Page 189 of Ruled By The Alpha

He squeezes me tight and sniffles. “It was awful seeing you there, all bloody and bound.”

“I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there sooner!” He pushes me away to look at me, tears leaving wet trails on his cheeks. “If Maddox hadn’t claimed me outside our building, I wouldn’t have been able to save you. He’s the only reason you are here. I didn’t do anything but tell him you’re an omega.”

I smile. “Nonsense. You did more than that, and we all know it.”

He pulls me back into a hug, and I breathe in his almond scent. It’s mixed with a spicy note now, but I find it that much more alluring. My own scent of vanilla mingles with theirs, the three of us creating a potent cocktail that fogs up my brain andmakes me forget all my worries. And the gods know I have plenty of those.

I’m fucking exhausted, and I still haven’t even processed everything that’s happened since the guards captured me. I’m sort of just shoving it all into a box inside my head, promising myself I’ll deal with it later, when in reality, I know I won’t. I’ll just let this shit fester inside me like a slow killing poison until I rot.

“I love you, Wes. You know that, right?”

“I do. And I love you, Eve.Always.”

His words fill me with warmth, even though his promise of love isn’t the love I really want from him—a love that’s impossible for two omegas.

I shake off the thoughts, knowing they won’t do me any good right now. Instead I shove those into a box too and seal it shut.

“And... what do you think of Maddox?” I ask, suddenly uncertain. I think my nap with the alpha has softened me to him, and I’m not sure how I feel about that.

Wes lets me go to settle on his butt, arms wrapped around his knees. “I... like him. He’s kind, and he saved you.”

“Do you think what he said was true? About him helping the betas from the slums?”

Gods, I hope it is. Wes and I are already bonded to him, and there’s nothing we can do about that, but I’d much rather have an alpha who sees how Whitshell is run and fights against the injustice of it all. I’d rather have an alpha who cares about the rest of us and treats them kindly. I don’t know how I could live with one who is cruel and aggressive.

“I don’t see why he’d lie. What would he gain from it when we’re both already bonded to him? He doesn’t have to prove anything to us.”

But Maddox could be playing some kind of game, though I don’t believe that’s the case. I’m usually a pretty decent people-reader, and he’s seemed genuine from the moment I woke up in his arms.

“His father…” I swallow. “Is it Emeril?”

“Yeah,” Wes whispers, staring at his hands. “When he saved you, he told the guards he was the Harding heir.”

“Fuck,” I curse, upper lip curled. It’s just my luck to be mated to the heir of Whitshell when I’m a rebel, and a pretty high-ranking one at that. “Did he... uh, he did he touch me at all?”

Wes’ eyes widen in horror, so I hurry to add, “When he marked me, I mean?”

He’s already shaking his head, and I heave a relieved sigh. “Gods, no,” he says. “No, he only marked you and removed your clothes. Covered you in his shirt.”

“Good.” I’m nodding like it’s no big deal, but it is. I shudder to think that I could have been violated while I was unconscious. “Good. Yeah, that’s good.”

“I would have stopped him before he did anything.”

“You would have tried, Wes.” I smile kindly to soothe the sting my words might cause. His flinch tells me it stung. “He’s an alpha, though, and you wouldn’t have been able to do much if he was truly determined.”

Wes seems to deflate, but it’s the truth. I may fight with the rebels, but very rarely do we have any encounters with anyone while carrying out our missions. We usually wait until nightfall to strike the food stores, or go after an alpha chaser who leaked rebel secrets. The whole idea was to avoid detection and a physical fight, knowing we would be outmatched.

And speaking of the rebellion...

“I was due for a check-in,” I say.

“Shit.” Wes pales, face slack with shock.

He knows what it means to miss a check-in with my superiors, I told him why I couldn’t just stay home when they called me in. They’ll hunt me down if I’m still alive and kill me tokeep all their secrets safe. If I betrayed them, then my family will be slaughtered too.

“And they know doubt already know about my hanging and how an—”

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