Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

DAMON

“ F uck,” I breathe, stomping into the house with my pack, Adira wrapped in Jed’s arms.

I can’t believe I shot her. My only thought was to stop her, speak some sense into the little omega, but she was running so damn fast that I didn’t see the hole in the driveway. She’s gasping with each breath, the blood running over Jed’s arm as he holds her tightly.

He doesn’t look so detached at the moment. It’s an unkind thought, but I’m close to hyperventilating, my thoughts colliding against each other before going in another direction. For someone who prides themselves on their control, I’m doing a shit job of it.

Everything is slipping through my fingers as I take in the fractured moments of time as we run up the long driveway. Kane’s eyes are wild, pupils blown with worry when he rarely worries about anyone outside of his pack. Morris is muttering about the fucking hole in the pavement, and how the boss isn’t going to be happy.

Fuck, he’s our father. I know better than most. Liabilities are the mistakes you make when you let your guard down, he always enjoys telling us this. I have to say he’s correct.

This is one liability I don’t want to let go of, though.

I’m falling apart as we rush through the house, my eyes following closely as my oldest brother strides into the kitchen. My back and chest feel as if it’s on fire, and I’m struggling to get any oxygen into my lungs. This is what I get for not fighting harder for my little omega. Biology and fate brought her to me, and I was prepared to be my father’s steady soldier and give her up.

I deserve this. If she dies, will I? Stumbling, I crash to my hands and knees, rubbing my chest. Fuck, that hurts.

“Adira!” I roar, wanting to see her, but Jed’s footsteps are taking her away from me.

Kane and Morris grab me under my arms, hoisting me onto my feet.

“Keep it together, Demon,” my brother growls in my ear. “What’s with you?”

“It hurts,” I grunt, despite hating every moment of vulnerability. Whatever pain my scent match is in, the woman I’m supposed to protect, is clearly reflecting back into my body.

The tether is strong, even if I can’t feel her outside of the pain. Bonds are a strange thing. I’m horribly behind the curve, and I’m struggling to understand what’s happening or how. Fuck, I wish one of my brothers had also bonded with her, but as it is, I have to figure it out.

We’re each other’s only hope right now, since she’s unconscious.

“Get him over here,” Jed roars, laying Adira down on a wood table. Belatedly, I think about how we’re going to end up having to pay for it since it’s getting blood all over it.

“For fuck’s sakes, Damon, my sister isn’t going to care about the table,” Morris mutters, making it clear that I’m talking out loud.

Damn. I never do that. My control is quickly unraveling, my eyes locked onto the passed out omega on the table as they half drag me over as I stumble along. Grunting, I force strength into my backbone and body, reminding myself that I’m a stubborn son of a bitch.

I’ll push as much of it into the fallen princess on the table as she needs.

“Morris, grab the emergency supplies,” my older brother grunts as he rips Kane’s shirt down the little omega’s back.

I can see the blood flowing from the gunshot as I force my knees to lock, gazing at the wound. Pulling off my shirt, I hand it to Jed, unsure if it will help. Swallowing hard, I whisper, “Come on little omega.”

“She’s not going anywhere,” Jed growls, ignoring my shirt in lieu of a stack of towels forgotten on the counter. I think if he could alpha bark her to stay alive, he would. Too bad it doesn’t fucking work on her. “Get it together, Damon. Talk to her through the bond, you’re the only one who can. Use this massive fuck up to our advantage. Get her to stay while I fix this.”

“So you can fucking sell her anyway?” I ask, my grip returning to the edge of the table as I ground myself with the feeling of the wood beneath me. It groans underneath my hands, and my brother gives me a dispassionate look.

“We’ll get to that point after Morris and I patch her up,” he mutters. “Get ahold of yourself, do your part to keep her with us. That’s your job.”

Kane’s deep, rasping breath pulls me out of my glare off with my brother as he holds pressure on Adira’s back with the towel he grabbed, his fingers checking her pulse along her neck. I can see the bandage on her throat that Kane used to patch my bite up when we all came out of our heat haze. I should have been the one to do that. We started distancing ourselves the moment we left her in the nest to shower and change, our cum dried on her body and between her legs. A wave of disgust fills me as I gag, angry with myself.

