Because if he gets one—just one—I know what comes next. He’ll take me. Isolate me. Strip away every part of myself until there’s nothing left but the shell he can mold and control. And if I resist—if I fight—he’ll kill me anyway. Maybe not right away. Maybe not cleanly. But eventually.
And no one will stop him. No one will help. My parents signed the papers. Beechworth will turn a blind eye. In their eyes, I’ll already belong to him.
A low sob tries to crawl out of me, but I crush it down. No time for grief. No space for fear.
It’s him or me.
And I have no intention of it being me.
Today
Oli
I sit in the armchair,staring at Autry while she talks. Myrick is on one side of the tiny omega, his face pale and his eyes unfocused. While Charlie sits on her other side. He’s crying—quiet, helpless sounds that thrum through our bond like a struck chord.
Rhett is a statue, frozen in place. His face is unreadable, carved from stone, but his eyes burn with that quiet, controlled fury alphas get when something precious has been hurt.And I know exactly how he feels.
“And then I went downstairs,” Autry continues, her voice tiny and weak. “And I did what Tallen told me to do.” Her hands tremble in her lap. I want to reach out, to touch her, offer something—purring, pressure, warmth—but I don’t. I sit here like an idiot.
“I told my mom I could handle dinner on my own,” Autry says. “Told her to relax on the patio with the boys. And then…” She swallows hard, her whole body tensing. “I crushed up that entire bottle of pills. And I made that fucking pie. It was perfect. And Tallen ate it.” She hangs her head, her voice barely a whisper. “They all did.”
I could tell where this story was going. It’s the only thing that made sense. But her words still land like a goddamn gunshot.
Charlie pulls her close, rocking her gently. She leans into him, but her eyes are distant—lost in her horrid memories.
“After dinner, I..I set the pie on the table,” Autry stammers. “Then I went and washed up. I took my time. Cleaning everything. I tried to memorize the view out the kitchen window and the faded tiles on the floor.” Her eyes narrow like she can see the room right now. “I thought that if those pills didn’t work, if Tallen lived, then I was probably never coming back. If they did work, I was hopeful that everyone would think it was a regular heart attack.” She takes a deep breath, then says, “I never thought they’d eat it. My dad hates apples.” A muffled sob jerks from her soft throat, and my hands curl into fists. “I killed my parents.”
I can’t take my eyes off her. I don’t know if what I’m feeling is fury or heartbreak, but I know I’ve never wanted to kill someone so badly. My only regret is that Tallen is already dead.
“I went outside.” Autry’s chin quivers as she continues to talk. It’s like she’s compelled at this point. She’s kept the secret for so long and now there’s no stopping it. “And they were all there. Still sitting at the table.”
Charlie’s crying again. I hear Rhett’s jaw clench, and Myrick hasn’t blinked in what feels like minutes.
“I couldn’t—” Autry talks between sobs. “I couldn’t look at my parents. I couldn’t—couldn’t even touch them. I knew what I’d done. But I… I just kept staring athim.”
“Tallen?” Rhett asks gently.
She nods.
“He was slumped back in his chair. Arms limp. Mouth open. Vomit on his shirt.” Her lips tremble. “He looked surprised. Not scared. Not angry. Just…surprised.” She shakes her head like she’s frustrated she doesn’t have another word for it. “I watched his chest. I waited to see if it would rise or if he would blink. I counted to a hundred. Then two hundred. But he was gone. Really gone.”
She shuts her eyes. “I had to be sure.”
No one speaks. I mean, what’s there to say?
“I was so stupid.” Her voice breaks, and she wraps her arms around her middle like she’s trying to keep from splitting open. “I just wanted to be free. I just wanted to survive.”
“You did,” I say quietly, leaning forward. “You did survive, Autry.” But I don’t know if she hears me. She’s already disappearing again—back into the memory, back into her grief.
I grit my teeth until my jaw aches. The kind of pain she must have felt.
Glancing to one side, I look at Rhett. He’s as still as death, but I can see it in his eyes—he’s right there with me. I bet he felt the same when he learned what Jason did to Myrick. That helpless, blood-boiling rage.
“It’s okay.” Charlie tucks Autry’s head under his chin. “It’s all over, and we’ve got you.”
“I just wanted a good mate,” she whispers, barely audible. “Omegas only have the rights their alphas give them, and he made it clear he was going to give me none.”
Her words hang in the air like smoke after a fire. Thick. Suffocating.
