Alpha Victor's gaze lingers on Waylon one moment longer before turning to the doors.
Ariadne takes his hand, and the two go back down the staircase, through the tattoo parlor, back to their car. Ariadne's pensively silent.
"Baby?"
"You lost everything. It's all my fault. I'm like a tornado, and I uprooted everything. Just kick me to the curb; I wouldn't even blame you."
"I can find a new First Beta," Victor says. "I already know who. It's-It's manageable."
Ariadne gasps overwhelmed with emotion. She's still driving steadily, but it makes Victor worried.
"I'm ruining you. I'm destroying you. I don't want to, I just- I'm so sorry, Victor. I can leave if-"
Victor chooses his following words carefully. "If you go, I'd die."
That's just short of acknowledging Ariadne as his mate. The Omega knows it.
Ariadne takes a few steadying breaths. "I'll do what I can to make things right. We'll find them. We'll make Arthur pay."
Victor raises his eyebrow before pulling on a shirt. "Do you want to fill me in there?" "Chester's hiding out in a safe house, swarming with muscle and hired guns," Ariadne says. "Dustin wants to meet up tomorrow to run over schematics." That would be the logical answer, only it's not what the Alpha is looking for. "Not that," Victor elaborates. "I want to know why Chester deserves to be castrated via gunshot wound." A light dims in the Omega's eyes. "I don't want to talk about it," Ariadne says, squirming away, turning over in the bed. Victor reaches forward, hand grazing along the Omega's shoulder. Ariadne immediately shrugs him off and shuffles out from in between the sheets. "I need a shower," she huffs, bathroom door slamming behind her. The water starts running a moment later. Victor pushes back the feeling of how disappointed he is. When Ariadne smells like him, he likes it, but the Omega has other plans.
"I'm leaving," Victor spits before Ariadne catches his sleeve. "Let's at least get the blueprints on the place," the Omega suggests. Victor sighs, knowing that Ariadne's right. "Fine." The Alpha steps through the hall to the faithless knights of the roundtable. Nathan stands, looking whitened from stress. "Victor, you came." "I didn't know you'd be here," Victor hisses. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have come." It becomes evident that Dustin has illustrated an elaborate ruse to get them in the same place. "I-I had to," Alpha Dustin defends himself. "I know what you already think of me. I have nothing left to lose anyway." "Just your life," Victor replies, venom dripping from his tongue. Dustin stands, eyes glowing. "Threaten me if you want; I'm used to it. I'm trying to correct things here. I've been playing it your way, with the trades and honor, but that's f*cking bullshit. I'm branded as a rat from the get-go, so f*ck the O
Alcina steps forward as if possessed. "Did- Did Edward do this?" Edward? Chester lets out a pitiful cry. "He's a demon." "That Omega killed all these people," Waylon gasps with surprise. "He did this to you? You can't be serious." Ariadne crouches down so that she's at eye level with Chester. "Tell me where Arthur and Clavin are." Chester laughs, spitting up blood. "I already told him, that monster. Not that he's getting anywhere near Arthur." Ariadne shrugs. "Then you're dead anyway. Arthur executes talkers, you know that." "Will you let me go after? Untie me if I talk," Chester asks, hopeful. "You're kidding, right," Ariadne frowns. "After what you did to me." Chester whispers darkly. "Putting on a show for your Alpha, Aria? You know you liked it. I've never seen an Omega whine and beg so much." The spot between Victor's eyes starts boiling. He's never wanted to kill someone this badly.