Too late , a light, feminine voice floats through my mind. Shuddering, I shake my head, aware that my brother, Kane, is gazing at me as if I’m the most interesting thing in the world, despite the little omega on the table. I’m acting even more insane than he typically does, my head jerking and body ticking with every new emotion that doesn’t belong to me.

How do people get used to this? Is this part of the closeness normal alphas crave with their omegas? This goes to show how ruined I am by my father. I want to tell Adira that she deserves so much better than me. It simply won’t do any good for her to know, so I hold back the thoughts the best I can.

Morris walks quickly and determinedly into the room pulling my gaze away from Adira, his hands filled with supplies.

“My sister has kids, so she has extra supplies we can use,” the beta sighs, dropping things meticulously on the table. “Do you want me to get the bullet out or do you, boss?”

Morris is in full control now that there’s a crisis, deferring to his alpha. Closing my eyes, I search through the pain inside of me for Adira. She’s a dull light inside of me, and I wish I’d had more time to get used to this. It feels as if this is goodbye.

That’s unacceptable.

“Adira,” I croon, the sound unfamiliar as I reach out and push her hair away from her face. Keeping my eyes closed, I feel the angry pulse because I touched her. “Get mad, little omega. Come back and fucking yell at me.”

“Didn’t know that was your kink, but I’m here for it, little brother,” Kane grunts. I pay him no attention, mostly because I can hear the strain of worry in his voice.

I open my eyes now that her attention is on me, watching as my brother and Morris work. The kitchen has a bright spotlight over us where the table is, and they’re irrigating the wound to be able to see better.

“It didn’t go all the way through,” Jed says, his fingers moving to her chest to search for it.

Shaking his head, he makes a face. These two have patched up Kane and I enough for me to know that the little omega is in good hands. I just wish I hadn’t tripped on that damn hole and shot her. Shuddering, I wince at the pain waving over me, feeling sick. Her pain is buffering between the two of us. I have to find a way to help her without shutting her out.

Fuck.

“We’re okay,” I breathe. “Come on, baby. You can do this.”

Jed ignores me, the only evidence of my words are the tick over his eye as he picks up a pair of surgical pliers. It’s sad that we have to keep those in our medical supply bag, pre-sterilized for these conditions. Though, his hands are covered in her blood, so normal medical care is out the window.

Pushing the towel away, he cuts a large area of skin in her back to allow him to poke around for the bullet. I’m not typically squeamish, but the person he’s poking inside of is screaming in my head.

“You’re hurting her,” I say evenly, moving around to her head to cup the back of her head. “If you have anything in your bag of tricks to numb her, then I suggest you use it before I punch you in the face, big brother. I can feel everything you’re doing to her.”

Jed flinches, staring down at Adira as if to remind himself that the fragile girl underneath him isn’t just flesh and bone, but also a person.

“I got it,” Morris murmurs, filling a vial with a numbing agent. “It’s still going to hurt, Adira. We’re just not going to be total fuck heads about it.”

“I’m trying to save her life,” Jed grumbles as he moves out of the way, so Morris can numb the area before he continues. “I can’t find it yet.”

Brushing my lips against her clammy forehead, I keep my eyes on Jed as he works.

Can you see this? I ask Adira. I don’t want to freak her out, and I’m unsure of how the bond works. The pulsing feeling of being kicked in the knot pulls a strangled sound out of me.

“Shit,” I gasp. “Ask stupid questions, and I know what to expect now. Got it. Did you know bonded omegas can bring their alphas to their knees without being conscious? That’s a fun trick.”

“Little rabbit, you’re a sadist,” Kane croons, watching Jed carefully. I keep my eyes firmly trained on Adira’s face, still struggling to drag a normal breath into my lungs. “Looks like you’re my kind of omega.”

“For better or worse, she’s mine,” I remind him. I’m struggling to parcel out what I’m feeling from what she is, though the overwhelming fear, hate, and anger that are flooding my nervous system is making it easier.

God, between this and the pain, I may fucking pass out. Gritting my teeth, I push back the knowledge that I deserve this because of what I did to her. Her consciousness inside of me is so small, but her personality is fierce. I can’t believe I mistook her for being meek and malleable.

