The next severalhours were chaos.
Alpha Donnelly came in, looking haggard and avoiding Mason’s gaze. Then everyone went to the cell where Jerome was shackled to a table. As we walked in, he made a lunge for Mason, but failed to reach him thanks to the length of chain.
The bars were thankfully another layer of protection.
Once Donnelly had calmed down, he sat facing the cell, glaring at his son.
“I said letting them talk on opposite sides of the bars would be a good thing,” Mason murmured.
I had to agree. Donnelly’s expression held nothing but disgust and loathing.
“Why the fuck did you do this?” he demanded. “More importantly,howdid you do it? There was no trace of you at the house. And tell me how I can be sitting a few feet away from you, and not be able to smell you. Atall.”
Jerome stared back defiantly, his jaw set, his eyes an unnatural pale yellow, and his skin not far off from that color.
Dude’s been taking something.
“Wolfsbane,” Jerome snapped. “I’d heard that in controlled doses it masks our scents.” He shrugged. “Looks like it was true, because you’re right—no one even knew I’d been there.” His lips curled into a cold smile. “Thanks to the shirt I stole, they all thought it was you.”
Donnelly paled.
“Why? Why would you attack an Omega? And why did you try to framemefor it?”
Guilt flushed through me.I fell for it. I believed it.
Jerome slammed his hands on the tabletop, and the guards reached for their weapons.
“Because you took him from me! He’smyOmega. You all promised him to me, and then you stole him from me.” His eyes were wild. “I went to see him, to bring him home and I saw them. He wasfuckingmy Omega! The Omega had his arms wrapped around his neck and he was smiling and happy as he bounced up and down on that cock. And I would never know the tightness that was promised to me.Owedto me!”
Holy fuck.
“Mason is owned by me!” I growled. “And guess what? His ass?Sofucking tight. It’s like sticking your dick in a vise.”
“Kip, not helping,” Mason grumbled.
Jerome glared at me. “I decided if I couldn’t have what was mine, thenno oneshould. It was all so fucking easy too. Everyonelovesthe Omega,no onewould hurt him,” he said with a sneer. “So I decided to take him away from everyone.”
He was well and truly gone. Completely insane. I almost felt bad for him.
Almost.
“Do you have any idea at all how much I hate you for that?” Jerome’s gaze cut over to Mase. “How much I hate him?” That look was pure ice. “You could have been mine, but instead you went with that… freak.”
Mason’s hand crept around mine.
I squared my shoulders. “And you can fuck right off,” I growled. “Mason didn’t want you because you were cruel and rude.”
“He’s an Omega.” Jerome raised his chin, his expression superior. “He didn’t have a choice.”
“And that rightthereis the reason I didn’t want you,” Mason snapped. “I’ll be honest, I’d rather be dead than be forced to be with you.”
Jerome smirked. “Don’t worry, I plan to make that a reality.”
Alpha Donnelly’s shoulders slumped. “Kip, Mason, I’m so very sorry for what my son has put you through.”
“It’s not your fault.” Mase’s voice was gentle. He stared at Jerome. “Why did you want me so badly?”
“With you, I would have hadplentyof people begging to be in my polycule,” Jerome snarled. “You were the key to my future, then my father gave you away to ahuman.” He sneered. “Or something trying to pass as a human.”
