Page 26 of Petals and Strings (Broken Melodies #1)

Chapter Twenty-One

Rydell

T he door beeped before a small woman walked in. Her dark hair was loose around her shoulders, a fluffy sweater making her look far too normal for this place. She belonged in a bookstore or coffee shop, somewhere soft and full of sunshine.

“You must be Rydell,” she said as she walked further into the room, her smile not quite real. She looked exhausted and terrified. A little rabbit in front of a wolf.

“I’m not going to hurt you. You can relax,” I grumbled as I flexed my bloodied hand. Her eyes flickered to the aftermath of my last round of anger but she didn’t say anything.

“I hear you aren’t eating,” she started, going for something easy, I suppose.

“I’ll eat when I’m out of here,” I clarified. My stomach had stopped rumbling and just rested at queasy when I didn’t think about it.

“That’s not good for you,” she said in a serene voice. “Especially with this level of… exertion.”

“I’ve endured worse,” I countered.

“Tell me about that,” she said as she leaned against the wall. There was a clipboard in her hands and she’d been fidgeting with the pen, the annoying click, click, click, ready to send me into another rage.

“I’m turning feral, didn’t they tell you?” I asked, cocking my head to the side. It only made her twitch more, all too aware that she’d entered the lion’s den. “That forced bond didn’t do anything to help that.”

“F-forced bond?” she asked. I had to hand it to her. She was trying to get me to share, to work through things.

“Yeah. You see, when you stick a whole boarding school of potentially feral alphas together, bad things happen. My family name and being the new guy who didn’t want to interact with anyone else, earned me my fair share of attacks.

When I retaliated it fueled more of that fire.

I was overwhelmed, tied down, and they brought in a little, sweet omega…

just like you. Stuck her with some heat drugs, got her out of her mind, and she bit me. ”

The therapist looked even more green now than when she walked in, her hands clinging to her clipboard as hard as she could.

Too bad I wasn’t done. She wanted me to feel it, I would feel it. My filters were fucking gone.

Maybe it would get me the fuck out of here.

“She took what her body told her it needed, my own body giving it to her even though I wanted to fucking die .”

Her intake of breath was enough to fuel me on. There was a rising cruelty inside of me. I wanted to inflict this pain on her, to show her what she’d walked into.

To punish her like I’d been punished.

“Hell, she nearly did, but I was tied down and couldn’t do much to save her once the others got to her.

By the time they found us and saved her, breaking our bond in the hospital and pulling me out, I was deemed unsafe, despite being a victim.

Now here I am, forced into isolation for saving an omega from yet another predator. ”’

Her eyes widened even more and she tried to speak, but her mouth only opened and closed a few times with no words escaping.

“I’m not going to just stop being feral because I talk about what happened,” I warned her. “This is my fucking life. I’ve never had a say in it, and likely legally never will. It’s just how things are.”

“Many alphas with that feral gene live long lives.”

My hollow laughter echoed around her and she took a step closer to the door, ready to flee.

I gave her an unhinged smile that felt wrong on my face. “What’s wrong? Am I too much to handle?”

Her eyes narrowed but she swallowed hard as I rose to my feet. I was broad and tall, easily towering over most alphas.

Did I do it to scare her off? Yes.

I was done with this interaction. She had no right to walk in here and try to fucking force me to talk this out.

This time my actions were justified.

Just like last time.

I’d never once hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it.

She let out a squeak of pure, unfiltered fear and rushed out of the room. Her badge couldn’t swipe fast enough before she was out of the door like her ass was on fire.

The resounding thud of the door sliding closed and the lock engaging had me sinking back to the ground.

My stomach churned and I let my eyes slide closed as I pictured Audrey. She was safe with the others, but this place wasn’t good for her.

I fucking wished I could take her and run. Find a place out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nature and peace.

The reality was there was nothing I could do to make that happen. Once you walked into the doors of Ash Recovery Center, you didn’t walk out.

That was for the short-term people.

I was trapped, like always.

We weren’t getting out of here alive unless we managed to break free. That wasn’t an option.

Yet.

The more time I spent with Audrey, the more I was willing to do just about anything to make that happen.

This place wasn’t safe or healing. It was a prison and we were simply there to make them money and to keep us away from ‘polite’ society.

The door beeped again, much sooner than I anticipated. I deflated at the sight of a new meal tray being sat inside the door, only a hand coming into sight before being snatched right back.

It felt like I was a caged animal, everyone too fucking scared of me to get close. Like I’d snap and attack at any moment.

She was the only one who didn’t look at me like that.

Well, outside of my group. They at least let those fears slide away a few months after they put us together. Especially, because I used to keep my distance.

Now, I was never far. I wanted to be near my mate, to make sure she was safe.

That meant keeping my calm.

Easier said than fucking done.

The urge to slam my fist into the walls and door again were strong, but I didn’t move, staying still until sleep blessedly claimed me.

Ledger

This had gone on long enough. Rydell had been in isolation for over a week. Gossip among the nurses was that he wasn’t eating.

I also knew it wasn’t just Rydell being angry and stubborn. It was this strange, undercurrent of a bond being stretched too thin.

Audrey was starting to slip into herself anytime she was alone. She was feeling it, too.

I stalked through the halls, letting determination fill me. It was a risk to admit this to Director Cross, but I had to fucking try.

