He snaps his jaw closed, his scent turning bitter as he stares at us. My chest is heaving as I try to contain my wrath, every muscle tense as a bow string and ready to snap. Neveah turns away, snagging my hand and forcefully dragging me with her back to the house. I don’t want to turn my back on them for one second, but it’s clear they’re beat, and the others can handle it if they try anything.
Both of our scents have a slightly burnt edge as we take up residence on the porch. I ache to have my omega, no—my entire pack—wrapped up in my arms, but my alpha instincts won’t let me move until the threat is eliminated.
My entire body is vibrating, on edge as blood rushes through my veins. It’s all I can do to stand here when every cell inside me is screaming to make them suffer, to ensure they can never again look at or speak to, touch or even think about our omega.
I glance at Vee to see her eyes narrowed, fixed on Josh, and her body rigid with tension. She’s hiding it well, but her jaw ticks rhythmically, and the tendons on her hands and arms stand out as she also does her best to hold her instincts in check.
The sheriff finally drives up with his lights flashing, blue and red sweeping across the field while we stand protectively in front of the door. Vee doesn’t say a word as they’re both handcuffed before being forced into squad cards, with Steve pleading innocence and Josh spitting insults the whole way.
Then one of the other alphas offers to move their truck out to the road; we can call a tow tomorrow. I shake hands, nod my head, and Vee murmurs thanks over and over untilfinally, almost everyone who doesn’t live here trails back down the road to their cars in groups of two and three, leaving me with my pack.
Chapter Sixty-Three
Sage
I watch from the window as Josh falls on his face, and shock spears through me. Someone gasps behind me, but I ignore it, all my focus on the men who controlled every aspect of my life for years.
I can’t reconcile the alpha laying in the dirt with the one who terrorized me. He’s never been fallible before. And yet, here he is, so easily tripped and humiliated.
My alphas stand tall and resolute, the center of a line of strength. Pride flits through me alongside the disbelief that this is actually happening. Neveah’s voice carries through the window, and her confidence sends my insides trembling.
“My pack mate here—Sage’s scent-match, by the way—is about to snap, and I don’t know if you’d survive his rage,” she says, voice low and controlled, a threat wrapped up in fact.
I shiver, my perfume blooming around me. Then Siobhan giggles, nudging me with her hip.
“I don’t blame you,” she whispers conspiratorially in my ear. “That was hella hot.”
My omega wants to growl at her, but then she keeps talking.
“And did you see Aury?” She sighs, and I turn to see her practically swooning as she twists a loose blonde strand around her fingers. “The way he glided out there and tripped him? That was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
We turn our focus back outside to see Brooks and Vee striding up the porch steps with everyone else surrounding Josh and Steve. They don’t come inside, and I’m tempted to rip the front door open so I can jump in their arms.
But I promised I’d remain inside, so I stay put.
Red and blue light up the night, and the sheriff pulls up as people part for him and two other squad cars. His lips move as he talks to Steve first, handcuffing him and putting him in one of the other cars.
Then he turns to Josh who is still struggling on the ground beneath the weight of the alpha who pinned him. He puts up a fight when the sheriff attempts to cuff him, and my heart races in my chest when I get a glimpse of the twisted fury on his face. Then two other officers jump in to help restrain him, and my view is blocked by bodies.
I hope I never have to see either of their faces again.
Vee and Brooks wait until the police and everyone but the mystery alphas leave, and only then do they turn to unlock and open the door. I hadn’t even realized they locked it behind them, or maybe Riley or one of the others did. They stride over to me, Riley mirroring their movements from the living room where he was recording everything on his tablet, and then I’m being cocooned in comfort.
Sharp eucalyptus cuts through the confusing muddle of scents from so many others being in our space, and Riley’s sweet lemon is a fresh burst dragging me between the two of them. Then warm cedar wood and earthy patchouli surroundme; Brooks wraps his arms around all three of us, pulling us into his wall of safety and cocooning us in his scent and strength. My heart slows, my breathing settling as we take a quiet moment to absorb all that happened.
“It’s over, Petal,” Brooks murmurs, loosening his hold just slightly. Vee places a hand on the back of my neck, her fingers slipping to my hair.
“I got it all recorded, they won’t be getting out of this one,” Riley says.
“They’re done,” Vee confirms, the note of finality in her voice cementing it.
“On the off chance he gets a lesser sentence, Steve is certainly not risking coming after you again. I think he might have pissed himself,” Riley comments with a snort, pulling away from us and turning to the omega gardening club and the remaining alphas.
“Thank you for coming,” he says. “I can’t believe so many people showed up for us, and I can’t tell you how much we appreciate it.”
I remain tucked between Vee and Brooks, their scents overwhelming every inhale as murmurs of support drift around us. My omega brain has taken over.
They smell so good I want to roll around between them, bare skin on bare skin. My brain shows me a slideshow of how strong they were outside, amping up my desire. The way Brooks looked ready to beat Steve to a pulp, and how Neveah stood looming over Josh while he lay in the dirt.
