Page 27 of Venom Island
“You’ve never asked questions?”
She shakes her head, her eyes widening. “Never. My Alpha would have killed me for behaving this way.”
“Your Alpha,” I echo. “As in your father, Bautista?”
Caja visibly shivers, then dips her chin. “Yes. I wasn’t allowed to speak to him.”
I stare down at her. “You couldn’t speak to him?”
She shakes her head again. “I wasn’t worthy of his presence.”
“He told you that?” I ask, my blood heating at the notion.Your father called you unworthy, and all I did was shoot him in the head?
Fuck.
Had I known any of this, I would have taken out his knees first. Let him suffer for a few hours.Thenput a bullet between his eyes.
Her brow furrows. “Yes, as did all the others.”
The others? Multiple people called her worthless?“Who are the others?” I ask aloud, prepared to take mental notes. Because whoever they are, I’m going to fucking annihilate them.
“My pack,” she tells me. “The other Alphas—my brothers, I guess. And the Omegas. They all explained my uselessness, so I understand. My only worth in life is whatever price Alpha Carlos agreed to pay for me, which I gathered wasn’t much.”
I suddenly want to punch something. Or someone. Several someones.
It takes physical effort not to outwardly react to her words. But I don’t want to scare her with my anger.
“Carlos was a monster, Caja,” I reply, my voice a bit more gravelly than usual. “He couldn’t define your worth, even if he tried. Because he never appreciated the beauty and rarity of Omega kind. He only ever sought to profit off the exploitation of those we—Alphas—are meant to care for and cherish.”
She blinks at me. “But… but you worked for him.”
“I did. And I helped kill him.”
“Why?”
“Because I hated him.” It’s a simple response, one I have no trouble uttering.
“Why?” she repeats, her eyes inquisitive.
“It’s a very long story,” I admit.
She winces, her gaze lowering to my chest. “I’m sorry, Alpha. I shouldn’t have asked. It’s not my place to request explanations.”
I reach forward to take her chin between my fingers and guide her eyes back to mine. “Please call me Enrique, Caja. There’s no need to be formal with me.”
She swallows. “I’m sorry.”
“No more apologies either,” I tell her, my thumb stroking her jaw. “You’re more than welcome to talk to me, pequeño tesoro. In fact, I encourage it.”
Her brow is still furrowed, her expression uncertain.
“I wasn’t saying it’s a long story to deter you, Caja. I was going to ask again if you would like to come into the cockpit, as I would much prefer to sit down before I tell you all about my history with Carlos.”
“You really don’t mind?”
“I really don’t,” I tell her softly. “Actually, it’s the opposite; I would love for you to join me.” I release her to gesture to the chairs behind me. “There are even two seats. And the view up here is pretty awesome.”
She glances around me to see the large glass windows. Her eyes round at the sight. “Wow.”
