Victor raises his eyebrow before pulling on a shirt. "Do you want to fill me in there?"
"Chester's hiding out in a safe house, swarming with muscle and hired guns," Ariadne says. "Dustin wants to meet up tomorrow to run over schematics."
That would be the logical answer, only it's not what the Alpha is looking for.
"Not that," Victor elaborates. "I want to know why Chester deserves to be castrated via gunshot wound."
A light dims in the Omega's eyes.
"I don't want to talk about it," Ariadne says, squirming away, turning over in the bed.
Victor reaches forward, hand grazing along the Omega's shoulder. Ariadne immediately shrugs him off and shuffles out from in between the sheets.
"I need a shower," she huffs, bathroom door slamming behind her. The water starts running a moment later.
Victor pushes back the feeling of how disappointed he is. When Ariadne smells like him, he likes it, but the Omega has other plans.
"I'm leaving," Victor spits before Ariadne catches his sleeve. "Let's at least get the blueprints on the place," the Omega suggests. Victor sighs, knowing that Ariadne's right. "Fine." The Alpha steps through the hall to the faithless knights of the roundtable. Nathan stands, looking whitened from stress. "Victor, you came." "I didn't know you'd be here," Victor hisses. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have come." It becomes evident that Dustin has illustrated an elaborate ruse to get them in the same place. "I-I had to," Alpha Dustin defends himself. "I know what you already think of me. I have nothing left to lose anyway." "Just your life," Victor replies, venom dripping from his tongue. Dustin stands, eyes glowing. "Threaten me if you want; I'm used to it. I'm trying to correct things here. I've been playing it your way, with the trades and honor, but that's f*cking bullshit. I'm branded as a rat from the get-go, so f*ck the O
Alcina steps forward as if possessed. "Did- Did Edward do this?" Edward? Chester lets out a pitiful cry. "He's a demon." "That Omega killed all these people," Waylon gasps with surprise. "He did this to you? You can't be serious." Ariadne crouches down so that she's at eye level with Chester. "Tell me where Arthur and Clavin are." Chester laughs, spitting up blood. "I already told him, that monster. Not that he's getting anywhere near Arthur." Ariadne shrugs. "Then you're dead anyway. Arthur executes talkers, you know that." "Will you let me go after? Untie me if I talk," Chester asks, hopeful. "You're kidding, right," Ariadne frowns. "After what you did to me." Chester whispers darkly. "Putting on a show for your Alpha, Aria? You know you liked it. I've never seen an Omega whine and beg so much." The spot between Victor's eyes starts boiling. He's never wanted to kill someone this badly.
Ariadne blinks the crust from her eyes.Her cheeks feel raw from the salt of her tears. Her mind is hazy, as though she'd been sleeping in a tomb.Victor's red irises glimmer in the darkness, watching over her, a dark god.It's night, crickets chirping, lunar light streaming through a tall, thin window."How long have I been out?" Ariadne whispers, consistently like gravel.Victor's fingertips trail around the strands of her hair gently."A few hours," Victor coos. "You have time. We're not hitting Arthur's hideout until tonight. You don't even have to come if-""I want to," Ariadne says undoubtedly. "I want to be there and watch him die."There's no other way to make sure."Like how you did with Chester," Victor whispers, holding her tighter, which Ariadne finds suffocating.The Omega wriggles out of it, pulling the covers over herself as a barrier to Victor's touch.The Alpha sighs. "It hurt you. Watching
Ariadne watches Victor unbelievingly. Victor continues, "I wanted to be with you."Why is it so hard to explain to her?Blush fire runs through the entirety of Ariadne's skin, and she finds that she can't continue.But Ariadne knows the difference, so inherent and prominent. Arthur wanted to own her. Victor just wanted to be with her, know her, be her friend and confidant.And now, the Alpha is more to her than any single title, friend, lover, partner."You'd be surprised at how little I think of you," Ariadne spits, a tremor jolting along her spine at the complete blatancy of that lie.Victor laughs in a sweet, good-natured way, scarlet irises glittering in the dark. He sighs, studying Ariadne with intent. "You didn't tell me everything.""I barely told you anything," Ariadne agrees."I want to hear about why you don't want to be mated," Victor says. "But-Ariadne's stomach sinks."-I know you're not ready yet."
Victor wakes up from a dream he can't remember. All he knows is that he has this burning desire to hold Ariadne in his arms as tightly as possible.Only the Omega isn't there, where she'd been last night, still safely tucked under Victor's embrace.The Alpha swallows the soul-crushing ache and quickly swipes away the tears that are drizzled on his cheeks.What did he dream about?Victor spies a red leather chair, with buttons sewn into the divots and golden painted appendages.Ariadne sits there, a distance away, only half-lit in the gloom of the dawn.She's a ghost, vaporous as the tiny dust fibers swim carelessly through the air.
Victor can't be sure where is gunfire sound is coming from.The Alpha leads his team in, busting down the basement door with a battering ram.He's drowning in his senses. Two Betas whose strange faces he barely registers flop on the ground, choking on their own blood.Someone on his team had covered him.They rush through the staircase, bullets whizzing through the air. The smell of iron coats the inside of Victor's nostrils.Then their body count ups to six, three of them somehow being Victor's.The Alpha's thankful for the toy Lisa got him, exact, quick reload, top of the line, and gold-trimmed."Waylon's been hit. There's someone out here-" Lisa shouts through the radio before cutting out.The f*ck? Waylon's hurt?"Left side is clear," Nathan says right after that. "We're in, headed up to the top floor for Calvin.""Lisa, talk to me. Talk to me, Lamberth," Victor hisses into his receiver. At the same time, he d
"I can't go," Calvin says urgently. "He told me to stay in this chair no matter what happens. I can't move, Ed. I can't- I can't move, or else he'll hurt me again."Victor feels something profoundly painful rip into him.His wolf snarls, wanting to tear through his ribs. He doesn't want to be a man anymore. He wants to run away, slipping into an animal's safe, numb mind."He can't h-hurt you anymore," Edward whispers. "He's not here. He lost. We saved you. Please, Calvin, just come with me. I love you. I promise he'll never touch you again."For a moment, everyone stands still like a statue, then Calvin jumps from his seat and into the silver Omega's arms.The Beta cries so hard, shuddering into the tight embrace. "He hurt me so much."At that moment, Victor's shoulder burns where the bullet had grazed him.Now that the danger has passed, his body wakes up. He is wounded, and his nerves decide to remind him so.But he's relieve
Victor does not give a f*ck. Every drop of effort he ever put in rescuing Calvin swirls down the drain.He's ready to claw the Beta's eyes out, tear his head right off."Then kill me," Calvin says, tears streaming down his face. The boy's whole body vibrates with grief. The kind proceeded with black suits and umbrellas.The Alpha is ready to do it, twist Calvin's thin neck, burn the whole house down and any semblance of a happy family.But the second that Victor takes a step forward, Edward screams and rushes him, one hand still nursing his dislocated shoulder.The boy tackles Victor to the ground, and the momentum is lost."Don't hurt him," Edward shouts, a blubbering mess.Victor doesn't have enough time to right himself. Calvin's going in for the kill, squeezing Ariadne's neck hard."Please, don't," Victor screams, scrambling off the floor.The Beta has no remorse, choking the life from his Omega. "Ariadne-"Th