Page 87 of Shades of Scars

“The fact that you think purchasing a human being, omega or not, automatically entitles you to ownership is absolutely disgusting.” For the first time since we’d arrived here, Kate cuts in over me before I can respond, spitting venom back at Levi.

I want to be proud of her, but the look that twists his features makes my heart plummet to the bottom of my feet. He snarls, his hand snapping out to reach for her, but a gunshot cracks through the air before he can so much as get five inches away from her.

Levi’s body jerks, and I hear Jacob bellow something in the distance, but the only thing I can focus on is the perfect hole smoking between the alpha’s eyes as he falls to his knees, before slumping face first in the space in front of us.

Kate cries out when another gunshot cracks the air, and then Jacob’s bellowing is cut off. I gingerly lean forward to peer around my frantic best friend to watch the other alpha drop like a sack of bricks to the rooftop a few feet away from the chopper.

Holy fuck.Levi is dead. Jacob is probably dead.

“What the fuck-” Kate starts to screech, but then a body pops through the opening of the chopper, a man I don’t recognize, and dread fills my gut. I’m jerking forward as he reaches for her before I can think it through. I propel myself with enough force that my body slams into his before his fingers can touch Kate, and then the both of us are sailing out of the chopper.

I cry out when his strong arms wrap around me as his back slams into the pebbled rooftop, jarring my body in a way that tells me it isn’t a good thing. My vision swims as every broken piece of me sings like a fucked up canary. The scent of extra fragrant vanilla and sweet cream suffocates me, but the alpha is quickly releasing me when a ferocious snarl rips through the air.

“Fuck! I didn’t mean to touch her, man!” My body hits the ground as the man is yanked up and away from me. Then, a sob burst free from me ashisscent washes over me next. Winter evergreen and rich, decadent dark chocolate.

When I look up through my curtain of tangled, blonde hair to see Caito holding the strange alpha up off the ground by his throat, my heart cracks and my lungs cease to work. Kate is yelling, and I look over my shoulder briefly on instinct to see another man pulling her out of the chopper, but he isn’t being rough with her.

“For fucks sake, Archer! Drop Cash and help your omega!” The dark haired man now clutching a wildly thrashing Kate to his chest barks at my alpha, who drops the golden haired alpha so he can fall on his knees beside me.

I whimper when he gently pulls me up into his arms. Someone hands him a jacket that he tucks around me as best as he can while he pulls up to his feet with me cradled against his broad chest. I only have eyes for my alpha.

And with one whispered phrase, my body finally succumbs to the darkness. “Mo chroí.”

57

Caito

Ahand lands on my shoulders, but I don’t take my heavy lidded eyes off of my omega’s sleeping form. “How is she doing?” I shrug off War’s hand. He knows I don’t like to be touched. Still, my eyes don’t waver.

“Kate wants to visit.”

“Does it look like I give a fuck?” I rumble, pressing my cheek into my palm, the rough stubble I really should have shaved days ago prickling the skin there.

Warrick crosses into my line of sight, but he doesn’t get too close to the hospital bed where my omega is laying. He crosses his big arms over his chest, pulling the fabric of his expensively tailored suit jacket taut across his broad shoulders. He looks like he’s just gotten out of an executive board meeting. He’s the clean cut, Italian knock-off of Wren.

“You know I don’t like denying my omega, just like you wouldn’t.”

Finally, I flick my gaze to him. My unimpressed gaze. “We don’t owe each other anything anymore, Warrick. In fact, I’m surprised you aren’t hoardingyouromega back in your lair away from prying eyes.”

The leader of the infamous Infinity Ring sighs before scrubbing a hand over his face, that golden ring with the organization’s symbol glinting in the low lights of Scarlett’sprivate room. I’m going to have to have a discussion with Sutton about allowing him through when he knows I don’t want to be bothered.

It’s been five days since we got our omega back and she’d blacked out.

Five days of never taking a full breath of air. Five days of sitting my ass in this chair. Five days of wondering if I’d ever see her beautiful eyes open again.

The only upside being that Apollo woke up three days ago.

Today is the day he’s supposed to be wheeled down to sit with her. Maybe then I’ll allow myself a few hours of rest. Wren has been busy cleaning up the mess we’d left behind in our wake rescuing the omegas. Everything had been done relatively legally, but to the public, Harlan Erossi escaped.

The world will never know that the asshole won’t live to see another day once our omega wakes up and deals out her own justice. To the world, he’ll just be another criminal on the run.

“Kate isn’t a threat to her. She just wants to sit and talk with her. It might help her wake up.” War suggests gently, more so than I’m used to coming from him, and I growl.

“She’ll wake up when she is ready. Her body needs rest.” I snap, losing my grip for a split second on my carefully bottled away emotions. Internally, I curse myself out for my lapse in control. I know better than to show that kind of weakness around a man like Warrick Arson.

“Consider it a favor. One you can cash in at any time for any task. Just let my omega sit here for twenty minutes. You don’t even have to leave.” He bargains, sounding far too desperate, and I scoff.

“I wouldn’t leave anyway, but fine. She can visit until Lark brings Apollo down. Our pack gets priority with visitation.” Relief swamps War’s features, and he nods.

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