“It was just a few dollars!” Damien spits, his voice cracking as he struggles against the ropes binding him to the chair. “Your company is still thriving. You’re making a big deal out of nothing.”
Hunter freezes mid-swing, his lips curling into a feral grin. “Nothing?” he repeats, his voice low and dripping with menace. “You think stealing from us, betraying your own blood, isnothing?”
Moses is leaning against the far wall, his arms crossed, watching the scene unfold with a twisted smile. He lets out a sharp laugh, shaking his head as he steps forward. “You don’t get it, do you?” he teases, his voice echoing off the walls. “It’s not about the money, Damien. It’s about theprincipleof the thing. You thought you could play games with us, and worse, you thought you could sell yoursister—” He snarls the word, his eyes flashing with rage, “—and walk away unscathed.”
I let out a soft gasp, the sound too loud in the silence that follows. All three of them freeze, their eyes snapping to me like I’m prey that just wandered into a predator’s den. Damien’s bloodshot gaze narrows, but it’s the Valla who turn their attention to me with something deeper, something darker.
Hunter’s fists drop to his sides as he takes a step back, his chest heaving as he fights to rein in his beast. Moses doesn’tmove, but his sharp eyes flicker with a darkness I’ve never seen before. Amel tightens his grip on my hand, pulling me close, his purr starting up in a soft, calming rhythm meant just for me.
“Koa,” Moses murmurs, his voice low and almost soothing despite the chaos in the room. “You shouldn’t be here.”
I take a shaky step forward, my heart threatening to burst out of my chest. “I needed to see,” I whisper, my voice trembling. “I needed to know.”
Damien laughs, the sound hollow and bitter. “Of course, you came down here. Still trying to play the victim, huh, little sister?”
Amel growls low in his throat, his grip on my hand almost painful as he steps in front of me. “You don’t talk to her,” he snaps, his voice sharp enough to cut through steel. “You don’t evenlookat her.”
Damien’s cackle grates on my nerves, the sound echoing off the cold stone walls like nails on a chalkboard. His face is swollen, one eye nearly shut from Hunter’s earlier work, but it doesn’t stop him. If anything, it fuels his cruelty. Damien’s bloodied grin stretches wider as his gaze locks on me. “Look at you,” he sneers, his voice dripping with venom. “The perfect little Omega, finally stepping into the role you should’ve played years ago. Mated to beasts, Koa. You’re no better than them.”
I flinch at his words, my nails digging into my palms as I fight the instinct to run. The room feels like it’s closing in, but I force myself to stand my ground. “Why?” I whisper, my voice barely audible over the pounding of my heart. “Why did you do it, Damien? Why me?”
His grin doesn’t falter, and that makes it so much worse. “Because you’re an Omega,” he spits as if the word itself is vile. “A pawn. A piece on the board to be moved and used to further everything else. That’s what you were born to be. You should’ve just fallen in line like Carla did.”
My stomach churns at the mention of my sister-in-law and my hands clench tighter. “What do you mean?” I ask, my voice trembling. “Did you… did you do the same thing to Carla that you did to me?”
Damien shrugs, as if the question itself is irrelevant, his nonchalance making bile rise in my throat. “Our father set it up,” he says, his tone flat, dismissive. “It was all business. Carla understood that. She didn’t fight it. She knew her place.”
Horror washes over me at the thought of another woman suffering like I did. I hate him. I hate every fiber of his being. My body trembles, my vision blurring as I spit at his feet. “You’re disgusting,” I hiss, my voice shaking with fury. “You’re scum. You’re nothing.”
Damien snarls, trying to lunge at me, but the ropes binding him to the chair pull tight, leaving him struggling like a rabid animal. His face contorts in rage, his swollen features making him look even more monstrous.
Before he can say another word, Hunter moves. His fist connects with Damien’s jaw, the sickening crunch reverberating through the room. Damien’s head snaps to the side, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as Hunter growls, his voice low and deadly. “What did Amel tell you, you piece of shit? You don’t get to look at her.”
Damien coughs, spitting blood onto the floor as he glares up at Hunter. But there’s fear there now, lurking beneath the anger and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen him look truly powerless. Moses steps forward, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “You’re not a man. You’re a coward hiding behind power you don’t deserve.”
Damien’s still fighting his fate, though as his voice rises, venom dripping from every word. “When I get out of here, Koa, you better believe I’ll teach your little mates a thing or two. And then, I’ll come for you. You’ll regret this, you pathetic—”
Amel squeezes my hand, cutting Damien off with a sharp growl that reverberates through the stone room. The sound alone makes the hair on my arms stand on end, a warning, a promise of what he’s capable of. He steps forward, his calm demeanor a terrifying contrast to Damien’s sputtering rage.
“Damien, you’ll be doing no such thing.” Amel holds up a hand, silencing my brother or at least what’s left of him. “There’s already a protective order in place. If you get within one hundred feet of Koa, you’ll end up behind bars faster than you can run that foul mouth of yours.”
Damien’s eyes widen for a split second, fear flashing across his face before it’s masked with fury. “You think that’s going to stop me?”
Amel lets out a low chuckle, the sound sending a shiver down my spine. “It doesn’t matter what I think. What matters is that you’re playing a game you’ve already lost. The only reason you’re still breathing, Damien, is because of her. Koa has a heart of gold. She doesn’t want blood on her hands, even if it belongs to someone like you. She’s shown you mercy. More than you deserve.”
Damien growls, his fists clenching as much as the ropes binding him allow. “You don’t know who you’re messing with.”
“Oh, I know exactly who I’m dealing with,” Amel says, leaning in closer, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous whisper. “And when you’ve returned home, you can expect a visit from the federal government. I’ve made sure they’ll be very interested in your business practices. Consider this a preview of what happens when you cross us—or our Omega.”
Damien pales, his bravado cracking as his eyes dart between me and my mates. He opens his mouth to speak, but no sound comes out. For once, he’s speechless.
Amel straightens, turning back to me. His hand gently guides me toward the stairs, his other resting protectively on the smallof my back. “We’re done here, sweet girl. You don’t need to hear any more of his filth.”
Amel leads me back upstairs, his hand firm and steady in mine, grounding me as the sounds of Damien getting another hit echo faintly behind us. My breath shudders as we reach the top of the stairs, but I hold my head high. I’m not afraid anymore—not of him, not of his venomous words, not of the past he tried to define for me.
We step into the quiet hallway, the door to the basement clicking shut behind us, cutting off the noise entirely. Amel pauses, turning to me, his brows furrowed in concern. His thumb brushes gently over the back of my hand, his voice low and soothing. “Are you okay, sweet girl?”
I nod, but the words come tumbling out anyway. “I’m okay. It’s just…” I hesitate, the truth threatening to stick in my throat, but I force it out. “At one time, I was so mad, Amel. Not because I didn’t get what everyone said I was supposed to want, but because I believed them. I believed that the Omega dream was real—that staying at home, pregnant, and caring for my mates was supposed to make me happy. But it wasn’t my dream.”