35. Belle

"Please, kill me… I deserve it..."

The words echo through the forest like a death knell.

Jeremy doesn"t move a single inch, his body locked up with fear as his Alpha reacts to the smell of blood and danger.

I am dangerous, and the sooner he kills me, then the better for this world.

So, this was what Francis had molded me into?

This… this creature…

One that doesn"t think twice about grabbing a rock and smashing it across an Alpha"s skull.

Another sob wracks through my body, strangling my throat, and I shiver, burying my face into the rotten earth where all kinds of dead things lay.

Where a dead Alpha bleeds out right beside me.

He"s long gone now. He didn"t even stand a chance against a killer like me.

That Alpha had sealed his fate the moment he pursued me through the forest.

But killing him had been worth every drop of blood and sweat. It kept Rian safe in the end, and that"s all that matters to me now.

His Alphas were ill-prepared. They were unable to take the necessary precautions to protect the house during his first heat.

Even if it cost me my life, I would kill for Rian again and again.

I would gladly darken my soul for that Omega…

Jeremy still doesn"t move, and I dare a peek through my dark curtain of hair.

His body is shaking as he is still reacting to the sight of blood.

The blood covers my fair skin, almost as bright as the red of my dress, and I squeeze the earth between my fingers, grasping twigs and dirt.

"Please… just end it. You know it"s for the best. R-Rian…"

I don"t think I would ever kill Rian. But it"s not worth the risk.

At least this time I was in control of my body.

I used the clanging of the windchimes to pull me out of that Alpha"s thrall.

No one can force me to do anything ever again.

I am free now.

It"s just a shame that it all has to end here.

I wish I got to see my brother again for one last time. But it was never meant to be.

Wherever he is, I hope he is happy.

Jeremy comes to his senses the moment I mention Rian"s name, and then he drops his shoulders, releasing a heavy breath.

"F-fuck…"

I still watch him from behind my hair. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

The Alpha snarls, gray eyes blazing as he shoots me a death glare, and I regret my words instantly.

I shouldn"t encourage him, but he has no other choice.

A monster like me needs to be destroyed.

"Belle…" he rumbles.

I pinch my eyes shut, squashing my face into the dirt. "You know it"s for the best..."

He growls, his entire body shuddering yet again, and it seems he"s fighting his Alpha.

"Do it! I can"t go on like this. Please, just—"

A yelp slips from my lips next as the Alpha drops to his knees, and then my stomach loops when he scoops me up in his arms, turning his back on that dead, bloodied Alpha on the ground.

A chill slithers through my body once I get a glimpse of that Alpha"s unseeing eyes, and I swallow a rock in my throat, clamping my lids tight shut.

I did that.

I squirm in the Alpha"s arms as he carries me back to the house.

Back toward Rian.

"N-no! I"m dangerous!"

Jeremy marches forward, determined to take me back to the house.

My lip shakes. "But… Rian…"

He"s still in heat, still vulnerable…

The Alpha pauses, gripping my face as he turns my cheek with his large hand.

His fingers encompass the whole side of my face. Just one squeeze of that hand, and I would be dead.

"I am not going to kill you, Belle."

Jeremy"s words catch me off guard, and I struggle to breathe. "But… the Alpha…"

His eyes sear me next, and now my blood runs cold once a growl vibrates inside his chest, trembling through my bones.

"Fuck that Alpha… He deserved everything he got."

Hot tears streak my icy cheeks.

"But I"m a killer," I whisper. "I could kill you and the pack…"

Something wavers inside his storm cloud gray eyes, but it"s hard to tell in the dark woods.

The only light we have comes from the moon in the sky, and the soft yellow glow of the pack house in the distance.

I shut my eyes. "I would understand if you want to dispose of me. You have your pack to think about. Your Omega…"

The trees rustle in response to my words, and soon I will be as forgotten as that single, passing breeze.

Jeremy"s thumb begins to move next, and now he strokes a pattern down the side of my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze.

The storm has settled.

And now the Alpha has never looked more certain in his life.

"Remember what I told you…"

I think back, clawing at my memory. "About what your cousin said?"

He blinks, losing himself in the memory of the conversation in question, one I have never been privy to.

Whatever they discussed, it was between him and his cousin.

But I still can"t help but ask, "What did he say?"

Jeremy pauses, wondering if it is the right time to finally tell me.

But then a small smile curves his lips, and then he proceeds to carry me back to the house.

"In time, Belle. I will tell you."

I nod. "Because you"re still figuring out if whatever he told you is real. I get it."

His eyes drift toward me, and I spy a ray of light inside that storm. "That"s right."

The house looms closer, and I swallow a ball in my throat. "What now?"

Jeremy grinds his jaws. "I don"t know. But we will face it together."

I shake my head. "I can"t face them. I can"t face Rian…"

"Rian is fine. He has three Alphas to protect him. But you have no one."

His words slice me in half, and he"s right.

I don"t have anyone.

If anyone is in danger around here, then it"s me.

"Everything will be fine, Belle. We will work through it together..."

My body freezes as a memory of that Alpha returns. "The… the body…

"Don"t you worry about that. I will dispose of that filth accordingly. I"m sorry you had to deal with that alone. One of us should have been there for you…"

I lower my gaze, closing my eyes as I focus on his warm, mossy scent.

"You"re safe now, Belle. No Alpha will get to you again."

Tears prick my eyes, and I press my face to his shoulder, his sweet words wrapping around me like a blanket.

Safe.

I am safe now.

But the moment he steps into the house, reality sinks in, and I tense in his arms.

Troy.

He will hate me even more for this.