22. Troy

Yet another exasperated sigh escapes me as I lean casually against the wall, spinning my knife in my fingers.

Leo, meanwhile, stabs and stabs at a corpse that has long expired, blood flying and splattering his pale face as he gets it all off his chest.

This is why we keep personal affairs at home where they belong.

But no, Leo is venting, taking out his anger on our latest hit.

It"s a never-ending cycle for him.

Later, when we return home, he is going to feel awful, begging his grandmother"s ashes for forgiveness as he cries about the monster he is.

It"s getting tiring, but as always, I indulge him because he is my pack brother.

I just don"t know how long he is going to last.

Leo"s sanity is hanging by a delicate thread, and one day that thread is going to snap as he goes tumbling down into the cold, waiting mouth of the abyss.

That"s okay. Because I will be there to grab his hand.

His emotions are more intense today, and I know the reason—I"m no fool.

I feel the same tension whenever I am away from Rian too.

Leo is missing Belle, an Omega he has known for two days, but I keep my opinions to myself.

I get it. I knew from the moment I looked at Rian that I wanted him, but Belle will only bring us trouble.

She"s running from someone, and that someone is bound to turn up at our doorstep. Not only that, but the longer Belle stays, the more vulnerable Rian is.

Gossip will spread that we are harboring a fugitive Omega, and we need to keep the government away.

Leo thrusts that knife back and forth, and I have finally had enough. I pocket my own knife and step toward him, gripping his wrist mid-thrust.

"That"s enough, Leo. The guy is dead. He died over half an hour ago."

Yet it"s not Leo who stares back at me when he flips his head around, teeth clenched and splattered with blood.

I don"t let go of his wrist. "I said, that"s enough. This is just overkill."

Leo"s face tics, and it"s hard to see any of his marble skin beneath that mask of gore. "Let go…"

I tighten my grip around his hand. "Not until you drop the knife."

I flash my eyes in warning, letting him know that I won"t tolerate his bullshit.

Maybe it was best that Leo stayed home. He"s unhinged today, and I worry about his mental state.

No doubt he will be hacking up his organs in the sink when we get back home, and he"s a fool if he thinks I have no idea.

I can feel his brooding through his bedroom door, one that makes his fresh linen scent smell of damp and old things.

Leo"s lip curls as he begins to shake. "Let go, Troy…"

"Not until you drop—"

Leo springs toward me, and now I"m shoved hard against the brick wall, gazing into the blazing brown eyes of Leo as he places that knife at my throat.

I shut my eyes, trying to find my inner peace.

Oh, I finally see what this is about…

It was me he was picturing on the face of that corpse.

It"s me who is making him particularly murderous today.

I suppose it"s what I deserve. After all, I have treated Belle with nothing but hostility since she arrived.

I"m the reason she tried to escape in the wee hours of the morning, the reason why she hunches her shoulders at breakfast and is too afraid to meet my eyes.

I have been a jackass, but at the end of the day, all I care about is keeping Rian and my pack safe.

She will just be baggage at this point, and I still stand by my conviction.

She has to go.

But it looks like I am alone in my belief.

It seems I am going to find myself very alone for the foreseeable future.

Finally, I open my eyes, meeting his pained brown pair.

I know he"s thinking about her too—a girl he has known for barely five minutes, yet he is prepared to put a knife to his own pack brother"s neck just to prove his point.

That I don"t mess with Belle.

If I hurt her again, he really will stab me.

Leo is prepared to kill for that Omega, and I am no exception.

Pack means nothing when it comes to his Omega…

"Go on, do it."

Leo"s eyes blur almost comically, and he reeks of death and the coppery scent of blood.

It prickles my nose, but I remain poker-faced, never taking my eyes off his.

Besides, he"s not the only killer around here.

I just have better control of my monster…

Leo pants through his clenched teeth, digging that serrated edge in deeper to make his point.

"Well? You going to slit my throat or not, Leo?"

Leo snaps his teeth, and now his growl vibrates through his chest as he keeps that knife against my neck. It"s as deep as he is going to go, though.

"I swear, Troy… if you do anything to hurt her again…"

He trails off, and now his big, brown eyes soften as he thinks of Belle.

I wait patiently, indulging his impulsive behavior like I always do.

It"s what pack brothers are for after all.

"Well, anything else you need to say?"

He flinches and pushes me further into the brick at my back. Its surface cuts my arms, but I continue to indulge him.

Leo stares me out for a few moments longer, communicating nonverbally.

Rian sends a tendril through the bond, one that caresses the length of my spine gently. I open up, letting him see the crazy shitshow that is Leo through my eyes.

Fuck… what happened?

Leo is just giving me a warning…

Rian sighs. For Christ"s sake. Come home, now. The pair of you. This is ridiculous. We can discuss this as a whole pack.

Leo shakes. "You… you"re talking with Rian… aren"t you?"

I refrain from rolling my eyes. Of course I am. He is my mate.

The Alpha snaps, knocking me into the wall. My head hits the brick and soon, I am going to have to act.

Self-defense and all.

I just can"t bear to see the disappointed look on Rian"s face when I return home later with a dead Leo in my arms.

But it would be a last resort.

Leo and I have always been thick as thieves, partners in crime. We hit it off straight away and formed a strong bond.

It was just me and him in the beginning. Then we befriended Jeremy soon after and became a pack.

Yet, he is prepared to shove all that history aside for some doe-eyed Omega.

"I think Leo wants to talk with you…" I say out loud for Leo"s benefit.

He can"t stand that we are talking about him in private.

If Rian wanted, he could just open up the bond and speak to the pair of us at once. But instead, he shuts me out and now speaks with Leo.

I can still hear them, but their voices are muffled.

Now they sound like they are in another room.

I spy the distant look in Leo"s eyes as he talks with our Beta, and it still surprises me that the guys have yet to realize.

Rian is the center of our bond.

A power that only belongs to one designation specifically…

Anyone with eyes could see that Rian was more than a Beta.

Yet lucky for us, he has managed to keep his identity secret all these years, but it"s getting harder and harder.

The hormone suppressants can only work so far.

Also, his scent has only intensified since Belle arrived, and it still worries me.

Rian is attracted to Belle. And sooner or later, it"s going to become harder to hide his secret.

I still stand by my conviction; she has to go.

I just want to keep Rian safe.

Finally, Leo closes his eyes as Rian talks some sense into him, and how he has a hold over us all.

No simple Beta could ever talk an Alpha out of a rage.

"Fine."

The Alpha steps back, giving me back my breathing space, and now he turns his back on me, storming toward the end of the alleyway where I left the car.

Meanwhile, I remain against the wall, gazing down at our latest hit.

The poor guy didn"t even see Leo coming.

Rian tries to see through my eyes again, and I hesitate a moment before I give in and let him see.

Rian"s gasp of horror is so loud, he may as well be standing right beside me.

Fuck…

Yeah.

That mangled corpse is a physical manifestation of Leo"s mental state, and it may be time for an intervention.

It"s time I started going at it alone.

Leo is too unstable right now, and it"s only a matter of time until the scales tip and he goes completely off the rails.

Come home, Troy.

I kick my legs off the wall, casting one last look at our hit before I leave him and head to the car.

"Your wish is my command, Rian."

Now I show him images of all the things I plan to do to him when we return home, but his response on the other end of the bond is pretty lukewarm as I take my place behind the wheel, ignoring Leo completely who has decided to take the backseat.

He can"t bear to be next to me.

I just wonder how long it will be before my whole pack can"t stand to be next to me.