While I know for certain none of those men would hurt an Omega, they all just left a horrific situation. It’s hard to differentiate who are the bad guys and who are the good guys. I mean, I knew the club wasn’t wholly good, but fuck, I never thought things would be this bad. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the fact I lived under the same roof as a monster. I’m not sure that guilt will ever go away. Especially as I look at all the devastated faces around me. He put these Omegas through hell.
There’s one Omega who looks completely unphased, however. The only male Omega in the group. He stands in the corner with his arms crossed as he seems to watch over the women. He looks over at me, but nothing on his face reads as hostile; it’s like he is keeping a mental note of everyone who comes and goes from the house.
I break his stare as I open the back door and head down to the dock. The warm outdoor air is welcoming compared to the overwhelming scents from inside the lake house.
Shelby is sitting with her back to me as her feet dangle over the side. I hope she doesn’t hate me or tell me to fuck off as soon as she sees it’s me.
I take a deep breath, sliding off my shoes, and sitting down right beside her.
She doesn’t look over at me, and my stomach pinches.
“I can’t look at you right now,” she says softly.
“Shelby… I’m so fucking sorry,” I reply, and try to hold back tears.
Her uninjured arm reaches out as she places a hand on my thigh. Her other one is tied up into a sling, and her poor face is still covered in yellowing and purple bruises.
“I’m not mad at you. It’s just if I look at you I’ll seehim,and I can’t handle that right now,” she admits.
I swallow, and I can understand what she’s trying to get across. Leon and I looked so much alike, and I’m just a reminder of everything that’s happened. I wonder if she’ll ever be able to look at me.
“You know about what Kurt made him do?” I ask her, wondering what she’s been told.
“Doc told me,” she replies with a sigh. “I knew something was off. I knew he was gone too much. I knew he was drinking way more than he should. But it just felt like when we were together I could make his worries disappear, so I never pushed him. I just wanted to be the person who could bring him peace.”
“This isn’t on you.”
“It’s not on you either,” she shoots back, still not looking at me.
“It feels like it is.”
Shelby turns her head and stares at me, her sad blue eyes meeting mine. She doesn’t cry, but it looks like she wants to.
“It’s not your fucking fault, and he would be so angry hearing you say that.Youdidn’t kidnap all those Omegas inside.Youdidn’t make him join the Wraiths.Youdidn’t take us away from our home.Youdidn’t break my arm. Andyousure as fuck didn’t kickstart your heat during the worst moment of your life. Soyouwill not hold the weight of a horrible man’s decisions on your shoulders, do you understand me?”
I swallow thickly, holding back my own tears.
“I understand.”
She whips her head back toward the lake, no longer able to look at me as she sighs.
“They won’t let me help,” she scoffs.
“What? The club?” I ask, wondering why she would ever think they’d let her.
I might be bonded to Cash, married to Axel, and brought into the fold of some club business, but I’m not a true member… and I never will be.
“Yeah, I want to gut that motherfucker and his disgusting club,” she seethes.
I don’t bring up that she has a broken arm, a swollen-to-hell face, and that she wouldn’t be able to do much.
“I think all you can do is keep yourself safe and try to move on,” I tell her, trying to take my own advice.
“It just doesn’t feel like enough. I feel like I should be doing more.”
“I know,” I reply, resting my head on her shoulder. I let out a sigh of relief when her head rests against my own.
Shelby doesn’t hold me responsible for what happened, so I shouldn’t either. But that’s always easier said than done.