Ariadne blinks the crust from her eyes.Her cheeks feel raw from the salt of her tears. Her mind is hazy, as though she'd been sleeping in a tomb.Victor's red irises glimmer in the darkness, watching over her, a dark god.It's night, crickets chirping, lunar light streaming through a tall, thin window."How long have I been out?" Ariadne whispers, consistently like gravel.Victor's fingertips trail around the strands of her hair gently."A few hours," Victor coos. "You have time. We're not hitting Arthur's hideout until tonight. You don't even have to come if-""I want to," Ariadne says undoubtedly. "I want to be there and watch him die."There's no other way to make sure."Like how you did with Chester," Victor whispers, holding her tighter, which Ariadne finds suffocating.The Omega wriggles out of it, pulling the covers over herself as a barrier to Victor's touch.The Alpha sighs. "It hurt you. Watching
Ariadne watches Victor unbelievingly. Victor continues, "I wanted to be with you."Why is it so hard to explain to her?Blush fire runs through the entirety of Ariadne's skin, and she finds that she can't continue.But Ariadne knows the difference, so inherent and prominent. Arthur wanted to own her. Victor just wanted to be with her, know her, be her friend and confidant.And now, the Alpha is more to her than any single title, friend, lover, partner."You'd be surprised at how little I think of you," Ariadne spits, a tremor jolting along her spine at the complete blatancy of that lie.Victor laughs in a sweet, good-natured way, scarlet irises glittering in the dark. He sighs, studying Ariadne with intent. "You didn't tell me everything.""I barely told you anything," Ariadne agrees."I want to hear about why you don't want to be mated," Victor says. "But-Ariadne's stomach sinks."-I know you're not ready yet."
Victor wakes up from a dream he can't remember. All he knows is that he has this burning desire to hold Ariadne in his arms as tightly as possible.Only the Omega isn't there, where she'd been last night, still safely tucked under Victor's embrace.The Alpha swallows the soul-crushing ache and quickly swipes away the tears that are drizzled on his cheeks.What did he dream about?Victor spies a red leather chair, with buttons sewn into the divots and golden painted appendages.Ariadne sits there, a distance away, only half-lit in the gloom of the dawn.She's a ghost, vaporous as the tiny dust fibers swim carelessly through the air.
Victor can't be sure where is gunfire sound is coming from.The Alpha leads his team in, busting down the basement door with a battering ram.He's drowning in his senses. Two Betas whose strange faces he barely registers flop on the ground, choking on their own blood.Someone on his team had covered him.They rush through the staircase, bullets whizzing through the air. The smell of iron coats the inside of Victor's nostrils.Then their body count ups to six, three of them somehow being Victor's.The Alpha's thankful for the toy Lisa got him, exact, quick reload, top of the line, and gold-trimmed."Waylon's been hit. There's someone out here-" Lisa shouts through the radio before cutting out.The f*ck? Waylon's hurt?"Left side is clear," Nathan says right after that. "We're in, headed up to the top floor for Calvin.""Lisa, talk to me. Talk to me, Lamberth," Victor hisses into his receiver. At the same time, he d
"I can't go," Calvin says urgently. "He told me to stay in this chair no matter what happens. I can't move, Ed. I can't- I can't move, or else he'll hurt me again."Victor feels something profoundly painful rip into him.His wolf snarls, wanting to tear through his ribs. He doesn't want to be a man anymore. He wants to run away, slipping into an animal's safe, numb mind."He can't h-hurt you anymore," Edward whispers. "He's not here. He lost. We saved you. Please, Calvin, just come with me. I love you. I promise he'll never touch you again."For a moment, everyone stands still like a statue, then Calvin jumps from his seat and into the silver Omega's arms.The Beta cries so hard, shuddering into the tight embrace. "He hurt me so much."At that moment, Victor's shoulder burns where the bullet had grazed him.Now that the danger has passed, his body wakes up. He is wounded, and his nerves decide to remind him so.But he's relieve
