5. Ella

Chapter 5

Ella

I can't believe it.

One of them came back for me…

It almost doesn't seem real. So, I open the door a crack just to confirm that the tall, dark, and handsome Alpha is actually standing in my dingy attic room.

Oh, he’s there all right. And he even offers me a little wave as I shut the door again, my heart pounding.

Alastor is here. Brody sent one of his Alphas to find me, and I'm not sure how to feel about it.

For a moment, I had resigned to being alone. I'd accepted that Brody was never going to be mine and that his Alphas would always hate me. They would never accept me into his pack or his nest…

Yet, Alastor is here, and just maybe things will work out for me after all.

Unless this is just another cruel trick. Alastor did always treat me as his plaything. But he did sound sincere before.

"You okay in there, doll? You need a hand?" He chuckles and I roll my eyes, stepping toward the tub.

I turn the rusty faucet, surprised that it can still turn. "No, I'm fine. You just stay out there."

He sighs. "Fine."

I hear a slump and then a crack and surprised, I rush out to see what the commotion is.

Alastor has broken my bed, and it seems that thing really was on its last legs.

He looks up at me with a sheepish smile, shrugging his shoulders. "Sorry."

I shake my head, turning back to the bathtub. To be honest, that old, creaky bed could just barely hold my weight, so there was no chance in hell that it could carry Alastor's.

Whatever. It doesn't matter anymore now, right? Because I am leaving this accursed place.

The tub is almost full. Steam swirls from within. Carefully, I peel off my bloodied clothes, glancing over my shoulder.

I shut the door tight enough, but I still have trust issues. Maybe Alastor is truly here to make amends. And his first step will be to not perv on me while I’m in the bath.

Undressed at last, I step into the tub and sink beneath the water, scrubbing the blood out of my hair.

When it's all gone, I rise, leaning back against the far lip of the tub, and just… think for a moment.

Should I go back? I mean it's Brody, the love of my life.

But can I trust his Alphas again?

Are they truly willing to negotiate peace? After all, it's only Alastor here. I don't see Kellen or Theo. Alastor said he was going to challenge Theo for his position as pack lead and what have I done?

Have I brought disharmony to the pack? Was there ever any harmony?

Who knows, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to try. If I go back, the ball will be in my court. Anything I say goes.

And the guys are going to make it up to me. Starting with Theo. I'm not sure if I will ever trust that Alpha again after what he did.

He made his feelings perfectly clear that night, and now here I am, sitting in a rusty old bathtub.

So many questions, but I will go back. Not for the Alphas.

For Brody. I am doing this for him, not them. Even if I have to risk being hurt again, so be it.

So long as I get to see that sweet, spectacled face again with its soft brown eyes.

Damn. Thoughts of Brody have made me horny. Normally, when I think about him in the bath, it’s with feelings of regret and grief.

But now, it comes with arousal. I see him in the tub with me. We're both small enough to fit in this poor excuse of a tub. I bet we could both lay on the old broken bed out there, too.

Two Omegas barely weigh a thing after all. It's Alphas who destroy everything with their brute strength.

Brody comes closer, the steaming water swirling around him as he moves, and now he cages me in, placing a hand on the lip of the tub on either side of my head.

He wears his glasses. But they've fogged from the steam, so now I can't see his beautiful eyes.

So, I reach up, taking his glasses off, and those sweet fawn eyes appraise me once again.

I know that this is all in my head, but maybe I can have the real thing again. If I can just learn to trust Alastor first and go back to the pack house with him, then I can get my happy ever after.

"Ella…" Brody whispers, and I bask in his closeness, getting lost in the sound of his dulcet tone.

How a voice can be so masculine yet soft all at once truly astounds me.

Brody starts kissing my neck, biting at my pulse, and I lean my head back. Then he trails his lips down my throat and plants a kiss on my clavicle. The fiery path continues between my heaving breasts, then down my stomach, and to the apex of my thighs.

Brody peers up at me through long eyelashes. And then with a wicked smirk, he goes in for the kill.

A loud gasp escapes me, and then I disappear under the water, drowning in my own sweet, imaginary bliss.

Everything becomes a blur but there's no missing the pulsing waves crashing through me as my core continues to clench around Brody's tongue.

"Ella!"

Who's shouting me? Go away. This is my fantasy, not yours.

"Oh, fuck." Strong hands on my shoulders, and then I'm dragged from the water, gasping for air.

Wide eyes of green meet mine, and I yelp, kicking and splashing.

He lets me go and I shuffle back to the end of the tub, covering my breasts.

Alastor averts his eyes, covering his face. "I… I didn't see anything, but holy shit, doll… you were fucking drowning."

Drowning? Wait? I had fallen asleep in the tub.

How tired was I?

I truly am helpless. I suppose all the fighting and bloodshed this past week took its toll.

Thank goodness Alastor was here.

Still. Shame flushes up and down my body, and now I hide my face. I almost drowned just dreaming about Brody and it can only be a sign.

I need to go back. If I’m going to drown, then it’s going to be for the real thing, not some second-rate fantasy.

Alastor has proven he’s trustworthy. He still averts his eyes, and I finally relax, knowing that he is just genuinely concerned for me.

His reasons weren't perverse. The water is lukewarm now, and I really was in this tub for a long time.

Alastor steps away. "Do you need help out of the tub? I won't lie, doll, but I'm a little worried about your safety. I promised Brody I would bring you back, and I don't go back on my promises.”

I sigh, still covering my breasts. "I'm fine. I won't slip. But, if I do… I give you permission to save me."

He nods. "Got it."

Finally, I climb out of the tub, finding my towel. I left it on the floor.

And Alastor is standing on it with his muddy boots. Typical.

I stop behind him, tugging it out from beneath his boot. "I need my towel."

"Oh, sorry…"

He steps off the blood-stained towel and now I dry off. They're old blood stains. Ones that were too stubborn to clean.

Honestly, it's time I did leave. This isn't living. It's surviving.

As has been my entire life. And I have had enough.

I don't even have many clothes, so I step into the bedroom and find what I can—a moth-eaten tank top and a pair of shorts.

I'm going to be cold. When I'm dressed, I look up at the Alpha. He's still covering his eyes.

"I'm done. You can look now."

He removes his hand and now those piercing green eyes look me up and down. A sad smile takes over his face.

Yes, these are all the clothes I have. Well, except for the ball gown. I'm not going to leave it.

It has a few stubborn blood stains, but I'm sure Brody can get them out. He knows all about cleaning after all.

"So, you ready to go, doll?"

"Yes, I just have to grab something."

I rush to the bathroom, taking it out of the closet. I hid it away in the end because it was making me sad.

But not anymore. Now, it gives me hope.

I fold it up in my arms and return to Alastor's side. His eyes light up when he recognizes the dress, and then the guilt returns when he remembers that night.

They left me at the venue to fend off those Betas. The ones who tried to take Brody.

I have no regrets. They tried to hurt my Omega, and I made them pay with their lives.

"Well, let's go," Alastor says, leading the way out of the room.

Before I leave, I look back at my room. It was a shithole, but it was my shithole. Even if I was miserable, it was my home for a short while.

My gaze lingers on the broken bed and then the mold on the wall. Then the open doorway of the bathroom.

"Bye," I whisper, following the Alpha at last.

Well, time for a new beginning.

I am returning home.

I'm coming, Brody.