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Oliver and Simon nod, looking thoughtful.
“I think that was their motive all along,” I say, thinking about the things he told me with a calmer mind. “The two women were intent on locking me up in the basement when they thought I killed their master. They said they’d torture me until I revealed the whereabouts of the other rescued omegas.”
Seth exhales a heavy breath. Moving closer, he pulls me into a hug.
“I’m so sorry about the shit you went through all on your own,” he says, leaving small kisses all over my forehead. “I’m so sorry we failed to protect you tonight.”
Pushing him away, I stare into his eyes. “What’re you talking about? Without you, I’d be lost to the world all over again. You saved me. Without you, I’d be worse than dead.”
“I can’t believe you’d run away from us,” Oliver says with a pained expression. “How could you let those bastards take you away from us, Rory?”
“I never wanted to leave you behind but Jake scared me into giving up on myself,” I say as another painful stab goes through my heart. “I couldn’t bear the thought of you and my father getting hurt because of me. I’ve been a selfish bitch most of my life but this time, I wanted to make a better choice. This time, I wanted to be the one who protects the people that love me.”
“We can handle anything as long as you’re by our side,” Simon says, capturing my hand in his. Squeezing it gently, he brings it to his lips and kisses my palm. “We’d be lost without you, Rory.”
“We’re a military pack and pride does matter to us,” Seth says. “But we’d never choose pride over the life of someone we loved. I’m so sorry we made you feel this way, Rory.”
“Stop apologizing,” I say, feeling guiltier as my mates keep saying sorry to me. “It wasn’t your fault. My past will keep haunting me until the day I die. I cannot escape it.”
“That’s not true,” Simon insists. “The past will remain but we’ll make sure it has no power over you. You’re ours, Rory. We’ll fight the world to keep you with us. Never forget that.”
“We know what you went through,” Oliver says in the same fiery tone. “Trust me when I say there’s no shame in suffering through sexual abuse. Such heinous crimes are committed against men too. It doesn’t make them any less of a man or lower their pride. The enemy will do everything it can to crumble you, but what truly determines your strength is how much you can take without breaking down.”
“That’s right,” says Seth. “You’re a warrior, Rory. You didn’t break down and succumb to taking the drugs. You fought to keep a hold over your mind and that proves how strong you are, darling. We’re proud of you. No one can ever make us feel ashamed of you. The same goes with the rest of our pack. Our dads are aware of the circumstances in which we met you.”
“What?!” Sitting up straighter, I stare at Seth in horror. “They know?”
A heavy sigh escapes him as he nods. “We needed their permission before taking you to the rehab center in Maplewood, so we had to explain the reason behind your interest.”
“We’re sorry we didn’t tell you before,” Oliver says with a guilty look. “We didn’t want to stress you over it. You were nervous enough when it came to meeting Raiden and he’s like the sweetest man we know even though he looks like a grizzly’s cousin.”
An involuntary snort escapes me.
“It hasn’t been long since we’ve known Philip but I can confidently say he’d give up on everything he has to protect you,” Seth says. “He would never care about his career and his possessions when it comes to you. He loves you, Rory.”
“I know,” I say. “I’ve been so horrible to him in the past. He always took care of me but I never appreciated him. That’s why I agreed to leave everything behind. I wanted to protect you and my dad.”
“Oh, Rory,” he breathes as he hugs me. “I’ll kill that bastard for making you choose between us and your life.”
I lightly punch his arm. “Stop saying that. Who knows what trouble we’ll get into when people find the two dead bodies we left behind in the senator’s mansion.”
“There won’t be any trouble,” Simon says with a steely look in his eyes. “The senator will sweep it all under a rug. He wouldn’t want anyone investigating into the lives of the two women who worked for him and had associations with the Black Widow.”
Reaching out, Oliver gently wipes the traces of tears from my cheeks. “Why do you still look so worried?”
“Jake’s threat remains,” I say, chewing my bottom lip. “What if he releases that clip?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Seth says with a grim look in his eyes. “He’s far too clever to make any hasty moves.”
“Jake is vicious,” I say. “He’s committed so many crimes but there’s nothing in my hands to prove anything. I kept it from you guys because I wanted to deal with him on my own. He’s my enemy.”
“Babe, your enemy is our enemy,” Simon says, squeezing my hand.
“Don’t worry about him,” Seth says in a commanding tone. “We’ll find his connection to the Black Widow and punish him for everything he’s done to you. The Burton Pack neither forgives nor forgets. We make sure our enemies pay us back in blood and tears.”
Oliver and Simon nod with identical grim stares.
“It’s almost dawn,” Seth says, glancing toward the ornamental wall clock. “We should all get some rest now.”
