36. Belle

Chapter thirty-six

Belle

" I love you…"

My body twists and writhes as liquid fire burns through my veins, but that voice keeps repeating in my mind.

"I love you…"

Troy.

He is near.

His coffee scent is bitter with grief yet strong, and now my eyes snap open, zeroing in on the sad creature only a short distance away.

I don't see anything else.

All I see is Troy. My target.

My prey.

My body convulses again, and I know what my body needs.

A knot.

But through the haze, a dark voice breathes into my ear, and it sounds just like Francis.

Blood.

Take his blood!

No, I only want his knot. I don't want to kill him.

But that evil voice breaks through the haze again, and now all I can think about is grabbing a knife and sticking it inside Troy's stomach over and over, his knot be damned.

He did it.

Francis managed to get the better of me.

He won.

And now I have no choice as he bends my body to his will, and I hate him.

If only I could kill him…

But my body only wants Alpha blood.

My Omega is confused. Torn between killing the Alpha before her and taking his knot, and she even delights in the idea of both.

Tears streak down my cheeks as she crawls toward him, and it hurts.

My body convulses again and a scream tears from my lips.

Troy barely flinches.

Instead, he remains crouched on the floor, his arms and legs shackled to the concrete, and he can't even fight back.

But he has already given up.

He has decided to surrender to my Omega instead.

He doesn't want to kill her.

No, he doesn't want to kill me.

My Omega is me in the end. Just as much as Troy's Alpha is a part of his identity, but even that sorry creature has given in to defeat, accepting his morbid fate.

They watch us.

All of them.

And they take delight in our suffering.

Well, if they want to see blood, I will show them.

I am going to kill them all.

Especially the big Alpha in the VIP box, the one who smells like rotten flowers.

A foul scent.

So, he's the one.

The boss. The warden of the Facility.

And he's Alpha.

Yet he fights for a Beta course. A world in which Betas are on top and Alphas and Omegas are at the bottom.

But so long as he is on top, then who cares.

I crawl closer to Troy, and my Omega can't even stand.

I may as well be crawling through tar. It's unbearable, but my Omega body needs the Alpha's knot.

She needs blood.

My body trembles in pain yet again, and I cry out, doubling over.

Despite how terrified he is, Troy purrs for me, and my Omega relaxes at the sound.

Even though I am about to kill him and take his knot, he still cares.

It's just not fair.

I lay gasping on the floor as another painful cramp shoots through my spine and it's too much.

This heat is fake and it will kill me before I ever get a chance to touch Troy.

So, that is what I've decided in the end; I will lie down until my body can no longer take the pain.

It's better than killing Troy.

Troy's breath shudders when he realizes what I'm doing.

What I am sacrificing.

"Belle, get up…" he whispers.

No. It's too much. The blood roars through my head, and I scream when another cramp seizes control of my limbs.

But through it all, that cold, callous voice whispers, Kill him. Take his blood!

It won't stop. Not until it gets what it wants from me.

His unwilling weapon.

Francis will watch as I kill someone I love.

I love Troy too. I love all of them.

And now I will never see them again.

Francis won't make that mistake twice.

He will never let me go now.

I curl up like a fetus, shivering from a cold sweat. People start to protest in the crowd, pissed that they aren't getting their money's worth.

I bet a lot of them betted on who would die today.

Cowards.

"Belle! Get up!"

Troy again. He would rather I kill him than lay down and wait to die.

Not that I have a choice in the matter anyway.

Francis steps onto the stage and kicks me, "Get up. Kill him."

Troy roars at the Beta, and then I hear his chains rattle as he tries to break free.

But he's trapped.

We're both trapped.

Something clatters on the ground beside me, and my eyes fall on that knife.

It shines in the spotlight and my mouth salivates.

The voice taunts me again, Do it. Kill him…

My arm shakes as I reach across, gripping the handle of the blade. Then I sit up and gaze at it for some time.

My reflection stares back at me from the stainless steel. My pupils are dilated and I don't even look like myself anymore.

Now I look like a killer.

A complete monster.

My fingers squeeze the blade tighter, and now my eyes fall on Troy.

There's no missing the bulge in his pants.

His knot has swollen.

My artificially included heat has put him into a rut and he must be in so much pain.

Despite himself, he still manages to keep his restraint.

He resists his Alpha's urges in fear of hurting me.

He really won't fight me…

My Omega crawls closer until we're only a few inches apart.

Troy droops his head, squeezing his eyes tight shut as he waits for it all to end.

My Omega trails the bulge inside his pants with her fingers, licking her lips. Then she gazes at the knife in her hands and purrs at the prospect of blood.

The two urges are strong, fighting for precedence, but my Omega will ensure that she gets both.

Blood and knots.

That's all she cares about.

And that voice keeps urging her on.

Take his blood.

Still, I let my Omega indulge for a while.

She lifts Troy's chin and now she meets those electric blue eyes.

She sees nothing but love inside those eyes, eyes once so full of hatred for her.

No.

I can't kill him…

I won't.

A tear slips down my cheek. Troy purrs.

"It's okay, Belle…"

I look deep into his eyes.

