8. Lachlan

Chapter 8

Lachlan

M y heart hasn't stopped singing since Barret's cousin, Jeremy, told us the wonderful news.

Mila is safe.

My sweet snowdrop…

The bad news… Lily laid a hand on her, and a low growl rumbles in my chest when I think about that woman.

She is dead.

My fingers twitch, itching for my knives, and now red splatters my vision.

It's Lily's blood. Or it will be.

Barret is beside me. He glances my way, resting a hand on my shoulder.

"Steady, Lachlan."

It takes a while for the red droplets to disappear, and finally, I breathe, gazing around the room.

Oliver is quiet, stewing in his own guilt, and my heart goes to my Omega.

I tug on the bond, but he's radio silent, his white fingers gripping the couch beside him. Gryphon is above him, only having eyes for our Omega as usual.

But I didn't miss the way his eyes flashed when Jeremy told us the condition he found Mila in.

Mila is an Omega. And the others are still processing the news.

Me? I couldn't care less. It wouldn't matter to me whether she was Beta, Omega, or Alpha.

Mila is going to be mine. No matter what.

Now all we have to do now is figure out how we're going to get her back.

After all, she is Oliver's scent match. Surely, they won't keep her away from us.

Yet, I know it won't be that simple.

But no matter what, we will fight the system. After all, you can't stop fate.

"What happened to her dad?" Oliver asks suddenly, and the room falls wintery silent.

We all look at Jeremy expectantly.

He looks a little surprised at the question.

"I don't know… she never mentioned him."

My stomach rolls, and I have a bad feeling.

Poor Mila.

She must have been so alone and afraid, and I swear I will make it up to her.

We just have to get her back first.

I hope she was able to be there for her father in his last moments.

Another bout of silence trickles through the room, and I can't help but feel anxious.

Why are we all just sitting here? We need to do something, right now.

We have to rescue her from the system.

"So, what now?" I ask.

No one replies, and I jump to my feet, my hand resting on my knife inside my pocket.

"Lachlan," Barret warns again, but I don't hear him.

I march to the door.

To my surprise, Oliver joins me.

"Oliver…" Gryphon says, and I round on him.

"Fuck off. You can't stop us."

Barret rushes up behind Gryphon. "No, he's right this time. We need to plan our next move carefully. You can't just go storming to the academy and demand her back. Mila is now—"

"Don't fucking say it!" I spit, spinning around to face Barret.

Now our pack is divided. Two against two. Me and Oliver against Gryphon and Barret.

At least I know on some level that Barret is as anxious as us to get her back, but I'm still unsure about Gryphon.

However, something about him has changed. Ever since he came back from Lily's office, he seems stronger, in control.

Did he finally stand up to the governor?

Jeremy steps up beside Barret, and now it's three against two.

Shit.

"They're right, fellers. I'm sorry. But Mila is off-limits right now. Her details are being added to the database as we speak. Once they go through, that's it. She's a part of the system."

A growl rips from my throat, and I grip the Alpha by the shirt, yanking him close. "Then why did you send her to them in the first place? You should have brought her to us. This is your fault—"

Barret shoves me off his cousin, and now I round on him.

I have never fought with any of my own pack mates, but right now…

I am prepared to rip Barret's face off.

"Back off, Lachlan."

I ball my fists, but when I feel that gentle hand on my shoulder, I relax.

Oliver sighs. "It's okay to be angry, Lachlan, but we should listen to them."

So, I am on my own now then?

Screw them all.

Jeremy scowls at me, smoothing down his shirt where I crinkled the fabric. But I have no regrets.

He's the reason why we can't get to Mila.

"Look, I was just doing my job. I found an Omega lost and in heat alone in the woods. I had to take her to the hospital. She could have died out there."

It finally dawns on me. How did Mila survive her heat? They need an Alpha's knot after all, and the horror hits me like a freight train.

This time, I grip my knife, aiming for the Alpha who isn't a part of our pack.

He may be Barret's blood, but right now, he is the enemy.

I will kill him.

"You fucker! You touched her!"

Before my knife aims for his chest, Barret and Gryphon are on top of me, pinning me to the floor, but all I can see is red.

My world is a bloody haze of murder and gore.

"He knotted her! He knotted her!"

Through the blood raging through my head, I hear Jeremy, "What? You're fucking crazy!"

But I am beyond reasoning with now, and Barret and Gryphon have no choice but to fight me.

Barret hisses through clenched teeth. "That's it, Lachlan. You leave us no choice… it's time out."

No… not time out.

It's been some months now since I had to go in time out, but when they drag me toward the basement, I dig my heels into the carpet, refusing to go.

"No, no!"

"Too late," Barret breathes, kicking the basement door open.

Now he and Gryphon haul me down the stairs, kicking and screaming.

There's a room at the end of the basement. It's where they place me on time out. Luckily for me, it's well-insulated and clean.

Gryphon holds me down while Barret chains my arms to a hook in the wall, and then they walk out.

I yank on the chains. "Let me out!"

Barret peers back at me. Gryphon is already halfway up the stairs.

"Sorry, Lachlan… we had no choice… you know what happens when you go into stabby mode…"

I do.

I go batshit crazy, and it's any wonder why I wasn't institutionalized a long time ago.

I am not all that right in the head. I'm a fucking psycho, and I have certain triggers.

Right now, Jeremy is the enemy. He's the reason why Mila can't be with us, and I'm convinced that he was the one who knotted her.

Otherwise, why else would she have survived her heat?

It doesn't matter to me right now. All I know is that I need to kill someone, and Jeremy makes a good substitute for Lily.

Barret shuts the door, and I yank on my chains, ready to tear up some shit.

My mind darkens, and the color red fills my vision.

No matter what, there will be bloodshed. Maybe not now, but in future…

I will get to sate my bloodlust.