11. Ella

Chapter 11

Ella

T he guys return with their items, and my heart won't stop pounding.

When was the last time an Alpha bought me something?

Never.

An Alpha has never thought of me in the slightest, and my eyes sting as each Alpha presents their goods.

Even Theo has a bag and it’s good to see him trying, I suppose.

However, he doesn't look so enthusiastic about it. The Alpha continues to sulk, and it’s obvious it’s going to take us time.

I'm sure I will forgive him one day, but the wounds are still fresh.

My scars are still healing.

We've gathered in the food court and have chosen a booth near the back of the room where we can privately conduct our pack politics.

Since when did buying Omega goodies count as politics? There's still so much I am learning about this world.

At least I have Brody; he knows what an Omega should like and how they should behave. I'm still clueless.

What do I like?

My plate is full of food. Each Alpha went out of their way to ensure I had food, and my pile was even bigger than Brody's in the end. He even encouraged me to have more cheese fries, since my eyes almost grew twice their size when I saw that melted goodness dripping from those finely cut potatoes.

This world is strange. I don't even remember eating food like this before I was abducted.

The warden ensured that all my memories of my previous life were wiped clean once he broke me, and one day, he will pay.

We will all make him pay.

Every last Rogue.

"So, let's see what you've all got. Alastor, you go first. We may as well go in alphabetical order," Brody says.

That means that Theo will be last, and he dips his head in realization.

At least if he went first, then his gift would look less unappealing in comparison.

That Alpha doesn't know me at all. He never tried to get to know me once, and it’s sad. Truly. Kellen is a close second, but he has tried these last few hours.

Alastor smirks at the other two, then hands me over his bag.

I almost rip it from his grasp.

Mine, my Omega rasps inside me.

Mine.

All the goodies.

He chuckles. "Not so fast, Tinkerbell."

Brody raises a brow. "Tinkerbell?"

Alastor shrugs. "No harm in a nickname."

Kellen scoffs. "I could give her a nickname…"

Alastor sneers. "Is that a challenge, Kellen?"

The redheaded Alpha stammers, glancing up at the new pack lead.

Alastor grins. "Good luck coming up with something better than Tinkerbell."

Kellen grumbles, and Alastor is right; I don't think anything could beat Tinkerbell. It’s like, the perfect name.

"I will, you watch…" the redhead pouts and now he waits for his turn as I dive into my bag of goodies.

My arms are shaking, and I feel like a baby when she tries ice cream for the first time.

The first thing I pull out is a set of butcher knives. Not exactly hunting knives, but the gleam in my eyes must say it all.

Alastor does know me. Even Brody looks surprised.

Kellen and Theo glare at Alastor.

"Knives? A little insensitive, given her background."

That was Theo, and it's good to hear him talk. Yet little does he know that these knives do mean something to me. They call to a deep, intrinsic part of me, and Alastor knows it.

They excite me. They make me feel powerful, in control.

I love that moment when I wield a knife in an Alpha’s direction, that expression on his face when he finally realizes he’s lost.

That the power is in my hands now, and he is about to die.

A pure, utter adrenaline rush, and maybe there really is no hope for me after all.

Most Omegas like things soft, but I like things sharp.

The gift is a nod to the time Alastor handed me a knife in my room. Back when I was hiding in the closet, and truth be told, that blade made me feel safer than every blanket and pillow I had.

I’ve accepted what I am. A killer.

No amount of erasing my past will change that, and no amount of frilly, foo-foo Omega things will either.

So, I appreciate the gift.

Alastor sneers at Theo. "Shows how little you know. She may look like a sweet Tinkerbell, but this pixie has teeth."

Damn right, I do.

He glances my way, and his green eyes glow when we both recall the time we fought in the fighting pits.

He’d had a boner the entire time.

Alastor nods at the bag. "There's more."

Digging in further, I find a pirate's hat, a hook, and a pair of green wings.

I narrow my eyes at him, shaking my head.

Per usual, Alastor wears his shit-eating grin.

Brody glances at the hook, confused. "What's with the hook?"

The Alpha is still grinning, and he’s dreaming if he thinks I am going to wear these stupid wings.

Very forward, isn't he?

Still, imagining him wearing the pirate hat and the hook makes my brand-new wings flutter like a certain part of my anatomy, and I start to put them away before he notices the blush.

"Every Tinkerbell needs a Captain Hook after all…" Alastor winks, and I pretend to seethe, putting the gifts back in the bag.

