14. Alastor

Chapter fourteen

Alastor

M y brothers draw a collective breath when Brody comes down the stairs, and we're up on our feet in seconds.

"Theo, we need to talk…"

Theo purrs. "Later. I'm just glad you're safe. Did she hurt you?"

The Omega pushes him away, looking at him like he just said the most ridiculous thing. "Are you for real?"

Theo blinks, mouth hanging open, and I refrain from laughing.

Brody points up the stairs. "That is not a monster."

It takes our pack lead a while to respond.

I just observe in the corner, watching the world around me like I usually do.

Theo sighs. "Brody, you don't understand… the things she has done…"

He shrugs. "She what? Killed an Alpha? One who probably deserved it, I bet."

We tense at that accusation.

He most likely did, but the truth remains; Twenty-two is a killer. She is an enemy of the state, and can't be trusted.

Theo closes his eyes. "Well, I don't know the full story."

Brody falls down onto his seat. "You don't have to. Just look at her. Just smell her…"

Oh, we have.

Plenty of times.

Juicy watermelon.

"Now, imagine if she were in heat. That smell intensified. And imagine you were an Alpha piece of shit who thinks an Omega's flesh is his God-given right. You'd go into a blind rut, too."

I have thought about rutting her, and each time, I feel a shred of guilt.

Brody is my Omega.

But I can't deny that Twenty-two is tempting too.

They both are, and together… They would be fucking irresistible.

We all fall silent. No one speaks for some time as Brody's words settle around us.

It probably was self-defense, coupled with an artificially induced heat.

But we still have to be cautious.

She is a trained killer.

That Rogue may look sweet and innocent, but there is a monster lurking beneath her pretty skin.

I see it whenever I gaze into her baby-blue eyes.

However, that monster vanished the moment she set eyes on our Omega.

All I saw then was desire.

I should be jealous. Angry even, but all I feel is curiosity.

Brody glances at Theo. "The governor was right to send her here."

Theo doesn't respond.

"She needs our help. Poor thing... She has been through so much."

None of us know what to say. After all, we don't have the same compassionate outlook as he does.

We're monsters ourselves.

Unhinged.

Reckless.

"We need to give her a chance. Fuck… you're all so lucky I'm here…"

We are. Because Twenty-two would still be in that cell.

We would still be torturing her.

Brody looks at Theo. "Don't do something you will regret, Theo."

Theo exhales. "I'll try. But if she hurts you…"

Brody huffs, "I. Mean. It. Think before you act. It's not that hard."

Well, for Theo and Kellen, maybe.

I'm a little more patient.

Theo groans, rubbing between his eyes. Then he looks at his Omega. "All right. For you, Brody, but not for her."

The Omega narrows his eyes, and it's pretty clear he's not pleased with that response.

But then he nods. "Thank you."

Well, I guess that settles it.

Twenty-two is staying in the house.

***

I don't sleep that night.

I seldom sleep most nights.

But I couldn't shut my eyes. All I could think about was Twenty-two.

She sleeps at the end of the hall…

I sneak out of the nest. We all resigned to the nest that evening to watch a movie, and our Omega fell asleep with a taut expression.

He hasn't openly declared it, but he wants that Rogue.

Maybe just as much as I do.

I hover outside her room, turning the knob on her door ever so slightly.

She's not in her bed. The sheets are still perfectly made.

My heart pounds, and I search the room, expecting to find her lurking in the shadows.

I'm trespassing here, but in the end, this is my house.

If she attacks, I have every right to defend myself.

Maybe I'm just as bad as the Alpha creep who hunted her down in the woods.

Such an idiot, thinking I have every right to her space.

You offer someone sanctuary, and then kill them for it?

Where is she?

My Alpha sniffs, leading me to the closet, and my heart jumps to my throat.

What is she doing in there?

Carefully, I open the door, peering inside. She's curled up inside on the hardwood floor, staring at me in shock.

Of course, she wouldn't be asleep…

Not with a predator like me lurking around her room at night.

Her chest heaves and that feisty little Omega from the cell has vanished.

Now she's a cornered animal.

She shuffles as far back as the closet will allow, never taking those baby blues off me.

They shine in the dark, capturing the light from the moon that pools in through the window, and she really is breathtaking.

My mouth waters as her watermelon fills the room, and it's spiked with fear.

But also desire.

We are awfully close.

Finally, I sit down on the carpet, crossing my legs, and now I just stare at her.

We don't speak, but there's no missing the question in my eyes as I regard her curiously.

Finally, she speaks. "The… the closet looked more comfortable."

A wry smile takes over my face. "Really?"

She nods her head. "Y-yes."

I drum my fingers on my knee, balancing my head on my arm. "Looks a lot like another cell, don't you agree?"

The Rogue curls up into a ball, and now she looks like a little hedgehog.

A shame she isn't covered in spikes too.

She has no means of protecting herself.

After all, if she's going to be staying in a house with three unpredictable Alphas, then it should be a fair fight.

Alphas are large. We're quick too and reckless.

I know she won't hurt Brody.

I'm not an idiot like my brothers. I know a monster when I see one.

Reaching inside my pocket, I pull out the knife, grabbing it by the pointy end.

I offer her the handle.

And I thought her eyes were big before…

Like a girl from a Japanese Manga.

"That's for you."

Again, she stares at the handle of the blade, and I bet she's wondering what the catch is.

"No catch."

"Why?"

I shrug. "Seems only fair you have a way to protect yourself from a predator like me."

My comment takes her by surprise. "You're arming me?"

"That's right."

She tightens her full lips, and I sigh.

"Look, Tinkerbell…"

Her eyebrows crumple together at the pixie moniker.

Oh, so she knows Ariel, but not Tinkerbell?

"You're not safe here. My brothers are dangerous, myself included. So trust me when I say this. You will need the knife."

Her eyes dart back and forth as they search mine. "You would really risk me killing one of your kin?"

I think for a moment.

I would.

"You're not as smart as you look," she says next.

I chuckle. "Well, you're certainly smarter than you look, Tinkerbell."

"Don't call me that. I'm no magical pixie."

So she does get the reference.

Finally, she snatches the knife from my hand and glares at me. "Shut the door."

It seems I am being dismissed.

I get up, closing the door. The last I see of her face before it shuts are those bubbling eyes of blue.

And there was no missing the relief.

She's afraid of me, but I hope we can at least come to some mutual understanding.

The knife was my olive branch.

"Good night, Tinkerbell."

She takes a moment to reply. Then she sucks in a breath, and says, "You too, Captain Hook."

Captain Hook?

It seems I really am the villain of her story.