Chapter Seventeen — Fate

Maria woke up from her haze and all she felt was warm. Snippets of memories clung to her consciousness. Something had happened, something important. She was covered in Joseph’s scent which wasn’t bad at all, but the last thing she remembered was going to bed because she had felt dizzy. Now, she was sticky and sore.

Her heats had usually ended like this, but then she hadn't felt warm back then. Where was the heat coming from? Maria stirred and quickly received an answer to her question. A strong arm closed tighter around her waist, her body was pulled back against a hard, warm chest by it, and lips pressed gentle kisses over the back of her neck. Joseph.

She let out a little sigh and smiled as she turned around in his embrace.

“Good morning,” she whispered and kissed his stubbled chin.

“Morning,” he replied in a hoarse voice, pulling her closer with his eyes still shut. “You wanna explain to me what happened?”

“I don’t know.”

“You told me you couldn’t have heats…” He trailed off, after picking up on the growing uneasiness in her scent.

It had been her belief that she couldn’t get any heats after her miscarriage. She hadn’t had one in two years. Maybe, Maria thought to herself, it hadn’t actually been a heat, but another fever with very sexual fever dreams this time. She didn’t blame him for jumping on them. The things she remembered from the last two or maybe three days had been very pleasurable. He had treated her just right, fucking her into the mattress, kissing her breathless and knotting her to sate her unbearable hunger for release.

“I mean, I won’t complain. It’s just that… we didn’t use protection. I don’t have a reason to have condoms.”

“It doesn’t matter. Like I said, I don’t have heats and I can’t have children anymore,” she cut him off and freed herself from his tender arms to sit up. With her exposed back facing him, she pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them to her. “It’s not just that I haven't had a heat since… Chad and I tried a couple of weeks after we lost him and it didn’t work. I saw one doctor after the other but they all told me the same thing: I was a healthy young woman and that stress might be getting to me.”

Joseph sat up next to her and rested his chin on her shoulder. “Maybe they were right. Maybe you put yourself under—”

“So, you are saying Chad was right and it was my fault?” she asked, looking at him with thinly veiled hurt and anger.

“No, I was going to say that things changed for you. Maybe your body changed too.”

“Don’t do this please.” Her anger evaporated and only the hurt remained on her features and laced through her scent. “Don’t give me hope, Joseph.”

“Maria, what if…” A loud bark from the door stopped him. Moose hardly ever barked. Alerted, Maria pulled a blanket over her naked body and looked at Joseph for an answer why Moose suddenly sounded like he was ready to kill someone. Had Chad found her here after all? Alma had mentioned her car had been found not far from the house. It was entirely possible.

A shadow moved outside the window and Maria’s heart skipped a beat. He had found her. Joseph had seen the figure too. He grabbed his boxers from the floor.

“Don’t move,” he commanded and headed to the mudroom. Maria stared at the trees she had last seen the person disappear into and soon after Moose ran through the glistening snow, growling and with determination in his smooth movements. Behind him, Joseph followed with a rifle in his hands. She waited for the shot echoing from the tall trees, maybe even blood splattering onto the snow. Please, she prayed, let them be safe. Please, I need him.

The sound of a car’s engine traveled through the surrounding woods and then silence.

Maria strained her ears to hear steps crunching in the snow. Seconds, that felt like hours, ticked by before Moose and Joseph returned into the house. The dog immediately made his way to Maria and jumped up into the nest to cuddle up to her. His owner did the same a few moments later. Joseph closed his arms protectively around her shivering frame.

“It was a car with Maryland plates. Silver Ford Focus. Do you know anyone from there? Male, Beta from the smell of him, heavy smoker?”

She shook her head as the tension slowly drained from her muscles again. He was here, he protected her, both of them.

“Then maybe he just took a wrong turn and wanted to ask for the way. Moose and I probably gave him a heart attack.” Joseph let out a short laugh. “I mean, this monster and a half-naked Alpha with a rifle should give everyone reason to run.”

She knew he tried to calm her through humor and it worked.

“Thank you,” she whispered and lifted her head to kiss him.

“What for? It’s my job to keep you safe and sound.”

“Is it?”

Maria’s eyes grew wide when a flush crept up his neck and he needed to clear his throat.

“I know, we never formally talked about it like we should have, but as far as I am concerned, you… you are—” He looked at her like he waited for some sign that he wasn’t making a fool of himself before he finished his sentence. “Mine.”

Maria’s lips spread into a smile as warmth pooled in the pit of her stomach. She brought her arms up around his neck and kissed him again, putting as much adoration and, dare she think it, love into the kiss. He returned it with equal sincerity. They hadn’t said it out loud, but to both of them it was clear they were in love.

When they separated breathlessly, Maria was still smiling like a fool. She could say in all honesty that she had never felt this flutter in her stomach. Were these the famous butterflies the media liked to talk about all the time?

