Chapter 11
Going Home
Mace
Liora looked different. Drastically so. It wasn't just the weight loss, though she was definitely starving, it was the light in her eyes. It had gone away completely. She once looked at us like we were her everything and now, she barely made eye contact and when she did, it was like we were strangers. She was a dull, lifeless version of the omega who had left us two years ago.
I gripped the steering wheel tighter, refusing to glance into the back seat where she was leaning against the window. Her nose was broken, her breath ragged when she breathed through it. The swelling and bruising in her face made me think someone had hit her and hard. Was it her new pack? Had she been kidnapped? She was so far from where we had started out thatshe must have been taken by someone. And where were her new alphas? Why hadn't they protected her.
Suddenly, it hit me that she should be returning to her new pack, not us. A searing pain ripped through my chest and everyone in the car jumped a little as they felt it through the bonds. Liora was asleep, curled into the door, but she whimpered. The sound nearly did me in.
"Should we be taking her back to her pack? Or the ORC?" I wondered aloud."
"No, we're taking her home. She belongs with us." Finn sounded more decided that I did.
"Home. Fuck her new pack, they weren't therer to save her," Aiden said from the back seat, where I knew he was just staring at the woman across from him. "We're the ones who picked her up. Unless she asks to return to them, she stays."
I nodded. It made sense, though I wasn't sure what the ORC's policies were on this sort of thing. Stealing an omega was illegal, but if the stolen omega was in agreement, did that make a difference?
The three hours back home were excruciating. Despite stepping on the gas, the miles passed slowly and it was dawn before the house came into view. I breathed a sigh of relief and drove through the automatic gate, parking in the garage next to the other five cars.
Liora jerked upright, startled by the sudden silence and Aiden calmed her. "We're home, it's okay."
She blinked and looked around, her face wary.
"Come on, let's get you inside and warmed up."
She hadn't eaten any of the snacks the guys brought, but she'd finished her gingerale and a bottle of water. She must need to pee by now.
Everyone got out of the car. Liora staggered a little, but managed to stand upright, her hand bracing on the car. In thebrighter lighting of the garage, she looked particularly bad. Her face was pale, except where it was bruised. Dark circles showed up under her eyes and her hair was dull.
"What are you wearing?" Aiden tilted his head to one side.
"I had no clothes, so I just put on what I could find." She fingered the thin fabric of the t-shirt and pulled up the huge sweatpants. "It's fine."
"Come on, let's get settled in. We need some answers." I waved a hand toward the living room.
She hesitated. "May I please use the bathroom first?"
I nodded, already impatient. While she was away, I sent Finn to find food and drinks, Aiden to get a blanket and I turned on the lights in the living room. It was time to find out just what had happened to our little omega.
Chapter 12
Back in Town
Liora
The house hadn't changed at all. I used the toilet and washed my hands in the guest bathroom that I'd picked the colors for so long ago. Using one of the mauve washcloths, I wiped the blood away from my face and neck, then ran my fingers through my hair to loosen any pine needles that had caught there. I looked like a total disaster. Mace would probably toss me out just for that.
Reluctantly, I returned to the living room to find all the guys there, each holding a cup of coffee. Finn handed me one as I approached and I stood awkwardly, not sure where to sit.
"Take the rocking chair," Mace said.
I wove between the others to reach the padded rocking chair that hadn't been here when I left. Setting my milky coffee on theside table, I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. My eyes stayed focused on the coffee table in the middle of the room, with its artful splay of architecture and tech magazines. It was all so perfect and here I sat, a complete mess. Broken and dirty.
"Cookie?" Finn offered me a plate.
I shook my head. I was far too anxious to eat right now.
