Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Cool air stirred the fine hairs on her cheek, rousing her back to the consciousness she hadn’t full realisation she had lost.  Her hand reached out for the passenger beside her, eyes snapping open when her searching fingers found only emptiness and broken glass.  Gasping, she fumbled at the constriction across her chest and stomach – aware but uncaring of the way her body rebelled with every tiny movement.  She pushed against the buckled door, sending needles of pain though her chest that made lights dance in front of her eyes.  But pain was just pain – it had been a constant companion her entire life and was easy to ignore when all she cared about was finding her.  The door eventually surrendered to her weak shoves, and she half fell, half slid from the seat and stumbled into the road.  Too much breath lost, too much missing oxygen from adrenalin-soaked muscles, had her dropping to one knee.  She sucked in deep lungful’s, trying not to wince with each one.  A few seconds was all she gave herself before she pressed her hand to the side of the wrecked jeep and levered herself to her feet.  She used the side of the vehicle for support as she shuffled around it, hand sliding along the scratched and buckled metal. 

Reaching the other side, a sudden surge of protectiveness made her straighten, ‘Don’t touch her!  Get away from her!’  The echoes of a lifetime cast across her mind’s eye were shredded and cast aside, replaced by the depth of her feelings for the other Omega.  Waverly was half slumped against the tilted wheel, eyes closed and head hanging down. 

He had been bending over her, large hands at her shoulders but now he stood and Waverly slid a little further to the side.  ‘I was just getting her to sit down!’ he replied, voice and hands raised defensively but then lowering as his defensiveness turned to resentment, ‘And anyways – you were the dumb bitch who swerved into my lane!’

Guilt swelled her stomach and dropped her against the side of the jeep again.  Her breath escaped in a gasped, ‘I’m sorry …’ although it wasn’t clear which of the two in front of her that she was aiming it at.

  ‘Jeezus,’ he mumbled and hurried over.  His hands took her, probably much in the same way he had Waverly, and lowered her to the ground beside the semi-conscious woman.

Rosita wanted to thank him but could not spare words when all that mattered was seeing if Waverly was okay.  ‘Waverly-Can you hear me-You okay?’

  ‘Give her a minute,’ the truck driver told her, not unkindly, ‘She’s had a crack to the head,’

  ‘M-Okay,’ Waverly mumbled groggily and lifted her head on an unsteady neck, turning glazed eyes to Rosita, ‘Is it time to get up, ‘Nonna?’  Her chin fell against her chest again and she became silent.

The sound of a siren had Rosita trying to stand but the truck driver pushed forcefully on her shoulder, keeping her on the ground.  ‘You’re staying right there,’

She looked over at Waverly who had started to come round a little more.  ‘I’m not going anywhere,’ she said quietly, more to silence the desire to keep running that had started to heat every fibre of her being as the insidious memory of why she had fled in the first place crept back through her consciousness.

  ‘Hey, Sheriff,’ the truck driver said, stepping back from the women.

Nedley had his phone halfway to his mouth as he studied the two-seated Omegas.

  ‘No … ambulance …’ Waverly mumbled and then louder, reaching out to take Rosita’s hand, ‘We’re okay, right?’

Rosita disengaged her fingers from Waverly’s and gently turned her head so she could study the glistening blood on the side of her face.  ‘I think you should get checked out,’ she said softly.

Nedley was lowering the phone but was ready to lift it again if needed, ‘Ms Earp?’

  ‘We’re okay, Sheriff Nedley,’ she replied, her voice getting a little stronger with each passing moment.

Apparently satisfied, he looked from one to the other, ‘Okay – which one of you did I see driving like a madman out of town?’

They both looked up – at least that explained how he got to the scene so quickly.

Rosita climbed to her feet, head bowed, ‘That was me,’

  ‘Damn straight it was!’ the truck driver snarled, ‘I watched her climb out the driver’s side – she can’t deny she was driving,’

  ‘I didn’t hear her trying to deny anything,’ Nedley responded and then waved at the truck on the other side of the road, ‘You got any damage?’

  ‘No – but it was close,’

  ‘Alright then,’ Nedley nodded, ‘You can continue on your way – drop your details into the station when you’re have a moment, okay?’

  ‘Yeah, okay,’ he seemed grateful to have permission to leave and headed for his truck without another word.

The two Omegas watched in silence while the Sheriff radioed in to say all was well and to request a recovery.  The wrecked jeep had rolled and come to rest on its wheels, far enough off the road to not be a hazard to passing traffic – other than a distraction for rubberneckers, which was why Nedley was keen to get the vehicle removed.

Tucking his radio away, he looked from one Omega to the other, ‘I still think I should take you to the hospital,’

Waverly looked at him, ‘We’re fine, I promise,’

  ‘Then I’ll take you back to the Club, that’s where your Alpha – ?’

  ‘Please – not there,’

Rosita’s head shot round, wide eyes falling on Waverly as she heard the words she had wanted to shout herself.

Waverly seemed just as surprised by her own response but she followed it up with, ‘The Homestead – take us there,’

Nedley rocked back on his heels, pursing his lips, ‘Your Alpha is gonna – ’

  ‘Please,’ Rosita begged, tearing her gaze from the other Omega.

Heaving a breath, the Sheriff nodded and waved at his cruiser, ‘Come on,’

The Jeep had long disappeared behind them before Rosita turned in the backseat and whispered, ‘Why did you ask to go back to the Homestead?’  The word ask did little to convey Waverly’s tone when she had near begged the Sheriff – and it was that, more than anything else, that Rosita needed an answer to.

Waverly didn’t look at her as she replied just as quietly, ‘When you left the club you were obviously running from something …’ she swallowed, ‘… or someone,’

Rosita was quick to judge the way Waverly wouldn’t look at her and her heart pounded against her chest, her throat drying as she stifled a sob long enough to whisper, ‘I am so sorry …’

Waverly did turn then, eyes wide, ‘Oh Rosita – I’m not angry at you!’ her hand slid along the seat to take Rosita’s fingers in hers, desperate to try and convey the way she had felt Rosita’s terror and how anxious she was to try and help.

The show of kindness, of affection, of forgiveness was too much and Rosita’s features crumpled.  She fell against Waverly and sobbed quietly, too weak to even vent the cries that made her lungs ache.  Waverly whispered soothing words she knew would not be heard but could only hope that the connection between them would let them be felt.

Rosita had stopped crying by the time they reached the Homestead and the sound of the Sheriff confirming their arrival seemed to seal her resolve to pull her out of the terrified, guilty mess she had all but dissolved into.  She straightened, lifted her chin and sucked in a deep breath.  Waverly watched her, impressed but still recognising it for it was – a needed façade.  Even as a Beta, the Sheriff deserved Rosita’s respect and that meant not being forced to bear witness to whatever fear and misery still made her tremble.  Nedley seemed grateful for her efforts and nodded as he held the car door open for her.

Rosita climbed out and turned instantly to offer her hand as Waverly slid along the seat behind her, ‘Here …’

  ‘I’m fine,’ Waverly tried to smile but hesitated on unsteady legs and quickly surrendered to Rosita’s help in guiding her towards the porch steps.  Once there, she leaned heavily on the other Omega as they climbed.

Nedley followed, spinning his Stetson between his fingers as he watched uselessly.  He might have wanted to help but he would not set hands on them without their Alpha’s permission.  Halfway up the stairs, he quickly hurried ahead and tried the handle, shaking his head when he found it unlocked.  ‘You’re a long way out of town here …’ he mumbled.

Waverly knew what he meant – he wasn’t confident that Nicole’s influence stretched this far.  Waverly, however, was less concerned.  The Homestead was both out-of-the-way and rundown enough to not draw any attention.

Rosita helped her inside and sat Waverly down at the kitchen table before moving around the area with efficiency.  Quickly finding a first-aid kit, she brought it with a bowl of water back to the table.  The call to action seemed to calm her and her hand was steady as she cleaned the laceration at Waverly’s scalp. 

  ‘Is it okay?’ Nedley asked from his place by the door.

  ‘I think the sticky-strips will hold it closed,’ Rosita responded, glancing over her shoulder.

Nedley held her gaze for a moment, ‘And what about you?’

  ‘I’m fine,’ she replied.  When she turned back to her charge.

Waverly looked up at her with an exasperated expression and half sighed, ‘Sheriff, could you please grab that towel and some ice from the freezer?’

  ‘You shouldn’t get these wet,’ Rosita commented as she opened a pack of strips.

  ‘It’s not for – ’ she stopped, wincing as the wound at her scalp was closed by the first of two strips, ‘ – me,’

  ‘I’m fine,’ Rosita told her.

Waverly looked up, ‘I can feel what you feel, remember?’

Rosita swallowed, her own gaze dropping guiltily.

  ‘And I’m just feeling an echo of what you are so,’ she reached out for the towel and ice bundled within, ‘Now put this on your ribs and don’t argue,’

Nedley looked from one to the other, lost from the conversation and apparently wondering if it was something he wanted to even know about.  He quickly decided it wasn’t and straightened, settling his Stetson over his fine, wavy hair.  His features were set as he told them, ‘I only brought you here because you practically begged me to – but I gotta go tell your Alpha where you are and what’s happened or she’s gonna kick my ass,’ he forced a lightness into his voice that none of the trio believed.

  ‘Thank you, Sheriff,’ Waverly said tiredly, ‘I promise that if you get any backlsssh …’ she paused when she heard the slur in her words and took a breath before trying again, ‘… backlash … then I will straighten everything out,’

Nedley’s features became lined with near fatherly concern, ‘I think I should take you to the hospital.  Maybe you got a concussion?’

She waved him away with a weak hand, ‘I’m fine – just tired,’

Rosita rested her hand on Waverly’s shoulder, ‘She can sleep, I’ll make sure to wake her regularly to check she’s okay,’

  ‘Very well,’ the Sheriff nodded reluctantly as his eyes shifted to Rosita, ‘I guess you’ve tended to your fair share of injuries at the Casino, eh?’  His gaze was deep and meaningful, telling her that he knew about Doc’s place and that she had spent time there helping out when she could. 

She dipped her head in a small, silent answer.  She wondered if he knew that she had visited Docs several times before that too, most notably when the brand Bobo had burned inti her inner thigh had become infected.

  ‘Okay then,’ he swiped at his moustache, ‘If you need me …’

The pair of them smiled their thanks and watched him leave.

Waverly sagged in the chair the moment the door swung closed.

  ‘Okay,’ Rosita said firmly – or as firmly as her own exhaustion would allow, ‘Bed,’

Waverly let Rosita help her to her feet and waved at the living room, ‘Sofa,’

  ‘The bed will be comfier,’

  ‘Which means I’ll sleep heavier,’

  ‘Fine,’ Rosita grumbled but couldn’t argue with the logic.

  ‘And I want to know what all that was about back at the Brothel,’

Rosita was ready to argue, ‘No – that can wait.  You need to rest.  We will talk later,’

Waverly paused to look at her.  To stare deep into her eyes.  Her heart sank with what she saw, it was almost the look that she had seen after Champ had attacked her – only worse and much darker.

Rosita looked away, knowing what Waverly had seen.  ‘Not now,’ she shook her head and settled Waverly on one end of the sofa, covering her with a blanket.

She returned to the kitchen to retrieve the towel and ice and by the time she returned, Waverly had her eyes closed.  Settling herself at the other end of the sofa, she turned the dial on the kitchen timer and let the soft clicks lull her to sleep.

*

Arriving on the Homestead had brought with it a sense of sanctuary, of coming home – the likes of which Rosita had never known.  The sense had been so strong that it had created a barrier between her flight from the whorehouse, the accident and the here and now.  It gave her space to breathe, to focus and to give Waverly the attention she needed.  She had been guiltily grateful that Waverly had refused to go to hospital.  She didn’t want  to leave this sanctuary – perhaps not ever.  Not that she was foolish enough to not recognise that it was Waverly’s sense of belonging here, passed through their connection, that was helping her.  She knew on some level what it was – she just didn’t have anything spare to give it any consideration.  All she could do was use it and tend to the other Omega’s immediate needs.  And once she had, once she had watched Waverly’s features slacken with exhausted sleep, her own exhaustion had claimed her.

The sound of the kitchen timer awoke her and she fumbled with it for several moments before managing to silence it.  She hadn’t slept long enough for her mind to reset itself and had woken with a keen sense of where she was and what her priorities were.  Setting the timer aside, she leant across the sofa to gently nudge Waverly.  The small Omega stirred, mumbled her sister’s name with a smile and then sank deeper into the cushions.  Rosita pressed light fingers to her forehead and found her skin dry and warm – neither hot nor clammy.  Satisfied, she sat back and heaved a breath, wincing at the pain in her ribs. 

She stared at the kitchen timer.  When had she grabbed that?  Was she about to reset it or had she already awoken again and switched it off?  The confusion rolled through her in unpleasant waves, twisting her stomach and making her skin feel cold.  She tried to find her connection to Waverly, tried to find the sanctuary there.  She reached for it, but it was little more than gossamer and she barely brushed over it. 

The trembling started in her hands and the timer slipped from her fingers to clatter onto the floor.  The sound was loud and unpleasant, discordant – much like the smashing of glass and the screeching of metal that was still so close in her memories.  She gasped with the last of the air in her lungs, eyes widening when she could not inhale anymore.  Her mind dragged her backwards, back into Waverly’s jeep, back onto the road, back to her flight from the brothel.  And then she was stepping through that door …

   … wide eyes focused on a table in front of her.  The sun was streaming through the large windows, filling the usually muted room with harsh rays.  And in the centre of the room, slowly spinning and glinting in a recurring pattern, a silver pen.  The man spinning it had his back to her but the way his thumb and fingers twirled the pen, spinning it easily on its central axis, fingers like the legs of a spider … She stumbled backwards, hypnotised by the spinning, glinting metal as it morphed into a knife – a knife she knew.  He turned then, his eyes the pits of hell they had always been – would always be.  His smile was a split of red across his face, his lips the open wounds he had wrought on every one of his victims.  ‘Watch … watch … is it to be your turn … gryaznie pizda … dirty cunt … finally?’

She became frozen in that moment as the knife slowed but didn’t stop.  It inched around the table, holding that slow, creeping momentum.  Each time the point came round to her she both begged for it to stop and for it to continue.  Yet had no idea why she was so conflicted.  She wanted the blade to choose her.  She wanted this to be over.  Why then was she suddenly afraid to die – to lose?  Lose what?  She had nothing.  No one to love and be loved by in return.  The ghost of a promise to live could not save her anymore.  So why be afraid?

  ‘Because you do have something to lose now, gryaznie pizda …’ he told her, his slash of a mouth not moving but she heard his words in every slow turn of the blade.  His laugh made her jolt and whimper, ‘… and I am here to take it all from you before I take you home,’

She screamed, hands tearing at her hair, fists beating at her chest.  Over and over she screamed yet heard nothing. …

  ‘Rosita … Rosita!’

More terrifying than all her mind was showing her was the sense of paralysis.  She couldn’t move.  Couldn’t breathe.  She felt her eyes wide and dry.  Felt her mouth open and her tongue barely moving.  Hands clenched into fists.  She managed to blink – a tiny victory in a violent battle.  Another blink and the darkness before her eyes swam and quivered, morphed into a face she thought she knew.  Another blink and it was as if a tiny crack had appeared somewhere, tiny but significant.