Then the adults are alone, an awkwardness washing over them, carrying with it their history. It goes all quiet, and all that's left is the sound of soldiers marching in the distance, carrying about their morning routines. "I-" Ariadne and Nathan say at the same time before pausing. The Alpha's cheeks go red, and his apple scent spikes high, taking on a sour note. He's nervous, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “Y-You go ahead, Ariadne.” Ariadne doesn't even know what to say. It's been approximately one eternity since they've seen each other. "Thanks for taking care of- You brought them here, my babies." "Yea, no- it's cool," Nathan manages. "And thanks for- for not dying. I mean, I'm glad you're alive." Anna slaps Nathan on the shoulder. "What he's trying to say is, it's good to see you." Ariadne laughs, and then she cries. Then she launches herself forward and gives the pair a great big hug. She squeezes them tight, one in each arm. "F*ck," Ariadne says. "I thought I'd
“Are we there yet?” Ariadne asks despite herself.She doesn’t even know where they are, which is saying something. They’d promised to put Victor into one of their best hospitals, but there’s nothing that remotely resembles a hospital.There’s no town, barely a road to drive through. It’s miles of trees on both sides and a dirt road that looks like it might give way at any moment.“Fifteen minutes,” the Commissioner answers, hand steady on the wheel. “Take it easy, dear. We’re almost there.”Easy for him to say. Everyone he loves is alive and well. His son is literally getting a medal.Ariadne’s not sure about Victor. The alive part has been confirmed, yes. But, she doesn’t know who she’ll be seeing in a quarter hour’s time.Is it going to be Victor Erickson, father, and husband, or will it be the Black Wolf, Victor regressed to some other bizarre time frame? She has no idea.No. Ariadne takes a deep breath. She’d talked to Victor on the phone for a few minutes before he had to go. He
It's perfect timing. They're at the control panel that opens up to solitary confinement. Gordon's just through there, safe and tucked away.Felix uses his thumbprint to unlock the door. It's a pressure chamber. The thing hisses as the metal lid unseals from the wall.It's all lead up to this. They step inside and-It's empty."Where-"Gordon's not in the cell. Though it does look like he's been there, the space was modified to be more comfortable. Stolen seats from the guards' lounge, a big screen t.v that's leaning haphazardly against the wall, it's nice.But why isn't he here?He's supposed to be here.It's then that the screen turns on, and a very familiar face appears. It's a man wearing milk glass eyes, smiling wide. Ariadne's confusion turns into fury."I knew you would come, Ariadne. You're a mouse caught in a trap," Gordon speaks. "You want to kill me? You can't even find me. And now you never will."Trap? What trap?The metal door starts moving. It's shutting, pushed in by a
Felix is dressed from head to toe in swat gear. His face is blank, an assault rifle shoved under his armpit. He's hunched over in the locker room, eyes wide. He's not doing anything, long since dressed, shoelaces neatly tied. But he doesn't move. He hasn't moved for five minutes."You okay, kid?" Ariadne asks, tightening the velcro on her Kevlar vest, the fabric stiff under her fingers."I don't know," Felix hums, half a ghost. "My whole world has turned upside down in the last twelve hours."Ariadne has half a mind to slap the Alpha in the face. They have a mission, and if Felix dies, the Commissioner isn't going to be pleased.The older takes a seat on the opposite bench, resting her elbows on her knees. The situation is much too urgent for her to play the dad in a feel-good t.v. Show, as hard as she tries to.“How dramatic,” Ariadne hums."Monday morning," Felix says quietly. "I thought I understood everything. There was order, good guys, bad guys, policemen, and criminals. Now eve
Ariadne doesn’t know how long she’s been asleep for, an ache in her ancient bones, shedding tears over a dream she can’t remember. It’s light out, just barely dawn or dusk, Ariadne’s not sure. Blue casts over them, lines on the wall, setting divisions that aren’t truly there. Victor’s asleep, eyelids fluttering, every breath he takes is a strain, followed by a whistle. It hurts Ariadne to her core. He’s not recovering, that time has long since past. He needs medical attention. F*ck the costs. So what if he’s Victor Erickson, legendary mythos surrounding him, a ruthless and terrible criminal. He’s also a father and the love of Ariadne’s life. Doesn’t he deserve to live too? Hasn’t his life been about doing more good than harm? And one thing can be said for sure, when Victor was on the throne, there was order. “A-Ariadne?” A voice cuts into the night. “Baby?” Ariadne replies, cupping Victor’s face. It’s not Victor though, still asleep, eyes closed in eternal slumber. He forgets
