Page 75 of Petals and Strings
When my voice turned into an aching rasp, I leaned my head back and let my mind slip into blissful sleep.
I knew I wouldn’t be in here long and I hoped like hell it drove our point home. That they couldn’t keep us apart.
As much as I was terrified to admit it, our group was a pack and I knew I’d take everything this place threw at me just to make sure they were safe.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Rydell
“You’re getting out of here,” Cross said as he walked into my room with a grin. Something about him was off. His eyes were tired, his words holding a bit of tension.
“What’s wrong?” I demanded, not bothering to move off the bed yet. “What aren’t you saying?”
My body was itching to move, muscles protesting the amount of sitting I’ve had to do here lately.
“Nothing. Let’s go then you can head to the conservatory. It’s your group’s turn,” he said. His hand was in his pocket, fidgeting with something.
This wasn’t right. I could sense it in his air, the change in his demeanor and sour scent a dead giveaway.
But sitting here any longer wasn’t an option.
I followed him through the halls of ARC, feeling like I was in a dream or something. Nine days in isolation was insane on their part. I guess if I was out of sight, I wasn’t an issue.
Assholes.
When I reached our group, my alpha perked up, ready to see our omega and soak in her scent.
The hallway smelled strange. Different.
It wasn’t home anymore but a jumble of new scents that didn’t fit together the way our group did.
“What is this?” I demanded. He turned to me, eyes cautious.
“We’ve had to make some changes to protect everyone involved,” he said, voice strong but this man was not confident. He looked terrified and I knew it was because he feared my reaction.
“Just fucking spit it out,” I thundered. “Where is my group? My omega?”
“We can’t have scent matches together here, Rydell. She’s safe, just not with you anymore.”
His words hung between us in the air.
“You think I’m unsafe for her?” I asked carefully, my eyes locked onto the man who was crumbling before my eyes.
How dare he. I was the one ensuring she stayed safe here, watching her back to ensure she didn’t end up with more unwanted scars.
Sure… I was the monster. Always the dangerous one.My sarcastic thoughts did nothing to calm my annoyance, but I worked to keep my façade up.
“Look, we have to take precautions. It’s not you, or just you,” he argued. His voice was growing weaker by the second. I stood, statue still, staring. He swallowed hard but squared his shoulders.
My arms flexed, muscles responding to my alpha raging inside of me. It felt like every single part of me swelled, pressing against the fabric on my body and the bracelet locked around my wrist.
I curled my fingers around the shackle on my wrist, refusing to let him sedate me and shove me into that box again. I’d finally reached my breaking point.
“Wh-what are y-you doing?” Cross demanded, almost frantic. More guards stepped forward, coming out of wherever they were hiding nearby. I only saw them in my peripheral, refusing to look away from the director.
“Continue,” I said, letting each thing he said fuel the anger more, adding kindling to the growing flames.
“Ledger revealed that you’re scent matches, and I couldn’t simply keep you together in a group. Not one of you can consent to what that entails,” he said.