Waverly forced her voice to be level – not soft, but calm.  Dolls had taught her how to pitch her tone to cut through the fog.  He had taught her other things too.  They had never told Nicole that he had shown the Omega techniques to have at hand should the Alpha ever wake from trauma dreams that refused to release her.  And now Waverly went through each step he had shown, staying calm to ensure she followed his instructions, trying so hard to not let her own fear show when Rosita did not respond to her.

  ‘Just keep calm and keep trying,’ Dolls had told her, ‘Fear feeds fear so you need to stay calm and be her safe place until she can find her own again,’

She repeated the Beta’s words in her mind, over and over like a mantra as she spoke aloud to Rosita, called to her, offered her a guiding light to pull her from the darkness she was trapped in.

When Rosita blinked it sent a spark of joy through Waverly and she used it, sought it out and sent it through their connection.  She did all that Dolls had shown her and strengthened it all with the loving bond she felt for the other Omega.

She didn’t rush it, didn’t force anything but slowly, Rosita emerged from the darkness.  Her breath that had been stilled came back in sobbing, gasping whimpers and Waverly held her as she cried.  The tears and sobs came in waves, rising and falling, at once making her quiver at other times stealing all her strength.  And although Waverly had no idea what had terrified the other Omega so greatly, or what shadows still consumed her, she sensed the weight of it all and feared it herself.  It was like an ominous mass hovering around them, ready to crush the breath and life from them both.  And while, for Waverly it was unnamed and unexplained, she sensed enough of Rosita’s fear for a part of her to wish it would remain unknown.

*

The darkness was near absolute, but she had no trouble finding her way through the maze of crawl spaces that ran throughout the huge old building.  As she crawled, she had the sense of her body growing, changing.  It brought with it the fear of discovery as a year’s worth of time passed in just a few shuffled feet.  Malnourishment had delayed a change that was already late but her prayers for further delay would go unanswered. 

A flicker of light caused a deeper fear – terrifying, near primal.

The light continued to flicker – no, not flicker – glint … spin …

  ‘It’s time for you to play the game …’

His voice was the same quiet tone he always used, never raised in anger or annoyance, not even when he punished her for even the smallest of misdemeanors.

Until it did.

  ‘ Gryaznie pizda!’

The shout was like a knife stabbing through her psyche.  The words the sharpest of blades to slice through everything that made her who she was. 

She awoke with a fearful whimper on sweat beaded lips and tears drying in lines on her flushed cheeks.  She clambered off the sofa and stumbled into the kitchen on weak legs.  Falling against the sink, trembling hands turned on the cold tap and splashed water onto her face before cupping her hand and sucking hungrily at her palm.  She looked up at her pale reflection in the dark glass and tried to steady her breathing.

  ‘Get it together …’ she whispered, blinking cool water and tears from her eyes, ‘… it was just a dream, just a dream …’ 

  ‘She has familiar things …’ Dolls voice echoed through her mind with a rumbling tone, ‘… things that she counts to ground herself in this moment, this reality, not the dark one of her trauma,’

She hadn’t been able to use that technique with Rosita and had kicked herself for not at least trying to prepare for it.  But right now …

She turned, eyes slowly scanning the kitchen.  Four … no, Five pictures hanging on the wall, none crooked.  She moved to open a small cupboard, Four cups.  She turned.  Three chairs.  Two windows.  A breath.  One table.

She inhaled a slower breath and felt the images and sounds from the strange dream fading to barely a memory.  She turned, automatically searching for her phone and cursing when she remembered that she had nothing with her.  The Homestead had a landline but she was pretty sure her sister wouldn’t appreciate a phone call in the middle of the night.  Had she her mobile, she would have text her, knowing that just the act of reaching out would have made her feel better.  Shaking herself, she turned from the sink and looked through the open door. 

Rosita hadn’t moved.  Sighing with relief at not disturbing the other woman, she made a mental note to find some things that Rosita could be familiar with.

  ‘It’s why she always carries the same items,’ Dolls had told her about Nicole, ‘In case she’s not somewhere she knows – she still has familiar things with her,’ 

  ‘Like what?’ Waverly had asked, wanting to ensure she would be able to help if ever needed.

Dolls had been reluctant to answer but had relented, seeing the benefit of Waverly having such knowledge, ‘Her Stetson, wallet, phone, keys and her knife,’  Waverly had thought of the pocketknife that Nicole always kept wickedly sharp and Dolls had added,  ‘She’s had that knife longer than I’ve known her,’

Thoughts turning back to the Omega, she whispered a soft promise, ‘We’ll find things together,’ and slowly pulled the door shut before moving to flick the kitchen light on.  Her hand froze as headlight beams moved across the kitchen window, accompanied by the sound of tyres on the dry, gravelled ground.  She checked the internal door was closed behind her and then left the house, intent on heading the visitor off. 

With the outer door closed behind her, she stood at the top of the steps and watched Nicole climb from the driver’s side.  She was still dressed in her tuxedo but now the top few buttons were undone, the jacket hanging loose on her shoulders.  Her head was bare, her Stetson on the passenger seat of the vehicle.  The sky was clear, the moonlight casting enough of a glow for her to see where she was going.

Nicole was halfway up the steps when she lifted her gaze and saw Waverly standing there.  She paused, foot barely touching the next step up. 

  ‘We can talk out here,’ Waverly said by way of greeting.

  ‘Where is Rosita?’

  ‘She’s inside,’

  ‘Then we’ll talk in there,’

Waverly moved to block the door as Nicole climbed the rest of the steps. 

  ‘Waverly …’ Nicole said quietly, not needing to raise her voice to convey her commanding tone, ‘… I will see Rosita now,’

Waverly didn’t move and her lack of obedience made Nicole hesitate for the briefest of moments, long enough for Waverly to say, ‘This is my home,’

  ‘Your point?’ Nicole queried with an angry curl of her eyebrow.

  ‘I think you know what I’m saying,’

Nicole straightened, her musk swirling in the cool night air, ‘My Omegas do not run from me,’ she told her coldly, her words reminding both of them of the night that Waverly had tried to.

Waverly swallowed, ‘She wasn’t running from you,’

  ‘She crashed your vehicle driving like a madwoman out of Purgatory,’ Nicole told her, anger lifting her voice, ‘ I have a right to know what the fuck is going on,’

  ‘Keep your voice down,’ Waverly hissed.

  ‘Keep my ..?’ Nicole responded incredulously but stopped herself and moved for the door handle, ‘I demand an explanation from her,’

Waverly slid sideways and pushed her hand away, ‘She needs some time,’

  ‘The Omega’s needs are secondary to mine,’ Nicole snapped and reached for the handle again.

Waverly’s hand pressed against Nicole’s chest and shoved her, hard.  Shocked, Nicole stumbled backwards, slipping down the first step.  Waverly followed her, ‘Her needs are greater than yours right now!’ she said firmly as she gave another shove that sent the Alpha down two more steps before she regained her balance.

Nicole’s expression turned from disbelief to near fury.  Waverly had seen that look before and the memory of it, and what had happened afterwards, was chilling – yet somehow she held her ground, now eye level with the Alpha. 

  ‘You are being defiant, Omega,’ Nicole growled, ‘and I don’t like it,’

Waverly had no idea where she found her strength of conviction but somehow she heard it in her voice and hoped the redhead could see it on her face, even in the muted shadows, ‘I will protect what belongs to you, Alpha – even from you,’ 

It was her last chance – they both knew it.  Either Nicole was about to drag her down the steps and throw her to the ground or she was going to calm enough to not force her way into the house.

Endless seconds ticked by each one giving Waverly the tiniest bit of hope.

Eventually, Nicole’s nose twitched and her eyes flicked to the dried blood in Waverly’s hair, ‘I will send someone to check you over,’

  ‘We’re fine,’

She inhaled a breath, fingers curling into tense fists, ‘Do not test my patience any further than you have,’

Waverly lifted her hands to try and pacify her, ‘Please – just give me a couple of days to talk to her before anyone else comes here.  Something freaked her out and she is very fragile right now …’

The Alpha snorted a harsh breath, ‘Rosita is anything but fragile,’

  ‘Nicole,’ Waverly whispered, ‘please,’

Her expression softened, her tone didn’t, ‘Tomorrow afternoon then – but you will contact me if either of you is hurt worse than it seems,’

  ‘I promise …’ the words were more than just sounds – they were a returning to her place and she dipped her head to underscore them with, ‘… my Alpha,’

Nicole pressed a cool palm to Waverly’s cheek and gently lifted her gaze, ‘I love you, Omega,’

Waverly smiled, eyes glinting in the pale moonlight.

  ‘I have people coming to watch over you – they will stay out of sight,’ Nicole announced as she lowered her hand.

Waverly picked up on the undercurrent beneath her words, ‘Has something happened?’

Nicole’s face took on the usual expression it did when someone had asked a question she was not prepared to answer.  After a few moments it softened and she took a breath, ‘The Council are being … difficult,’

  ‘Did they send someone to the Brothel?’ Waverly asked quickly.

Nicole’s eyes narrowed as she considered the question alongside Rosita’s flight from the place.  Slowly her features returned to their usual taciturn expression as she said, ‘You made it quite clear that Rosita is your immediate concern,’ she leant forward and brushed their lips, whispering, ‘Remember your promise to contact me if anything happens,’

Waverly nodded and gave her answer as a deeper, passionate kiss.

Nicole’s growl was loud in the night air as she pulled back and eyed Waverly with a look of hunger that deepened in her gaze as it travelled down the Omega’s body and then back up again.  She was seemingly caught in indecision once more but, again, decided on not breaking down the Homestead door to get what she wanted.  Shaking her head, she waggled her finger as she turned and bounced down the steps and back to her car. 

Waverly waited until the car’s headlights had disappeared before turning to walk back into the Homestead.

Rosita was standing in the doorway to the living room, fingers twisting nervously in the hem of her top.

  ‘We’re safe here, I promise,’ Waverly told her but knew how empty those words were when the look of haunted fear on Rosita’s face was more the result of dark trauma in her past than any physical threat. 

Slowly, Rosita turned and returned to the shadows of the living room.

Waverly joined her a few minutes later, a mug of tea in each hand. 

Rosita took hers with a soft thanks and even quieter, ‘She’s angry at me – isn’t she?’

Waverly blew across her tea and lowered the cup, ‘I think she’s angrier at me right now …’

That seemed to cause more anxiety than if Waverly had agreed with Rosita, ‘I don’t want her to be angry at you because of me!’

  ‘Don’t worry about it – I’m not,’

Rosita stared at her, eyes wide and disbelieving.

  ‘I didn’t think you were ready to speak to her,’ Waverly told her calmly.

She looked down at her mug, ‘I-I-I’m not but … if the Alpha demanded to talk to me then …’

  ‘This is my home,’ Waverly told her, ‘I decide who talks to who and when … and I made that quite clear to her,’

Rosita’s eyes widened even more as she slowly shook her head, ‘No one else would dare speak to the Alpa like you do,’

Waverly ran her finger around the rim of her mug, ‘You give me strength,’

  ‘Me?’ Rosita gasped but then added with soft sigh of realisation, ‘Our connection …’  She thought about the way she had fled the Brothel and the fear that had consumed her – but how that fear had been kept at bay when they reached the Homestead.  ‘I feel better for being here,’

Waverly smiled warmly, ‘This is a place of happiness for me … despite all that happened here …’ her eyes glanced towards the kitchen, but refused to let those remembered images go any further.

  ‘I … um …’ Rosita said carefully, ‘… I’ve never known what it is to feel … at home …’ she looked up quickly, ‘I mean – I feel at home with the Alpha, She is my home … but …’

Waverly leant forward to rest her fingers on Rosita’s wrist, ‘I understand,’

Rosita nodded her acceptance of that and the worry on her face was replaced with soft warmth.  Her eyes drifted across the room and she stopped, gaze focused on the battered armchair.  She swallowed and closed her eyes.

Frowning, Waverly looked towards the chair and for the briefest of moments she saw a figure sitting there.  A man, poorly formed and little more than a vague, translucent outline –  except for his eyes and mouth.  Eyes like black pits despite the cold blue of his irises.  Mouth like slashed skin across his face. 

Rosita slowly opened her eyes, not noticing that Waverly had seen her mind’s conjuring, ‘I do not want to spoil this place … I’ve only just found it …’ she tried to smile but there was genuine concern in her voice.

Waverly turned from the empty chair and ran soft fingers across the back of Rosita’s hand, ‘Whatever you were running from … I swear to you – you will be protected from it here,’

  ‘You don’t know … Him …’ Rosita sighed angrily, glancing at the chair but unable to look at it for more than a few moments.

  ‘Was he at the Brothel?’ Waverly asked carefully, wanting to know more but not wanting to push for information.  She needed Rosita to be ready to talk.

  ‘I won’t ever be ready to talk about him,’ Rosita said intuitively and sipped her tea, sighing when her trembling hand spilt more down her front than she actually drank.  Sighing, she swiped at the drops and tried again, grateful that Waverly neither commented nor tried to help.  Her eyes drifted to the armchair again as she sipped and then lowered the cup.

  ‘He’s not there,’ Waverly told her, her own intuition working in tandem with the heightened connection between them.

Rosita managed to finish her tea and leant forward to set the mug on the floor so she could grab one of the small cushions and hold it against her chest, pulling her knees up and making herself as small as possible.  Waverly set her own cup down, turning so she was leaning back against the arm and pulled her own knees up.  She waited quietly, eyes on Rosita’s fingers that played nervously with the seam on the cushion.

  ‘Do you believe in evil?’ Rosita asked eventually.

Waverly considered her answer.  She had often thought her father evil, and she had certainly believed that Nicole was when they had first met.  Bobo Del Rey was as bad as they could get.  But now she had the sense that she had never truly met anyone evil – but Rosita had. 

  ‘He is evil,’ Rosita continued, pulling the cushion tighter to her chest, ‘There is a Hell and he is destined to go there …’ she lowered her gaze, ‘… and I will likely join him,’

  ‘What?’ Waverly gasped, ‘How can you possibly think that?’

  ‘Because he told me – over and over …’ she sighed and relaxed her hold slightly, ‘… and because, with him, I was already there,’

The slow hesitancy of the other Omega’s voice made Waverly ask, ‘You’ve never spoken about him before, have you?  To anyone?’

A slow shake of the head, ‘After I was sure I had escaped him, I started to build a new life for myself … I locked him away in my past,’  Tears suddenly glistened along her lashes, ‘I should never have been stupid enough to believe he would stay there,’

Waverly stopped herself from asking questions.  This was Rosita’s story and she would give her the time, space and patience she needed to share it. 

Even so, Rosita nodded as if Waverly had asked it, ‘It was Him that I was running from,’ a swallow, a closing of the eyes and a pulling of the cushion tight again, ‘He was the new Alpha at the Brothel,’

Even more questions buzzed around Waverly’s head but she kept them to herself since many of them were flying, unanswered, around Rosita’s head too.  Taking a breath to calm both her shared anxiety and her naturally enquiring mind, she waited patiently until Rosita opened her eyes and started to speak once more.

