Page 22 of Petals and Strings (Broken Melodies #1)

I held my breath as I approached Theo’s door. The last thing I wanted was to go in but I glanced back to see Director Cross just out of sight. Waiting. Listening.

“Sorry I’m late,” I said as I stepped inside Theo’s office.

He looked up, voice whipping out as if delivering a lashing, cutting right through my excuses with anger. I flinched on instinct, even though I’d been expecting it.

“I warned you there would be consequences. That’s four minutes, I’d say that’s four minutes you owe me back.”

He sat back in his chair, dark eyes watching me like I was his prey. The smirk curling his lips made my stomach churn.

That was a look I was uncomfortably familiar with. The one that sized me up, found something they desired, and was going to intimidate me into collecting what they felt like they deserved.

Hell no. Maybe running into Cross was a blessing.

Theo leaned forward, eyes roaming over me one more time as he waited for me to respond. I recognized him for what he was. I’d met assholes like him before. Ones who wanted to control others, got off on it, and felt they were untouchable.

“H-how?” I asked, voice shaking, even with Holden Cross standing just out of view. I felt his scent swell slightly, a reassurance that he was here watching. Just enough it only reached me.

I’d never seen anyone control their scent like that before. If I was in any other situation, I might have asked about it and marveled at the skill.

“I have an array of methods. Withholding meds, isolation rooms, the list goes on. Or… we can take the easy route, Audrey. You can come over here and get on your knees, omega.”

His voice changed then, from sharp to slippery smooth. The slow slide of his zipper filled the air, making his intentions completely clear.

I might just vomit on his floor for principle. I’d also bite off his dick if he tried to whip it out.

I will never be put in that position again.

My stomach soured and I stumbled back. That had him ripping off his glasses, a grin stretching across his face at the prospect of chasing me.

“Don’t worry, I like a chase. I can explain away every scream with a well timed ‘she’s just hysterical’. Plus, I have this.”

He waved the button at me as I retreated further, falling on my ass as I backed out of the room. Theo followed with slow steps as he lovingly traced the button that controlled my bracelet.

My name was there, marked on a tag hanging from it.

Taunting me.

He was prepared.

Just as he reached for me, my gaze shifted to the side. Theo froze, face paling and eyes widening as his breath caught in his throat.

Director Cross was furious. He snatched me from the floor and put me behind him, crossing his arms. The beta nearly smacked into him, stumbling back and falling against the wall.

“Oh, Director Cross. Wh-what can I do for you?”

“Oh, now you want to appear innocent?” I scoffed, disgusted. How many times had he propositioned omegas here? Defenseless, broken omegas who had no way to fight back.

Not all of them held the anger I did.

The fire to never be forced on her knees again.

“Go back to your room, Audrey. Therapy is cancelled today, please share that with the others,” Director Cross said.

His voice was low and icy and I shivered, but was smart enough to listen. I backed away to the door, hurrying out when I reached it and not stopping my half-run until I was back in the common room.

My breath started to stutter, coming too hard and too fast as realization dawned on me. Tears blurred my vision, falling too fast to contain as my entire body shook.

I was here to heal. Not to be attacked.

He wanted to force himself on me, use me.

Just like they did

Stale coffee and cigars wafted in the air, conjured straight from the darkest parts of my memories.

I dropped to the floor, gripping the edge of the chair in front of me that I couldn’t quite make it to. My fingers clutched frantically at my chest as pain blossomed from my shallow, erratic breathing.

My pulse was thundering in my ears, making it impossible to hear the approaching footsteps until Ledger was there. His smokey, masculine scent surrounded me, pulsing at the edges of my psyche and coaxing my omega to calm.

It didn’t help until a rumbling purr echoed out.

“What happened, wildling?”

“H-he told me to get on my kn-knees for h-him,” I stuttered out on a sob before more took its place, the force of them wrecking me.

“Who?” The word was icy cold, a harsh burst of wind that frosted the air around us.

