17. Odie

Mine seemed to calm down in my arms as we stepped into the cabin. She was still curled up in pain, but the lashing out had ceased at the very least. Whatever my father was going to tell us, I wanted to be prepared for the worst and needed space.

I sat in one of the wingback chairs with Carmine in my lap. Cy checked on Oliver to make sure he wasn't actually dead, and when she confirmed he was breathing, she left his bleeding wolf body next to the kitchen. He'd wake up and heal eventually. I knew his relic wasn't simply for his shifting abilities. It also gave him a bit of extra strength and enhanced healing. Nothing but the best for Gerard's right hand.

Cy collapsed in the other chair, and Gerard remained standing as we only left him two options, which were both covered in blood. Cy had stopped bleeding, but she was still covered in a mixture of blood and dirt. Mine's shoulder was destroyed, and I wasn't sure my blood would be enough.

We hid it from the Human world, but Alpha blood had healing properties. It was more of a bandage than anything. Vaila would need to come out, and if needed, a hospital stay might be in Mine's future.

The thought of that pained me, but if she needed it, then so be it.

I held her closer as Gerard began, and he was right, I didn't believe him.

"She's an Omega."

"She's Human," I corrected.

"Yes and no, if what I've heard is correct." Of course he had information that he never shared with us. "I truly didn't believe it when I heard it. I thought it was just old men spouting ignorance to put us over the Humans even further, but with this," he paused and motioned to Mine, "all of it has proven true. I don't know the details, but Mine is an Omega; she just wasn't one yet."

"What are you talking about? Humans don't have designations. They have nothing to do with us." Cy leaned forward, wincing from the movement. Her long blonde hair was falling from her ponytail, and the red streaks created eerie highlights.

Gerard ran his hands down his face, smearing some of the blood that had dripped from his nose. My chest swelled from the pride I had for Mine. She didn't give up even when we were bound by an Omega's command.

"Don't take anything I say as absolute truth. This is all hearsay, and I don't think anyone knows I'm aware of this. If it is true, which at least part of it clearly is, the council must already know."

Gerard sneered. "After all I've done for them and they keep this from me."

Cy and I side-eyed each other. We had never seen this side of him before. Gerard was always on the council's side and left us to practically raise ourselves.

"Humans are a part of the hierarchy, but they also aren't. They were born from it but without a designation. I'm guessing they shoved them off each time one was found, and now we all live separate lives. It"s the Witches but even worse, it seems."

"So every Human has the capability of—what? Triggering the change? But how?" I looked down at Mine, who was so quiet. Her breathing was even, so I hoped she was asleep and avoiding the pain for now. My hand itched to call Vaila.

"I don't know, but I plan to find out. Something must have happened. You shared your blood with her after a traumatic event. I've seen others do the same, but nothing happened to those Humans that I know of."

I quirked my brow. "You have?"

"Yes, Odie, I've seen a lot more than you think. I'm not some useless, uppity Omega." I rolled my eyes. "Fine, yes, I am but not to the extent you think. Everything I've done, I've done for you three. I was absent and hurtful. I know that, but without it, none of you would have had the privileges you were given. The council is ruthless and filled with Omegas who want to keep everyone in line, no matter the costs. I pull what strings I can, but I am only one person."

I pursed my lips. Nothing he said felt like a lie, but believing him was difficult when I had never seen an ounce of it in the past. It was true that I had every advantage and anything I truly wanted besides loving parents to dote on me.

"That's nice, but look where it landed you, landed us," Cy sneered. "Yay, we have money but are broken thanks to absent parents. Dead parents."

"I know. I can't make it up to you, but know that I am on your side even when it doesn't seem like it." Cy started to go off, but Gerard blasted her with his pheromones, and she went silent. "I know, Cybil!" Her fingers gripped the arms of the chair, and the wood beneath the cloth creaked with the force. No one called her that and got away with it. "They cannot find out about this. They cannot find out about her. Do what you have to to keep it hidden. Stay here. I will end the trial, claiming there isn't enough evidence to convict her and I'm dropping the case with Ellie's insistence. If she's found out, you will all be brought before them, and it will not end well." Gerard looked at Cy, holding her blue gaze. "Boost whatever security you have. Don't let anyone on the property or near her. If I'm right, her scent will start changing, and her pheromones will kick in. We have no idea what state she will be in when she wakes up. Who knows what cycle she has, how strong she will be, if she will have control at all."