  ‘He is not from Purgatory, I don’t even think he’s from the Big City.  When I escaped from him I travelled for hours before I ended up here,’ her lips curled slightly as hindsight made her arrival in Purgatory so much more significant than it had felt at the time.  She continued with a tremulous breath, ‘When I saw him at the Brothel – I panicked,’  She didn’t waste her breath on thoughts and estimations that she had no response for and had only fear of the answers.  There was no way to know if it had been fate’s cruel twist or something more deliberate on behalf of the Council or someone else.  All that mattered was that He was here and that meant that there was an even darker shadow laying over the tiny corner of Purgatory that she had come to think of as home.

Waverly felt it then – the threat.  Not just to Rosita but to everyone that Rosita had come to care for.  Nicole.  Waverly.  Doc.  And the other Omegas she had fought so hard for.  Whover this man was, Waverly suddenly felt that his presence would be slowly pouring acid onto Rosita’s psyche, eroding every piece until nothing remained.

  ‘Nicole will protect you,’ Waverly wanted to say, maybe even shout.  But she didn’t – because Nicole couldn’t protect her from the dark history that Rosita was struggling to voice.  And that left Waverly with the desire to ease that struggle, to tell her that it didn’t matter.  She didn’t want Rosita to relive the hurt he had obviously heaped upon her.  She wanted to protect Rosita from the memories of a past that could not be erased. 

But she knew.  They both knew.  This Alpha was a threat that could not be ignored and that would mean confronting Rosita’s hidden past.

Steeling herself, Rosita lowered the cushion to her thighs and sat a little straighter.  ‘His name is Jack …’

*

Waverly watched the water spilling from the cold tap, caught up in the easy, clean rush of cool water over her fingers.  She cupped her hands and lifted the water to her face – once – twice – a third time.  Turning the tap off she lifted her face and stared into the mirror.  The water slowly trickled from her eyes, clearing her vision.

A hammering at the door made her shoulders lift and she turned to stare at the paint-peeled, mildewed wood.  Further hammering was followed by a snarled, ‘You fucking done in there, slut?  Your next client is here!’ 

She didn’t reply and kept her gaze averted from her reflection as she backed away from the sink and turned for the door.

Waverly stumbled back from the sink as the imagined hammering at the door turned to an echo through her skull that made her wince and press her palm to her head.  She closed her eyes and sucked in a breath, wiping her hand over the drops that tickled her forehead and cheeks.

  ‘Waverly?’

Rosita’s voice was a more pleasant sound, and she welcomed it with a soft sigh.

  ‘I’m fine …’

There was a pause as Rosita tried to accommodate the other Omega’s response to a question she hadn’t asked. 

Waverly grabbed the towel and dried her face while reaching for the door and pulling it open.  She tossed the towel back onto the rail, paused and then folded it neatly before leaving the bathroom.

Rosita looked at her questioningly, ‘Dawn isn’t for another few hours – maybe you should go to bed?’

The thought of stretching out on her narrow bed was a pleasant one and she was sorely tempted.

  ‘We could just lie down …’ Rosita suggested hopefully.

Waverly nodded with relief and led the way to her room.  Both were suddenly too tired to undress, and Waverly fell onto the bed, moving as far over as she could so Rosita could lay beside her.  After a few moments, Rosita rolled onto her side to stare into the shadows of the room before her.  Waverly rolled towards her, sliding her body tight behind her and resting her arm over her hip.

  ‘Is this okay?’ Waverly asked softly.

  ‘Yes …’ Rosita smiled, taking Waverly’s hand in hers and lifting it so she was cradling it against her chest and just beneath her dipped chin.  ‘And this is okay?’

Waverly shifted her fingers slightly so she could squeeze gently, ‘It is,’

They lay silently, long enough for Rosita to think Waverly had fallen asleep.  Her gaze drifted across the room to the vague shadows of a desk and chair.  Slowly, the chair started to turn, a man’s outline deepening the shadows.  Rosita whimpered as she watched the red slash of a mouth twist into a malicious grin.

  ‘Rosita …’ Waverly whispered, her voice making the other Omega jolt a little in surprise, ‘… he’s not here – don’t let him in,’

Rosita closed her eyes as she felt Waverly pull her tighter, her breath a gentle, soothing caress on the back of her neck.  When she opened her eyes again, the shadows were as they should be, the chair tucked beneath the desk.

She had told Waverly everything about Jack – but nothing of her life either side.  She had spoken quietly as she described all that he had done and all that he had made her be part of.  She had hidden nothing.  Had not tried to conceal her actions nor his despicable acts.  Perhaps toughest of all was to describe what he had done to her.  All that he had done, physically and mentally.  Gryaznie pizda – that had been the hardest thing to say, and she had done so with eyes downcast, whispering the translation she had only learned much later, ‘Filthy cunt,’  … She had lifted her head and watched angry tears glinting along Waverly’s eye lashes.  She had seen further anger when she had explained how she had found the magnet beneath the table and then his fury when she had spoiled his game.  The anger had remained in the other Omega’s eyes even when her tears had dried.  She had listened to the rest with the same quiet anger, lips thin and eyes dark.  When Rosita had finished, Waverly let the silence stretch for long enough to be able to keep the anger from her voice when she asked, ‘How did you survive it?’

A smile, soft, sad, and then the same in her words as she made her only statement about a part of her life that did not include Jack, ‘Life is precious and I made a promise to never give up,’

Waverly had nodded, understanding, ‘The strength of a promise,’

Rosita had lifted her hand then, stopping Waverly from speaking a promise that Rosita longed for her to give, but which she didn’t know the Omega would be able to keep. 

Saddened, Waverly had climbed to her feet and gone to the bathroom to settle her thoughts and emotions.

And now they squeezed as tightly together as they could while the shadows drifted towards the dawn and whatever the next day was to bring.

*

Waverly awoke exactly as she had fallen asleep, pressed just as tightly to Rosita’s back, fingers still softy entwined.  She let herself just breathe, eyes flickering as they adjusted to the sunlight filtering through the thin curtains.  She had grown up in this room and she knew, just by the light coming in, that it was approaching mid-morning.  She wondered what her chances were of disengaging herself from Rosita without waking her – not that she wanted to, there was a part of her that would happily freeze this moment forever.  That thought gave her pause.  It wasn’t so long ago that she had lain in this bed, alongside Nicole, and prayed for the very same thing.  Thoughts of what else had gone on in this bed made her heart flutter and her thighs warm.

Rosita’s voice drifted to her, words still heavy with sleep, ‘I’m sure she’s thinking about you too,’

Waverly laughed near guiltily, ‘And how do you know what or who I’m thinking about?’

  ‘You don’t need the connection we have to notice the way your smell changes when you think about Nicole,’

  ‘It does?’ Waverly squeaked.

Rosita rolled over so she could meet Waverly’s worrisome gaze with a small smile, ‘Yes – but I don’t think anyone else picks it up,’

  ‘But you do?’

Rosita nodded, her gaze slightly guarded, ‘I seem to be able to pick up scents better than most,’

Waverly’s eyes flickered as she considered that, ‘It makes you a better Omega,’

  ‘It makes it easier at times,’ Rosita agreed with the usual reluctance she always showed when Waverly commented on her naturally wonderful attributes as an Omega.  Clearly uncomfortable, she sat up, asking, ‘Did you sleep okay?’

Waverly frowned as the question sent flashes of the strange dreams across her mind’s eye, ‘Yeah – I guess,’

Rosita’s eyebrow curled, silently needing more information.

  ‘Just …’ she waved her hand, ‘… weird dreams,’

Dark eyes flicked to the wound at her scalp, ‘Perhaps we should get you checked,’

Waverly pressed gentle fingers to Rosita’s chest, ‘I’m fine,’  Despite her words of reassurance, Waverly still felt the guilt rolling off her and she moved her hand to Rosita’s shoulder, ‘You have done nothing wrong, Rosita,’

  ‘I nearly killed you,’

  ‘No – you panicked and had every good reason to, Nicole will understand,’

  ‘When it comes to someone hurting you, Nicole does not forgive easily,’

There was no arguing with that.  As an Apex Alpha Nicole’s instincts to control and possess were already heightened and everything that her and Waverly had been through, as well as their undeniable connection, had only strengthened those instincts further.  As a result, Waverly was often the laser-like focus of her Alpha’s possessive attentions.  Yet only a bare few knew the true depths of the Alpha’s feelings.  Nicole loved Waverly and was loved deeply in return.  A threat to the woman she loved was taken more seriously and dealt with more harshly than any other because of that – the unpleasant fate of Bobo Del Rey a whispered remembrance.

  ‘Tea?’ Rosita asked.

Waverly closed one eye, ‘I’d prefer coffee,’

  ‘I know,’ Rosita nodded as she climbed from the bed, ‘Do you take sugar in tea?’

Waverly grabbed a quick shower before heading downstairs to find Rosita sitting at the kitchen table, sipping a mug of tea.  Waverly joined her and drew her own mug closer, pleased to find it was still warm enough to enjoy.

  ‘I’ve put some clean clothes on the bed that should fit you,’ Waverly told her over the rim of her mug, ‘And there are clean towels in the bathroom,’

  ‘Do I have time?’

  ‘Time?’

Rosita glanced nervously at the kitchen door, ‘I’m surprised the Alpha was not down here waiting for us,’

  ‘She agreed to give us a little space,’ Waverly told her, ‘She will be sending someone to check us over this afternoon,’

Rosita bowed her head with relief, ‘Thank you,’

Despite her gratitude, Waverly knew that she was far from appeased.  ‘Rosita,’ she said with quiet authority, ‘You can stay here as long as you wish.  And once Nicole learns about …’ she stopped, throat drying when she tried to say his name.  She shook herself, ‘I will not let you go back there until Nicole finds out why he is here,’

As much as Rosita appreciated Waverly’s determination, she knew – perhaps better than anyone – that they were still just Omegas, and the demands of any Alpha would always come first.  She finished her tea in silence and then went to get washed and changed.

Waverly took their mugs to the sink and rinsed them out.  Turning to grab a drying towel, her eyes drifted across the land beyond the doorway.  A feminine-figure was standing by the rundown barn.  Swallowing her initial jolt of alarm, she quickly recognised the girl – young woman – as Rachel.  She was one of Nicole’s inner crew, her and her boyfriend and been with the Alpha for years.

Towel forgotten, Waverly crossed the kitchen and pulled the door open, stepping out and approaching the steps, eyes on the young woman leaning against the corner of the barn.

She froze.

It was night.  Intermittently working lights cast deep shadows between the spots of sickly orange along the street.  She paused, feeling a sudden warmth for the woman she saw standing at the corner, huddled against the cold, not surprising given her limited dress and the thinness of her body.  The familiar warmth flowed through her, a sense of connection that she hadn’t felt in so long.  A feeling that was fearful in its importance.  As she watched, the woman faded and she was left with a hollow feeling in her chest and the heat of tears in her eyes.

  ‘Waverly?’

She blinked and rocked back a little, eyes focusing on the young Beta at the bottom of the stairs as the mid-morning light returned to the Homestead grounds. 

  ‘It’s just me,’ Rachel said quickly, ‘I’m not going to come in, Nicole wanted to make sure you had this …’

Waverly smiled her thanks as she took her mobile phone.  The girl instantly turned and walked back across the yard, disappearing out of sight around the barn. 

Taking the phone back inside, her first action was to text Nicole to say thank you and that they were both fine.  The second was to text her sister and tell her much the same.

Her phone buzzed as she was drying the mugs.  She swiped the screen and read the response from Nicole:  I’ll be sure on that after I hear from your visitor later.  I will be there tomorrow morning.  I want you back by my side.

Waverly couldn’t help but smile at the phone as she whispered, ‘Love you too,’

After making a fresh mug of tea and reading a more flamboyantly caring message from Wynonna, Waverly went into the living room and sat on the sofa.  She could hear the shower running and she took a breath, closing her eyes.  She sought out the connection with Rosita, her enquiring mind eager to test it a little.  Taking slow breaths, she felt the ghost of hot water sprinkling across her shoulders and neck, bringing a pleasant warmth to the aching muscles there.  Smiling to herself, she opened her eyes and sipped her tea.

A recent memory came to her as the ghost of the warmth faded. 

Her and Rosita had been sitting in the hot tub at the casino.  Nicole had had it installed as part of Eliza’s physical therapy and there were strict rules about when it could be used by the others.  The most important rule being that, at specific times, no one went near the purpose-built area other than Dolls and his mate.  Eliza’s therapy was a private matter.  Nicole understood that more than most and guarded the privacy unconditionally.

Perhaps fearing the Alpha’s wrath if they made an error, few of the casino employees actually used the hot tub in the months since it had been installed, but Waverly and Rosita used it often.  Tending to the needs of the Alpha, although very pleasant, could be physically exhausting.

Waverly watched the way Rosita’s hand swirled through the fine bubbles and heard herself say, ‘They always make me think of champagne …’

Rosita smiled in response, acknowledging the fact that they had both sipped champagne and could now marvel at how far they had both come.

  ‘You know that it's because of imperfection in the glass that those bubbles even appear?’ Waverly continued, eyes following the circling eddies.

Rosita nodded, eyes becoming distant, ‘Someone I knew told me once ... Omegas are like those bubbles – we're seen as imperfect because we're at the bottom, the weakest, but without us they cannot enjoy the taste of champagne,’ she lifted her gaze, ‘I didn't really understand what she was saying - not until I came to the casino,’

  ‘And you met Nicole?’

Rosita didn’t answer the question, instead responding, ‘Nicole accepts her Alpha, even though it has been the cause of much pain in her life.  I can feel the same about myself now because being with her has allowed me to finally be the Omega I want to be,’

Waverly considered that, ‘She is the champagne and you are the bubbles?’

  ‘If you like,’ Rosita laughed softly.

Waverly clarified the idea with a soft, ‘From imperfection comes perfection …’

A smile, soft and warm, ‘I like that,’

Waverly was quiet for several moments before asking warily, ‘So, what am I?’

Without hesitation, Rosita replied, ‘You are the crystal glass,’

When Rosita came down from the shower, dressed in a pale summer dress and cardigan, Waverly asked if she remembered the discussion.

  ‘I remember,’ Rosita told her as she sat and tucked her feet under her.

Waverly mirrored her position, ‘Why did you say that I was the glass?’

  ‘Crystal glass,’ Rosita reminded her with a smile and then added, ‘It's because you're valuable to the Alpha … irreplaceable,’

  ‘And you’re not?’

There was no sadness or remorse in Rosita’s voice, just a quiet acceptance as she answered, ‘I'm just bubbles in the champagne,’

Waverly was less assured, ‘I refuse to accept that,’

  ‘And that is your choice,’ the Omega replied simply, ‘but for the first time in my life, I was at peace with who I am,’

  ‘Was?’ Waverly whispered fearfully.

Rosita’s features darkened, ‘I ran from the man who was speaking to the Alpha but all anyone will see is that I ran from her.  These are dangerous times with the Alpha Council and I fear that I have made her look weak,’

Waverly sighed, realising that Rosita had done more than just shower – she had been thinking and appeared to have settled on an unpleasant conclusion.

