2. Oliver
Chapter 2
Oliver
T his fucking sucks.
We have been put on house arrest, and now we can't go anywhere without one of Lily's sycophants stopping us.
I have no idea where Mila is or if she is even safe, and now there is a big hole in the wall where I kicked my leg in frustration.
It wasn't supposed to be this way. I was supposed to get better, and then I was going to be there for her when her father passed away.
Did the old man die? Did he already have his funeral, and did Mila have to go through it all alone?
I wasn't there to protect her, and once again, I have let someone I love down.
I couldn't protect my sister Isabelle any more than I could protect Mila, and I swing my fist out, punching the window.
Still the same useless kid.
Still pathetic.
The glass doesn't smash. It merely trembles in its frame.
One of the soldiers looks over his shoulder, his large gun poised in his hand. But when he finds me on the other side of the glass scowling at him, an injured Omega who only has the use of one arm, he relaxes, returning to his duty.
He and his buddies arrived here completely uninvited yesterday afternoon, and they haven't left since. They have overstayed their welcome, and if I wasn't in such bad shape, I'd fight them.
I would knock down every single one of them if that's what it took to find Mila.
But we were outnumbered. Lily played the long game, and we lost.
Now she holds all the power in government, and there is nothing we can do to stop her.
"Oliver, come away from the window."
That voice.
Once upon a time, it used to soothe me, but now… it sets every single one of my nerves on fire.
I don't look away from the window. The soldier has turned his back on me, and it's obvious he doesn't deem me a threat.
One day, I will show him.
One day, I will point a gun at his ugly face.
"Oliver."
"Fuck off, Gryphon…"
Those three words. They have become my catchphrase.
With a growl, he rises to his feet from the couch, steering me away from the danger.
The soldier isn't going to shoot me. Call it Omega instinct, but I feel as if he has been given direct orders not to shoot me specifically
Maybe I could use my helpless Omega status to my advantage.
"Oliver… listen to me… that soldier will not hesitate to shoot."
I bang on the glass, trying to rile up the soldier outside, but the Alpha in uniform barely budges. He just spits at the ground, keeping his gaze on the tree line.
The fucker thinks I truly am weak, but he's so wrong.
I will kill him.
"Oliver, don't make me—"
My fist goes for his jaw, and that's the second time I have punched him in twenty-four hours.
The Alpha's head jerks back, and he closes his eyes, balling his fists.
He's nothing more than a raging mountain of testosterone right now, and good. Maybe then he will finally Alpha-up and fight those soldiers outside.
He owes it to Mila after all, and me.
Barret and Lachlan don't run to his aid. The latter is barely present, disappearing inside his head like he usually does when he is sad or stressed.
He twirls a wilted snowdrop in his hand, hovering in the corner like a ghost.
It looks like one of the snowdrops he picked for Mila in the woods. I think that one came from the small glass vase on the kitchen windowsill.
Barret scowls on the chair, swigging back a bottle of whiskey, and it seems my pack has given up.
Yet, I haven't.
"Oliver, I am only trying to protect you. That man will kill you."
Barret scoffs, "No, he won't."
Gryphon and I turn to look at him. Even Lachlan peers up from his sad snowdrop.
Gryphon snarls at Barret. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Barret gazes deep into his bottle, searching for the answers to all our problems. "It means that they are not going to shoot our dear Ollie boy. Lily is a female Alpha. It's not hard to figure out. She won't kill someone so precious."
My body shudders in disgust, and it is something I have thought about ever since those men arrived at the house, claiming that the former Beta Governor, Frederick, had died.
All this time, we thought Frederick was the enemy, but it appears Lily was all along.
Gryphon shakes his head, denying it immediately, and what a fucking idiot.
Can't he see that Lily is the enemy here?
"No. Ollie is already claimed. You can't take a claimed Omega…"
I scoff, "Since when did Lily play by the rules?"
Gryphon trembles and it must be hard for him.
He's afraid of Lily, and he can't even bring himself to speak badly about her behind her back.
I bet he thinks she has bugs planted all over the house. I reckon he thinks she can read his thoughts at this very moment, and he needs to get a grip.
Lily is powerful, but she is not that powerful.
We can overcome her.
I, personally, will fight her myself.
She won't get the better of me.
Lachlan sniggers in his little miserable corner, and we glance across the room at him. He has a twisted smile on his face, and now the blue of his irises seems to glow in the gloom as he stares at his wilted snowdrop.
"I've never had violent thoughts towards a woman before… but when I think about that bitch… all I want to do is drain the blood from her body and wipe it all over my face like war paint…"
His snigger turns into a high-pitched cackle, and now he crushes the snowdrop in his hand, eyes popping from his skull.
None of us says a thing. We're used to Lachlan and his strange mannerisms, but he's even scaring me now.
Barret sighs, rolling his eyes. "That's great, Lachlan, but wait for the right moment, yeah? Don't go running to the capital just yet. If we're gonna fight, then we need to fight properly."
Gryphon hisses, "Are you all fucking insane? Her men are standing right outside!"
I round on him now. "I am going to give you an ultimatum, Gryphon. Your first step for making it up to me and the pack… and to Mila…"
Gryphon's jaw tics as he settles those raging red-brown eyes on me, but he's calm and focused.
"You fight Lily with us," I whisper, pointing out the window. "Or go and join her friends outside."
He blinks, dumbfounded. "Why would I join Lily's men?"
I suck in a breath. "The way things are going, Gryphon… I'm not so sure if I can trust you anymore. Lily has already gotten so much under your skin… You're afraid of her, and I'm sorry. But unless you aren't prepared to fight her and rescue Mila with us… then… you are no longer a part of this pack… You are no longer my Alpha…"
A thick stretch of silence spreads across the room. Gryphon's hard eyes soften, and it's clear I hit him where it really hurts. But he needs to hear it.
It's his call.
Sure, severing my ties to him would in essence kill me eventually, but I am dead either way if I don't get Mila back in my arms again.
My life will never be complete if she is not by my side.
So, I need to know if Gryphon is on my side. I don't care if he doesn't care for Mila, but he can fight for her on my behalf.
Because that's what a good Alpha does for their Omega.
"I will give you a moment to think about it."
Finally, I turn away from him, facing the others.
Barret and Lachlan are already on their feet. I don't even have to ask them twice.
Lachlan smiles for the first time since Mila left, but it's more of a manic smirk when I glance the second time.
"We have to pick our moment. Right now, we continue to play Lily's game."
They nod, and Lachlan shakes with anticipation.
"So, I don't get to stab any soldiers yet?" he asks.
I sigh. "No, Lachlan. Not yet."
He pouts, and I look toward Gryphon.
He still hasn't given me his word, but the choice is his.
Me or Lily.
It shouldn't be hard really. He said it himself; I am his bonded Omega.
"Well?"
Gryphon looses a heavy breath from his lips. Then he lifts his face, his mouth set. "I'm with you, Ollie. All the way."
That's all any Omega wants to hear from their Alpha, but I can feel the hesitation through our bond. It's mostly out of fear than loyalty, but Gryphon is finding it hard to defy his superior.
The very concept is terrifying for him, but we will come out victorious in the end.
We just have to have faith.
After all, we are doing this for Mila.
And once we find her… our pack can finally be whole again.