There’s strength under everything she’s throwing at me. I wish things were different. Without glancing up, I know they won’t be when Jed gets the bullet out of her and saves her life. We simply have one more obstacle before we drop her off at the auction house that is eleven hours from here.

I’ve always been the perfect soldier, yet I’m feeling really conflicted now. Her health is mine, which means my future is tied to her. It’s more than a broken heart on the line or puppy love, as my older brother, crassly snarled while we fought about our next steps before all of this happened while she was sleeping.

This connection is fucking everything. Adira and I are tied together, there’s only one valid outcome. I have to find a way to make my father understand, or even better make him think that we are continuing to toe the line. Morris has his locs tied back now to help him work with his alpha, and I glance at him for a moment, careful not to look at the open wound Jed is poking around in.

My father doesn’t care Morris is pack. He sees that the beta follows orders, understands the importance of the hierarchy, and doesn’t ask questions. At least, that’s what Dad thinks. Morris asks plenty of questions in private, helping us to troubleshoot issues.

Like the little omega’s heat. Keeping my breaths even, I tell myself that I’ll talk with my pack about what to do once Adira is stable. There has to be a way?—

“There you are, fucker,” Jed snarls, making me blink. He is the calm one in situations like this, though he has his hot head moments when things go wrong.

I’d say shooting my scent match definitely counts.

“You’re going to be just fine, baby,” he murmurs, cleaning the area and turning to grab some wet wipes to clean his hands before he sutures her up. “Time to close this up. I’ll even make sure it’s just a little scar.”

“I somehow don’t get the feeling that she’s very vain,” Kane drawls. He’s been very quiet during this all, taking in the disquiet, my struggles, and the omega I’m attempting to console through touch. “I think the little rabbit is going to realize she’s much stronger than even she realizes. Are you going to set her up with an IV after this?”

“Yeah,” Morris grunts. “Zela has banana bags and saline, and I have pain meds. One of her mates makes sure to keep things on hand in case one of the kids gets sick. He’s a pharmacist who likes to be prepared. Adira is most likely dehydrated from her heat. We didn’t do a great job getting her to drink water.”

The little omega could have done so much better than us for her first heat. We tried, but the haze and rut took over, and we lost ourselves to her.

“I’m almost done here, and then we can wipe her down and lay some blankets on the couch. I’ll replace whatever your sister wants,” Jed says, sighing as he finishes up.

The sutures are careful and small. She actually may not scar too badly. I’m surprised he cares, unless…

Nope, I’m not thinking about that right now.

“She’s going to need pain meds,” I grunt. “I keep feeling everything she’s experiencing. Will it be the same if she’s on medication?”

“It doesn’t affect Zela’s mates when she takes something for her migraines,” Morris reports. “You’re actually more entwined than most bonded people. I have no idea why.”

“Wonderful,” I sigh.

Jed and Morris carefully move her, getting rid of her cut off clothes in favor of my long-sleeved shirt. A part of me beats my chest, happy to be closer to her through my scent. I don’t deserve to have this connection, but I’ll hold on tightly to it.

Watching them transfer the little omega to the couch after Kane covers it with a clean, soft blanket, I breathe a little deeper as the pain and fear is cut off once the IV is set up and the pain medication drips along with the saline. Turning, I wash my hands, belatedly realizing that I don’t remember where my weapon is.

Drying my hands, I begin to check my body, finding it safely tucked into the holster at the base of my spine. It should have been there the entire time. I know better than to run on uneven surfaces with my gun pointed at someone. Stupid.

“Do you still feel her?” Morris asks, pulling my gaze toward him. At the sharp shake of my head, he relaxed slightly. “Good.”

Adira is on her stomach to keep from laying on the tender skin of her back, and pillows are propping her arm up for the IV on a chair. It’s not the worst makeshift hospital area we’ve ever created.

“Let’s clean up the table, find all the blood drops, and then we need to have a family meeting,” Jed growls, his tone telling me there’s no room for argument.

That’s too damn bad, brother.