  ‘I'll make sure that she listens to you - she'll give you a chance to explain,’

Rosita inhaled a shaking breath, ‘If he is here to claim what he believes is his – then no amount of explaining will protect me,’

  ‘Nicole will,’

Rosita heard the conviction in Waverly's voice and heard her own in response, ‘If Jack petitions the Alpha Council then I might be one fight too many for the Alpha.  The Council are angry at Nicole – they will not take her side over Jack’s,’

  ‘You will not go back to him,’ Waverly said firmly.

  ‘I know,’ Rosita smiled with a strangely ominous tone that Waverly wanted to question but didn’t have the courage to. 

Instead, she put all her faith in Nicole and prayed that it would be enough.  Picking up an Rosita’s unwillingness to discuss it any further, she asked, ‘Will you help me do something?’

Rosita was quick to respond, ‘Of course,’

  ‘I had a bad dream and – ’

  ‘Why didn’t you wake me?’

  ‘It was fine,’ Waverly laughed softly, ‘and you needed your sleep too,’

The look on Rosita’s face revealed her to be far from pacified by that answer but she allowed Waverly to continue with her request.

  ‘Dolls told me about a grounding technique … using counting,’

A nod, ‘I am aware of it,’

  ‘It’s why Nicole always keeps certain things with her,’

Another nod, ‘Stetson, wallet, phone, keys, knife,’ a small sad smile, ‘She has familiar things in her room at the casino but when she first started staying at the brothel, she would line those items up on bedside table,’

  ‘I would like to have the same,’

Rosita’s smile faltered a little but there was warmth in her eyes as she stated, ‘You mean – you want me to have them,’

  ‘Am I that transparent?’

A soft laugh, ‘To me you are – and I truly love you for it,’

  ‘I love you too,’ Waverly said softly, feeling her heart swell at the admittance that there was room in there for more than just a sexy, powerful Alpha.

  ‘Okay then,’ Rosita agreed with a deep breath, ‘Where shall we start?’

It was harder than Waverly had anticipated.  As Omegas, they owned little and struggled to find items that they could carry all the time.  Instead, they settled on physical attributes.  Five fingers was the easiest.  Then four irregular sides of a feint birthmark on the inside of Rosita’s wrist.  Waverly chose four tightly grouped freckles on her forearm.  The search for more suitable blemishes inevitably led to the quiet acknowledgement of scars.  Neither of which were willing to discuss.

Deciding to return to the endeavour another time, they prepared some food that was pushed around their plates and barely eaten, both becoming concerned about the arrival of whoever Nicole was sending.

The identity of the visitor was revealed by the way the car pulled as close to the steps as it could get.  Waverly stood on the decking and watched as Dolls climbed from the driver’s side and moved to help the passenger.  Waverly held her breath as she watched the blonde climb unsteadily to her feet, leaning heavily on a dark walking stick.  Waverly stayed where she was, knowing that Dolls had become an expert at supporting Eliza by himself and in ways that barely revealed how much he was doing for her.  Certainly, to anyone watching, Eliza accepted his assistance up the stairs – but Waverly knew how strong the huge Beta was, and she could see that he all but carried her with his arm around her waist.  At the top they paused so Eliza could regain her balance and then she gently pushed his arm away and held her hand out for Waverly with a smiled, ‘Lead the way,’

Waverly stepped forward, looking nervously at Dolls who nodded reassuringly.

  ‘You don’t need his permission,’ Eliza chuckled.

  ‘Your stubbornness is one of your least attractive traits,’ Dolls commented as he watched Eliza shuffle towards the Omega who did what she could to take some of her weight.

Eliza grinned over her shoulder, ‘Lucky that I have plenty of others to make up for it,’

Waverly certainly couldn’t argue with that.  Eliza was tall and blonde with big blue eyes and a body to die for.  And she was strong – physically and mentally – and perhaps even more so since recovering from being nearly beaten to death.  Had Waverly not been so tied up in helping Rosita at the Brothel, her sister at Shorty’s and being an Omega to a powerful Alpha, she would have liked to find time to get to know the Beta more.

They didn’t rush but allowed Eliza the time she needed to get herself into the kitchen where Waverly motioned at the table, ‘We can sit there,’

  ‘One of those chairs would be best for me but the living room would be more comfortable for everyone else, I’m sure,’

Rosita appeared in the doorway, ‘Your comfort is most important,’

Eliza looked over and with a soft smile told her, ‘No – it isn’t,’

  ‘Don’t argue with her,’ Dolls said dryly as he grabbed one of the chairs and carried it into the living room.

Rosita backed into the furthest corner, arms clasped across her stomach.

Dolls sighed and backed towards the door, ‘You will never have a thing to fear from me,’

Rosita tried to nod but her anxiety was near overwhelming.

  ‘Okay,’ he said for her and left the room, saying as he passed Eliza, ‘I’ll wait in the car – take as much time as you need,’

Rosita was still standing in the corner when Eliza shuffled in.

  ‘Are you sure you wouldn’t be comfier over there?’ Waverly suggested as she helped her to sit on the kitchen chair.

Eliza looked longingly at the sofa and shook her head, resting her cane against her thigh, ‘I would love to sit there but that would just give Dolls the chance to show off his impressive strength when he would have to haul me out of it,’

Waverly smiled in response but guessed that, due to Eliza’s spinal injury, soft chairs would quickly become less comfortable.  She considered suggesting that they could support her with pillows but quickly stopped herself.  Eliza was a trained physical therapist – if anyone knew what she needed, it was her.

  ‘Right,’ Eliza began, looking from one to the other, ‘the first thing I have to do is check you both over,’  Their initial instinct to argue, to say that they were fine, was curtailed by a lift of Eliza’s hand, ‘I just want a visual … maybe a soft prod … of your injuries.  If I see anything I don’t like, then Dolls will take you to the hospital.  That is non-negotiable,’  To underscore her statement, she slipped her phone from her jacket pocket and waved it, ‘Your rather protective Alpha is waiting for a text,’

  ‘Protective and angry …’ Rosita sighed.

  ‘Concerned,’ Eliza corrected her but could see that the Omega didn’t believe her.  She didn’t comment any further though, instead instructing, ‘I need to see your torsos and backs, heads and necks too … would one of you like to wait in the kitchen while I look at the other?’

Waverly stepped forward, unabashedly pulling her t-shirt over her head with a chuckled, ‘Rosita and I are not strangers to each other,’

Eliza’s cheeks flushed uncharacteristically, apparently having momentarily forgotten the nature of the Omegas relationship.  She cleared her throat, ‘Are you okay to kneel?’

She did, shuffling closer and turning so Eliza could easily see the laceration at her scalp.  Blue eyes flicked to Rosita, ‘Nice job,’

It was Rosita’s turn to blush and she moved to sit on the arm of the sofa, mumbling a thanks.

  ‘Any residual headache?  Nausea or vomiting?’ Eliza asked, followed by, ‘Any numbness anywhere or tingling?’

  ‘A little bit of a headache but nothing the painkillers aren’t keeping at bay, that’s it,’

  ‘And your eyesight?’

Waverly fixed her pale eyes on Eliza’s, ‘Clear and focused,’

  ‘Any hallucinations?’

The Omega paused, caught out by the question.  ‘What do you mean?’

Eliza knew an avoidance strategy when she saw it but answered anyway, ‘Have you seen anything that’s not really there?  Moving lights or shadows at the edge of your vision?’

Seemingly relived, Waverly shook her head, ‘No, nothing like that,’ 

Eliza’s gaze shifted to Rosita, ‘Any issues last night?’

A shake of the head, ‘I checked her regularly for the first few hours and then we both slept,’

  ‘Okay,’ Eliza breathed and, after checking her neck, waved for the Omega to stand.  Other than a line of speckled bruises where the seatbelt had been, Waverly’s torso and back were clear.  Cool, slim fingers pressed lightly at her ribs before Eliza was happy and nodded for her to put her top back on.

As she stepped aside, Rosita approached slipped her cardigan off and then released her arms, gathering the dress around her waist.

Eliza’s eyebrow arched as she stared at the flush of purple bruising across Rosita’s right side, ‘Steering wheel?’

A small nod, ‘I think so,’

  ‘Can I?’ Eliza asked.

Rosita nodded, surprised by the Beta’s question.  Even after years of being treated better, it was still a surprise when someone asked if they could touch her.  She stepped a little closer to make it easier for Eliza who smiled a thanks before focusing her attention on what she could feel beneath her fingertips.  She glanced up every few seconds, gauging Rosita’s minimal reaction.

  ‘Okay,’ she lowered her hands, ‘I think they’re all intact but if the pain continues for more than a couple of days, you’ll need an x-ray,’

  ‘I’m not in pain,’ Rosita told her.

  ‘Yes,’ Eliza sighed knowingly, ‘Omegas like you have a different view on how much hurt constitutes pain,’ she shook her head, ‘Very well, if it is still hurting in a couple of days …’

Rosita pulled her dress back up, nodding.

  ‘Any head issues?’ Eliza asked.

A slow shake of the head.

  ‘Really?’

  ‘She’s telling the truth,’ Waverly told her, ‘I can’t sense any head pain other than my own,’

Eliza studied them, eyes flicking with interest but didn’t question further, instead she lifted her phone and the two Omegas moved to the sofa to give her some space.  They sat, Waverly relaxed, Rosita tense.  Waverly noticed and glanced at her questioningly, but Rosita refused to meet her gaze, her focus on Eliza as she typed. 

The Beta didn’t speak when she had finished, but just stayed staring at her phone.  A reply was obviously quick in coming because she read it and then tucked her phone away.  ‘Nicole will be over early this evening,’

Rosita swallowed and barely managed to ask, ‘To take us back?’

  ‘Yes,’ Eliza responded, eyes on the nervous Omega, ‘Are you planning to run again?’

  ‘How can you ask that?’ Waverly gasped angrily.

  ‘I would never run from my Alpha,’ Rosita told her at the same time.

The blonde studied them, nodding to herself, ‘Dolls and I were pretty sure of that,’

  ‘And Nicole?’ Rosita whispered.

Eliza spread her hands, ‘You need to explain what happened.  Whatever you were running from, Waverly got hurt in the process and that was all Nicole could think about.  Dolls managed to talk her down before she came out last night,’ her gaze flicked to Waverly and a small smirk curled her lips, ‘Although she didn’t quite get the reception she was expecting,’

Rosita looked guiltily at Waverly, ‘I’m sorry, I never wanted her to be angry at you,’

Eliza was the one to answer, ‘Oh I wouldn’t worry – that Alpha needs a little dent to her ego once in a while,’  Her words made both Omegas look at her with surprise and maybe a little amusement when she added, looking at Waverly, ‘Your sister has been good at that in the past, apparently,’

The three of them fell into silence, a common action when it seemed that the conversation was drifting too close to a discussion of the Alpha’s interests.

  ‘So, Waverly,’ Eliza began, breaking the silence, ‘what have you been seeing?’

Waverly frowned, caught out by the shift in conversation.

  ‘You hesitated when I asked if you have had any hallucinations,’ Eliza explained.

The Omega shrugged nonchalantly, ‘Your question caught me by surprise,’

  ‘I expect it did,’ Eliza agreed, ‘and since I’m fairly confident that you don’t have a concussion, I need to know about any psychological effects after the accident,’

  ‘I’m fine,’ Waverly laughed self-consciously, ‘I’ve just flashed on some weird … memories, I guess,’

  ‘What was weird about them?’

Another laugh, ‘They’re not memories that I’m overly familiar with,’

  ‘Like what?’

Sighing, Waverly picked at the arm of the sofa, ‘I was in a bathroom and someone was banging on the door … and then I dreamt that I was crawling through this … tunnel, I think …’ she glanced at Rosita, ‘And I’ve seen a man …’

Rosita had gone pale, her eyes wide and hands trembling.

  ‘Can you describe the tunnel?’ Eliza asked.

Waverly turned to her, ‘It wasn’t really a tunnel … it was narrow and dark … it’s really hard to remember,’

  ‘And the man?’

Waverly was about to answer but stopped, eyes distant as her mind spun and slotted things into place.  She turned slowly, the look on Rosita’s face confirmed it, ‘They were your memories,’

Caught like a rabbit in headlights, Rosita pressed fingers to her quivering lips as her eyes glinted with tears.  She shook her head, mumbling past her fingertips, ‘I don’t want this for you,’

  ‘Rosita …’ Waverly tried to calm her, but Rosita was suddenly desperately upset.

  ‘No!  It’s bad enough that you have to feel my pain!  I can’t – I won’t – let you feel my past too!  It’s not fair!’

  ‘It’s not just the bad I feel with you,’ Waverly reminded her with a small smile but it did nothing to calm the other Omega who was shaking her head.

  ‘When the Alpha finds out …’ she whimpered but then straightened, swiping at her tears, ‘I love you, Waverly – I cannot let this continue.  You don’t deserve this – you don’t want it,’

  ‘Don’t you dare!’ Waverly snapped, heightened emotions turning to frustrated anger, ‘Don’t you dare presume to tell me what I deserve or what I want!  I deserve better than that!’

  ‘Okay, okay!’ Eliza growled, lifting her hands and calling the attention of the two Omegas.  Her musk was subtle yet soothed them enough for them to hear her soft command, ‘Calm down, both of you,’  They turned to her and she waited until their anxious breathing had settled before continuing, ‘I’m guessing something has evolved between you two?’

Rosita was immediately defensive, ‘It’s nothing that will threaten our service to the Alpha,’

Eliza’s lip curled, ‘I strongly dislike that word,’

Waverly gave a small smile, but Rosita just stared at her, bemused.

  ‘Omegas warrant more than that,’ Eliza responded simply.

  ‘I do not see it any other way,’ Rosita responded, ‘I have given my life, all that I am, to Nicole …’

Eliza’s blue eyes became intense, ‘And yet …’ she waved between the two of them, ‘… you have found more.  And why shouldn’t you?’

  ‘It’s …’ Rosita began but struggled to find the next word, eventually settling on, ‘… wrong,’

  ‘How can you say that?’ Waverly gasped, ‘Our connection helped you after what happened with – ’

  ‘Such healing is for you to give to our Alpha,’ Rosita interrupted, thoughts tumbling in all directions as guilt and fear fought for supremacy of her emotions.  She shook her head, ‘I have allowed myself to become more … it’s not right …’ she closed her eyes and inhaled a breath, ‘Maybe that’s why he is here … to set things right …’ she whimpered pitifully, ‘Fate has brought him here to put me back in my place,’

Eliza and Waverly stared at each other, seeing the same look of shock and discomfort on the other.

Rosita seemed to calm, settling to her own dark conclusions, ‘And if this is what fate wants of me, then I will not allow anyone else to be hurt because of it,’

  ‘Rosita,’ Eliza said carefully, ‘I don’t believe you have done anything wrong.  The connection you have with Waverly has developed for a reason …’ she leant forward slightly, ‘… will you give me a little time to find out more?’

  ‘Please, Rosita,’ Waverly said when the other Omega didn’t answer.

  ‘Okay,’ the Omega agreed, eyes downcast so they didn’t see the fatalist look in them.

Eliza inhaled a deep breath of relief, ‘Good – now, tell me more, when did this start?’

Before Waverly could answer, Rosita climbed to her feet, ‘I’ll make some tea,’

Waverly watched with concern as the Omega left the room.  She listened silently and when she heard her filling the kettle, rather than opening the door as she had feared, she relaxed a little.

