Page 11 of Bonds and Beasts

A roar cracks through the space and my hands fly to my ears, covering them. He must be the lead alpha because the other two don't say anything after that.

Black shoes and linen pants stride into view. I hold my breath. Hands come down and the feet disappear as the angry alpha lowers himself to his stomach like Dean did, glaring under the bed. He’s paler than Dean, with long black hair hanging away from his face. Gray eyes find me immediately.

For a moment neither of us moves. Then he takes me in—really takes me in—and something in his face changes. I am shaking. I know I must look small and disheveled, pressed as far back against the wall as I can manage, and whatever he expected to find under this bed was not this. His jaw tightens. His eyes, hard a second ago, are now stricken like he’s done something wrong by looking at me. When I whine, high and involuntary, he flinches like I hit him.

He does not reach for me. He does not say anything at all. He just stares for one more breath, something dark and unhappy moving behind his eyes, before he pushes himself up off the floor and disappears, leaving me alone under the bed with my heart still hammering.

Bello

I've frightened my omega. My absolute mate. There's no doubt in the core of my being what that omega is to me. I am hers—her alpha, her protector, her companion in this life, and I have horribly damaged everything that entails, if not irreparably broken it.

She looked at me as though I were a wild animal, as if I were her worst fears made flesh. I lean against the wall outside her door where Easton and Dean are still trying to calm her. Her breathing is ragged, her omega whines alive in the air. They may as well be knives carving into my flesh for how keenly I feel them. I want to comfort her. To make her feel safe from her fears. But I am her fear.

Bile and a fierce heat lick at my guts and force my hands into fists. I'd bellow and roar and smash everything in this godforsaken room if she couldn’t hear me. If I wasn't afraid it would scare her further away from me.

Low murmurs tell me that Dean's still talking her down. Dean, who she doesn't shake for. Dean, who she sought out as a shield from my monstrous presence. I want to rage at him. I want to rip her from his presence. But here in the cool darkness of this forgotten study, I can't be anything but relieved that at least part of my pack is able to help her.

She hasn't said a word.

Moonlight begins to spill into the room. I march across the hall and through the red door, stopping only once I reach my room. I slam the door and snatch my cell phone up from my bed. I start to dial the number Mr. Clocks left us, but stop. There's no way that man didn't know there was an omega in this house. He knew, and he purposely didn't say anything to me or to Lumi. Whatever this is, he's the reason. Tipping him off that we know about her could put her in danger.

Lumi might be able to do something, but she's just as likely to sell the story to the nearest tabloid or news outlet. After all, we won't be her clients much longer. She's seeking to gain in whatever way she can.

The police are an option, but what would I even say? There's an omega living in a very nice room in a wing of the manor we're renting and were told not to go into?

Likely, they'd call Mr. Clocks. Likely, he'd have an easy explanation. Whatever excuse he'd spew, I know I wouldn't buy it. I saw that omega. From the dark circles under her eyes to the way she appears to be wasting away, it's clear she has more issues than her fear of me. Disheveled and unkempt, like she hadn't been out in a very long time.

Who does that leave?

I press a name pinned to the top of my contacts list. It rings twice before Dr. Cameron Reed answers. "Bello, how are you?" he asks.

"Not great," I growl.

"What happened?" His voice sharpens and I hear his footsteps and the rustle of papers in the background.

"No, it's not me or my pack," I clarify. Cam is a doctor-to-the stars type. He's a balding beta man and despite his job, we've become good friends. He's never leaked anything to anyone, and with the amount of off-screen fights Dean's gotten into, he's had plenty of opportunities.

I explain about the hotel, the last minute rental, the tug at my center, the dreams, my rut, the omega.

The omega.

I wish I knew her name. She lingers in my mind long after I'm done speaking.

Cam listens and when I’m finished speaking, he pauses so long that it sets my teeth on edge.

"What do you think?" I snap.

"I think this is the weirdest situation you've ever called me about."

"Cam!"

"Okay, okay. Still have some high alpha hormones running through your system, clearly."

The terrified eyes flash through my mind.

"I scared her, Cam, I—" I choke on the words and fall back against the wall, leaning my head back.

"Alright, not the time for jokes, sorry. At least she wasn't hurt."