But then Ariadne appears at the foot of the staircase, a blurry figure but definitely her.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Harry hisses.
“This,” Ariadne answers coldly.
Something black sails through the air. Victor barely registers it as a shard of glass, probably from a shelf or a window.
The thing hits Harry square in the arm, forcing him to let Victor go. The younger Alpha falls to the ground, a perfect view of the community theater piece ahead.
Ariadne pounces on Harry, hitting him in the face repeatedly with heavy, closed fists.
It’s something they call hysterical strength, typical of people expecting. Or maybe the Omega was always that strong.
Harry wretches free from that, blood splattering everywhere. He has every intention of hitting Ariadne, but he stops.
The Omega is pregnant, and the old wolf’s last shred of honor won’t let him do it.
“I will murder ever
It's a lot to handle, both figuratively and literally.Ariadne sits in the car, holding her family's ashes, which shouldn't be as heavy as they suddenly are. She stares at Victor, who, in turn, mirrors her perfectly.And it's silent, as if the whole world is gone, leaving a blank canvas and them in that little car."You want me to what?" The conquest circling his head like a cartoon blue jay, Victor asks, dumbfounded."Mate me," Ariadne breathes."But y-you always-" Victor begins before losing the pace of his words. The Alpha glances downward to his hands, cheeks flushing.Ariadne's never seen him this taken aback, which somehow makes the Omega's heart flutter."I know what I've always said," Ariadne begins, fumbling over her words, desperate to catch something."I-I was sure. I was absolutely sure that this day would never happen. But then I saw you. And you saw me back."Does the Alpha understand what she's trying to s
The wind sweeps away the contents, scattering them to the ends of the earth, guided by firefly light. They carry away Ariadne's guilt for surviving, living, and being happy when they can not."Goodbye," Ariadne whispers, wiping her face and squaring her shoulders.The Omega walks back down the lonely path leading to the car.Victor's eyes are closed, and he has his seat leaning all the way back."You alright?" Ariadne asks, fearing that she's taxed the Alpha too much."Just tired," Victor sighs. "I got the sh*t beaten out of me today.""I saved you," Ariadne says smugly, attempting to lighten the mood. "I'm gonna tell the kids one day.""Kids?" Victor catches."Of how you got whooped and how I valiantly and selflessly saved your punk ass."Victor laughs, clutching his side. His crimson eyes glitter in the dim.Once he settles, "Shall we? Ready to go home.""Yea, take us home," Ariadne sighs, eyes sliding sh
“Baby?” Victor coos.“We’ll have to start planning how we’re going to deal with Harry and the rest soon. But- but I just want one more day where we can-”“In case we die?” Ariadne cuts him off. “One day to remember, to make it all worth it.”“I can mate you right now,” Victor offers. “We don’t need a ceremony, or cake, or flowers.”The Omega melts at that, legs turning into jelly.“Victor, I don’t need a mark to know who you are,” Ariadne responds. “We can do it after we settle everything, and we will settle things.”“So then, what do you want to do for now?” Victor hums, closing in, wrapping himself around Ariadne, a hand on her still flat tummy.Though they both know it will soon swell.The Omega’s missed his touch so badly for the last three weeks. It’s Ariadne's homecoming. What els
Doing the wrong thing is often easy. It was effortless to put a bullet between Arlo’s eyes, the first of the six.Ariadne had gotten her revenge on the man within twenty-four hours of the initial heinous act.The Alpha’s blood hadn’t even cooled when everyone in the room called him a coward, no one interested in avenging him. There was nothing to follow after that.What would be the purpose?He was already a corpse, high risk, and with no reward. His death had been like smoke on the water, effortlessly skimming the surface.It had been easy.It had been wrong.Ariadne knew right away, as soon a
The first shot is followed by a barrage of gunfire. Ariadne looks to her left, wondering why Lisa doesn't simply drive away from the line of assault. They are getting f*cking stormed on.And the answer is immediately evident.Lisa is dead, with a bullet wound on the side of her face. Her body is draped over the gear shift at an awkward and broken angle. The first shot was carefully done to take out the driver."We gotta get out of here," Calvin shouts.Edward makes a mad dash to the front, climbing between the seats. He tosses the Beta's body like a rag doll out the window.There's no time to mourn her, no funeral. The dogs will eat her tonight.Then Edward turns on the engine and drives more profound into the casino port for cover. Dustin presses a button on his phone, and metal shutters come down over the two largemouths. The bullets ricochet over the plates. It sounds like there is an army of people outside.So much for no blood. There's enough to swim in.Dustin kicks open the bac
Minutes, hours, days, weeks. How much time passes, she's not sure. Ariadne slowly comes to, knowing immediately she's not in a spot where she'd fallen. Dark red drapes to her left, an ornate, golden door. The Omega pulls herself up, lying on a large, king-sized bed, sheets of red satin and lace. She's wearing different clothes, too, not the swat gear she'd fallen in. She's wearing a frilly, transparent nightgown and silk thigh highs socks. It's all oddly familiar. When Ariadne tries to get off, she finds one of her hands is handcuffed to the bedpost. She desperately wants to get out, though. She considers gnawing off her own limb to be a viable option. But why? And then it hits her. This is the same place where the six of them, Arthur, Arlo, Felix, Chester, Leonard, and Robin, had raped her. This is the same bed. That's the same door. This is the room where it happened. F*ck. Ariadne yanks with all her might, but she can't get free. She can't be in this room again. She'd rath
Ariadne is ready to climb the walls, these gray steel panels with hideous bolts welded right into them.It drives her mad.The Omega runs her hand along the ridges and bumps as though she's searching for secrets, some hidden brail in the metalwork. But it remains unknowable, itching on her restless and relentless mind."Ariadne, what are you doing?" Victor asks, entering the room, his usually bright, red eyes a dull maroon color."Slowly losing my mind," Ariadne hums, settling back on the bed, a hand protectively over the small swell of her belly."How much longer are we gonna have to stay here?"It's been two months since the attack on the casino. Victor and the remainder of his pack have moved out of the house and into Nathan's old, fortified bunker.They know where Harry is, but they can't lure him out, and neither can they stay in the open, vulnerable to any attacks.It's an impasse, a stalemate."I'm sorry, baby," Victor sighs, seemingly ancient with a heavy weight on his shoulde
The Omega's heart slams against her ribs, pounding so hard that she's afraid she's going into cardiac arrest.It's suddenly a thousand degrees in that room, with Victor looking up at her softly, still kneeling there."If you're afraid," Victor whispers. "Then I'll go first. I'll go right now."Ariadne's fangs pop on their own as if her traitorous body didn't already do enough to discredit her every day."Victor, I just- what about waiting, what about waiting until after Harry's captured."Victor peers into her. It's clear he's at the end of his rope, with a hundred-foot fall to the bottom."I'm going crazy," the Alpha continues. "I'll take what I can get, whatever you're willing to give me. Please, baby. Anything."Ariadne turns and blows out the candles, immediately turning the room into a pitch. There's nothing but two glowing rubies in the night, staring at her intensely."Take me to bed," Ariadne says.Victor scoops her up, carrying her bridal style to the bedroom. The Alpha flick
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