  ‘Do you feel her need to escape?’ Eliza asked.

Waverly nodded, ‘It is only her devotion to Nicole that is keeping her here,’

Eliza glanced over her shoulder and sighed sadly, ‘She doesn’t realise how incredible she is, does she?’

  ‘No …’ the answer was a sigh of resigned sadness.

*

Waverly had shared as much as she could.  Rosita had said nothing and only nodded when Eliza asked if her experiences regarding their connection were similar to the ones that Waverly described.  Even so, she never interrupted or asked Waverly not to say anything.  She respected Eliza’s interest and appreciated that Waverly wanted to know more about it – she just didn’t wish to participate in the discussion.  That bothered Waverly at first but she settled into the discussion quickly and her and Eliza bounced their limited ideas, eventually settling on the conclusion that more – if promised to be subtle – research was needed.  Eliza seemed eager to take on that role and Waverly was quick to realise that the Beta had a need to feel useful amongst Nicole’s pack.  The fact that she had nearly been killed protecting Nicole’s people and her business interests meant she would always have a place within the inner circle – but she obviously needed to prove that she was ready to become actively involved once more.  That was enough to compensate for Waverly’s childish sense of jealousy that Eliza would be the one to have the research fun.  Rosita was as quiet about that decision as anything else they had said, although she did look relieved when Eliza confirmed that she would be discrete for the time being.

And then Eliza had left, leaving the two Omegas to nervously await the arrival of their Alpha.  Waverly didn’t feel anxious herself but was picking up on Rosita’s emotions.  She turned that anxiety into energy and started to clean.  With nothing else to do, Rosita joined her. 

Which was why Waverly was on her knees and Rosita was standing on a step stool wiping out kitchen cupboards when a car pulled onto the Homestead just before sundown.

Rosita dropped down from the stool, twisting the cloth nervously around her fingers as she watched Waverly open the door. 

Nicole climbed from the passenger side and walked purposefully up the steps and into the house.  She had eyes only for Rosita who tried not to shrink under her expressionless stare.  Huffing a breath, she crossed the kitchen and swept the Omega into her arms, holding her tightly as she said into her hair, ‘Tell me you’re okay …’

Tears rolled down Rosita’s cheeks as she held the Alpha as tight as she could, whimpering, ‘I am so sorry,’

Nicole pushed her out to arm’s length, eyes intense, ‘Just tell me that you’re okay,’

  ‘I’m …’ she sniffed, ‘… okay,’

Nicole pulled her back against her chest, hand holding the back of her head and keeping Rosita’s forehead pressed to her shoulder.  She allowed a few more moments before she pulled away and spoke to them both, ‘We are heading back to Pussy Willows immediately,’

They both instinctively knew that she meant the brothel next door and it was Waverly who responded, ‘Is that necessary?’

Nicole bristled, turning to look over her shoulder, ‘It is if I say it is,’  She lifted her hand, growling in her throat when she saw Waverly prepare to argue, ‘I cannot protect you here,’ 

There was no need to ask if they needed protecting – Nicole did not make such statements lightly.

  ‘Jack?’ Rosita whispered.

Nicole’s head snapped round, ‘So he is the reason you ran?’

Rosita nodded, eyes flickering with apprehension.

  ‘We will talk more on the way,’ her word was final and neither Omega considered arguing.

It wasn’t how Rosita wanted to explain things to Nicole, but it seemed time was not on her side and so she sat in the back of the car with the Alpha and stared at her hands as she spoke.

  ‘I panicked when I saw him … the new Alpha …’ she heaved a whimpering breath, ‘I didn’t mean to have an accident … I … I wasn’t thinking and … I’m sorry …’

Nicole rested her hand over Rosita’s, asking, ‘Who is he to you?’

  ‘He kept me when I was younger – before I came to Purgatory,’

The Alpha’s tone deepened as her musk wafted through the car, ‘Kept you?’

  ‘I was his servant, his prisoner,’ she wiped at her eyes. 

  ‘Does he believe he has a claim to you?’

  ‘Probably,’ she sighed pitifully and lifted her eyes for the first time, ‘I’m sorry I never told you about him – I never thought I would see him again,’ she twisted her fingers together, ‘It seems that I am forever to be Fate’s fucking plaything,’

Nicole’s eyebrow arched at the Omega’s cuss and gently squeezed her fingers, ‘I don’t believe that I think that there’s a more tangible reason for his sudden appearance,’ she leant forward slightly, ‘Dolls, take a detour,’

He nodded, accepting the Alpha’s desire to keep what she was about to say within the confines of the car and to the ears of those within it.

  ‘James Hardy has a signet ring,’ Nicole continued, ‘It’s a Class ring from the Alpha College,’

Rosita pressed back against her seat, eyes wide and features paling.  Waverly turned in the front seat, features much the same.

Nicole noticed but continued, ‘Jeremy provided some more details about the place – it’s exactly as it sounds, a place to raise Alpha males to be the fucking arseholes that they are,’

Rosita felt a sudden desire to argue.  Mention of the Alpha College had made her think of her brother, and with those thoughts came the need to defend him against Nicole’s hate.  But how could she?  Nicole had only ever seen the darkest side of male Alphas.  Who could blame her for thinking they were all the same?

  ‘It turns out that Chump followed in his father’s footsteps – they both went there,’ Nicole continued, ‘Chump doesn’t wear a class ring because he was lost it in a poker game,’ Nicole allowed herself a moment to snort before continuing with a serious tone, ‘Hardy Senior does wear a class ring and it’s the same ring as …’ she took a breath, ‘… Maybrick’s,’

  ‘Maybrick,’ Rosita breathed, eyes closing.  She had never known his last name and to hear it now filled her with strange emotions.

  ‘He really is just a man,’ Waverly said carefully, interpreting the other Omega’s emotions and making her open her eyes.

Nicole looked from one to the other, nodding knowingly, ‘For a long time, Bobo appeared more than he really was – but in the end, he was just a man too,’

Waverly looked away, remembering how Nicole had proved that beyond doubt when her punch had caved in the flesh of his throat.

  ‘But Jack has the Alpha Council at his back,’ Rosita reminded them.

Dolls eyes flicked to the rearview mirror, ‘And you have us,’

Rosita gave the smallest of smiles in response but it faded quickly as the Alpha addressed her comment about Jack and the Council, ‘I think they brought him here as part of their campaign against me,’

Rosita suddenly felt adrift, realising that the Council’s threats must have turned into more and she had been unaware of them.  She understood – Nicole had the right to choose who she spoke to about her business.  But the Omega in her whimpered at the knowledge that her Alpha had not come to her for support in troubled times.

Naturally, it was Waverly who asked to know more, her tone almost demanding and Rosita could have sworn she saw the Alpha’s lips twitch in brief amusement.

  ‘So far it’s all been about the Casino and Pussy Willows,’ Nicole responded, the ghost of amusement fading as quickly as it had appeared – if it even had, ‘They’ve been fucking with our suppliers and then the deliveries.  And this morning I heard that they’ve started some pathetic rumours about ill treatment of Omegas …’ Nicole snorted and shook her head, ‘As if anyone is going to believe that they give a fuck how I treat my employees,’

Rosita considered her words and whether Nicole would allow her to respond.  When the Alpha gave a small nod, she stated, ‘The brothel’s business is strong because of its reputation.  Alphas like Juan Carlo keep coming because of the …’ she paused, eyes flicking to Waverly because she knew she would balk at her words but there was no denying the truth of them, ‘… quality of the girls,’

Waverly did inhale a sharp breath but even she found herself thinking, It’s the GRT – as most did when faced with the shadows of life in Purgatory.  And at least her and Rosita were working behind the scenes to help them strive for a better life.  She found herself thinking of Becca – surely she would be reunited with her brother in the City by now and well on her way to putting her life in Purgatory behind her.  Not that all – or even most – of the girls who cleared their Bearer Bonds chose to leave.  There were several who stayed on to earn a decent wage and no doubt to enjoy the promise of the Alpha’s attentions. 

Nicole waved her hand, ‘I care less about what people think of my Omegas than I do making sure they have quality drink in their stomachs,’  It wasn’t callousness behind her words, just a single-mindedness that had seen her rise and maintain the growth of her businesses.  ‘We haven’t had any stock come through since the last delivery,’

  ‘I sent a truck out of Purgatory but it got intercepted on the way back in,’ Dolls stated, a growl beneath his words, ‘They roughed up the guys and took the lot,’

Nicole noticed the particular concern on the faces of the Omegas and responded with, ‘I don’t believe the Council has got to any of our people – I think they have people watching everything we do and following anyone who leaves either business,’

Rosita’s eyes snapped to Waverly, thoughts of how she had brought the Homestead into the Alpha Council’s line of sight suddenly making her guilty.

Waverly smiled softly at her, ‘Let them go after the Homestead – it’s so rundown, if they wreck the place they might be doing me a favour,’

Rosita appreciated the Omega’s attempts to soothe her, but she had felt what Waverly had when they had arrived at the Homestead and – run down or not – it was Waverly’s home, her sanctuary.

Thoughts of the Homestead had Waverly asking, ‘And Shorty’s?’

Nicole nodded angrily, ‘They’ve not been getting deliveries either,’

  ‘They’ll lose business quicker than the casino or Pussy Willows,’ Waverly said fearfully.

  ‘I know,’ Nicole agreed, ‘We’re still working on getting supplies and that includes getting some to your sister before she starts serving that damned Banana Liqueur that she keeps trying to send me,’

Waverly couldn’t help but laugh, ‘There are still boxes of it in the basement – I don’t know what Shorty was thinking when he ordered it all,’

The moment of amusement was short-lived as Nicole nodded at Dolls and he turned into a junction that would lead them back towards Pussy Willows and the brothel. 

It was hard to ignore the way it felt less like a home coming than it had before and when she couldn’t ignore it, Rosita explained it to herself by way of her connection to Waverly.  Arriving at the Homestead had brought such a sense of safety and shelter that it was impossible for her emotional attachment to the brothel, or those within, to even compete.  But she knew the truth.  Her past had invaded the sanctuary of her present and there was no going back from that.  Even as she followed Nicole through the door, everything seemed darker, as if Jack had left his shadow over everything – muting the light and even the usual welcoming sound of the place.

She was pulled from her reverie by the realisation that it wasn’t just her impression of the place, it was quieter.  In fact, it was near deserted.  She stepped further in, glancing from side to side.

  ‘I told them to send the clients home before we left to get you,’ Nicole told her as Dolls followed them in, bolting the door closed behind them, ‘The Omegas should be downstairs,’

Downstairs was a portion of the cellar that had had access to a narrow tunnel running under and out the other side of Pussy Willows.  Bobo had probably used it to move some of his less tasteful contraband.  After taking over and improving the businesses, they had had no use for it other than for storage.  Until now.  It had probably been Dolls’ idea to have the Omegas gather down there.  He would no doubt have given them instructions to split into small groups and disappear onto the streets if the command came down.  A safe place for them to go to would have been arranged along with differing, assigned routes to it.  From there, they would probably find their way to the casino. 

Thoughts of the Omegas hidden away below was an indication of how seriously Nicole and her pack were taking the threat from the Alpha Council.  The time spent sheltered at the Homestead – no matter that it had been barely a day – suddenly felt like a lifetime and she was left feeling that she had missed so much.  Waverly must have been feeling it too because Rosita felt her nervousness reflected back at her.   She was about to seek and offer reassurance when a familiar voice, made unfamiliar by anger, boomed across the lounge area.

  ‘Nicole!’

The small group turned as one, each as surprised as the other to see Doc marching across to them, fingers clenched into fists and face dark with fury.

  ‘What’s on your mind, Doc?’ Nicole asked casually, her face its usual mask of indifference.

He didn’t speak until he was right in front of her.  Matched for height, he met her impassive look with a glare and snarled, ‘One of your Omega’s turned up at my door, hurt bad,’

Nicole barely reacted but for the curl of an eyebrow, ‘You been listening to the Alpha Council’s shit, Doc?  She wasn’t one of mine,’

  ‘Becca …’ he replied.

Nicole inhaled a breath while the Omegas behind her gasped and pressed fingers to their lips, eyes instantly filling with tears.  Neither of them spoke though – despite their desperate need to know more.  The redhead glanced at Doc whose anger seemed to be vibrating through him.  Turning back fully, she stated, ‘Becca was taken to the station and put on a bus to the City two days ago,’

  ‘Well she didn’t fucking get there!’ he cried in reply.

Nicole’s shoulders lifted at his raised voice, her musk pulling at the edges of all of their senses.

Doc seemed too angry to be curtailed by it though and kept his voice raised as he demanded, ‘How many are going to die because of this shit you are stirring up with the Council?’

Behind her she heard both Rosita and Waverly give small cries of distress as their fears were confirmed.  They moved to the side of the room and fell into chairs, holding each other as they wept, lost for a few moments in their grief. 

Nicole refused to let the news overrule the way the Beta had raised his voice in anger for a second time.  ‘Do I need to remind you that you, your mate and your daughter are beneficiaries of that shit?’

He finally sagged under the weight of her musk and the truth of her words, ‘Yeah … yeah … I know … I’m …’ he huffed a breath, ‘… sorry,’

Letting her Alpha feel appeased by his apology eased her musk and she took a moment before asking for more information from him.

He pushed a shaking hand through wavy hair and shook his head, eyes glistening as he told her, ‘It was bad – I don’t know how she survived as long as she did …’

Nicole’s lip curled in a growl but years of practice kept her roaring emotions in check – although there had been a time, not so long ago, she would not have been made so furious by the news.  She glanced sideways at the two Omegas, feeling the pull of their distress.  Forcing it down, she turned back to Doc, sighing, ‘Becca took a lot of beatings when she was with Whiskey Jim, it made her – ’

  ‘She wasn’t beaten,’ Doc whispered, shaking his head again as his features paled, ‘I swear I aint never seen anything like it,’

  ‘Explain,’ Nicole snapped, not allowing him to become lost in his own distress.

  ‘She was cut up … bad.  But she had no wounds on her hands … nothing.  It’s like she just lay there and let them …’ he couldn’t finish and turned away.

His words cut through Rosita’s pain like shards of ice and she was there in an instant, grabbing his arm and spinning him to face her, ‘What did you say?’

Doc stared at her through tear-brimmed eyes, ‘Don’t make me say it again,’

  ‘Rosita?’ Nicole asked carefully, watching the way the Omega’s eyes flickered fearfully between Doc and Nicole.

  ‘That isn’t the Council’s way,’ she told them.

Nicole frowned, ‘They wouldn’t have got their hands dirty, I agree, but killing an Omega to make a point?’ she huffed angrily, ‘They are capable of that – they all are,’

Rosita knew that Nicole was referring to male Alphas but she had a more important point to argue, ‘They would have had her beaten … raped … maybe both,’

Nicole’s gaze turned to stone.  They both knew, better than anyone, what male Alpha’s were capable of.  ‘Your point?’ she asked darkly.

  ‘It was Jack,’

Doc looked up with confusion, ‘That new Alpha – the friend of Hardy’s?  Mayborne?’

  ‘Maybrick’ Nicole corrected, ‘You’ve met him?’

