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“You found me, Alpha,” I sob, snuggling deeper into their hold.
“Of course we did, Sweetheart,” Knight says softly, wiping a tear from my cheek. “We’ll always find you.”
River’s chest vibrates with a low growl behind me, arms squeezing me tight around the middle. He takes deep breaths of my scent like he needs to keep proving to himself that I’m here in his arms.
“Whose blood is that?” He growls against my neck.
I swallow as I look at my hands clenched on Knight’s chest. I’ve smeared blood on his wrinkled light blue button-up. My hands and my nails are stained red, and I don’t even want to think about what else is under my nails. Otherwise, there’d be more than just blood staining Knight’s shirt.
I wrinkle my nose in disgust. “Victor’s.”
“He dead?” River asks gruffly.
“I don’t know. He wasn’t when I last checked, but his pulse was weak.” I mumble.
“Pity,” River deadpans, and I almost snort, despite the situation.
“Who’s the other omega?” Nico asks.
I peek through the gap that’s between Nico and Syn to see the EMTs loading Cozy onto a stretcher gingerly. They place a breathing mask over her nose and mouth and wrap her in several blankets, not just for warmth but for modesty. I can see how grateful she is for that minor act of kindness, even from here.
“That’s Cozette. We saved each other,” I reply softly as I watch them load her up in the back of the ambulance and shut the doors.
I keep watching the ambulance until it drives away, out of sight. If Cozy thinks she’s gotten rid of me, she’s crazier than I thought. She’ll be getting a visit from me very soon in the hospital.
Before I move my eyes away again, I see more EMTs pulling another stretcher out of the house, this one covered by a white sheet with spots of red seeping through. I stiffen, my spine going rigid as the implication hits me.
That’s most definitely Victor, and if he’s covered with a sheet, then that means he’s dead. I killed him. I mean, I knew there was a possibility that he would die in the back of my head, considering I stabbed him in the neck twice and ripped a knife out to stab through his tongue.
There’s not an ounce of regret in me. In the end, I saved us and did what needed to be done. Victor couldn’t live to wreak any more havoc on unsuspecting omegas, and Cozy deserves to live without looking over her shoulder for the rest of her life.
I snuggle my face back into Knight’s chest and enjoy the feeling of my mates holding me, reminding me I am safe and loved.
Thank fuck that’s over, finally. Can we get back to the happily-ever-after stuff now? Shit.
Thirty-Seven
River
The relief that floods my system when Ripley is in my arms again is insurmountable. There’s anger for the marks blemishing her skin, sure, but I can push through that for now as I let her scent fill my senses. My eyes close as I just breathe her in, feeling all the tension from the last two days drain out of me.
I’ve never been more afraid in my life when I realized she was gone. I felt like a failure because I couldn’t protect her. Then to find out that it was most likely Victor who had her? It was like a punch to the gut, making me terrified for her. She proved us all wrong, though, because she saved herself and someone else. She fought against a monster and came out blood-soaked and battered, but victorious.
Pride wells up in my heart, and I send it through the bond, so she feels how proud of her I am. The alphas all purr for her, and she goes limp in our embrace. Kian pushes out those calming pheromones of his while we all make sure we’re touching her. To remind ourselves that she’s here. She’s alive, and she’s right where she belongs. Back in our arms.
A throat clears behind me, and I stiffen, tightening my hold on my omega and letting out a warning growl for whoever it is to back away from my mate. I feel extremely territorial and protective of Ripley right now, something I don’t expect to change anytime soon. It’s a wonder I’m even letting the others touch her right now, considering how I feel at this moment.
“River!” Syn admonishes, and I narrow my eyes at her.
She rolls her eyes at me before turning away and giving a tight smile to whoever is behind us.
“Forgive him. You can imagine he’s feeling a bit overprotective right now, since we just found our omega.”
I can practically feel the confusion from the person at my back as their eyes burn into me. Luckily for them, they don’t comment on whatever they’re thinking.
“Uh, we need her to fill out a statement, and the paramedics are waiting to look her over,” a man rumbles out.
“Can the statement wait until tomorrow morning? I’d imagine she’s exhausted and we just want to take her home if the paramedics deem her okay,” Syn tells the man politely, but there’s a bit of an edge to her tone.