Ariadne sees in shades of red, her wolf blood pulsing hot through her veins. It's hard to focus through the screams and the stampede of people trying to get through the two exits.The smell of fear in the air it's intoxicating and inviting. Ariadne wants to bite, sink her teeth into something, tear through it, and drink the red.Her enemy is in front of her, a great dark, eyeless specter. Gordon seems more like a shadow than a wolf, smoke rising off him, still hot from his transformation. His eyelids are sealed shut, and pink scar lines cut into his flesh.He raises his nose and tastes the air. It doesn't matter that he's blind; Ariadne knows. The man can still see them. He knows exactly where they are.Victor growls from the back of his throat, flashing rows of razor-sharp teeth, drool dribbling down his chin. His eyes are like glowing coals. Ariadne's not sure how much of her mate is in there and how much is the terrible beast he keeps prisoner.The three of them are giants. People
Fuck, this guy is really smart. Victor's glad that Felix isn't higher on the food chain. Sh*t could actually get done. "What do you mean?" Victor asks noncommittally. "You said it yourself that he was, just this morning." Felix flushes, rubbing the back of his head. "Ah, no judgment, but... I was only saying that to impress Sansa. I didn't know you guys were dating. We don't get a lot of Omega security officers here. They're usually reserved for Omega prisons." A pang of worry twists in Victor's stomach. He hopes Ariadne is alright. "Oh," Victor replies, "No, it's alright." Felix smiles, patting him on the shoulder. "So, what do you think about my theory?" "Your theory?" Victor repeats. "That's not Victor Erickson," Felix says again. "If I had to guess, that's Victor's First Beta. He's taking the hit for him." Bingo. "Come on," Victor clicks his teeth. "That's crazy." Felix's eyes widen. "I think I'd know if I was looking at the Black Wolf! I told you, I did my whole dissert
Victor watches himself in the mirror, his skin crawling. His appearance it's out of an alternate universe. He's wearing the cop clown suit. It's tight at the neck, and there's barely any room for his—Someone squeezes his ass, causing him to jump. A soft gasp escapes his lips. It's Ariadne, sneaking behind him, a Cheshire grin on her face."Hey there, sexy," the Omega teases. "Are you gonna arrest me?"Victor's heart drums, cheeks turning pink. Ariadne's alarmingly good-looking in her uniform, blond locks, and pale skin contrasting the dark color of the material.The Alpha turns fully around, taking Ariadne's hands, using his fingers as makeshift handcuffs."I don't think this is the time for roleplaying," Victor chides. "But I promise I'll arrest you later, at least three times."Ariadne laughs, something effortless about the way she stands. It's happier than he's seen the Omega in a long time."I look forward to it," Ariadne answers, pulling him along to the living room so they can
They leave the helicopter on the beach, already half-buried by the sea. Ariadne knows they’re not coming back for it. The thing will probably be a home for the crabs before turning into rust and getting swallowed by the sea.Under the cover of night, the five of them set sail for the mainland. Ariadne watches with one eye open as the sea rocks them. All she’s thinking about is not throwing up. It’s not a calm night, storm clouds pouring on them, lightning lighting up the sky.“Are we there yet?”Victor pulls her close, pressing the Omega’s chest to his head. “Almost, baby.”Ariadne takes in deep, calming breaths, Victor’s coffee scent filling her lungs. It helps, allowing the Omega to focus on something else besides the churning of the sea. Edward plops down beside them with a smile.“Why do you look so happy?” Victor asks.The Silver Omega presses a finger to his lips. “Is a secret.”Ariadne sighs, turning ever so slightly so she can have a better view of the other. “How can you smi