33. Belle

I"m hungry, and I kick myself for not grabbing some snacks before I moved into the garage.

But I can"t risk going into the house again. Not with Troy lingering around.

Not with any of the Alphas lingering.

I spied the way Jeremy looked at me when I bumped into him. He was feral, and I"m lucky he came to his senses long enough to send me off to the garage.

Even the sweet cinnamon roll Leo would deem me a threat right now, and for that reason, I must stay away.

I am not welcome in the house.

Rian is vulnerable, trapped in the throes of his heat, and I would only cause trouble.

Luckily, I managed to find a pack of crackers in a small, beat-up cupboard, and to my relief, they weren"t stale.

It"s been several days since Rian"s heat began, and I"ve heard they can"t last up to five.

I wish I had brought some of my books too.

But the thought of reading about Omegas and heats when the real thing is happening twenty feet away just makes me feel so empty and hollow inside.

Those books may be the only experience I will ever have when it comes to heats and packs.

I have done some terrible things.

There is blood on these hands of mine, and I shiver, wrapping myself up in my itchy blankets.

It"s cold in the garage; I can see my breath.

Meanwhile, the house radiates with pure love and warmth.

But I am where I am meant to be.

I deserve nothing more than the garage.

My stomach growls again, and I sigh, burying my face into the stained, yellow pillow.

It rumbles again, and I throw the quilts aside at last, having enough.

I may not be able to enter the house for the next few days, but no one is stopping me from going into the woods.

It"s a little cold and late for a woodland stroll, but it has to be better than lying on that dirty cot, staring at the wall with nothing but crackers to eat.

Also, I am down to my last cracker. So I need to ration.

Shivering, I wrap my arms around myself, tripping over several branches as I wander through the woods.

All I wear is a red dress and flat shoes, and I should have grabbed some clothes, too, when I had the chance.

But I had to leave in a rush.

There was no time to stall.

A twig snaps behind me, and I whirl, eyes scanning the dark trees.

A warm glow in the distance shows how far I have ventured into the woods, and with a heavy heart, I turn away from the house, stumbling through the woods once again.

Maybe I can find a cave to stay inside for the night.

Maybe I could hunt.

But I have zero survival skills.

I have spent my whole life sheltered.

Finally, I sit down on a fallen tree log, gazing down at a clump of moss.

People can eat moss, right?

Maybe not.

A breeze wafts through the woods, and I rub my palms up and down my arms, teeth chattering. The trees squeak, leaves hissing in the wind, but I stay on my perch.

I am safe out here. Far away from the horny Alphas back at the house.

No one can blame them for being so territorial.

Their Omega is in heat.

His first heat. So emotions are high.

I still can"t believe it.

Rian was an Omega all along…

Does this mean he has to re-register his designation? Would he have to enroll at the Academy?

Would he be forced to leave the pack?

Worse, would he be in trouble for hiding his identity?

Fear grips me at the idea of anything ever happening to Rian.

I don"t know what I would do if he was ever hurt.

If someone tried to hurt him…

I think I would be willing to kill for him.

Another stick snaps in the woods behind me, and I jump to my feet, jerking around to the spot where I heard the sound.

"Who"s there?"

Only the wind responds, and my eyes fall on a rock near my feet.

Before I have a chance to grab it, a shadow looms behind a tree, and I back away.

Wind blows my way, and I pick up on the scent of diesel.

An Alpha.

There"s no missing the broad shadows, the domineering presence as he steps out from the bushes.

There"s no light except for the full moon, but it"s enough to spy the Alpha"s pupils.

They"re dilated.

He"s in a rut.

He must have picked up on Rian"s scent.

The guys were unprepared after all.

Leo vanished into the woods just before Rian"s heat, and maybe some instinctive part of him knew what was going to happen.

Maybe he sensed this Alpha.

The Alpha sniffs the air and a low sound rumbles in his chest. He snarls, snapping his teeth, and I fall into a battle stance.

"You… Omega…"

Fuck.

I had been so focused on keeping him away from Rian, that I forgot that I was an Omega myself.

Still. I don"t care.

I will use myself as a shield.

If he wants an Omega, then he can come and get me.

The Alpha lunges, and I duck, snatching up the rock quickly before he has a chance to grab me.

His fingers rip at my dress, but I kick him away, falling back into a fighting position.

The movements are second nature to me, and it only proves my suspicions.

Francis had turned me into a killing machine.

All with just a little ring of that bell.

The Alpha dangles the fabric of my dress, bringing it up to his nose, and he falls preternaturally still.

His dick grows hard and I tighten my grip on the rock.

His gaze falls on me.

Nothing but a cold predator gazes back at me, but I am ready.

He tucks the torn fabric of my dress in his pocket, a snigger dripping from his lips.

My blood freezes at the sound, but as always, I keep my chin high.

He won"t get the best of me.

"You"re mine, Omega…"

I hold up the rock. "You"ll have to get your hands on me first."

The Alpha hears the challenge, and for a moment, everything falls completely silent.

Even the forest seems to hold its breath.

He moves, but I sidestep in time, using his momentum against him.

The Alpha flies into the nearest shrub, and when he re-emerges, covered in twigs and leaves, I laugh.

It only pisses him off and now he roars, shooting toward me.

He knocks me off my feet and now we tumble on the ground, dirt and leaves flying in our wake.

The Alpha growls above me, teeth stretching toward my neck, and I don"t think so.

He won"t force me into submission, and I have to act before he uses his Alpha bark on me.

Hopefully, he"s too dumb to figure it out. The only words he seems to know are mine and bitch.

"Stop!" he roars.

At his words, I stop, falling limp on the ground.

He chuckles above me, his breath fanning my neck. "Now you"re mine, bitch."

No matter what, I refuse to cry.

I won"t let this beast see what he is doing to me.

Besides, I have dealt with far worse. He could never hold a candle to Francis.

Still, as vile as Francis had been, he may be my saving grace.

He trained me to be a killer. One he could bend to his will by the mere jingle of a little bell.

I have no idea how it works, but it may just save me now.

It may be enough to overpower his Alpha bark.

So, I shut my eyes, looking within myself as he maps out the area on my neck where he plans to bite me.

In the distance, by the house…

Wind chimes.

Leo planted them in my garden. I didn"t have the heart to tell him that I wasn"t a fan of the sound they made.

They reminded me of Francis"s bell.

But, they may just save me.

Francis molded me into a weapon, and it will be the very thing that will save my life.

So, I breathe, focusing on the soft, pealing sounds of the wind chimes.

It"s almost like they"re beckoning to me, telling me to return home.

They echo in my mind, settling inside a deep, primal part of me.

My arm moves and it actually worked.

The Alpha"s teeth graze my neck, and I am going to enjoy this.

The wind chimes echo once again, and I tighten my grip around my rock, swinging it around to the back of his head.

The Alpha collapses above me, but I don"t stop.

I slip out from beneath him, hitting him again and again with the rock, the wind chimes guiding my every move.

I remain conscious throughout the whole thing.

The last time, I had blacked out, but now I am aware of every drop of his warm blood that coats my face.

When he stops breathing, I drop the bloodied rock, knees digging into sharp rocks and twigs.

I killed him.

With my own bare hands.

It looks as if I was a monster all along.