Page 17 of Petals and Strings (Broken Melodies #1)

Chapter Fourteen

Ledger

S he was changing us. Changing me. Audrey came to ARC looking so lost and fragile, but that was so far from the real Audrey that it was laughable.

I knew she was mine. As certain as I knew my name, I knew we were scent matches. Mates.

Even if that didn’t mean much to most of us, I still couldn’t help but keep her in my sights. Ensuring she was protected as much as I could at this fucking place.

If it wasn’t me, it was Rydell.

The alpha in question was hovering just inside his room, watching the omegas talking quietly in the center of our common area, huddled together and shutting out the world.

“It’s not right,” he rumbled as I walked up.

I raised a brow, not following.

“Them. They shouldn’t be here in this place. Omegas need nests and safety and other than us protecting them, they don’t have that here and we can only do so much,” he said on a ragged sigh.

It was more emotion or words than I’d seen him give.

See? Changes.

“Someday,” I promised him. Rydell let out a sigh but didn’t move. Beyond him I could see his own sketches along the walls. They seemed more like tattoo designs. Dark, gothic swirls of ink that were gorgeous and unique. In another life, I had a feeling that would have been the path he chose.

“Someday,” he echoed. There was determination in it and I knew that between us, we’d find a way out of this mess.

Despite being locked away here for three years, I had money and connections. My father could have put an end to this, and he might have if not for letting me learn my ‘lesson,’ whatever the fuck that was this time.

He’d have been just as angry if I’d died. Sure, I could have kept her alive, chained her up like she did me, and called him.

But my alpha wouldn’t allow it. She deserved to die. I refused to stay tethered to a monster like her.

He was a hardass, one who took no shit and thought everyone had to earn their keep, even his kids. When you were in his good graces, you were golden. But when you fell? It was a long way to the bottom and a whole fucking lot longer back to the top.

He’d come one time, a check-in to ensure I wasn’t truly lost to the broken bond. Somehow, I wasn’t. The pain was there, but we had never had a true connection. I felt nothing when she died, only an echoing pain in my chest.

It stayed, a reminder of what happened, but I’d detached those first months, saving myself.

When he saw me coherent, he could have helped. He simply nodded, looking almost proud that I was mostly unscathed, then walked out.

I hadn’t seen him since. But I knew him. He was keeping me aside until he needed me.

Now? I only took the meds I had to and spit out the rest. There was a plant in the conservatory that held the evidence of my lies.

Looking back at the omegas, I could see what Rydell meant. Hell, I could picture it. A life somewhere far from here, our omegas soft and healing.

“If you could go anywhere, where would it be?” I found myself asking.

“Anywhere she goes,” he answered without a moment of hesitation.

“Maybe a beach,” I mused, giving into the fantasy. “A nice big house right on the water. A small town only a walk away, and thousands of miles from this fucking place. No one would know us or our past. A fresh fucking start."

“Sounds like a dream,” he sighed, letting out a ragged breath again. “She’s doing something to me, Ledger. I’m less… lost.”

“I know what you mean,” I agreed as I placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

I’ve always seen something in the hulking alpha. Knew there was more to him than aggression which he worked to keep at bay.

But an alpha like him, like us, that knows only violence and harsh realities, we need something to hold us steady.

An anchor.

Something that kept us from giving into the darker tendencies before they consume us completely.

She was exactly that. A bright spot in a dark place.

Audrey was multi-faceted. She was soft and scared, then strong as fuck and ready to fight. Last week, she had Ansel in her lap, holding him steady and bearing the brunt of the storm so it didn’t touch him.

Then she played for him. For us.

The notes that she pulled from that violin were as gorgeous as the omega herself.

She was defiant and wild, ready for anything. I wanted to see her with freedom. To watch her thrive.

Soft laughter echoed out, stunning us as it filled the air.

They leaned in close, Ansel breathing in her laughter with a grin I’d never once seen before. She was giggling hard enough, tears were leaking down her cheeks.

Kane drifted out of his room at the sound. He eyed them with amusement and wonder, taking slow steps closer as if unsure if he should interrupt.

She smiled up at him when he joined, gesturing for him to get closer. Ansel looked disappointed, but didn’t shy away as the beta pulled a chair up.

I got it. When her attention was on you, then gone, all that was left was an empty, gaping hole.

She was the sun, bathing us in her warmth even on the cloudy days, chasing away the chill clinging to our bones.

“She’s your scent match, isn’t she?” My question had Rydell freezing. Every muscle locked up, then his eyes slowly shifted to look at me.

“I think so.”

A lie.

“You know.”

His piercing, green eyes cut through me. I held it there, not backing away but not challenging him, either.

Then he nodded. The confirmation I already knew.

Neither of us had felt a stir for Ansel or any other omega here. It was just her.

Audrey was different.

Maybe fate knew we all had such different lives that there was no way to put us into a pack unless we were all broken first.

It was time now to piece ourselves back together. To be stronger for her, for them. Ansel might not be mine romantically but I’d always looked out for him like a little brother.

“Audrey. Therapy.” Theo’s words were barked. Rydell and I moved forward, making our collective presence known. “Alone.”

The last bit was tacked on as he narrowed his eyes at us.

“We’re simply walking her to therapy,” I said easily. When I stopped at her side she was whispering reassurance to Ansel and standing up, her mismatched eyes pleading with me to save her even though we both knew I couldn’t.

“We’ll be right outside.”

She didn’t say anything as she turned to join Theo. It was a mere second, not long enough for the beta to argue and cause issues.

I had a feeling we weren’t going to get away with this long. He was unravelling slowly and I wasn’t sure what the ending point would be.

One thing I knew was that I wasn’t going to give him a chance to take us down with him.

We trailed behind them, a steady force at her back as we watched and waited. Something I now intended to do with Ansel if he tried to bring him in.

Though, he gave up on the omega years ago. Outside of group therapy, he was left alone as long as he took his meds and went to meals.

Another forgotten soul drifting in these dim hallways.

When the door closed behind them, Rydell took a seat in the waiting area, glaring at the door.

I stepped out of the room, not wanting to be as obvious. Instead, I settled in the atrium, snatching a book from the side table, waiting to see if she needed us.

It had been a while since I’d spilled blood.