“I’m not letting her go,” I grunt. The words may as well be gunshots for how still my pack goes. “You do not have to like it, I’m willing to take the heat for whatever happens. I physically cannot handle her being away from me. If she had died, there’s no doubt in my mind that she would have dragged me into the depths of hell with her. The pain was all encompassing.”

“Even if she’s sold,” Kane says slowly, gauging his words. “The emotions of what is happening to her could make Demon insane. I saw the ticks, the grunts, the things happening inside your mind, little brother. You were reacting to her, weren’t you?”

“Yeah,” I whisper. “I don’t know if distance is going to help.”

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Jed roars, beginning to clean the table with bleach wipes. “Everyone get to work. I have to think. This is more complicated than knotting and leaving her as a cum dumpster.”

Leaning forward, I give into the need to punch him. Jed’s head snaps back, not even attempting to protect himself.

“Much more complicated,” I grunt, moving away from him to continue to clean.

I need a little space from my know-it-all older brother.

JED

Blowing out a breath as I finish cleaning the kitchen, carpets, and surrounding areas, I sneak a sidelong glance over at my baby brother with concern.

May as well get this over with.

“Damon,” I begin. In my mind, the only thing we can do is give up the omega. He survived what I did when he was younger, and as awful as I feel, I know he’s strong.

He can survive this too. I refuse to lose my brother.

“I veto whatever bullshit is about to come out of your mouth,” he says dryly. “My entire body was wracked with pain from that gunshot. The only reason I’m not still in pain is because she’s floating on a cloud of numbness. For science, Morris, the pain medication is making me a little high. It’s putting me in a great mood, which is the only thing keeping me from beating the shit out of you, Jed.”

The scent of cedar is light and calm, telling me his words are true. Meanwhile, I’m stressed the hell out, and the burnt leather tickles my nose along with the bleach I just scrubbed everything down with.

Tossing the sponge out, I stalk over to the sink to wash my hands.

“You know it’s the only way,” I mutter. “Are you sure you want to cross our father? He can hardly stand the sight of the three of us on a good day. He has a hard-on for making this little omega pay for the sins of her father.”

“I have a feeling she’s a victim of her father’s manipulation,” Damon rasps.

Snarling, I shake my head, pumping soap onto my hands as I aggressively wash them.

“That’s a bunch of hogwash,” I bite out. “You don’t know that. We in fact, don’t know much more about her than the sounds she makes when she comes apart during her heat. I know how tight her cunt is as it’s suffocating my knot too?—”

“Jed!” Morris yells with a wince. “Focus, please. I don’t want to pull a bullet out of you next, because you can’t figure out how to speak to your brother.”

“The little rabbit’s cunt is magnificent,” Kane says slowly, as if agreeing with me. “I think we should keep her. Dad is going to want us to provide him with grandchildren. It won’t be due to his newfound need to nurture the next generation, though.”

Damon snorts, knowing exactly how terrible Dad’s paternal instincts are. When I was sixteen, Dad dropped the three of us in the middle of the woods without a map in the middle of winter. We had to make our way out and survive. Damon was ten and Kane was twelve.

None of us were wearing enough clothing for that night, since they were wearing their pajamas, nor were we prepared for it mentally. It was terrifying to hold their lives in my hands, but I slept with a knife in my pants pocket and a long-sleeved shirt at all times. Dad would wake me up in the middle of the night by bursting in to hit the mattress with a bat where he thought I was sleeping.

I still have a hair trigger instinct, even when I’m sleeping. Morris has learned not to touch me while I’m seemingly dead to the world, because I’ll wake up swinging. Dad’s fucked us all up.

“Do you have a point, Kane?” I ask, turning off the boiling hot water to dry my hands. I’m punishing myself for this morning’s fuck up.

It never should have happened. I didn’t expect her to wake up. I was just going to go downstairs, throw a blanket over her naked body, and hog tie her within the fabric. I’d love to see her get the drop on us then.

Yes, I hold grudges.

Slowly, I turn around as I pat my hands dry with a paper towel, waiting for the mutiny I can see brewing in front of me. Am I going to let it happen?

Is there a way around it?

