45. Gryphon

Chapter forty-five

Gryphon

O liver won't stop fretting.

The longer we don't hear from Mila, then the more restless and anxious he becomes, and I hate seeing my Omega like this.

None of us can even get through to her. Even I have tried for my Omega's sake, but the signal just cuts off.

This has to be Lily's doing…

She must have gotten wind that Mila's dad was sick, and so the governor swooped in the first chance she got.

Anything to keep Frederick and his little pawn away…

Fuck.

I had to fight every instinct in my body to stop Mila from leaving, but she needed to be with her dad.

I may be an asshole, but I wasn't going to keep the Beta from being with her father for what could be his final moments on earth.

Even I know what it's like to lose my dad…

It's why I wear his gold watch every day.

I had a feeling this would happen, but I kept my mouth shut.

Oliver even looked to me for advice, and I lied through my teeth, saying I had no idea what was going on.

One morning, I find the Omega haphazardly packing his suitcase. He only has the use of one arm, so he just tosses everything in lazily, determination swimming in his blue eyes.

"Oliver, what are you doing?"

He clenches his jaw, and he won't even look at me.

"I am packing. What does it look like…"

I sigh, reaching up to rub my temples.

This is going to be tough.

"Oliver, you need rest—"

"Don't fucking tell me what I need!"

His scream rebounds off the walls, and now he finally looks at me, nostrils flaring and chest heaving.

Once, my Omega used to look at me with so much love, but not these days.

These days, I'm not so sure what he feels about me.

"I will tell you what I need. I need Mila. I need to know she is okay, and that she isn't alone or scared!"

My mouth dries, and I can barely swallow.

I need all that too. But I don't tell him.

Instead, I keep my emotions bottled up.

"I am going, Gryphon. Something isn't right…"

I lean against the wall, folding my arms. "She's probably distracted. Her dad is dying. It's not an easy time in anyone's life, trust me…"

His gaze softens at that, and now he looks down at his suitcase, closing his eyes.

I'm the only other person in the pack besides Mila who has lost a parent, so he doesn't argue.

If Mila is going through grief, then the last thing on her mind is checking in with people.

And I just referred to Mila as pack…

Fuck. It's already too late.

I got attached.

"Still," Oliver whispers, his voice hoarse. "Why do all my calls keep getting blocked? None of them are going through."

Mine are the same too.

I'm not sure what I would have said if I had gotten through to Mila.

Would I have been grateful to hear her voice? And not just for my Omega's sake, but for my own.

Just to know that she is safe.

I have been an asswipe to her, but I actually would have tried this time to be kinder.

Her dad is sick, and I have first-hand experience in that department.

"I'm sure she is fine…" I repeat, sick of the sound of my own voice.

Oliver curls his fists, looking up at me again. "Don't fucking lie to me, Gryphon. Something is going on, and we all need to leave ASAP."

We do. If we hope to have any chance of getting her back. But I stay put like a well-trained mutt.

That's how tight the leash is that Lily has around my neck.

I deserve everything I am about to get.

"Oliver, go back to be—"

"Lachlan! Hurry up!" he dismisses me, throwing in the last few contents in his suitcase.

Lachlan's voice echoes through the house. "I'm just gathering all the flowers and the knives that I can find!"

Oliver curses under his breath, tying the zip around his suitcase. He can't even get it to shut.

Why does he even need it? An Omega's need for comfort, perhaps?

Oliver can never go anywhere without an overnight bag. He is not one to rough it up.

Well, that was what I thought until he says, "Fuck it!"

He kicks the thing aside and proceeds to walk out of the room. It doesn't look as if he is going to bother bringing a toothbrush, and he really isn't the same Omega anymore.

Mila has changed him.

I grip his good arm, and he tenses, his muscles bulging up.

"Let go, Gryphon…"

I take several deep breaths, gathering all the strength I need.

"Oliver, this is madness. You are recovering from a gunshot. You need—"

His fist swings for my face, and now he breaks my nose, sending my head flying backward.

But I hold on.

I have to.

It's too dangerous out there.

We are dealing with forces far greater than ourselves.

Do not provoke the wrath of Lily. I still have the scars to prove that statement.

Oliver bares his perfect white teeth and growls, and my Alpha recognizes the challenge instantly. He just doesn't know how to take it.

He can't accept it because the challenge comes from his Omega, but he also knows that he is way out of his depth here.

My nose is bleeding, and I think it will be broken for a while…

Who knew he could punch that hard?

Sometimes, I forget that he isn't made of porcelain and that he can, indeed, fight. He trained for a few months at the Alpha Academy before he presented, and he was skilled in all kinds of combat.

Still, I won't let go. Even if it kills me.

"Gryphon…"

"No, Oliver. I almost lost you once. I won't lose you again. Lily will kill you…"

His eyes flash, and that growl becomes more animal than man now. "I fucking knew it. Lily was behind this all along, and yet you lied to me! Fuck!"

He goes to punch me again, but I grab his hand, twisting his arm behind his back.

He may have trained to be an Alpha for a few months, but I trained for four years.

This is for his own good.

He wriggles, but I hold him firm. No matter what, I will not use my bark.

I will not betray his trust again like that.

Unfortunately, Barret and Lachlan come to save the day, pulling me away from him, and now it's three against one.

I saw this coming from the day Mila came into my home.

I knew that I would have to go up against my own pack like this. I spied how besotted they were with her, and truth be told… so am I.

My dreams are filled with her and Oliver, but I could never allow myself to get close.

All because I am afraid of my superior.

Lachlan and Barret create a wall around Oliver, and it looks as if my own pack has turned against me.

But I would do it again and again just to keep them safe.

Maybe in another life, Mila could have been ours.

But there is too much at risk.

Oliver glares at me for a few moments, and the pain is all too evident in his eyes.

He doesn't want to leave me behind. But his mind is set.

He is going after Mila.

"Let's go," Oliver says, moving out the door.

Barret and Lachlan follow him.

They are making a big mistake.

"Stop…"

My pack ignores me, moving for the front door, and I stumble after them.

My head is still ringing from where Oliver punched me.

"You can't…"

Oliver opens the door, and he doesn't even glance back at me.

But they don't even make it halfway to the jeep when the soldiers storm onto our property, and my heart slices in two.

It's happening…

"Back inside, all of you."

Oliver is the first to speak. "On whose orders?"

The first soldier looks at him, and I don't like the size of his gun.

"Governor Lily… Governor Frederick is dead. The Trials are over. We are here to seize your Beta on her orders…"

Shit.

Oliver's face pales, and for the first time, he looks at me.

I spy nothing but hatred and betrayal.

He thinks I planned all this, but I had no idea.

It looks like Lily only went and removed the threat for herself. She must have had help inside the Beta government, which was how she managed to overthrow Frederick.

She has won, and there is nothing we can do but bow down to her now.

The Trials are over, and we will never see Mila again.