26. Jeremy

Silence befalls my pack as I"ve just broken the news to them.

I decided in good conscience that it was in their right to know about the Omega that my team found.

The Omega is still unconscious. Her face is no longer flushed and sweaty as it seems her heat is finally over, but that doesn"t mean we"re out of the woods.

I am going to give her the benefit of the doubt. I want to hear the Omega"s side of the story once she wakes before I make any further decisions.

Hopefully, she has come to her senses.

The poor creature was not in the right state of mind.

But once she is in the hands of the government, she is no longer my responsibility.

The bigwigs on the council can decide what to do with her then.

It just so happens that I have a friend on the council. Gryphon Hart.

He"s the Alpha Governor and a part of my cousin"s pack, and just maybe we can get him on our side.

Something strange is happening, and we need all the level-headed people we can find.

Leo has finally settled. He was the first to react, and I guess the shock just took its toll.

No one likes being lied to, and I hope this hasn"t tarnished his view of Omegas.

Yes. An Omega can kill an Alpha, and they are not as weak and defenseless as we had previously presumed.

Also, it seems they don"tdie when they fail to receive a knot during their heat. Instead, they become something far worse. Something hard to control.

Something deadly.

Rian is the first to speak. "Shit. That poor Omega... She must have been so frightened…"

We all look to him.

He continues, eyes flashing in anger. "It"s obvious that Alpha deserved it. Pig."

No one replies for some time. It seems we"re all still adjusting.

I"m still not sure what to make of it myself.

"Still," Troy weighs in. "We have to be cautious. In the end, she killed an Alpha. And that makes her dangerous."

I heave a sigh, reaching up to pinch between my brows.

That is something I have been grappling with myself.

Did she attack unprovoked?

I need to find out first before I make a decision.

But in the end, I must report her. I will be in deep shit otherwise.

The government likes their Omegas tame and easy to control. I don"t even want to think about what they will do to her once they find out.

But if I don"t report her, I will not only get myself in trouble but my pack, too.

We could all be banished or worse.

Rian looks at him appalled. "Come on, Troy. You can"t be serious…"

Yet the Alpha really is, and he was always too stubborn for his own good. "Murder is murder, Rian. We can"t forget that."

Our Beta scoffs. "And what you and Leo do is any different?"

Troy curls his fists. "We are hired assassins. It is different..."

Leo flinches at that remark, and I look at him once again.

He gazes down at his fingers next, and I bet he can imagine the blood dripping from his nails again.

He hates killing. Yet he is good at it.

They both are.

But no matter how much they may despise it, it puts bread on the table.

Just as my job does.

Rian isn"t done. "Don"t be a hypocrite, Troy."

Troy keeps his mouth shut, his fists curled at his sides. "We still need to be cautious. There could be others like her out there…"

An uncomfortable silence falls over the room, and Leo finally stops gazing at his fingers, glaring at Troy now.

"What are you trying to say?"

Troy didn"t have to voice it, but it"s pretty obvious his comment was about another Omega.

One who currently waits upstairs.

I have been avoiding her these last few days. I was just processing things. It is quite the revelation to behold when you"ve been led to believe something else your whole life.

Omegas can kill, which really shouldn"t be a shock to anyone.

Everyone has the potential to be a killer, but the shock still takes some time getting used to.

Could that be why the government likes to keep them trained and easy to control?

Omegas can barely even think for themselves.

The runaways are the closest thing I have seen to any rebellious behavior, but they have never killed.

Those Omegas were more of a danger to themselves than any Alpha.

They did not possess any ability to kill.

Still. We don"t know anything about Belle. We have kept our distance, and that"s when I think back to the day we found her in the woods.

She has attacked. She attacked Rian. Albeit clumsily, but if she had been armed with a knife, would she have killed him?

A shudder skitters down my spine, and I push the thoughts aside.

I don"t think we have anything to worry about.

She"s too sheepish, but they do say to fear the quiet ones.

Troy smirks, crossing his knee over his leg. "I don"t know what you are talking about, Leo…"

Leo growls, jumping to his feet. "Belle is not like that Omega!"

"Steady, Leo. Deep calm breaths," Rian warns, his voice soft, and Leo closes his eyes, chest heaving as he does as the Beta says.

Troy is still as smug as a fox, and I toss him a pointed look.

There"s something I still haven"t told them, but when I spy the tension between Leo and Troy right now, I decide to withhold the information.

Belle has the same tattoo as the Omega at the compound. The number twenty-three as opposed to the Omega"s twenty-two.

As smug as Troy may be, he is most likely right.

Belle does come from the same source.

But I will give her the benefit of the doubt first.

I won"t go jumping to any conclusions just yet.

The floorboards creak upstairs, and we all stand to attention, listening to her footsteps.

We"re all so hyperaware of her presence, and it has nothing to do with her being a possible serial killer.

She has us all wrapped around her finger. Even Troy, even though he would be the first to deny it.

Belle is hard to bloody ignore, especially in those cute red dresses.

I chuckle. "Yeah, quite the killer we have in our midst. Sneaking around so quietly upstairs."

No one laughs, and it seems my attempts to make light of the situation have failed.

Now I put on my serious voice. "This doesn"t leave this room."

They all nod their affirmation. Troy and Leo are still snarling at each other, and I"m glad I kept the tattoos to myself.

That, I will handle on my own.