“What if we were to make Dad believe we want an omega?” Kane breathes. His voice is twisted with hope, something I don’t think I’ve ever heard before. “We bring her to the auction, and then bid on her ourselves. Dad just wants the cash, to make her suffer. He doesn’t need to know we’re the ones who buy.”

“What about Ophelia?” Morris asks. “She’s twisted enough to want to impress Rock, put on some kind of show in order to drive up the price. We’ve seen it. She has alpha and beta guards who thrive on her malicious intent. It’s not every time, but this sale is special to Rock.”

“She’s not just a sale,” Damon growls dangerously.

“Sorry, man,” Morris replies. “I need to discuss this in terms your brother will understand.”

“Mutiny,” I grunt, tossing out the paper towel that I’ve been eviscerating between my fingers. I refuse to give in to a nervous tick. “It was a mistake to bond with her. I should have stopped it.”

“Maybe,” Kane agrees. “It’s too late for that. Demon has another person inside of him, Jed! Come on, tell me you did not see the pain whenever he looked over at you poking at the little rabbit? He’s not squeamish and never has been. It was for her. Her pain is inside of him. What happens when she’s murdered for shits and giggles after Ophelia has her fun with the little rabbit?”

“When she’s bleeding from every fucking hole she has,” Morris rumbles, his hands running over his hair before he tugs on it to center himself. “Jed. What happens when Rock has her sold anyway, and then decides to do it as a loan, where he can buy her back at any time.”

“It doesn’t work like that,” I deny. My father and his pack are sick men. He made sure that we were his children, even though they all fucked the omega who is our mother. When they were done with her, they sent her back. He could work out a deal exactly like that for Adira.

Fuck. My traitorous gaze moves back to her still body, intent to make things even more difficult for me. At some point, Kane took the boots she pulled on before she ran off, and I catch a glimpse of her slim feet.

They’re delicate the way she is. I have a terrible feeling the only reason she’s going to pull through this gunshot is because my baby brother is keeping her with us through pure bullheaded stubbornness. Their connection is saving them both.

She’ll never survive Rock Dresmond’s depravity. What isn’t being asked is: what happens when he decides to take her back and then fuck her with his pack? They haven’t taken an omega in twenty-four years. Betas and female alphas are who they spend time with when the itch hits.

Less issues, less hassle. Fuck, I can hear his voice now.

“You’re seeing it, aren’t you?” Kane asks, his sultry croon making Morris shiver. His spicy scent floats along the air, a reminder of his arousal. “Down boy, Morris. I’m proving a point. If our father gets his hooks into the little rabbit, he will destroy her soul, body, and mind. While it would be a shame to lose such a beautiful rabbit, the ramifications are worse for Demon. We will lose him completely. Even now, we get glimpses of our baby brother.”

“I’ll eat my gun to save her,” Demon says. “To save her, I’ll kill us both. Dad can’t have her. All I’ll be able to hear are her screams in my mind and… I’m not strong enough to survive that, Jed. Don’t make me try.”

“How does she have her hooks so far into you?” I complain. “It’s only been a few days. I don’t understand how you’re willing to turn your back on me and the pack for… her.”

If I call her a tight cunt, he’ll blacken my eyes and I’ll have to answer for it. As it is, I can hide the glancing blow under my chin from earlier. Dad doesn’t like when his soldiers fight within their ranks, as he calls it.

God, I’m my father. I’ll do anything for my brothers and Morris, but only if it fits the narrative the boss wants. Do I really want to be that person?

“I need to tell Dad there’s been an accident and that we can’t move her,” I grunt. “It’ll give us a chance to postpone the auction, but be aware that it will happen. I’m open to discussing how to ensure we buy her without Dad knowing. That’s as far as I’ll bend.”

Refusing to meet any of their gazes, I’m aware of Kane’s dark eyes staring at me anyway as if trying to get into my head, and Damon’s green eyes asking for a miracle. Morris’ caramel and cream gaze will gut me, because I’m looking for time and space to figure out how the fuck we’re going to pull this off.

Whatever happens, I’m not naive enough to believe Adira Firestone is going to survive this without more scars, both physical and psychological.

This is going to suck, little omega. I’d ask you to trust me like a good omega, but I don’t quite trust myself.