Chapter 6

Chapter

Six

MARKO

I knew that they would take her somewhere safe. It wasn't as if the people who came in here were the ones who had bought Ella before, but that didn't mean they weren't far behind.

I could protect Ella.

But fucking Omega Services who thought they were mighter than anyone else?

I scoffed.

I could only imagine what my therapist would have to say about this or the fact I hadn't slept in the past two days. How could I sleep when we were being questioned by fucking omega services and our lead alpha looked like he was the calmness alpha in the goddamn world while the rest of his pack was splintering?

I hadn't spoken up to Demetri. For once, however, I was glad I didn't have to. Me and Liam for once were agreeing wholeheartedly that we needed to find her and get her back.

Find her and get her back before she was hurt or thought we didn't care like everyone else in her life… or… What if she already was and was in pain or screaming or finally fallen into heat without us–

"Marko," Cal reached out to me.

I flinched and pulled out of my thoughts as I stood over the kitchen sink.

With a Grumble I dropped the pot into the sink. Cal was startled but didn't say anything as he took a step back.

I slammed the water off and let the pot I was scrubbing, likely too hard, sit in the suds before I turned around and headed back down the hall toward our fearless leader. There he was in his office. It looked like a bomb had gone off. Papers were askew. Books were open. His desktop had more than a dozen tabs scattered along the top of the screen.

But, I guessed that is how it always sort of looked unless he was finished with a project.

That was the only positive thing? Liam and Cal may not have noticed as they snapped at him.

Demetri was still working. He was still studying all the papers and notes that our omega left us behind about the Davinsons and what was much more than just her in this terrible scenario far too many omegas had gone through.

That our omega was going through.

I gripped the door of his office in my hand, hard.

He couldn't have given up on Ella. Not when he was like this.

It wouldn't make any sense.

I watched the cameras over a dozen times. I had to. I needed to see what direction they went, where they could be taking her next and so far I only knew one thing that Liam and Cal had already vocalized many times, before Liam left for his university office and hadn't returned, slowly tearing Cal apart more than he already was since Ella was taken.

We needed to get her back. This pack had been without her for so long, sure. But one thing was certain, we couldn't go back to that. She had transformed us and now… the house felt empty without her.

All of us were nearly a shell of what was. What could've been?

I should've bitten and bonded her down on the workout mats the moment I could've.

"Demetri."

We needed her.

"Demetri," I repeated. "Do you have a plan?"

"Do I look like I have a plan?"

I didn't answer.

"Fuck, Marko."

"But you want her back."

He didn't look at me. "I don't know."

"What?"

"Are you going to turn on me too?" He said. "She gave us important information we needed for this case we have been focused on for years. If we follow it, we can take down the entire company my father built and the mess with it."

"But what about Ella?"

Demetri didn't answer again. Back to the silent treatment.

"What about Ella, Demetri?"

Nothing.

"Is she part of the mess?"

"Since when did you ever like anyone."

"Since you decided to take her in. I didn't realize how temporary your love was."

"It's not."

Now it was my turn not to say anything.

"Marko."

"You should probably just tell the rest of your pack that."

"We're bonded."

"Yeah, and?"

Demetri froze.

"Get your act together or maybe we won't be anymore."

"You'd rather kill the whole pack than make sacrifices?"

I scoffed. "I know sacrifice."

Demetri looks a bit chastised at my words. "I know."

"No. I don't think you do. I don't think any of you did even when you watched me slowly disappear in front of you that I held on overseas knowing, praying that my family was coming for me. Do you think Ella thinks that?"

"I…"

"I think that maybe she was starting to. So I think we only have a few days before she starts to give up. And unlike me, I don't think she'll come back, Demetri. So, get your act together and find your pack or this one you know. We are going to make something happen whether it messes up plans or not. Because I'm not leaving my pack behind. You hear me?"

He paused and looked down at his work. He didn't answer.

"And when you're ready, I hope you know I have a plan. And if I'm right and you are too… I think we can make it better. All of us are in this pack. Finally."

Demetri still didn't say a word as his fists clenched against the desk, stubborn and frustrated and most of all sad.

It leaked a painful ache through the bond, maybe the harshest of all our emotions, cloudy our heads and judgments.

I heaved a heavy breath and didn't care when I slammed the door.

I was done being quiet. Looked like, maybe we all were.

We just had to get our act together.