My knock on his office door echoed loud in the empty lobby. I heard something shift behind the door before he opened it, face a mask of exhaustion.

“Ledger. What can I do for you?” My name was said on a sigh.

“We need to talk. In private, please.”

He didn’t hesitate to step aside and let me in, closing the door behind us. His steps were sluggish as he rounded his desk and sank into his chair, the fabric squeaking under him.

There was stubble on his face and dark circles under his eyes. It was nice to know that this week hadn’t been easy on him, either.

Maybe he shouldn’t have sent in that new therapist and done a bit more research before feeding her to the lions.

“What is it? I don’t have long. As you know, I have to find a new therapist,” he said as he gave me a look that was exasperated.

“I get that, but we need Rydell back. He’s been in isolation for too long now. He’s done his time. Why is he still there? We both know that it was a justified reaction,” I challenged.

If I could avoid letting him in on our secret, I wanted to. Outing our pack was a last resort.

“He broke that man’s legs,” he said as he sat back, his hand running through his hair until it was disheveled.

“The only reason we aren’t paying out the ass in liabilities is because I was there to witness his behavior.

As it is, the legal team is in a frenzy and Theo is fighting the termination and threatening to press charges. ”

With that, I knew I had to say it. Rydell might be transferred out to a real prison if Cross didn’t find a way to talk him out of trouble.

“They’re scent-matches. I think Ansel and I are, too, I can’t say much about Caspian and Kane, but they’re changing as well,” I said as I met his gaze.

He frowned at my words and I had immediate regret. Fuck, he wasn’t going to take this well. There was a hardness creeping in his expression now.

“I don’t think any of you are in the position to truly know that,” he said as if we had no sense of smell or thoughts in our head. “There’s a difference between someone smelling good and having that true compatibility.”

“Don’t patronize me,” I growled. Clearly, I misjudged Cross, too.

“She does smell incredible, but the connection we have is different. Did you know Ansel is speaking? Caspian has had two full days of feeling more normal. Rydell was coming out of his room and interacting more. We are all feeling it. Hell, Kane made her tea and she made him a journal to keep him present. Newsflash, Cross. It’s fucking working. ”

Director Cross sat back and let out a breath. “This is serious, Ledger. We can’t have you all starting a relationship here at ARC! I’ll be legally obligated to separate you.”

“No!” I yelled, startling us both. “If you do that you risk all of us. Haven’t we all endured enough fucking broken bonds? This separation is already killing them both.”

He leaned back, eyes closing. “I’ll give it a day or two to observe, but this isn’t something we can just let happen, Ledger. She isn’t safe being the center of all of your attentions.”

“This is a mistake,” I said, standing. “You’re risking shutting down an entire group that has done nothing wrong and sending Rydell and Ansel into a spiral.”

Fuck, this was a huge mistake. I couldn’t take it back now, either.

“Noted,” he said in a gruff tone. It was clear we were both not getting anywhere now and it felt like time was already ticking down by the time I stormed out of his office.

I wasn’t sure what would happen if he followed through with his threat. Right now I knew I had failed her, failed us all. I shouldn’t have said anything but I thought it might give Rydell justification for his reaction.

It did. If everyone would just fucking listen instead of sweeping shit under the rug and worrying about how things would look, then maybe we all wouldn’t be suffering so damn much in this godforsaken place.

If he wouldn’t listen, then I guess it was time to talk to dear old dad.

Instead of using the phone in Cross’s office, I headed for the kitchens. I stepped around the dining tables and pushed through the door. The man I’d built rapport with over the years looked up, grinning when he saw me.

I’d saved his ass when someone acted out once when I first arrived and had earned his respect.

Now it was time to cash in.

“Hey, Raymond. Cross’s office is busy, can I use the phone here to call home and check in?”

He didn’t even hesitate, pointing his ladle toward the small office.

“It’s right there, just you and me here now, so good timing,” he said.

It wasn’t the first time he’d trusted me and a small part of me hated that I’d have to betray it.

A bigger part of me hated that I might be selling my soul to the devil to get us out of here.

I sat in the rickety chair and typed in my father’s number for the first time since arriving. He couldn't be trusted, but I needed to know I had the option should it rise.

The consequences would be worth it if she was safe, though.

“My son,” he answered in that lazy drawl of his. “Are you ready to end this madness yet?”

“Close,” I said, not bothering to beat around the bush. “Things are… changing. But I won’t be alone.”

“Interesting,” he said. “An omega?”

“Possibly.” Give nothing more than I had to was my usual mantra.

He hummed. “Say the word. I’ve been waiting for you to get your head out of your ass and join the ranks again.”

“Not yet,” I sighed. Just his voice was setting me on edge. We both knew what I was agreeing to if I called in his help. “Loose ends and all that.”

“Fine. I’ll be waiting.” The call ended abruptly as he hung up and I dropped the receiver back down with a defeated breath.

Calling him felt like defeat. I’d trusted him once and ended up tethered to an omega I never wanted and all for a business deal. Then stuck here with no way out.

The family name could end with me for all I cared.

As much as I loved the idea of tying myself to Audrey for the rest of our lives, I knew that things weren’t that simple.

We’d both been burned before.

Then there was the complication of a pack built on shattered minds and amidst all this turmoil.

If the time came, at least I had a backup plan. Until then, we’d have to see what Director Cross’s next move was.