12. Theo

Chapter twelve

Theo

" W hat the fuck?"

We whirl around, and my heart plummets when I spy those angry brown eyes.

Shit.

How long was he standing there?

"Brody…" I gasp.

He backs away, chest heaving as he points at the cage. "Who is she?"

I have no words. I look to Alastor and Kellen for help, but they're just as dumbstruck as I am.

We fucked up.

It's all over.

I never should have agreed to take that Rogue home.

Because now I have lost my Omega.

I step toward him, reaching out a hand. "Brody, I can explain…"

He knocks my hand away before I can even so much as graze his cheek. "Don't touch me!"

And with that final sentiment, he's gone.

He storms back to the house and Kellen runs after him like a lost puppy.

"Brody!"

Yet the Omega is determined to put as much distance between us as much as possible.

We're losing him.

And to think that it has only just begun.

What could have been...

Fuck the governor and that prick, Jeremy. They should have just let that Rogue rot in a cell.

She's a murderer, plain and simple, and she should have been executed.

You can't save them all.

But the governor harbors a soft spot for Rogues now, ever since his pack found his Omega's long-lost sister.

Well, now we're about to lose our Omega.

"Brody!"

Kellen again.

He's desperate. Yet he keeps a respectable distance all the same. We're large Alphas. We could have caught up with him in seconds, but we lag on purpose.

Our Omega needs space and time to adjust.

In the end, I stop, yanking back both of my pack brothers by the shirt. They turn on me and growl, but I use my power as pack lead to keep them in their place.

This is for the best.

We will give him enough time to cool down.

Then, we approach.

Kellen stops fighting me, and now he drops to his knees, overcome with grief.

Alastor is as quiet as a ghost.

Meanwhile, I'm seething. This was exactly what I wanted to avoid.

But it was inevitable in the end.

What must have our poor Omega thought when he peered into the door and saw that… that Rogue…

Sure, we're not exactly wining and dining her, and I wouldn't exactly describe that cell as a 'nest', but she's still an Omega.

Still competition.

Omegas are awfully territorial of their spaces.

Sometimes, they do get along, but I can only think of two packs in total where that is the case.

Packs Hart and Snow, respectfully.

Could we be just as lucky?

I'm not counting on it.

Besides, I wouldn't want a Rogue as a second Omega, anyway.

I do find her attractive, but my heart and soul belong to Brody.

I knew it from the instant I laid eyes on him.

Brody is mine…

I give it thirty minutes. That should be more than enough time for Brody to cool off.

With one glance at Kellen at my feet, face buried in the dirt, and another at Alastor, I take off.

They go to follow, but I order them to stay.

"No. Let me. I will make this right again."

They put all their trust in me now, remaining behind in the woods.

From the corner of my eye, I spy Alastor dragging Kellen up to his feet, but I plant my eyes forward.

Brody needs me.

He needs us all.

Time to make things right.

I find him in his room, packing his things. His phone is ringing non-stop.

A lump lodges in the back of my throat.

He called Felicia.

Soon, that awful little woman will take him away and we will never see him again.

Brody will be placed with a new pack, one that will treat him right, and I don't think I could go on.

Two days we have known each other. But it feels like a lifetime.

I lean against the door while he haphazardly throws clothes into his suitcase, and he must be pissed.

His room is a mess. He's a mess.

His glasses are askew on his nose, and his hair hangs down into his eyes, and I resist the urge to brush the red curls from his cherubic face.

"Fuck off!" he snaps when he sees me at the door.

I tighten my mouth. That's the first time I have heard him curse.

The phone keeps ringing, and where the hell is his Omega Representative?

Not very available, is she?

To think this could have been a crisis.

"Brody…"

I try to step into the room, but he holds his hand out, carrying a small can. "D-don't come any closer… I have pepper spray…"

Pepper spray?

Damn, he really is innocent.

But I get it.

When you're as irresistible as he is, you must have a means of arming yourself.

Yet pepper spray…

"I'm not going to hurt you, Brody."

His fingers tighten around the can. "No? How do I know you won't lock me in a cage too?"

My voice dies in my throat. "I would never…"

I can understand why he would think that. He mustn't have any idea what she is.

To his innocent eyes, she is just another helpless Omega.

He takes a deep breath, saying each word carefully. "Who… who is she, Theo?"

My throat closes up. His phone still rings in the background.

"Answer me!"

I blink rapidly. Never thought I would see him lose his temper.

A heavy sigh escapes me, and now I rub my hand over my face. "All right. She's… a Rogue."

It takes a moment for the word to sink in. Then his eyes shine, and his lip wobbles. "Rogue?"

"Yes."

I get him up to speed, right up until my meeting with Gryphon in his office.

He has to know that he was here first.

That she came after…

Maybe mere hours later, but Brody will always come first.

She's nothing to me.

