Page 48 of Where There’s Smoke (Fire House Omegas #2)

Melody

M y little animal rescue was far more rundown than it used to be, but it was slowly coming back to its previous glory after all the work we’d put in.

While it was in no way ideal, it was good enough to start taking in animals again.

Most of the rescues that had been housing my animals had been getting a bit concerned about the space they were taking up, which was understandable, with people wanting to surrender their pets every day.

I had plenty of animals that they had so graciously decided to take in, so I knew getting them back into the shelter was important.

It had been almost two months since the fire. Two whole months since I had been sitting in the rescue, feeding Dotty, and first smelled smoke.

It honestly baffled me how much my life had changed since then. Not only had I gone from being a beta to being an omega, but I was now fully bonded with a pack of my own.

I walked through the space at the front, admiring my hard work.

The guys and I had done so much to get this place usable again, and I was really proud of what we’d accomplished in such a short time.

Hell, I was proud that after everything I’d been through—smoke inhalation, dealing with arson, caring for a puppy, figuring out my relationship with a pack—I’d never given up.

Sure, I’d felt like it sometimes, but I hadn’t.

Smiling, I walked through the doors that led to the back, the entry rooms where we took in the animals and got them situated and the exam rooms where we checked them out.

They could finally be used again. My heart felt lighter, my shoulders not so tense, and I could actually picture running the shelter and vet services again.

I could picture this huge part of my life finally coming back to me. Grateful was a mild way to put it.

Things are finally looking up.

When I reached the very back, however, I stopped dead in my tracks, my mouth hanging open as I looked on in shock.

Reed was standing in the middle of the unoccupied kennel room.

His suit was disheveled, his hair wild, like he hadn’t slept in several days, and he grumbled to himself under his breath.

“Reed? What are you doing here?” I instinctively stepped backward, wanting to put space between us.

His head swung around to face me, his eyes wide and bloodshot. The hair on my arms stood and a chill trickled down my spine. Reed glared so hard that my stomach flip-flopped, and where I had once been relaxed, now every muscle in my body clamped down, ready to run.

Reed looked…wild. Feral, even.

The room was mostly undisturbed, but there was a strong acidic smell in the air that hadn’t been there before. I couldn’t place it, but it was acrid and pungent, my nostrils burning.

“Reed?” I tried again, keeping my tone gentle and soothing, like I did with my rescue animals.

“Why did you have to go and ruin everything?” he snarled, his eyes finally meeting mine.

I hardly recognized him.

“We had a plan for you, a plan that benefited the whole family, and you had to go and mess it by fucking those low-class assholes! Gutter trash being gutter trash.” Reed shook his head, a nasty chuckle leaving him. “Bitch never could do as she was told.”

He smiled, spit flying from his mouth as he growled. “Fucked a bunch of nobodies.”

Was he talking about my pack? Jesus, what was going on? I had never seen Reed be anything less than perfect. He was always calm and calculated. The man I was looked at now was unhinged and on edge. He…scared me.

“It doesn't matter who I bonded with, Reed. You knew I was never coming back to New York. You can still live your life. It doesn’t have to have anything to do with me.”

Reed scoffed, running a hand through his hair, making the frazzled ends stick up all the more.

“This is why we should have made you come straight home. You're too stupid and naive to look after yourself. Of course, it matters who you bond!”

Pacing in the small area, Reed shook his head, slashing his hand through the air. “We had a plan! I had a plan! But no. All you care about is yourself!”

I reeled back, fear licking up my spine. “Reed, please calm down. The only people it should matter to are me, and my pack mates. I don't know why you're getting so worked up about this. You have your life to go back to. Just ignore me. I don’t matter to the family.”

I assumed Reed was so upset because he could feel the control over our family slipping through his fingers. Now I was bonded, and he had no say over anything I did. But he’d hardly paid any mind to me in so long. Why did it matter now?

“I swear you are a clueless child . We spent years trying to find a good match for you! You know, there's not many men that are willing to put up with a bleeding-heart woman who cares more about animals than she does her own appearance.”

