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There were cream cushions covering the floors and blankets were spread around the room, along with pillows of all sizes. She’d felt them all, choosing her favorites while I flicked through the guide on the TV, making a mental note to order automatic blinds for the windows.
Even without that ‘closed in’ feeling a true nest provided, tension had bled out of Demi the second she’d created a soft little bed, snuggling down in a bed of her preferred materials.
A reality singing show played quietly on the screen beyond, something where the singers dressed up in ridiculous costumes and the judges’ panel had to guess who they were. I could see the appeal. It was just enough mystery to be entertaining, and the talent was surprisingly decent. All that mattered was that Demi seemed to like it. The mindless entertainment had lulled her right to sleep.
Nuzzled against me, she breathed rhythmically, snoring this soft, innocent little sound I could listen to forever. I was just happy she was resting. After all she’d been through, she needed time to regain her strength.
Gazing down at her, I noted how much her face had thinned. She hadn’t eaten enough while we’d been separated, and I was sure the stress she’d been under hadn’t helped matters.
It boggled my mind how she’d downplayed her time in captivity. It spoke to her strength, but it also spoke to the sheer depth of abuse she’d suffered in the past if being kidnapped and held hostage for two weeks with barely any human interaction wasn’t viewed as all that traumatizing. She hadn’t said it exactly like that, but it’d been pretty damn close.
It broke my heart how much damage she’d endured. I didn’t truly think any of us understood the severity of what she’d suffered in the past.
Jamison: How’s she doing? Afraid I pushed her too hard earlier.
Thane: Nah. We needed to know, and whether she admits it or not, she needed to talk about it.
Leo: Hades is currently killing the punching bag in the gym trying to work out his feelings on the subject.
Eli: Don’t let him reinjure himself. Those ribs are still healing.
Leo: On it.
Knox: I wanna nail these bastards and put them in the ground.
Jamison: Death is too easy an escape. They need to be locked away on life sentences and made to suffer daily the way they made Demi suffer.
Leo: I’m with you, but Hades disagrees. Said anyone who hurt his mate doesn’t deserve to keep breathing.
I glanced down at Demi, at the way her lashes rested against the creamy curves of her cheeks. She was beautiful on the outside, but she was even more gorgeous inside. This woman was sweet, innocent, andgood. How anyone could treat her so poorly confused the absolutely shit out of me.
I was inclined to agree with Hades. I wasn’t a violent person, but in this instance, I wanted blood, vengeance, and retaliation.
Pack Silver wasn’t worthy of the air they breathed.
No one deserved to be abused but Demi, least of all. She didn’t deserve any of the shit she’d lived through. I wanted to fix it, but since that was impossible, I’d settle for erasing it from her mind and replacing all the bad memories with far better ones.
Eli: Do we have a plan?
Knox: Going over all the pictures and videos in detail with Jamison, Lawson, Enoch, and Felix. What we’ve got is pretty damning.
Jamison: We need to discuss our next move. Threatening Anton directly…
Thane: …
Knox: Or going the more official route and handing over what we have to the proper authorities.
If we went after Anton directly, we could warn him off Demi. We could free her from him once and for all. It was possible he’d try to retaliate and get his hands on the evidence, but blackmail was often an effective tool. More than likely, he’d let her go to keep his sins buried.
If we went through the authorities, we’d have to turn over the evidence and trust others to handle the situation properly. I didn’t particularly like putting Demi’s safety in the hands of strangers, though I’d like nothing more than to see Anton in handcuffs, being shoved in the back of a cruiser.
I wasn’t the best equipped member of my pack to make such a call, but knowing the guys, we’d all get an equal say. Though Jamison was the official leader of our pack, we functioned as a democracy rather than a dictatorship. We’d put the decision to a vote to decide the majority. Whatever option won would become our course of action.
Eli: Demi gets a vote.
Truthfully, her opinion mattered more to me than any of the others. I’d heard what she’d told Jamison about wanting a say in her own life. She didn’t want to be sheltered from the hard things.
Texts of agreement popped up one after the other. Satisfied, I set my phone down and tucked my arm under the back of my head, content to endure reality TV and watch my mate sleep. Lightly, I kissed my Omega’s hair and breathed in her sweet berry and honey scent.
