16. Kellen

Chapter sixteen

Kellen

I roll over onto my side, searching for my Omega.

When my hand feels cold sheets, I bolt upright, head snapping left and right.

"Brody?"

He's not in the nest and panicked, I throw the sheets aside and search all over the house.

Alastor and Theo are gone, so it's up to me to keep him safe from the Rogue.

If she hurt him…

I hear a soft, feminine giggle next, and move in that direction.

There, I stumble upon an unusual sight.

Two Omegas in the wild, cleaning the kitchen together...

They both wear those bright yellow gloves, and I try to keep as silent as humanly possible.

That laugh belonged to Twenty-two, and… she's a whole new person.

Sure, she still has shadows under her eyes, but her skin shines just a little brighter now, and she almost looks whole again.

And Brody…

We haven't known each other long, but I truly feel like I am seeing the real him beneath the dorky glasses and bowtie.

Now I'm seeing…

I don't know what. But it's not a delicate creature that needs to be protected.

I see a male. One who can't take his eyes off the beautiful woman at his side as they stand by the sink; he washes while she dries.

He elbows her gently. "You should laugh more."

The Rogue drops her head, and now she dries that plate absentmindedly.

"I've… never had much reason to laugh before…"

A suffocating silence falls over the two, and I'm sure my Omega's throat bobs.

Of course, I can't hear his thoughts because we have not bonded yet, but there's no missing the way his eyes shine.

He's sad.

For the dangerous woman beside him.

That Omega wouldn't think twice about slitting his throat. She's a killer and we have to be cautious.

Brody grips a dirty knife from the sink too tightly. "Ow!"

"Omega!"

The two whirl around the moment I storm into the kitchen, and the Rogue shrinks in my presence.

That newfound glow diminishes, and she becomes that ghoulish creature from the cell again.

But she's the furthest thing from my mind.

My Omega is hurt.

"Hey!" he snaps when I grab his arm, yanking off the glove to inspect the wound, and that's when my eyes plant on Twenty-two.

She did this…

"You," I growl.

She flinches at my menacing voice.

Brody scoffs, "Are you kidding me? How the hell was this her fault?"

That, I haven't figured out yet.

My Adam's apple shoots up and down my throat as I try to come up with a plausible answer.

"I… I don't know, but… I know she planned it somehow."

Crickets chirp in the silence that follows, and now Brody shakes his head.

"You're not very smart, are you, Kellen?"

"I… n-no…"

I drop my head, letting my long, red hair fall around my face.

He's right. I'm not smart at all.

More brawn than brain.

But I'll be damned if I'm not the best-looking in the pack. My cock is the biggest, and no one can take that away from me.

Brody smiles good-naturedly, reaching up to pat my massive shoulder. "It's okay, Kellen. Your heart was in the right place."

My hair still covers my face like red curtains as I nod once again, and I don't even need to brush these tresses of mine.

Not only do I have the biggest cock, but I have the best hair, too.

"Now, come on. You can help me dress this thing."

He holds up his bleeding finger, and I snap into action immediately, yanking out a chair for him. Then I search the messy kitchen, looking for our first-aid kit.

We do have one somewhere. It's just buried beneath all the crap.

Fuck. We sure do have a lot of shit.

I have ten different mugs, and it's like I'm trying to outdo my brothers.

Mine are all the biggest, of course; I even have an assortment of Viking horns so I can drink my mead in style.

Maybe we do need to throw some stuff out.

Just as frustration takes over, I get a whiff of watermelon and whirl around.

The Rogue is holding out a first aid kit, and I snatch it from her fingers, baring my teeth.

Not once does she look my way, and what happened to the feisty little demon we had to shackle to the wall?

Now that she no longer has bars in her way, she's terrified of us.

Good. Because then she may just survive us.

It's just the natural order of things.

Alphas are at the top, and Omegas are at the bottom.

Betas don't even have a place because they're irrelevant, and that's why they're revolting.

I will stick my cock into a blender before I ever let a Beta encroach on my pack.

Finally, I clean Brody's finger, then wrap it up with a band-aid.

He should rest. He's hurt and in no fit state to clean.

Leave that to the Rogue.

She may as well make herself good for something.

"Come. We rest."

Brody laughs me off. "No. It's just a graze."

I'm not used to being told no, so when I go to bark, he lifts a brow.

Damn. That pointed look could tear me to shreds.

Maybe Omegas are the dominant designation after all.

I feel those baby blue eyes next, and when I glance up, I see her watching us.

She just saw the exchange between us, the way Brody has me wrapped around his little finger, and I snarl.

The Rogue recoils, wrapping her arms around herself.

That's when Brody barks, "Hey!"

My growling ceases immediately, and I turn to Brody.

Fawn brown eyes gaze back at me, and they simmer with rage.

Brody doesn't like it when I bare my teeth at the Rogue.

"We finish cleaning. Then we rest."

My eyes dart back and forth between the two Omegas, and I have never felt so torn.

One part of me wants to scoop him up and climb the nearest skyscraper like a giant gorilla, but the other wants to heed his command.

I slump my shoulders. "Fine. I will wait."

Brody grins, reaching up to squeeze my shoulder. "That's a good Kellen."

Now I watch as both Omegas resume their cleaning, and they really do work in perfect tandem.

Brody cleans, Twenty-two dries, and before long, they've finished every dish.

When the Rogue places the last plate in the cupboard, I get to my feet, looking at Brody.

"We rest now."

My Omega takes off his yellow gloves, but there is no need…

He can keep them on.

Brody chews his lip, eyes falling on Twenty-two.

My heart sinks before he opens his lush mouth, the one I just want to stick my cock into.

"I was thinking… maybe Twenty-two can join us?"

Join us? For a rest?

Over my dead body.

"No," I rasp.

Brody sighs. "Well, I'm afraid it's not up to you, Kellen."

Now I stand my ground, reminding him that I am still Alpha and he must obey. "No."

I do it for his benefit. We cannot let that Rogue into our inner circle.

She is not welcome in Brody's nest—the one I built just for him.

Her watermelon scent will taint everything, and then we will have no choice but to throw out Brody's cushions.

Finally, a small, soft voice sounds through the room, and I peer around at the Rogue surprised. "It's… okay, Brody. You can go…"

Brody only has eyes for her now as they shimmer in the light, and it looks like she has already poisoned his mind.

I bet it was her plan all along.

He sighs, meeting my eyes. "Fine. But we return in one hour. Twenty-two will need help."

Brody turns to the Rogue. "See you soon."

She doesn't look his way again as she still hugs herself.

The sight wakes an ancient part of me. She looks so vulnerable, and vulnerable things need to be protected.

But I already have my Omega…

My life is complete.

Finally, we leave the kitchen, and I'm pretty sure her eyes burn into my back the whole time.

Yet she's the furthest thing from my mind now.

I scoop my Omega up in my arms and rush up the stairs to 'rest'.

That should give his finger enough time to heal.