I bit my lip. I didn't want to irritate him any more than I already was, but the comment stung. Just because I didn't blow out my hair every two days, wear designer clothing, and put on makeup meticulously didn’t mean that I was bad looking or that I didn’t care.

My family clearly had a very warped view of beauty standards.

“That may be the case, Reed, but as we now know, they weren't suitable because I'm an omega. We didn’t know back then. There was no way to tell…” I kept my voice soothing as I reached into my pocket. Clutching my phone, I was desperate to pull it out and call my alphas.

Sure, this was my brother. I would have said easily that he’d never hurt me. But that was before. Before the glint in his eyes that made my stomach roil and my pulse rush faster and faster. I didn’t know if that was true anymore, and considering what Elliot suspected about the fire…

Dammit. I need help. I need someone to get here.

I’d been learning to listen to my instincts, and, right now, they were screaming danger .

“And what a stroke of luck that was, huh?

The minute we knew you were omega, it opened so many doors for our family.

And what did you do? You decided to be selfish.

We found an affluent pack who makes very good money.

A business relationship with them would have secured our futures.

Unfortunately, we didn't have anything to offer them until you, because do you know what that pack wanted? An omega. And then bam! All of a sudden, we had one. But you had to go and fuck three nobodies!”

“Reed, stop. You can’t come into my rescue like this and scream at me, insulting my pack.

You need to leave,” I snarled, trying to remain as level as I could because I didn’t know what Reed might do.

Still, screaming at me was one thing, but saying all that about my alphas?

I was livid, my blood boiling with years of rage hitting the surface.

Reed glared, and then faster than I expected, he crossed the room, getting right up in my face and grabbing my arm. His fingers dug into my bicep hard enough to bruise, and he jabbed his other finger into my face.

“You took everything from me!”

Reed shoved me back, hard, and I flew into the wall behind me. The cement bricks hit my spine, making my nerves scream in pain. I slumped down to the floor, trembling as Reed towered over me, his bloodshot eyes too wide as his words echoed in the small space.

“You’re nothing but a selfish bitch! And Mom and Dad begged me to force you to come home. To do anything it took. I thought burning down the rescue would finally make you run right back into their arms, but instead, you jumped into bed with a pack of strangers like a slut!”

A tear leaked down my face as I stared up in horror.

Burning down the rescue? God, so he really did do it.

My head swam as if I had shoved cotton into my ears. Everything was hazy realization as I tried to comprehend what my brother had just said.

We had suspected—at least Elliott had—but hearing my brother say it himself was the final nail in the coffin. I couldn’t deny it now. I couldn’t pretend that my own flesh and blood wouldn’t hurt me. Because he had…he was now.

A sob tore free, and I shook my head. “You knew this place means everything to me! You could’ve killed me!”

Reed shook his head, eyes still wide and unblinking.

“And that was the problem. Instead of doing what's best for your family, you decided to do what was best for a bunch of fucking mutts! And now, now ? Your goddamn firefighter is opening an official investigation with my fingerprints! I'll lose everything! Between you running off and ruining our business deal with Pack Bronze and that investigation, my life is over! And it’s because of you, Melody.” Reed’s voice was deep now, too low and slow as he towered over me, a subtle shake to his head as he reached behind his back.

“ You did this. And you’re going to pay. ”

My heart hammered so hard in my chest that I wouldn’t have been surprised if Reed could see it.

He was acting like a man possessed, and even if he was a beta, I still didn’t stand a chance against him.

There was no doubt in my mind that he was going to do whatever he wanted to me if help didn’t come soon.

Shit, shit, shit. Think, Melody. Your phone…the guys…

The guys!

Glancing at the clock, I released a small, silent sigh in relief, half-hearted though it was.

Three fifty-four.

The guys were coming to pick me up at four, and they were nothing if not punctual—especially when it came to plans involving pizza and snuggling, two things that seemed so far away right now. I just needed to hold on a little longer. My pack would be here and?—

“Get up!” Reed yanked on my arm, hauling me off the floor toward an open kennel.

I wasn’t an idiot. I could put two and two together, and I wasn’t getting in there. I’d be screwed. I needed to stall. I need to get Reed thinking about anything else.