Brody's eyes widen, and then he scowls at Alastor. "Hey… you were supposed to find things she liked, Alastor. Not what you liked."

The Alpha is still so smug, and now he picks up a fry from his tray and stuffs it in his mouth, and that action makes my pussy flutter again like my wings.

Brody sighs, shaking his head. "Kellen? Your turn."

The redhead puffs out his chest and now he tosses Alastor a smug grin as he hands over the bag.

It's got to be better than a pirate hat and wings.

And don't forget the hook.

I search the bag, and my hands find a brand-new comb. One just for me.

Kellen looks so pleased with himself, and I'm not so sure how to take it.

Is he insinuating that I need to brush my hair because it’s a mess?

"A comb?" Brody asks.

Kellen nods excitedly. "It's what the comb represents. It's my comb, so to speak. Look at it again."

Brody leans in closer, and now we see one of Kellen's ginger hairs wrapped around the comb.

"Oh, look, it's one of your ginger pubic hairs…" Alastor intones, and Kellen growls.

"It is not! I plucked it from my own head. That's how much Ella means to me now. How much she will mean to me..."

"So much to the point that you are willing to pluck out a strand of hair from your own head and share your comb with her?" Brody inquiries.

"That's right. What's mine is hers now."

I guess I am a little flattered, and my heart pounds yet again.

Brody rubs his chin in thought. "Not bad. You were always happy to lend me your comb. Good job, Kellen. Especially with the symbolism."

Kellen can't stop smiling as he sits down, taking in his Omega's praise.

Still, it was a nice gesture. A little out there but I get the sentiment.

Now it’s Theo's turn, and the Alpha can barely look me in the eyes as he hands over the bag.

What I find shocks us all.

It's a glass slipper. Just one. That's it.

Brody gets the symbolism immediately, and he manages a tight smile for the Alpha.

It's the first smile I have seen him direct Theo’s way since I returned.

"Nice, Theo… subtle but powerful."

I rotate the glass slipper. Its beautiful and the lights reflect off the cut glass, bringing a smile to my face.

Kellen pouts. "My comb was better…"

Well, now I am not sure who to pick. It seems all three of them know me better than I realized.

I'm just grateful they didn't come back with blankets and scented candles.

I'm not your typical Omega after all.

I will always be Rogue.

These gifts are personal, and I appreciate the effort they all put in.

Brody leans back in the booth, wrapping his arm around me. "So, Ella, what do you think? Which Alpha captured your personality best?"

I meet each Alpha's eyes. Well, two out of three.

Theo gazes at the table. Alastor winks at me again, and Kellen puffs out his chest, flexing his muscles.

But my eyes land back on Theo.

Honestly, he wins. There's a reason why I chose Ella as my name.

I don't even remember the name I was given by my parents, so I decided to give myself a whole new persona.

I may like violence and bloodshed, but deep down, I just want to be Cinderella and find my happy ending.

While I may have found my prince, I suppose Cinderella will need a footman, a driver, and six white horses, too, for her pumpkin carriage.

Can the Alphas be my mice?

The mice were the real heroes of that story after all.

But I can't choose him because things are still so tense.

Then there's Alastor. While I love the knives, the pirate garb and the pixie wings were a little audacious.

Still, I have no doubt that he will look good in that pirate hat and hook…

And Kellen with his comb; What's mine is yours.

I was pretty touched by that one. But I am not sure who to choose.

In the end, I have to pick the alpha I am most comfortable with.

Out of the three, he is the only one who showed me any interest. He even went out of his way to find me in the underground.

I wouldn't be here now if not for him.

So, my eyes find Alastor.

He lounges back, a wide smile taking over his face. "I knew the pirate hat and the pixie wings would work, Tinkerbell.”

"Yeah, don't push it," Brody warns.

The Alpha barely hears him over the sound of his own self-righteousness, and I study each Alpha carefully.

I understand playing on their competitive sides for this one challenge, and it's a good way to gauge how much they have learned about me in the short time they have known me, but really, they need to learn to play together.

They've never really felt like brothers to me.

Alastor glances at the other two, and I spy the divide instantly.

"Nice try, boys, but it seems the better Alpha won."

Theo sends him a death glare, and Kellen exposes his teeth.

"Fuck you," the redhead growls.

Alastor still has yet to wipe that arrogant look off his face, and it seems me and Brody really do have our work cut out.

It's time these broken Alphas learned to work in harmony.