Troy smiles, a true, genuine smile that lights up his face, and there I spy twin dimples on his cheeks.

They make my heart thud.

"Take care of Rian for me when I'm gone."

My Omega lifts the blade as that dark voice rings louder and louder.

Blood.

Take his blood!

It really does sound like Francis, and the more it whispers, the harder it is to tell whether it's coming from inside me.

The real Francis only stands several feet away at the edge of the stage.

I hate him.

I hate the voice.

If only I could kill the voice instead of Troy, but it's too late.

Francis already has so much of a hold over me.

I will never be truly free of him.

Forever his weapon. One he can bend to his will.

Finally, I hold the knife above Troy, and he wholly accepts his fate.

He closes his eyes, and I just wish that things could have been so different for us.

In another life perhaps.

The crowd waits with bated breath as I prepare to bring the knife down on Troy.

Kill him, take his blood…

I will give them blood all right.

With a fierce war cry, I jump to my feet and plunge the knife into Francis's throat.

Pale blue eyes stare up at me in shock for a moment. Then he gurgles sickeningly, spitting up his own blood, and then he drops to the ground.

My Omega smiles in dark satisfaction at the sight of blood, and it looks like she got what she wanted.

Time freezes. No one moves or makes a sound.

I meet Troy's eyes.

He's in as much shock as Francis was a moment ago when I plunged that knife deep into his throat.

The Beta is still gurgling on the ground, and it looks like he really underestimated his power over me.

He wasn't as strong as he thought.

Or maybe I wasn't as weak as he believed.

The crowd uproars, and before the audience descends on us, a troop of armed men storms into the room, holding everyone at gunpoint.

I recognize their uniforms.

Gryphon's men.

Does that mean we won?

Quickly, I search the VIP box.

He's gone.

But his many followers and sycophants remain, and now I watch as Gryphon's soldiers line them up.

My gaze falls on Francis.

He's dead.

His eyes remain open, and I feel no sadness whatsoever.

All I feel is empty.

One of Gryphon's soldiers unfastens Troy's chains, and now the Alpha rushes straight to my side, scooping me up when my legs give out.

My Omega may have got to spill blood, but she is still in desperate need of a knot.

He should stay away.

Yet he holds me close.

"Belle?" he whispers, brushing aside my sweaty hair as it sticks to my face.

"It… it hurts…" I cry, and he purrs, cradling me in his arms.

"I know, but you're safe now. He's dead. We got them all."

"N-not all…"

Confused, Troy looks toward the VIP box, and his jaw clenches when he finds it empty.

A whimper escapes me as the severity of my actions finally hits me. "I… I killed him…"

Troy gazes at Francis's dead body, and I spy no remorse in his eyes. "You did."

It felt good in the moment, but now the memory haunts me, and a shudder wracks through me, shaking me to my very core.

I killed him.

I truly am a monster.

Troy purrs louder, pressing my face to his chest, and I breathe in the scent of his coffee and musk. "Hey, it's fine… He can't hurt you anymore."

"I-I want to go home."

Troy kisses the top of my head and then lifts me in his arms. "We will."

He turns toward the soldier who set him free. "Thank you. I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't all arrived on time."

I can't see the soldier as he still wears his mask, but he cocks his head, watching me carefully.

He's not Gryphon; he's a little shorter than an Alpha.

"Belle!"

I whimper at the sound of his voice, and now Troy and I both turn.

"Rian!" I cry.

Troy lets me go and now I tumble into the Omega's arms, breathing in his sweet baby powder.

"Thank God you're safe. Thank God you both are. I thought I would never see you again," Rian whispers, holding me close.

Even just being near him takes the pain away, and I promise myself to never let go of Rian again.

Rian glances up at Troy. "What are you waiting for? Get over here."

Troy is hesitant at first. But then he looks at the soldier.

The soldier nods toward us, and now Troy steps closer, swallowing me and Rian up in his arms.

We're together again. That's all that matters.

Jeremy and Leo arrive and now I spend a few more moments in their arms.

Then we embrace as a pack.

Hospital arrangements have been made. I am to spend the next few days on an IV drip as the doctors get the awful drug out of me.

Even though my body screams for a knot, I know it is for the best.

I know what a true heat feels like. It can be painful, but also pleasant.

But this… this is ungodly. Evil even.

It's not natural.

Leo lifts me in his arms, and now they carry me away from that awful room.

Jeremy stops and thanks the soldier, and just as we exit the room, I look at him from over Leo's shoulder.

The soldier finally removes his mask and now I meet those ocean-blue eyes.

"Oliver…" I whisper.

A warm smile spreads over his face, and there's no missing his tears. "Hey, sis."

Tears fall from my own eyes.

Another soldier appears by his side, and when he removes his own face covering, I meet those burgundy eyes.

Gryphon nods at me, and I give him a nod back.

When we reach the door, I watch as Gryphon grabs a hold of Oliver's shoulder.

My older brother is holding back tears, but his Alpha understands.

He finally got his sister back.

The two men embrace at last, and that's the last I see of them.

But we have a lifetime to catch up.

And I can't wait.