabbing his shoulder without thinking. "Wait!"

That's when it hits me. Buried right beneath the coppery tang of blood.

Francis's scent.

I'm not sure how to act at first. But then I school my features, unsure of the feelings that come over me next.

Fear, anger, gratitude?

They have him.

That blood on Troy's shirt belongs to the Beta, and I feel no remorse.

Just… nothing.

I drop my hand and peer down at the ground.

Troy is frozen again.

I'm not sure what he is going to do.

After all, I touched him without permission.

"I'm… sorry."

No one speaks. Rian doesn't even look up from the table.

Just before I return to the table with my tail between my legs, Troy grips me by the chin, and there I spy that silent promise again.

He knows I caught Francis's scent on him.

"Don't apologize…"

Troy speaks into my mind, and I don't even know how.

I just stare at him with my jaw hanging open.

His electric blue eyes burn only for me now as they rake over my face. Then he grazes my bottom lip with his thumb, then finally leaves.

I just stare at the spot where he vanished for a while, retracing his thumb over my lip.

It tingles.

Rian follows sometime after, gripping my hand before he leaves.

"We will talk again later."

I smile, nodding my head.

He returns my grin and exits the kitchen. I return to my breakfast.

Francis is here.

But I am not afraid of him anymore.

It seems that Beta truly has no hold over me anymore.