“Theo.” The name was an angry snarl that came from the depths of my soul, revenge the only thing sharp enough to cut through my tears.

That poor excuse for a therapist’s deceptively cruel eyes were still sharp in my mind.

The way he watched me and followed me, as if he thought he could own me with a single threat.

Before Ledger could speak, something shifted in the air. A swell of dominance. All wrapped in a loud warning growl. The power of it had my hair standing on end and a shiver running down my spine. I’d never felt anything like it.

Rydell was here.

No wonder people feared alphas like him. Though, I knew they were wrong about one thing. The way he stood there, making sure I was being taken care of, told me just how in control he was.

I could also read his intentions. He was going to make Theo pay and my omega was cheering already for what was to come.

He sounded like an animal. An angry bear ready to chase after its prey.

Rydell and I weren’t close yet, but he was always near. I’d seen him in the shadows of the conservatory, his dark, floral and plum scent hitting me, edged in ink and leather. Dangerous, alluring, intoxicating.

He never scared me, he was simply a silent protector and I had never been more grateful he was around.

“I’ve got her,” Ledger promised. Rydell’s power pulsed in the air as he nodded and stormed past at a full run as he moved down the corridor and out of sight.

It couldn’t be real. Because no one in my life had ever protected me. Fought for me.

Not even my own family.

I barely breathed, afraid to move and miss a single second.

“Is he going to kill him?” I whispered. The shock of it was chasing away my panic. The tears had come to an abrupt halt the moment he made that sound.

I started to scramble to my feet, ready to run after him and stop this. The thought of losing him was cracking me wide open.

“Don’t. Let him handle it,” Ledger argued, pulling me back down.

They weren’t going to just let him hurt Theo without consequences. Ones far worse than my own would have been. Seeing his feral side lash to the surface like a weapon, unleashing his fury on my behalf, was burned into my retinas. The scene replaying in my mind over and over.

I couldn’t let him go down for that.

“Wildling. Breathe. There’s no stopping what he’ll do now,” Ledger soothed. “You’d only get hurt and he would hate that.”

“Why?”

“You know why,” Ledger countered in a voice that was far too calm.

“I don’t,” I argued. Though, we both knew it was a lie. One so feeble it was crumbling before me. His blue eyes locked onto me, daring me to face this, to say it out loud.

To admit what was happening here.

I would be stupid to not notice the way they watched me, gravitated toward me like I did with them. The way we’d already all been changing since we grew closer.

Every therapy where we exchanged looks when Theo said something ridiculous. All those meals we sat side by side, sometimes in silence and sometimes not.

The nights they listened to me play.

All of them. I’ve seen everyone but Caspian join me. I had a feeling he would if he were able.

A loud roar echoed in the distance, startling me out of my head. It was soon followed by the sound of something slamming, then shattering, a soft rumble echoing through the building in the aftermath.

It was like an aftershock of an earthquake, but I knew damn well that was raw, feral-alpha fury.

Ledger and I sat there, his hand hovering over my arm, both of our heads turned, ears straining to hear what we knew was coming.

Screams of terror echoed out, some haunting, others seemed to be cheering for Rydell.

Apparently, we weren’t the only ones angry with Theo.

More crashes, as if someone were tearing the building apart stone by stone.

Ledger shifted closer, his voice a low hum in my ear. His scent was strong enough to keep me in place. Vanilla, bourbon, and pine rich and spiced, teasing my senses and keeping me from drowning in my worry.

“Rydell and I arrived around the same time. I’ve never seen him do anything like this. You’re shaking things up, wildling.”

“I didn’t mean to do anything. The last thing I want is him to get in trouble. That could be dangerous here.”

“Don’t feel guilty. He went willingly,” Ledger promised. “We all would do the same.”

“No one has ever protected me before.” At my words, Ledger finally gave in, pulling me into his lap. I buried my face into his neck as he stroked my hair and back, refusing to let me face this alone.

“We protect our own around here. That includes you now, wildling.”