Oliver started to moan and groan from his spot behind Gerard, but we all ignored him.

"Protect her while I dig into things."

"As if we were going to do anything else," Cy sassed. She really wasn't having it with him tonight. If she could, he'd probably be headless. The last year has really made her soft, given how Oliver was able to take her down as well as myself.

"And Ellie, you are not to speak a word of this." Gerard raised his voice and looked toward the hallway where someone gasped.

"Damn it, Ellie."

"See, she's just like you." Cy nudged me but pulled back with a hiss when she accidentally touched Mine's knee. She stared at her hand, then shook her head in disbelief.

"What about Lucinda?" Ellie asked, stepping into the living room and facing off with our father.

"That's—"

"You still don't believe me, do you?" Ellie's voice wobbled, but she was standing tall and calling him out on his bullshit like I wish I had done sooner.

"It's complicated, Ellie. I am looking into it, but so far, nothing backs your claim. I am letting Mine go; that will have to be enough for now."

"It's not." Ellie turned on her heel and marched from the room. Her door slammed, and we all remained in silence for a moment. This wasn't Ellie's usual behavior, but a lot had happened recently, and I certainly wasn't going to hold it against her. Besides, she was right.

Gerard recovered faster than the rest of us and said, "Call me if you need anything. I will answer when I can." Turning around, he spoke to the Beta. "Oliver, get up. We are leaving." Maybe he wasn't as much of a cherished pet as I thought.

He grunted and groaned as he pushed himself up in Human form. Thanks to whatever magic was infused in his ring, he was still fully clothed, minus sections that were ripped.

"A gun was a cheap shot."

"Ripping off someone's arm warranted much more. Be happy I didn't kill you." I stood up, turning my back on them. "Leave, and keep us informed. Whatever she is, it's going to fuck things up for the Primarchy." I kept walking until I was in my room and stepped into the bathtub, setting her down in the porcelain bowl.

Cy stepped in with her phone to her ear. "I don't care what you're doing, so get here now, Vaila."

She hung up and sat on the toilet seat. "Vaila's on her way. I don't think—"

"I know. She deserves to be clean and cared for until then. We will figure something out."

With slow hands and the help of Cy holding her up, we got her shirt and pants off before covering her slightly with a towel and then wetting her hair, being careful of her shredded arm. Without a hospital and a surgeon, there was no saving it. My blood and Vaila's magic and herbs could only do so much. The bleeding stopped, and that would have to be enough.

The water ran red as we cleaned her hair, grateful that she was still passed out and unable to feel anything. When she woke up, it would be the beginning of the end. Losing an arm and finding out your entire life was even more of a lie than you thought was not something I'd wish upon anyone, especially Mine. She had already been through so much.

With her hair cleaned, Cy wrapped it up into a messy bun to keep it out of the way. When she looked down, she gasped and went still.

"Fuck. Double fuck. Is that—Fuck," she cursed, drawing out the last word.

"What more could there possibly be, Cy?" She moved and pointed to Mine's back.

Where there was once tan skin was now vitiligo crawling up her spine in a blotchy but swirling fashion. "Maybe she had it before. It's not like we've seen her naked."

"Believe what you want, but I'm checking as soon as we're done here."

My hands shook with the possibility. Cy didn't mean she was going to check herself as she hadn't shared blood with Mine, but I had, and if this was what we thought it was, everything was changing once again.

We cleaned her up and wrapped her in a large soft towel before depositing her in my bed. We stood over her, refusing to move or face the fact that she could be much more than just some Omega we were caring for.

"Do you feel anything?" Cy asked.

"No, but we have been acting differently." Now that I thought about it and the room cleared of the unwanted Primarchs, a new scent filled my nostrils. Peaches and mint. I had been around Mine far too long to not have noticed this before. Her scent clinging to me and soothing some of the panic made it clear who she was to me even if I didn't want to admit it, didn't want to check the markings.

"You could just let me check. Not like she drank anyone else's blood." Cy reached over and gripped the hem of my shirt.

I slapped her away. "Not yet. I don't want to know yet." If she was mine, was ours, I'd break. We let so much happen to her. We let her avoid us for weeks instead of getting to know her.

We were shitty fucking Alphas, and if Mine was our mate, then we were shit at that too.