A nod, ‘Hardy came by Shorty’s for a … drink,’

Nicole huffed.  It wasn’t unusual for Hardy – as a known face on the Council – to visit businesses that the Alpha Council were taking an interest in.

  ‘He had his son and two others with him.  Maybrick was one of them,’

  ‘And the other?’

Doc shrugged, ‘A weedy little fucking thing – barely an Alpha.  Hardy introduced him as Maybrick’s nephew,’

  ‘He was there when Champ caused trouble at Pussy Willows,’ Dolls commented.

  ‘Tucker,’ Rosita sneered, shaking her head as things slotted into place.

  ‘You know him too?’ Nicole growled.

Rosita shrank under her angry stare even though she knew the anger wasn’t directed at her.  ‘I didn’t see him the night Champ … I would have said …’

Nicole lifted her hand to calm her, ‘It’s okay – but you do know him?’

  ‘He was the one who gave me to Jack,’ she whispered and swallowed, managing to speak a little louder as she added, ‘You were right – it isn’t just fucking bad luck that Jack found me,’

  ‘No,’ Nicole snarled, ‘but I bet it was Hardy’s idea to bring his old buddy to Purgatory,’

  ‘Revenge for Champ?’ Dolls suggested, ‘Two birds – one stone?’

The Alpha’s eyes narrowed, ‘They’re working hard to destabilise everything I have …’

Rosita’s slim fingers touched the Alpha’s upper arm, ‘I’m sorry.  If I hadn’t had crashed the car then I would be out of Purgatory by now and – ’

Nicole spun, her own fingers closing around the Omega’s upper arms, anger flashed across her eyes, ‘And what – Jack would have just forgotten all about you?  He would have chased after you!’ her fingers tightened as her voice lowered dangerously, ‘And you had Waverly in the car,’

Guilt chased too many unpleasant, twisting emotions through her gut and she lowered her glistening gaze, ‘I’m sorry,’  Nicole’s hands fell from her arms and by the time she lifted her eyes again, the Alpha had turned away. 

Rosita trembled in misery as she slowly returned to sit beside Waverly.  She kept her hands in her lap, silently refusing the other Omega’s touch.  Waverly’s sense of rejection added to her own, deepening her misery until she was forced to bring a barrier between them just to avoid Waverly feeling what she was.  The Alpha’s scent, adding to the weight of nervous anticipation that flooded from those around them, helped to thin the connection between them until Rosita was left with a vague sense of emptiness that was quickly filled with self-reproach.  She lifted her head, tensing at the sensation of someone standing just behind her.  She knew no one was there.  She knew it was surely as she knew that if she turned, she would see Becca.  She bit her lip and dug her nails into her palms.  She could not succumb to her mind’s conjuring’s – not now.  Feeling as if she had both rejected and failed Becca for a second time, she lifted eyes to Nicole and tried to fight through her grief enough to hear what she said.

Nicole had turned her attention back to Doc, ‘Dolls will take you back to Shorty’s – you, Wynonna and the pup will go to the casino and stay in the back quarters until I say otherwise,’

Her tone would allow no argument and Doc responded with a simple, ‘Okay – I guess we aint got much more liquor to sell anyway,’ he rubbed his moustache, ‘What about the shelter?’

Dolls responded to that, ‘I’ve sent word to Eliza, she’s going to head to the casino too,’

  ‘There are Omegas there that need me,’ Doc sighed.

  ‘The Alpha Council will know where you are, they’ll leave the place alone if you’re not there,’ Nicole told him.

  ‘You sound very sure about that,’ he responded, clearly not as convinced.

  ‘I’m their focus,’ she told him without a hint of ego, ‘They’ll be coming here,’

  ‘And that’s exactly why I’m staying,’ Dolls told them, his tone as sure as Nicole’s had been even if there was slight reluctance in his eyes to go against his Alpha’s direct command, ‘I’m not leaving your side until this is over,’

Nicole didn’t seem surprised by his response which wasn’t unusual.  Over the past months, Nicole had begun to offer Dolls time out of his long-held dedication to her, especially if something involved Eliza.  She should have known though that, as long as he thought his mate was safe, nothing would take him from his post beside her.  And most certainly not when the Alpha Council was so obviously barring its teeth.

  ‘Send two people with Doc to escort him and his family to the casino,’ Nicole told him, ‘Then have them return here,’

Dolls nodded and turned towards the bar where, with the whore house and Pussy Willows closed, half of the security team had assembled.  The other half were stationed next door, maintaining radio contact.  There was a collective sense of unease, but it was quickly controlled by the men and women who had grown up on the streets of Purgatory and did not easily forget the need for constant vigilance.  The difference that made them even stronger, was that they were part of a pack now and each had proven, more than once, their loyalty and devotion to their Alpha.

The members of the security team straightened as Dolls approached but a knock at the locked entrance had them moving forwards to form a wide half circle around the edge of the lounge area – instinctively moving into position to fight at the Alpha or her Beta’s command.

Nicole turned and nodded at Waverly and Rosita, ‘Go join the others,’

The Omegas moved to the door without hesitation or debate.  The Alpha had given a command and if there was ever a time to be followed without question, then it was now.

Rosita followed Waverly to the door, held open by a female Beta.  ‘We know where to go,’ Waverly said as the Beta moved to follow them, ‘You should stay with the Alpha,’

The Beta seemed relived by Waverly’s suggestion and stepped back through the door, closing it firmly behind her.  She turned, frowning when she saw Rosita standing frozen, eyes fixed on the passageway that led to the Omega dormitory.  ‘Are you okay?’

Rosita released the breath she had been holding and pressed fingers to her forehead that felt tight, a niggling pain settling behind her eyes.  She turned to Waverly before she opened her eyes again and managed a wan smile as she lowered her hand, ‘I’m okay,’ 

They both knew she wasn’t, but in that moment they also knew that they had to control their fear and anxiety.  If they didn’t, they would be no help to the other Omegas.

Nodding, Waverly turned and led the way to the cellar stairs.  As she followed, Rosita could not hide the sense of deep remorse, rather than anxiety, that flowed through her.  And as much as she tried, she couldn’t stop thinking about those who had crossed her path and not been so lucky to survive what she had.  The memories that had flooded through her mind, as the Jeep had rolled, had remained like ghosts at the edge of her psyche.  Her connection to Waverly had kept them as little more than ethereal echoes but in thinning that connection, she had opened herself to the dark remembrances.

Soft, nervous voices drifted up to them when they opened the door at the top of the stairs.  The room below was dimly lit and Rosita felt a sense of creeping unease as she followed Waverly down the shadowed stairs.

Rosita froze on the penultimate step and, despite her shoes, felt her naked toes curl over the carpeted edge.  The breath stilled in her throat, mouth falling open and drying instantly.  Her eyes widened, flicking back and forth as she looked beyond where the Omegas gathered like frightened deer to where the shadows shifted and took form.  Boxes faded into the background as the cellar opened up, walls moving back to increase the spartan space.  Two spectral like chairs appeared, a round table between them.  In the near distance, a table of knives was set beside a larger, longer table.

Rosita felt rather than heard herself whimper as the iron smell of blood flooded her senses.  Red tainted women turned to her, naked, wounded beyond what life could possibly endure and stared at her with milky, dead eyes.  The skin of their bodies somehow stayed in place as they moved amongst the Omegas that stared at her with fear and confusion.  And although she could see the women who were truly there, the spectral conjuring’s of her mind moved in front of them, their translucent forms overlaying those of the women who she loved like sisters.  And with the ghostly projections, she saw what she feared they would become.  She saw the awful future that awaited them at Jack’s hands.  Cowardice sent her eyes down but she found only red as the cold concrete became awash with the blood of the young women who had played Jack’s game and thought themselves saved when the blade spun to Rosita.  The relief of each, turned to despair, crackled like lightning in the air as a collective accusation sent silent words across the space, ‘Why us?  Why not you?’

Rosita whimpered, eyes filling with guilty tears.

Waverly turned, concerned features morphing to become grey beneath the lines of red as Becca stared at her with the same accusing, dead eyes.  ‘I’m sorry,’ Rosita sobbed softly and stumbled back up the stairs.

  ‘Rosita?’ Waverly asked shakily, going after her.

Rosita forced herself to stop, fingers curling over the thin banister to steady herself.  She blinked and swallowed, forced herself to look past the Omega and into the room beyond where the others were watching her with concern.  ‘I … I … I need to … go to my room …’ she looked desperately at Waverly, ‘Please … I just need …’ she sobbed a small breath, ‘… I need to be alone for a while,’

Waverly nodded sadly, unhappy but accepting that Rosita needed a few minutes to grieve for Becca on her own, away from the other Omegas and from her connection to Waverly.  It hurt that she didn’t want to accept comfort from her – but Waverly trusted she would when she was ready.  ‘Okay,’ Waverly whispered and watched as the Omega rushed up the stairs and closed the door behind her, leaving Waverly to feel desperately alone.  Swallowing her emotions and setting her features, she turned back to the Omegas who needed her.

The eyes of everyone in the lounge area were focused on the entrance, each waiting on the command from the Alpha.

  ‘It’s not the Council,’ Dolls pointed out when the room stayed silent, the unanswered knock not being followed with another, more demanding one.

  ‘Then let’s find out who it is,’ Nicole told him as she pulled the cuffs of her white shirt down and adjusted the Stetson to bring just the right amount of shadow over her eyes.

Nicole watched the way Dolls unlocked and then opened the door, using his impressive frame to block entry to anyone who might have tried to force their way in.  Almost instantly, he stepped back and to the side.  The older man stepped in as if carried on the strong waft of Alpha musk and the echo of a command.  Dolls shook himself and glared angrily at the newcomer as he slammed the door and locked it again.

  ‘Sorry,’ Juan Carlo smiled at him with no hint of apology, ‘I wanted to see if I still had it,’

The Alpha’s effect was quick to wear off and Dolls seemed prepared to throw him back out the instant Nicole gave the word.

  ‘I don’t know what’s more impressive,’ Nicole said coldly as she stepped forward, ‘The fact that you can still command a powerful Beta like Dolls or that you decide to insult me on my own territory by doing it,’

Carlo’s smile became more sincere, ‘You are right, I apologise,’ but then he shrugged, almost playfully, ‘In truth I was expecting someone lower down to answer the door,’

Dolls was more offended by the comment than the Alpha’s use of power, ‘I would never ask any of my people to face a danger I wouldn’t face myself,’

The old Alpha studied the Beta with thoughtful eyes before nodding to himself, ‘Yes – had I had you at my back I would have run my territory for a few more years,’ he turned back to Nicole, ‘May I have a drink?’

  ‘We’re closed,’ she reminded him.

  ‘Because of the Council and Hardy’s old Academy buddy?’

Nicole stared back blankly, face like stone.

He smiled at that, ‘I must admit that I have been entertained by your antics over the years,’  He lifted his hand when he sensed the collective anger of Nicole’s pack, displeased with his apparent condescension, ‘I mean it as a term of endearment.  I genuinely enjoyed the way you fucked around with Bobo and then … well … fucked him for good,’

Nicole didn’t answer, just stared silently as Dolls returned to her side.

  ‘And I am very fond of this place,’ he continued, looking around, ‘There is a reason I am your most frequent visitor after all,’

Nicole couldn’t argue with that, replying instead, ‘Your patronage is appreciated but does not change the fact that we are closed,’

He inhaled a long breath and released it all before saying, ‘I never expected to live this long – no Alpha does.  But I have.  I was a bastard – perhaps at times I was even worse than Del Rey but …’ he spread his hands, ‘… this is Purgatory, right?’

She stared back, out of respect she didn’t challenge his meandering but that didn’t mean she would engage by responding.

  ‘I stay alive because I have spent the last few years gradually moving away from the business of running my territory,’ he continued with the same playful tone, ‘But an Alpha needs entertainment and …’ he laughed softly, ‘… you can be very entertaining,’

  ‘That is not my intention,’

He waved her words away, ‘I have been an avid observer of you, Haught – it has been fascinating to watch you and your pack grow and …’ a sly laugh, ‘… I must admit to finding it quite satisfying, watching the Alpha Council tie themselves in knots trying to work out what to do with you …’ Juan Carlo stepped towards her, his features suddenly hardening as anger darkened his gaze, ‘That was, until this morning when I heard about Becca,’

Nicole straightened, keeping her features impassive.

  ‘She deserved better,’ he told her, shaking his head sadly even though the anger remained in his Alpha’s gaze, ‘I offered to pay off her Bearer Bond – did you know that?’

  ‘I did,’ Nicole replied simply and felt Dolls’ eyes shift to her – he had been unaware.  ‘Becca told me,’

  ‘And did you refuse her that opportunity?’

  ‘No,’

He studied her, perhaps searching for the truth of her words.  ‘You are a fine poker player, Haught, how would I know if you were telling the truth?’

Strangely, she wasn’t offended by the question and replied simply, ‘Any of my Omegas who have a Bearer Bond are entitled to clear the associated value at any time.  I do not question it when they do nor would I ever challenge them on such a decision,’ she waited until her words had been heard and understood before adding, ‘Becca wanted to join her brother in the City – that’s all she cared about,’

  ‘And you saw her delivered safely to the bus station?’

Nicole tipped her head slightly, ‘The fact that you have come here speaking of Hardy and his friend suggests that you know exactly what happened to Becca,’

He inhaled and nodded, ‘I do – I wanted to be sure before I spoke any further,’

  ‘Speak about what?’

  ‘Hardy and the Council – they are not happy with him and what happened to Becca will not have improved their mood,’

  ‘The Council don’t give a fuck about Omegas,’ Dolls growled.

  ‘They do when a psycho like Maybrick rolls into town and starts enjoying himself,’ Carlo replied, never taking his eyes off Nicole.

She considered his words for a moment before waving toward the bar, ‘Bourbon, isn’t it?’

Rosita stepped back slightly, pulling the door closed a little more, as she watched them approach the bar.  She held her breath – testing her theory.  When neither of them made any reaction to her presence, she sagged a little with relief.  A combination of distance and the lingering combination of scents was keeping her hidden.  Normally one of Dolls’ Betas would be standing guard but, with the place shut, they had all gathered in the main area.  As Nicole and Carlo approached the bar, two broke away and led Doc to the door.  Dolls followed.  After unlocking the door he said something to Doc who nodded solemnly and followed the two escorts out.  Locking the door once more, he returned to stand just behind Nicole as she listened to whatever Carlo had to say.

Rosita knew she shouldn’t be there.  She had fled from the spectral images but it was more that she couldn’t bring herself to be in Waverly’s presence.  She would be a calming influence on the other Omegas but it was an influence that Rosita couldn’t handle right now.  Not because she didn’t want it – but because she didn’t deserve it. 

Seeing her mind’s conjuring of the young women Jack had killed had only made the thoughts snarl through her head even louder, forming barbed wire that snagged and ripping at her psyche. 

The Alpha Council were going after Nicole – because of her.

Jack was in Purgatory because of her.

Becca was dead – because of her.

Waverly could have died in that car – because of her.

All that had happened and the threat of what was to come – it was because of her.

The sense of responsibility was near overwhelming, blinding her to the facts until she felt the weight of everything that had happened over the past week crushing down on her.  It left her feeling lonely in her guilt.  And it brought with it feelings and emotions that she had not felt in so long but now returned with sickening familiarity – worthlessness.  She should never have tried to be more.  She should never have believed she was worth more.  Fate had decreed her worthless and Fate was now punishing her, and the ones she cared about, for her foolish selfishness. 

