Page 2 of The Alpha: Part Two
Fight.
Eat.
Sleep.
Over and over. That’s all there is. That’s all I can do. I don’t know how long I’ve been here. I don’t know if it’s night or day most of the time. I try to sleep as much as I can to keep the rage, the constant threat of losing myself at bay, but I’m losing the fight.
Every so often, Lopez brings a scrap of material, a tee shirt or something with Desie’s sugary mint scent on it. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it makes it so much worse. He says she’s safe as long as I keep winning fights. So I fight. I’ll fight until my legs won’t carry me, and then I’ll crawl to the ring and fight some more. I’ll never stop. I can’t. No matter how exhausted or defeated or hopeless I feel. I need to keep going, I need to endure.
For her.
For the memory of my brother.
I can’t stop.
Sometimes I feel a little spark of Ben in the back of my mind, but I push it away. It’s just a memory and makes the wretchedness of the loss I feel worse. He’s gone. And Desie is lost to me. They both are.
I fought against the despair for as long as I could, but day after day and night after night of beating people to death in order to keep her safe has taken its toll on me. If this is all my life is to be, then I’ll die in this cell with bloody, cracked knuckles and an aching pit where my heart used to be. I’ll endure it until I die from it, and pray that she’ll be alright after I’m gone.
“Get up, Aguirre,” someone shouts, kicking the door of my cell. “You’ve got twenty minutes.” The little grate in the door slides open and a tray is pushed inside. I don’t care what they feed me. I wouldn’t eat anything at all until I was too weak to win. When they figured out that was what I was up to, that’s the first time Lopez brought down something that smelled like Desie. It was the worst possible thing he could have brought.
He pulled a pair of her panties out of his pocket, then the world turned red. I don’t know how they managed to get me into the ring, but I killed two men during that bout. I didn’t feel bad about it then, and I don’t feel anything about it now.
“You’ve got a full dance card tonight, Mikey,” the voice taunts. “Think you can make it through three alphas without losing wind? There’s a lot of money riding on tonight.”
I eat the food without looking at or tasting it and pretend not to hear the man laughing at me. I’ll win the fights. I’ll win all of them. Then I’ll sleep until they beat on my door again.
Chapter three
Seth
They came. I did doubt they would, especially after Devon took the phone from Talia to tell me exactly what he thought of my calling his very pregnant omega in the middle of the night for help. But they came. I’ve been sick with worry about Talia flying being as far along as she is. She doesn’t have that long left in this pregnancy. They also brought the triplets. I’ve been nauseously waiting for every text or call updating me on their progress.
Jasper might beat the shit out of me the second he sees me. I’ll let him do it, too. I have no business asking this of them, of her. But I’m desperate. Desperate for so many things. Desperate to save the omega I know is mine, desperate to save my pack even though it never got the chance to fully form, desperate for everyone to finally know the truth. What I did was despicable. Wretched. Disgusting. Vile. But it was the safest choice, and I did everything I could think of to get Talia safe after the fact.
I need Talia to know. I need Desir’ee to know. I need the twins to know. It would be nice if Jasper didn’t daydream about skinning me while I’m still alive to feel it. He can think and plan about what he wants if it makes him feel better. I’m exhausted from carrying the truth around.
Things are changing on the council with Corso, Devon, and Talia’s fathers pushing for better things. Things are also changing for the omegas, and big things are happening in preparation for when the trafficking is shut down. Every step forward is a step closer to keeping our omegas safe and fixing the problems with our population. A step closer to the triplets being able to play at a park in our territory without us all being terrified and paranoid something might happen to them if we blink. They’re not mine, and Talia’s alphas, as well as Jasper, might not appreciate it, but if anyone hurt those children I would go on a rampage and run the streets red before they can lift a finger.
I watch Alex step into the open sunshine from the plane, followed by Kaleb. I watch each of them file out of the plane once it had taxied from the runway, Talia in the middle of the line with Jasper and Corso on either side of her, Trent behind them with all three toddlers in his arms. My heart tightens and loosens at the sight of them. I missed them so much. I had no idea how much until just now.
Turning from the window, I make my way from the hangar on the private airfield so I can meet them. I never thought I’d be in this position, even though they said they were going to help me. I never thought I’d be able to call on them for help like this. Like they’re my family. When Corso and Kaleb told me almost three years ago that they were going to be there to support me throughout my recovery, that they were going to do whatever they could to help me be the alpha the council and our territory needs me to be, I never dreamed that I’d ever be able to call on them like this. I can hear Corso’s steady words right now like he said them just yesterday.
“You are broken, Seth. You have been broken for far longer than even you realize. We are going to help you. We are going to see this through with you. You need to be the alpha that the council and our people need you to be, and we are going to help you find that alpha inside of you. Your father tried to ruin you, as he tried to ruin so many of the things around him, whether that was his intention or not.
“I am going to sit in your place on the council until you are able to hold that position yourself. We need you to be someone who looks out for the wellbeing and happiness of those under your care. You’re not strong enough to do that right now, but you will be. We will make sure you are.
“Talia wants to forgive you. She is going to try to forgive you. She says the only person who needs forgiveness and understanding more than herself is you. I would argue that you’re not all that far behind Devon in that regard, but what I think doesn’t matter. She forgave Devon, and she’s given him part of her heart; and she’s going to forgive you. Make sure you’re worthy of it.”
And for years, that’s all I did. I worked hard at every therapy and counseling session, every physical therapy appointment to help me get used to operating with only one eye. I shadowed Corso and Devon at council meetings. I learned how to see things no one else seemed to from Nathan. I meditated with Reid until my knees were bloody. I trained with Trent and Kaleb until I couldn’t hold myself up at the end of the day; they wanted to make sure I was able to handle myself and defend others with my physical deficiencies. I even did yoga with Jasper and Talia. Throughout all that, I learned what a pack is truly supposed to be. I learned what real, genuine love looked like. I grew impossibly attached and protective of their children. Their pack might not return my feelings and regard, but I feel them all the same.
Devon is the first to reach me and he sighs heavily as he takes me in. “How bad is it?”
“Bad.”
Another heavy sigh. “I didn’t want to bring her, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. I damn sure didn’t want to bring the kids, but it was safer to bring them than leave them. If anything happens to any of them I will hold you responsible.”
“So will I.” I hold his gaze until Talia barks at him to get out of her way so she can see me.
