32. Ella

Chapter 32

Ella

I wake one morning, turning to my right.

Brody must have woken hours before, not wanting to rouse me, and I stretch my limbs, wincing slightly.

Fuck. It hurts all over.

It’s been days since my heat, but I’m still paying the price.

The Alphas gave me space to heal, but Alastor and Kellen do spend the night in the nest these days.

I’ve no idea where they are now, but their scents linger.

From Kellen’s spicy cinnamon to Alastor’s fresh lime. Don’t forget Brody’s sour cherry, too.

Theo’s ozone remains, even though he hasn’t entered the nest since my heat. But that could be because I took his shirt after we fucked, hiding it beneath my pillows while he wasn't looking.

Now his scent clings to my skin as I wear his shirt in bed, remembering the way I scratched his chest, blood spotting where my nails left cuts on his tanned skin.

Fuck. His body is by far my favorite out of the guys.

I saw it in every hard line and ridge of his body. That Alpha radiates pure power.

I’m not wholly alone. Sweetpea and Eggnog cuddle up beside me, and I lean forward, kissing both of their heads.

Pure vanilla sunshine and sweet coffee fills my nose, and could there be a more perfect pair?

Eggnog purrs, stretching his front paws, and Sweetpea yawns, showing me her sharp baby teeth.

She has sunk those teeth into every surface in the house, and it looks like the guys need new furniture.

I rise, making sure I don’t wake them as I sneak out of the nest. Then I tiptoe across the room, glancing at the bed I never sleep in, then make my way down the stairs.

I stop on the landing when I hear Theo’s voice, backtracking a little. I’m hardly the shy type, but I’m not sure how I feel facing that Alpha.

Our relationship will never be the same again. I can still feel him inside me, his massive knot filling my soul in ways I never believed possible, and my body shudders.

Slick forms between my legs, but I push those thoughts aside.

No. Not until my next heat.

That way, I can keep my distance from Theo, convincing myself he’s just a convenient knot.

Nothing more.

But then I recall the way he looked at me with those onyx eyes when he was beneath me. It was like he wanted me to punish him, and to show him all the ways he hurt me, and avoiding him is going to be hard.

Maybe I should wait.

He'll go to his room soon in the garage. It’s where he’s been staying since I returned.

“Fuck them. Why wait? We should all march up to their house and torture them for what they did to Ella…”

That was Kellen.

There comes a sigh, and then his voice makes my heart stop beating in my chest. “No, Kellen, we need to do this the right way, and I’m going to need both of you for this mission.”

Mission?

My heart thumps back to life, and I listen closely now.

“I want to join the three of you.”

Brody this time.

All three Alphas fall silent.

Brody huffs. “Come on, I’m good with a gun now. You’ve been teaching me after all, Theo.”

Wait. Since when had Theo been teaching him how to use a gun?

Now it makes sense why Theo’s scent lingered on Brody’s clothes all the time, even though they hadn’t made up.

They were sneaking off for shooting classes.

“It’s too risky, Brody. You’re still a novice.”

Brody doesn’t respond at first. But when he speaks again, his words leave me speechless.

“But… I want to fight for her… make those pricks pay for hurting her…”

He wants to fight for me, and a tear escapes my eye. No one has ever fought for me in my life, and it warms me.

But, I agree with Theo. Whatever mission they are planning, they are not allowed to take Brody.

Because if anything happens to him, I will kill all three of them.

He is the glue that holds this pack together. Without him, we would all fall apart.

“He’s right, Brody. You should stay home and protect Ella. That’s how you can protect her,” Alastor says.

“Leave it to us, Omega. This is what we’re trained for. We will make those bastards pay,” Kellen whispers.

What bastards?

Kellen continues, “Besides, Sour Milk is mine. See how he likes being fucked in the mouth with steel!”

A shiver rushes through my spine when I finally realize who they’re talking about.

Once again, I see myself at the mercy of my former jailers. I never once showed them fear, but they’d made my life miserable.

Treated me like I was shit.

They once threatened to sell me off to one of those heat farms.

Sour Milk also wanted me to himself, and now a smile curves my lips when I think about Kellen fucking his mouth with steel.

I would very much like to see that.

“So long as I get Burned Rubber, then I’m satisfied,” Alastor rasps, his voice ominous.

“Then that leaves Dom to me,” Theo replies.

Dom being Rotten Garbage, I bet.

I never did know their names. Nor their faces.

Good. Their scents were bad enough.

Silence falls over the pack, and I wait for a moment.

Then Theo says, “We just need to plan our attack. I’m pretty sure they’re planning on assassinating Gryphon. This doesn’t leave this room, okay? I haven’t even told the boss.”

They’re going to kill Gryphon? The Alpha who led me to Brody?

Over my fucking dead body.

For Gryphon’s sake and Belle’s too, my fellow Rogue, I will fight.

My former jailers won’t win.

“We just need to find a way to draw them out. Get them to confess…”

That’s my opening, and I step down the stairs, entering the kitchen at last. “I have a proposition.”

All four of them whirl around, and Brody looks shocked when he sees me.

I don’t know why. They weren’t exactly quiet, and Kellen couldn’t keep his voice down if he tried.

Brody rises from the table. “Ella. How much did you hear?”

I meet his fawn brown eyes. “Enough. And I want in. I want to get revenge on Sour Milk, Burned Rubber, and Rotten Garbage, too.”

They all fall silent at my confession. Then Alastor snorts, getting up to join my side. “Fuck, you’re hot when you get all vengeful, doll.”

Theo doesn’t rebuke me. He merely turns my way, and my Omega freezes when those onyx eyes find her again.

There’s no missing the lust in his own eyes as his gaze rakes me up and down, taking note of his shirt, and is he remembering my heat, too?

I bet my scratches are still over his chest, and I would like to see them again.

I hope they’ve scarred…

My way of paying him back for all the ways he treated me.

“Yeah, what do you propose?”

I suck in a breath, my gaze finding Brody for a moment as I say, “Use me as bait.”