And the worst part was that she had come to believe her life had meant something.  Thanks to Waverly, she had started to accept that all that had come before had led her to this moment, this place – and she had welcomed that knowledge.  But now she realised the true depth of that.  Yes – all that had happened had brought her here.  But it wasn’t the light of a welcomed, better future.  It was the edge of a dark abyss that she had thought she had escaped.  And if she didn’t do something about it, she would drag those she loved into the abyss with her.

And so, rather than going to her room, she had come to this door.  She didn’t know what she was going to do.  She had no clear intent.  And whatever had driven her steps had disappeared the moment she cracked open the door, leaving her frozen in a strange limbo of desperation and uncertainty.  Seeing Juan Carlo had only kept her in her place – held by the rule of the Alpha regarding interest in her business.

She should have retreated.  Should have swallowed her emotions and returned to Waverly.  Her Omega begged her to do just that.  But something kept her there.  Something that sneered at her in Jack’s voice, telling her that, at the very least, she should bear witness the storm her life and fate had wrought.  After all – hadn’t she always been a witness to the suffering of others.  Hiding in the wall as her brother had suffered within the walls of that damned college – just to keep her safe.  Paralysed yes but witness no less to each death dealt by Jack’s cruel hands.  Stood and watched as Maria approached every car until she finally climbed into the wrong one.  And then hadn’t she been witness to first Whiskey Jack’s and then Bobo’s cruelty?  And worse still – witnessed Shae’s betrayal of Nicole.  So many more events spiralled around her head, darkening her heart and making her feel dizzy with uneasy thoughts about how much she was still to witness.  How much more would the Council and Jack do just to get their way?

A hammering at the entrance had her falling back from the barely opened door.  Her Omega cried for her to leave, driven to flight by the way the tension in the room beyond suddenly ramped up, making the air thick and near oppressive.  Yet for no good reason she could find, she stayed.

At the sound of the pounding at the door, Carlo calmly tipped back the last of his drink and settled the glass on the bar, ‘Time for me to go,’

Nicole dipped her head in acknowledgement as another round of hammering echoed through the lounge. 

They moved in a small group, Nicole and Dolls flanking Carlo while three of the security team followed them as the banging became louder, shaking the wooden door nearly out of its frame.

  ‘Insistent little fuckers aren’t they?’ Carlo commented with a sly grin that said he would be happy to stay for a little while longer with the door closed.

Nicole couldn’t help but give a smile back, ‘As much as I would love to keep you entertained, Juan Carlo, I don’t think my door can handle it,’

  ‘Call me JC,’ he smiled with twinkling eyes, ‘All my friends do,’

The hammering at the door faded into the far distance as Nicole allowed herself a moment to fully appreciate what the elder Alpha had offered her.  Lifting herself straighter, she held her hand out, ‘Thank you, JC,’

He took her hand, returning her firm grip as the sound from the door forced its way back into their awareness.  Releasing Nicole, he held his hand out to Dolls who took it with uncharacteristic apprehension.  Carlo’s features became serious as they silently shook hands and then he nodded at the door, ‘Would you mind?’

Automatically, Dolls looked to Nicole who gave the smallest of nods for the large Beta to unlock it.

The door was pushed inwards the moment the lock was disengaged but Dolls had been expecting it and braced himself, satisfied to hear a cuss as whoever had tried to force the door was slammed up against the wood.

  ‘Let us in you piece of worthless shit!’

  ‘Mind your tone, Hardy,’ Nicole growled at his disrespect of her Beta, ‘Or that door will stay closed,’

The team behind Nicole stepped forward, ready to force the door closed again if commanded.

  ‘We’re just here to take back what is mine,’ Jack announced casually.

Nicole’s growl and voice deepened, ‘There is nothing here of yours,’

Jack sighed theatrically, ‘Must we discuss the issue through a half open door?  It merely confirms what an impudent, disrespectful little pup you are,’

Nicole’s shoulders lifted and were held there for a moment while she allowed the growl to rattle from her chest.  Slowly she restrained her Alpha and nodded at Dolls, ‘Let our guests in,’

Dolls moved his head either direction, cracking his neck ominously and then stepping back, pulling the door with him.

When only Hardy and Maybrick entered, Nicole’s eyes flicked to Carlo – silently acknowledging the information he had given her.  His lip curled into a small smile before his attention was brought to Hardy who had moved to stand in his personal space.

  ‘I thought you were long dead,’ Hardy sneered.

Carlo lifted a shoulder, ‘I am merely retired,’

  ‘True Alpha’s don’t retire,’ Hardy snorted.

  ‘The smart ones do,’ Carlo responded amicably, ‘Speaking of smart – or lack of – how is Charles?’

Hardy visibly bristled but chose to redirect the sly insult, ‘Seems that retirement has brought senility.  Have you forgotten that my son has not gone by that name since he was a child,’

  ‘Yes,’ Carlo sighed in agreement, ‘I often wondered at his young perceptiveness – even so young he felt the need to self-grandiose by calling himself Champ,’

Hardy’s voice reverberated with anger as he replied, ‘Your insults get more pathetic with age, Juan Carlo,’

Behind him, Jack gave a small laugh, ‘Actually, I thought it was rather good,’

Any amusement fell from Carlo’s features as he looked at the tall Alpha, ‘If I have entertained you, then I regret my words,’  He half turned to nod at Nicole before leaving and Dolls closed the door behind him.

Jack’s eyes appraised the group, taking no effort to hide his contempt.  Eventually he asked Hardy, ‘Exactly how has this little pack of pups caused your Alpha Council so much grief?’

Nicole felt her people unite in their growing hate for him and said coldly, ‘They underestimated us – you would be wise to not make the same mistake,’

He eyed her with disdain, ‘Oh – I never make mistakes when I underestimate … females,’

Hardy sighed angrily and waved at Nicole, ‘Just give her the damn thing and let’s take your Omega and leave,’

  ‘You are not taking another Omega from me,’ Nicole growled, allowing righteous anger to show across her features.

Jack frowned and looked at Hardy, ‘Who is she talking about?’

  ‘You fucking well know!’ Nicole bellowed, hands clenching into fists.

  ‘Oh,’ Jack chuckled, ‘That lovely lithe thing with the black hair?  I thought she had come under the Council’s purview – she was unowned after all – unlike my Rosita,’

Nicole’s fury thrummed through her, bringing a growl to her words, ‘She is not yours,’

Jack reached into his pocket and retrieved a sheet of folded paper.  He held it out to Nicole who didn’t even look at it.  ‘This says otherwise,’ he told her anyway.

When she made no comment or move to take it, Hardy snatched it from him and flicked it open, waving the Bearer Bond in front of her face.  ‘Are you prepared to argue with the very thing that is the fabric of your little business?’

Nicole’s eyes dropped to the name written in cursive hand across the centre of the ornately bordered page: Rosita Bustillos.  Her eyes lifted back to Jack, ‘Is the ink even dry on that?’

Jack laughed humourlessly, ‘Oh – I give you my word, this is genuine and far supersedes anything that you have with her name on,’

  ‘And what is the word of a murderer worth?’ she asked him, disgust dripping from every word. 

  ‘A lot more than that of a piece of shit street scum in a tailored suit,’ he replied scornfully and stared deep into her eyes, ‘Especially one who doesn’t even know the last name of her Omega,’

She stared back. 

  ‘You don’t have a Bearer Bond for her, do you?’

  ‘My business with my Omegas is mine alone, I will not discuss it,’

  ‘And even if you did,’ Jack continued as if she hadn’t spoken, ‘my bond has never been cleared so, before the eyes of all those worth the gaze within the GRT, mine is the one that the law will uphold,’

  ‘The law?’ Nicole snorted and waved at Hardy, ‘Do you mean the Council?  Spineless old men with small dicks and out-of-date morals,’

  ‘How dare you!’ Hardy yelled, lifting his hands to encompass the building around them, ‘All of Purgatory stands because we allow it.  The Council is the law and – as you have been told – you will get in line or be crushed beneath it!  This is your final warning, Haught!  Do not defy the Alpha Council any longer.  Give this Alpha his property and make reparations for your insolent behaviour … and maybe we will let you keep some of what you have left,’

  ‘I will never bow down to men who let someone like him do what he did to that Omega and God knows how many others,’ Nicole told him simply.

  ‘Oh – don’t worry, Haught,’ Jack chuckled, ‘The Council were almost as displeased about it as you are,’ he leant forward, whispering loudly, ‘Between you and me – I agree with you about them – old and spineless for sure,’

  ‘Jack!’ Hardy snapped.

Jack smirked at him, ‘Oh, not you … just the others,’

  ‘Careful,’ Hardy snarled in reply, ‘I chose to support you despite the Council’s displeasure at what you did but my respect for our time at the Alpha College together is not infinite,’

  ‘Oh rubbish,’ Jack chuckled, ‘You desire retribution for your idiot son, that is all,’

Hardy spluttered words made incoherent by his anger, utterly failing to conceal what Carlo had already told them. 

Hardy had invited Maybrick to Purgatory and perhaps, to begin with, the Council had considered him a potential ally in their assault on Nicole and her business.  They had probably grabbed Becca to use as leverage, perhaps intending to force her to spit lies about the Alpha and tarnish her reputation with the Omegas of Purgatory.  Jack’s enjoyment of her had not gone down well with the Council but Nicole wasn’t foolish enough to believe it was because any of them cared about the Omega’s horrific fate – more likely it was because it revealed that Jack was far beyond their control.  And, even in Purgatory, murder was still murder.

  ‘Do you two want to take this little domestic out of my place?’ Nicole asked coldly as Hardy seemed to get redder and redder in the face while Jack just seemed amused by him.

Jack turned then, all the pleasure and humour falling from him as if he were a snake shedding his skin.  Beneath it, the truth.  Eyes dark – like pits.  Features suddenly taut as if chiselled from stone.  His musk filled the air around them with the sickly sweet, metallic scent that was so unpleasant that Nicole had to force herself to not recoil. 

Her Alpha kept her straight, latching onto the scent of another Apex Alpha and starting to circle and pace, ready for a fight, releasing her own musk that merged with Jack’s to form a swirling, unpleasant combination that only fuelled them both even more.

  ‘I want my Omega,’  His voice had changed too, no longer dripping with contempt, his very words were like ice that speared across the distance between them to make the hair on Nicole’s arms stand up, ‘And I will take everything that is yours – piece by piece – until I have her,’

  ‘She’s not yours,’ Nicole told him, her voice heated with warning.  Had she had anything but focus for the Alpha before her, she might have noticed everyone else – even Hardy – involuntarily shrink away from the area around them.

Jack’s tongue flicked out and across his lips, eyes flashing with grotesque hunger, ‘I still dream about her …’ he lifted his shoulders, ‘… I was saving her, savouring every moment of the innocence I stole from her …’ he closed his eyes and tilted his head back, sniffing loudly, ‘I smell her on you – I can smell my little gryaznie pizda … you might have stolen the delights of her dirty little cunt but I will have them still,’

Nicole hunched her shoulders and bared her teeth, snarling, ‘She is mine!’

  ‘No!’ Jack bellowed, lowering his head again so he could glare at her, ‘She is not!  You are a pathetic little girl and nothing more.  Now give me what is mine!  What I deserve!’

Nicole crossed the distance to him in two large steps, hands snatching out to grab the lapels of his jacket and haul his face to hers.  ‘I am more than happy to give you exactly what you deserve!’

He tilted his head slowly to look at each of her hands in turn.  When he looked back at her, his eyes were like ice, his tone just as chilling, ‘Take your hands off me,’

Her fingers tightened as her eyes narrowed, ‘If I let you go – it will be to so you can walk out of my territory and never come back,’

  ‘Let – me – go,’ he said carefully, annunciating every word.

She stared into his eyes and let him see her Apex Alpha in return, letting it surge through every fibre of her being, filling her muscles with blood and making her heart rate and blood pressure soar.  She let him see her willingness to afford him every ounce of blood and pain that her Alpa commanded he receive.  She let her eyes offer delicious violence and the promise that she would bathe in it.  Her fingers tightened, knuckles showing white as she slowly bared her teeth.

Slim fingers closed around the tense muscle of her upper arm and a scent somehow cut through the haze of her Alpha’s thirst.  The predatory growl from Jack had her thrusting him away as she spun and pushed Rosita backwards.  The need to remove her property from the eyes of the other Alpha driving her on – since it was either distance them or turn and rip Jack’s eyes from his head.

  ‘Pathetic!’ Jack laughed loudly, ‘The little Alpha bitch needs an Omega to save her from me!’

Tuning out his insults but turning to keep the bearded Alpha in her peripheral vision, she demanded of Rosita, ‘What the fuck are you doing here?’, her words dripping with the fury and fear that warred for supremacy over her snarling Apex Alpha.  She could see that Maybrick was restraining himself for now, but the appearance of the Omega was a firework near an ammunition dump.

  ‘You cannot fight him,’ Rosita whimpered desperately.

Nicole rocked back, eyes narrowing, ‘I will rip him to shreds before he lays a finger on you,’

  ‘I know you will try,’ she responded, stepping forward and sliding her hands beneath the material of her jacket to press her hands to Nicole’s firm waist, eyes fixing on the Alpha’s, ‘You don’t know him like I do – he will do anything to win,’

  ‘He will not leave here with you,’

Rosita wanted to feel the warmth of the Alpha’s possession in her words, but she knew that right at that moment it wasn’t her that Nicole was protecting.  Rosita had become a symbol of everything Nicole had fought so hard for and everything she stood to lose.  Rosita was suddenly the figurehead for Nicole’s territory – an Omega who was successfully running a sex business while managing to be a force for change.  And Nicole had put her there and allowed her to be all that she could be.  To lose her would mean more than losing everything Nicole had built, she would also lose the respect of her pack and the Omegas who had come to trust her.  Jack might have ruined the Alpha Council’s attempts to discredit Nicole – but now he had another opportunity.  If he took Rosita, he would handing so much more to the Council.  And all of it had become wrapped up in Nicole’s instincts to protect what was hers.  She was flooded with protective possession and the desire to fight the threat that had invaded her territory. 

Nicole might have been less aware of her motivations, but Rosita was very clear on the potential consequences of handing her over to Jack.  In truth, it would be like opening the floodgates and the first thing the Alpha lost would be herself.

But with that knowledge came worse understanding.  How could she not be handed over? 

Jack had never forgotten her and now that she was within his sight once more, he would never stop coming for her – no matter the cost.  And certainly not when that cost would be paid by everyone else but him.  His psychopathic, single-mindedness would see him tear everyone around him to shreds.  Everyone.

  ‘He will do what he says,’ Rosita whispered, ‘He will take it all – piece by piece, you cannot stop him,’

Nicole’s eyes flashed with dark displeasure at the doubt she heard, ‘You are out of line Omega, and you shouldn’t be here … leave!’

Her raised voice made Jack shift from foot to foot, ‘Don’t leave, pizda – stay and play!’

Rosita visibly trembled as his voice spread over her like a blanket of razors. 

  ‘Omega …’ Nicole commanded quietly but with a low growl that would allow nothing but obedience.

