21. Ella

Chapter twenty-one

Ella

I remain in the closet for some time, my heart pounding through my chest as I gasp for air.

I've never felt so used, so dirty.

That Alpha played with me.

One press of his knee, and I came all over his pants.

My arousal is still dripping down my thigh, filling the closet with the scent of watermelon, yet I don't move.

I'm too ashamed.

Worst of all, he saw us.

Theo. The miserable pack lead.

As if he doesn't already hate me enough as it is. Now I'm poisoning the minds of his pack brothers and stealing their attention away from his Omega.

I would never do that to Brody.

Never in a million years.

There's not much else I can do. While the Alphas are upstairs comforting Brody in his nest, I just remain in the closet.

Forgotten.

They hate me. Well, two out of three of them, and the third only wants to use me for his own, sick twisted amusement.

At least Brody cares about me.

I hope he does.

Does he feel what I feel? Or am I alone?

Is it just another sad case of unrequited love?

Some time passes by. All is silent in the house, and it seems that woman has finally gone.

I had been so prepared to kill her.

But then Alastor got in the way, and now there's no stopping her.

I will not have her take Brody away.

The only good thing in my life.

If he were gone, I would be left alone with his awful Alphas, and then they would take their anger out on me.

If that Beta saw me, she would have taken Brody away immediately.

The Alphas broke the rules: they are not allowed to have another Omega present while they're courting Brody.

Omegas get jealous, but that has nothing on their feelings of rejection.

If an Omega is rejected by their Alphas, then they can become sick and severely depressed.

Time to leave the closet.

The hallways are bathed in darkness when I sneak out the door.

It's nightfall.

How long had I been recovering in the closet?

I smell of Alastor and Theo, and I still wear the latter's shirt.

I guess another shower is due.

Yet I don't bother getting in the shower when I go back down to the basement.

Instead, I find the clothes I put aside.

The shirt with the little bowtie.

Brody's scent lingers all over the cotton, and I bring it to my nose and sniff.

It may not be the real Omega, but I will take any bit of Brody I can find.

His scent comforts me and makes me feel less alone.

Stuffing the shirt under Theo's, I make myself look pregnant now as I rush up the stairs, hoping none of the Alphas see me.

I make it to my room without trouble, ripping the door open.

Brody had said I was nesting and I certainly hope that isn't true.

I do not want to go into heat.

I'm afraid of what the Alphas would do.

Would they be pissed? Would they think I was trying to outshine their Omega?

Would they even care?

I don't let the morose thoughts get to me as I wrap up in my blankets, switching out Theo's long shirt for Brody's.

Now it's like he's in the nest hugging me, his scent cradling me to sleep.

Yet sleep never finds me. I can't get comfortable, and maybe I should sleep on the bed for once.

But the floor is familiar.

My hair is a tangled mess, but at least it's long-dried.

Now that I'm clean, maybe the Alphas will be more civil with me.

Before, they treated me like a pariah, keeping me at arm's length as if I were diseased.

But no matter what, you can't polish a turd.

Any beauty I may have had has long gone.

I grew up in a dark cell. Life has not been kind to me, so I will never be considered beautiful.

My skin is sallow and I have dark circles under my eyes.

Brody, meanwhile, has flawless skin.

Did the Academy teach him proper skin care?

I wince when a cramp seizes me, and I shudder in my makeshift nest.

No, no, no.

No heat. It's just a spike.

Thank God.

Perhaps I can outrun my heat.

After all, I am free now.

Why should I hide in this closet? It's just another cell.

Tossing the blankets aside, I get to my feet and sneak out of the house in nothing but Brody's shirt.

The pack are still inside his nest, and for a moment I am tempted to sneak over to the hidden room and peer inside.

What would I find?

Brody, tangled up in his Alphas?

No. I mustn't.

It's just my Omega speaking.

She is horny, after all.

Quickly, I turn down the stairs and find the backdoor.

The dark woods beckon me, and I breathe in the night air, feeling that first bout of freedom.

The whole world is mine. I have my knife.

If I run into trouble, I will just stab that trouble.

I am unstoppable. My heart pounds and I truly feel at one with the earth.

So, I break into a run, dashing through the trees with ease.

It's so much better than the night I first escaped. At least this time, I am not drugged.

My mind is my own and for once I do not crave Alpha blood.

All I want is freedom.

It's liberating, and I laugh as my feet carry me through the forest.

Before long, I stop before a lake and take a drink with cupped hands.

It's refreshing.

I decide to take a dip, so I take off Brody's shirt and step into the water, making sure his shirt is hidden beneath a bush.

And now I let the water carry me.

I can't swim but that doesn't stop me from dipping my head beneath the surface and holding my breath.

When I breach the surface again, I let my blonde hair carry across the water and gaze up at the stars.

They're all out tonight.

Tears spill from my eyes.

It's the first night sky I have seen in a while.

There are white columns in the sky to the north, and the longer I gaze at them, the more they appear pink and green.

Northern lights?

I remember them.

They always lit up the night sky.

Forget pack life. I will just live in the wild.

I'm too feral for a domestic life.

No Alpha could ever tame me.

The only one who could ever put a leash on me would be Brody, but he's taken.

Finally, I get out of the lake and search for his shirt.

I should go back.

He's the only thing keeping me here, and I want to ensure he is safe.

There are people out there who would hurt him after all.

I will not have Brody meet the same fate I did.

A large cat of some kind prowls in the bushes, and a smirk crosses my face.

Finally.

It's been a while since I had a good fight.