Brody runs his fingers through his hair, shaking his head. "F-fuck…"

Again, a small smile plays across my lips when he says the word.

He's cute when he curses.

"This is messed up."

"It is."

The phone still rings, and he needs to fire her ASAP. While I'm glad for her tardiness on this occasion, any other time, I would be furious.

I will be having words with the Academy later.

"So, she's a Rogue. That… that means…"

His face pales and he staggers on his feet.

I don't think; I storm across the room and catch him in my arms.

He's afraid, but he needn't have to be.

I will kill that Rogue before she comes anywhere near my Omega, and there is nothing Gryphon can do about it.

I am within my right to protect what is mine.

Any good Alpha should.

In the end, that Rogue is not his Omega's sister.

I remember Isabelle or 'Twenty-three' during her time back at the prison. Back when I was still under Gryphon's employ.

Just before I tortured the Beta guard who tried to kill her in her sleep.

Isabelle was not a killer. I'd even wager she was just as sweet as Brody.

But I see it in Twenty-two's eyes whenever she looks at me—that Rogue wants to peel the flesh from my bones and eat it.

"Hey, Brody… look at me…"

He's still delirious, and I try to shake some sense back into him.

"Brody!"

He's losing consciousness.

Finally, his eyes re-align, and now I gaze into fawn brown irises.

I cup his cheeks with my hands. "That Rogue won't touch you."

His lower lip wobbles again. The phone keeps ringing.

"Do you hear me? I won't let anything happen to you. You're important to me."

Now I press my forehead to his and purr, and we stay that way for some time.

The phone clicks on next. "Hello? Brody?"

I stiffen.

Brody lifts his head, staring at me for a while.

"Brody, are you there?"

He moves away and searches for his phone. It's buried beneath a mound of smart button-up shirts, and he's such a dork.

The Omega looks at me when he places the phone by his ear. "I'm here…"

My heart is in my mouth.

This is it. I am about to lose him.

" There you are. You gave me quite the fright. Are you okay? Are you settling in with your new pack?"

It takes him a moment to respond. The whole time, he keeps his fawn brown eyes on me.

I don't know what he sees in mine. I must look desperate, but he takes a deep breath and whispers, "I'm fine, Felicia. S-sorry… I must have clicked the dial button by accident."

A huge weight lifts from my shoulders.

We haven't lost him.

Brody is still ours.

"Silly billy. Well, as long as you're happy. Anything you need?"

Brody's eyes are still on me. "No. My Alphas have me covered."

I'm overcome with emotion next. We really don't deserve him.

"Well, toodles!"

She hangs up and the silence that follows next is almost deafening.

Brody places his phone on his bedside cabinet. Then he folds his arms and narrows his eyes.

I'm about to get it.

"She can't stay in that cell," he whispers.

Now that takes me by surprise.

I look around at him. "What?"

Brody exhales, fixing his glasses. "Look… I know what she is. I've heard all about Rogues. I may have been at the Academy for four years, Theo, but I don't live in a cave…"

That makes sense. I just assumed they molly-coddled them at that school and kept them hidden from the ugly truths of this world.

Most Omegas who leave that place are vapid idiots.

But not my Brody…

"Get her out of that cell."

I rub between my eyes. "Where… where else are we supposed to keep her? She's dangerous."

"She's not… maybe."

I regard him strangely.

He shrugs. "She deserves a chance."

My heart melts. How could I forget?

Brody isn't as cruel as the rest of us.

He's a pure-hearted soul. Probably hates to see anyone suffer, no matter who they are and what they have done.

Meanwhile, I create suffering.

"Let her stay in the house."

I shake my head. "No. I can't… you… your heat…"

Brody's is close and as a result, he is highly vulnerable.

The Omega steps toward him, placing his hands on my shoulders. He is some inches shorter than me, reaching just above my chin, but that doesn't stop him from ascertaining his dominance.

He knows his place in the pack now, and he is smack dab in the center, controlling all the reins.

What he says goes, and I simply can't resist.

Anything to make him happy.

"Give her a chance. Let her stay in the house. She can be our maid. Heaven knows we need one."

I chuckle, pressing my forehead to his again. My purr fills the space between us. "As you wish, Omega."

"Also," he whispers. "Don't get jealous, but… I think she's kinda hot. Scary, but hot."

Well, that was very honest and unexpected of him.

Yet, I won't tell him I feel the same way about her.

He will get jealous after all.

Then again, I have not sensed any envy from him. Just anger and shock, which soon turned into acceptance.

"It wouldn't hurt to have her around."

"All right. She can be our hot, scary maid, anything to make you happy, Brody."

He sighs, burying his face into my shoulder. "You owe me a pony after this."

Fuck a pony. I would get him a whole stable.

A stable of unicorns.

Because he is that rare and special.

Only the best for my Omega.