Rosita took half a step back, head bowed, arms slow to follow.  Eventually her hands dropped to her sides as she moved sideways in the direction of the door. 

Nicole turned fully to face Jack, preparing to intercept him if he made a move for Rosita.  She watched the way his pit-like eyes settled on the Omega and her lip curled in a warning growl that he refused to acknowledge, eyes now only for Rosita and caring nothing for whatever was between him and the Omega he coveted.

  ‘All you care about is winning,’ Rosita whispered but her words carried easily as she took a few more steps.  The security team had moved wordlessly to form a passage for her, a tunnel of tense Betas leading towards the door to the back area.

  ‘You are right, of course,’ Jack smiled, his dark humour returning briefly even as the depths of his dark desires lifted his scent, ‘I care nothing for this pissy little town and its spinless Council …’ he huffed and waved Hardy’s cuss aside, ‘… I just want to win and you, gryaznie pizda …’ he took half a step forward, oblivious to Nicole’s deeper growl of warning, ‘… are the only prize that matters,’

The snick of a knife springing from its handle had Jack halting his next step, eyes widening in surprise as he watched Rosita press the wicked blade to the inside of her wrist.

  ‘Then I shall take myself out of the game,’ she told him simply, eyes fully meeting his for the first time and making sure he saw the truth of her intent.  When she knew he saw it, she pressed the knife to her flesh, barely reacting as beads of blood instantly sprung up along the length of the metal.

  ‘Stop!’

Nicole’s command froze the Omega’s hand before she could drag the blade through her veins.  She whimpered in failure and shifted pleading eyes to her Alpha.  ‘Please … let me do this … it’s the only way,’

Nicole took a step towards her, voice like the thunder that regularly rolled from the mountains and across the town, ‘Give me my knife, Omega,’

Rosita swallowed, trembling blade hovering above the bloodied line.  ‘He will never stop …’ she whimpered pitifully, hoping to find the strength in her words to overcome the Alpha’s will, ‘… and the longer you stand in his way, the more people we care about are going to get hurt,’

  ‘She’s right,’ Jack tried to smirk but his nostrils flared, lips curling with distaste at the sight and smell of the Omega’s blood that had not been spilled by his hand.

  ‘I said – give me the knife,’ Nicole commanded again, anger lifting the thunder as she neared the Omega.

Rosita turned to look up at her, tears rolling down her cheeks as she slowly shook her head but lifted the knife and held it out, whispering one last plea for the Alpha to see sense. 

When her words received nothing more than a cold, commanding stare, Rosita felt herself succumb to failure.  She had lost.  They all had.  There was no winning this – not for any of them.  Not Waverly.  Not Dolls.  But mostly not Nicole.  No matter what action she took, she would lose.

A sudden surge of instinct flooded through Rosita – not one of survival, but one of protection.  She needed to protect her Alpha from the evil that was threatening everything she had.  Everything she had fought for.  All of the pain and fear, hate and loss she had ever felt coalesced inside her into one overriding emotion – love.  Love for an Alpha, shadowed by her own pain-filled past and worthy of love because of it.  And with it came her love for Waverly who still saw the light when all around had seemed so dark.  The two were inseparable. Nicole and Waverly, the Alpha and the Omega in the truest sense.  They became one within her, strengthening the knowledge that they were her light, her love and her salvation.  She became blinded to reason.  All that mattered was that the evil that threatened her Alpha be removed and she was the only one who could do it.  The only one who could carry the cost.  If she could not remove herself from the game, then she would end the game another way.

She spun and darted swiftly across the gap as her slim arm brought the blade back, loading her muscles to strike with every ounce of strength and even more conviction.  Her eyes lasered in on the area of his chest that would feel the steel of the wicked sharp blade and thrust it forward. 

Nicole must have sensed Rosita’s intention – perhaps even before the Omega’s instinct had turned to action – because she was suddenly in front of her and the evil was lost from sight as blade found flesh.

The smell of blood saturated the air that was suddenly ripped apart by the Alpha’s snarl of pain.  Nicole spun, eyes darker than they had ever been as her arm flew and the back of her hand snapped across Rosita’s face. 

The Omega spun and fell to her knees, too horrified to move, not even having the strength to lift her own hand to cover her quickly discolouring cheek.  Whatever pain she might have felt from the blow was lost beneath her mortification as she looked up and stared at the growing patch of red across the Alpha’s white shirt.  She felt herself closing in as all the weight of her conviction instantly twisted into self-loathing.  She sobbed softly, too lost to make any further sound or action as her heart and soul started to break apart.

Nicole turned back to Jack, pulling her jacket closed.  There was no hiding the beads of sweat and the paleness of her skin but she held herself ramrod straight, eyes still dark and voice as cold as ice, ‘Leave – now,’

Jack’s own eyes were as furious as hers but there was something else there too, something that curled his lip – disgust.  He swiped at his twitching nose, eyes dropping to the suddenly glistening material of Nicole’s jacket.

  ‘Nicole …’ Dolls half cried, moving to stand in front of her, his whole demeanour uncharacteristically shaken.  He was shoved violently to the side, stumbling and turning as his team moved to stand with him.  They looked as lost and unsure as the Omegas downstairs.

Nicole’s features were a mask of fury as she punched a hand against her own chest, eyes flicking from Jack to Hardy.  Her bellow carried all the strength and musk of her Apex Alpha, ‘This is my territory!’

Behind her, her people whimpered and several dropped to one knee, heads bowed in loyal supplication of the Alpha.  Dolls instantly settled, the anxiety falling from him to be replaced with certainty and the flexing of muscles as the Alpha’s essence filled him with the same conviction, preparing him to fight for her until his last breath.  He looked from side to side as he sent his own musk to join that of the Alpha’s.  It was near impossible to scent it since the Alpha’s musk was so strong but he believed in her and all they had built.  Words and actions alone would not be enough.  He opened his hands, calling to the Betas around him.  Those that had knelt now stood, strengthened by him and his position as the Alpha’s lieutenant. 

It had taken a matter of moments but her pack were there, all eyes on Jack.  Each one of them promising to die for their Alpha and take a piece of him with them.  There was no thought of consequence.  No consideration of the law or the Council.  Such considerations were for the Purgatory beyond the walls of this building.  Here they united in the Alpha’s territory and they would defend it with blood and pain the moment the Alpha commanded.

Jack and Hardy looked beyond Nicole to her pack, unable to contain their surprise.  Too long had they lived a life of privilege.  A life spent taking what they wanted, without question, without concern.  They thought that, as Alphas, they knew what loyalty was.  They had no idea.  But now it was being shown them by a pack of street kids who should have been crushed under the ideals of the GRT.  And shown them most by the redheaded, bleeding Alpha who would be the first to take a piece of Jack to Hell with her, if that was what he truly desired.

The smell of Nicole’s blood sent Jack’s Apex Alpha into retreat as he fought to contain his obvious, irrational disgust.

  ‘You will leave, now,’ Nicole told them, her voice a loud enough growl to reverberate off the windows and bottles behind the bar.  She stepped forward, furious eyes all for Hardy, ‘I saved his life and you, the one who brought him here, will repay that action,’

Hardy lifted his hand to stop Jack’s words of indignation, ‘What do you want?’

  ‘I no longer recognise the Council within these walls – take that message back to them,’

Hardy squared his shoulders, lips thinning as he silently nodded his agreement.

  ‘I was never here with their support anyway,’ Jack sneered and then to Hardy, ‘Right?’

Hardy reached for Jack’s arm, ‘We’re done here,’

  ‘The hell we are!’ Jack snapped, shrugging from Hardy’s grip but his eyes, clouded by disgust at Nicole’s blood, had lost much of their certainty.

Hardy’s loosened hand waved to encompass Nicole and her pack, ‘I will not bleed for you and your game,’

Jack spun on him, ‘You are as weak and pathetic as you always were!  No wonder the Council has lost control of this piece of shit town!’ he snorted, ‘Purgatory – the stinking Omega-fuck-hole of the GRT!’

  ‘Call this town what you wish, Maybrick, but beyond these walls the Council’s word is law and you will need that if you still want that Omega,’ he turned back to Nicole, ‘You have not won – merely delayed the inevitable,’

Nicole stared at him with cold, commanding silence.

Jack’s eyes dropped to where Rosita was curled into a tiny ball, battered down by her actions and Nicole’s musk, ‘You think this Alpha bitch is gonna forgive you for what you just did?  Come with me now – I can save you from her,’

  ‘Dolls,’ Nicole commanded, ‘get the door,’

The Beta passed her, several of the pack in tow, and unlocked the door.

  ‘Leave now before I assist you on your way,’ Nicole told the two Alphas.

  ‘You cannot keep her from me,’ Jack told her, eyes narrowing as he swiped a hand under his nose, ‘And when I fuck that Omega whore, it will be your blood I see spilling from her torn cunt!’

Nicole made no sound.  No roar.  No growl.  Yet the silence conveyed her disgusted fury as she stepped forward and punched Jack in the mouth.

He stumbled to the side, growling and cussing as Hardy moved to right him.  Pushing the hands of the other Alpha away, Jack straightened and ran his hand across his mouth.  His eyes widened, features paling as he stared at his own blood smeared across his fingers.  Gulping, he turned and swiped his hand down the arm of Hardy’s tailored suit.  Hardy swore and backed away, swiping at the blood himself as Jack whined pitifully and rubbed his hand against the thigh of his trousers. 

  ‘Fuck you and all this shit!’ Hardy scowled as Jack cleaned his fingers and instantly calmed, ‘I’m leaving!’

Jack’s eyes flicked from the exiting Alpha’s back to Nicole and then to her pack as they started to move forward.  He sneered and sauntered after Hardy.

At the door he paused and reached into his jacket, slipping a silver knife from his pocket.  Lifting it, he spun it between his fingers and then thrust the point into the wood of the door frame.  ‘I’ll be back for that,’ he told Nicole and before anyone could respond, he stepped out into the street and the door was slammed on anything else he yelled.

Dolls reached up to yank the knife from the door and turned to hurry to the bar as the door was locked behind him.  Tossing the knife onto the polished counter and giving it no further consideration, he grabbed a clean towel and rushed back to Nicole.  He handed it over, eyes filled with concern, ‘You need to sit down, I’ll send someone to – ’

  ‘Get everyone out,’ she told him quietly as she pressed the towel to her wounded side, ‘You too,’

  ‘Nicole,’ he breathed desperately, ‘everything can wait until …’ her stare made his words dry in his throat and he stepped back, head bowing.  Lifting his huge hand, he waved towards the internal door, ‘Out!’

  ‘You too,’ Nicole reminded him when he hesitated.

He shifted from foot to foot, eyes dropping to the red that was seeping between Nicole’s fingers.  Cussing and shaking his head, he turned and followed the others out.

Once the door was closed, she turned and moved to the trembling, sobbing Omega.

  ‘Up,’ Nicole snapped, words made sharp by the pain at her side.

Rosita whimpered fearfully, lifting to her feet but barely straightening.

  ‘Look at me, Omega,’

Another whimper and shake of the head, ‘I am so … s-s-sorry,’

  ‘Look – at – me,’

She lifted distraught, red-rimmed eyes but could not hold the Alpha’s gaze and sagged under the weight of her deepening despair.

  ‘You didn’t trust me?’ Nicole asked, her voice made strange by the hurt it contained, ‘You didn’t think I would protect you from him?’

Rosita’s head snapped up, ‘I wanted to save you!’

  ‘Save me?’ Nicole cried angrily, ‘I am the Alpha!  I am your Alpha!’

Rosita shook her head, ‘He will never stop coming for me and I cannot bear the thought of anyone else being hurt because of me …’ her voice broke and the rest of her words were trembling sobs, ‘… I am a shadow over your pack, a curse … you cannot lose anymore because of me …’

  ‘And you think that I could bear to lose you?’ Nicole asked, voice trembling with emotion as she reached out with shaking hands to grab the Omega’s arms, ‘For God’s sake – I love you, Rosita.  You are my perfect Omega, I cannot be without you,’

The Omega’s tears glittered with confusion as if she had heard the words but her heart would not let her believe them.  ‘But … but …  you love Waverly with all your heart – how can there be room for anymore?’

Nicole straightened a little, ‘My love for Waverly is …’ she sighed, trying to find the words and settled on, ‘… different …’ before continuing, ‘My Alpha loves you so deeply,’

Rosita sobbed pitifully, trying to understand Nicole’s words but too many emotions, too much grief still spiralled through her.

  ‘More than any of your class I have ever met, you were born to be an Omega and you have become perfect – not because of all you’ve been through – but in spite of it!’ she bowed her head, features creasing slightly as if in regret, ‘I can never give you my mark,’ her head lifted, fingers tightening around the Omega’s arms when she felt her tremble in despair, ‘I won’t give it to you because you don’t need it.  I know that you are mine,’ her hands dropped to take the Omega’s injured wrist, sighing as she ran her thumb just below the seeping wound, ‘You were born to be mine,’  When their eyes met, Rosita was shocked to see tears in the Alpha’s eyes before her gaze dropped back to the Omega’s wrist, ‘And that is why this hurt more than anything else you did,’

Rosita lifted trembling fingers to her lips, guilt and relief filling her with a tangle of emotions that made her stumble.  The Alpha caught her, wincing but still holding her in an embrace that confirmed every word she had spoken while her musk lay over them like the softest of blankets.

After a few moments, Nicole coughed, ‘Although … a knife to the ribs does fucking hurt …’

Rosita gasped as she looked up at the Alpha’s paling features, gasping again as the Alpha staggered back and fell into a chair that slid backwards under her weight.  Running to her, Rosita dropped to her knees and carefully opened Nicole’s blood-soaked jacket, shocked to see the way the leg of her trousers was also drenched with sticky blood.  ‘Dolls!’ she screamed, pressing her hand to the wound.

The door flew open as if Dolls had been standing just the other side of it.  He ran across the lounge, appraising Nicole with fearful eyes.  When he assessed her injury as bad but not life-threatening, he relaxed a little and crossed his arms over his broad chest, ‘Are you done being a stubborn ass?’

Nicole half grinned up at him, ‘I doubt it,’

Cussing under his breath, he looked down at Rosita and shook his head, saying quietly, ‘Don’t you ever fucking do that again!’

She looked down, ashamed, ‘I never meant to hurt the Alpha, I’m so sorry,’

He reached down and lifted her to her feet, pulling her into a bearhug, ‘I meant what you nearly did to yourself!’

She had been too shocked when he grabbed her to respond but now she let her hands reach as far as they could around him.  ‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered into his shoulder.

He nodded, cheek rubbing against the top of her head, ‘Well – you can apologise to everyone else too while the Alpha gets patched up,’ he looked down at her, shaking his head at her look of confusion, ‘Jeez – you really don’t know how much you mean to everyone here, do you?’

She whimpered softly, looking away from him, ‘It’s not the way of an Omega to accept such things,’

  ‘Well, maybe you should start,’

The voice cast a warm light through her shadowed soul and she spun out of Dolls arms and into Waverly’s, opening herself to the connection and letting her feel all of the relief and love that Waverly had for her.  Behind them, Nicole shifted and closed her eyes, smiling softly as she was caressed by the essence of that connection and whispered simply, ‘Mine,’