“I’m sorry,” Joseph suddenly whispered and threw her off.

“For what? I kissed you.”

“Yeah, you did, but… I received training to master my instincts when I went to the police academy. Police officers can’t walk around to answer distress calls and end up violating stressed out Omegas who slipped into...” He stopped himself before uttering the word heat in a whisper. Maria wanted to tell him again that she had not had a heat, but then again what if she had? All the emotions were there and she remembered feeling fuzzy and dizzy before her heats in the past. Usually they didn’t come so quickly. In the past she’d had at least a few days to prepare her nest and get stocked up on food and water for her cravings during this sensitive period of her cycle.

Maria snuggled into his chest and wrapped her arms tightly around her Alpha. Usually when she came out of her heats, she was thirsty and near starving, but not now. Snippets of the past few days clung to her memory, but she couldn’t piece it all together, only that he had taken care of her… thoroughly.

“What happened while I was… out?”

Joseph let out a chuckle and made himself more comfortable as he let his hand trail up and down her naked back and thought for a moment. “Do you remember anything?”

“Only flashing images, but nothing concrete.”

“Positive or negative?”

“Well, I am still cuddling with you, so you go figure, Sherlock.” Joseph laughed quietly, his chest vibrating underneath her cheek.

“You were dizzy and wanted to get to bed, I followed you to make sure you were okay. When I came in, you were already getting really hot. In more than one regard.”

Maria nodded and traced a random pattern on his bare chest.

“You wanted me to… breed you and I gave in.” He weaved his fingers through her hair. “You seemed to really need it. When you were sated, I made sure there was enough water and granola bars and stuff in the house before you woke up again.”

That sounded like a heat to her, but still. She didn’t want to get her hopes up, not even an inch. Maria counted one blessing at a time. For now, she was content with being with Joseph, being with an Alpha who clearly cared about her and was not using her for his amusement or social gain.

“We should probably still get something to eat,” he suggested and shifted from underneath her body.

“I need a shower first though.” She smelled like sex and his dried cum on the inside of her thighs was not a pleasant feeling now that she was back to her senses.

Joseph took in a deep breath and agreed, unfolding his arms from around her. She could feel his eyes on her as she gathered some fresh clothes before she put a little extra swing into her hips as she disappeared into the bathroom.

***

Maria wondered if this was all just a dream or if life had truly turned to the better for her. She tried to remember when she had been this content—this happy—last and the only time that came to mind was her early childhood. She remembered her father, his earthy scent and the warm smiles he always gave her along with her favorite flowers, sunflowers. Whenever he came home from a business trip, be it two days or two weeks, he brought her a sunflower to keep in her room. He read to her at night and played with her during the day.

Maria wondered.

Why had her mother left? Had he been different behind the closed doors of their bedroom? Had he been like Chad? The perfect gentleman when the cameras were on but a monster once the lights were off?

“A penny for your thoughts,” Joseph said as he watched her from the couch. His knee was getting worse even though he didn’t want to acknowledge it, but it was apparent that as soon as they left the bed, he quickly made his way to the couch to sit down again.

“I was just thinking about how lucky I am,” she answered truthfully and pulled the pot from the hot plate before she joined him on the couch. The last couple of days since her heat, she still couldn’t truly believe it had really been one but she didn’t want to argue with Joseph about it, they had cuddled up on here like a picture book couple. Something she had never experienced with Chad, not even before the miscarriage.

“Trust me, I’m the lucky one,” Joseph replied in a deep voice and wrapped his arms around her before kissing her forehead. “Who could have thought that going out to buy some more coffee and dog food could lead to finding an Omega?”

“Fate comes in the strangest of places.”

Maria did her best not to think back to her father and failed. She missed him, even more now since Joseph showed her what she had been missing… and what she had already lost once. Thinking of her father also made her think of the rest of her family. She could hardly remember anything Chad had said during the press conference, but one thing echoed through her mind almost constantly: Bethany was with him.

What if he hurt her? What if he mistreated her sister like he had done with her? What if he used her?

“Maria, I can smell that you are riling yourself up over something,” Joseph murmured against the top of her head. “Please tell me.”

“I’m worried about my sister. She’s in his house now.”

“Your mother is with her from what I gathered at the press conference. I’m sure she wouldn’t leave her alone with him.”

Maria had never confided in her mother or her sister about the truth behind her marriage. Right after her miscarriage, her mother had been more concerned about Chad than her and Bethany had only been sixteen years old. She hadn’t wanted to burden her sister with her feelings. And as Chad turned more and more hostile, her mother ignored her attempts to tell her about the harsh grips and hurting words he dealt out. Alpha knows best, she would only repeat.

Maria snuggled closer to Joseph and kept wondering what her mother had meant with those words. Did her mother teach her that when she had still been a child or had Maria’s father insisted on it? She couldn’t imagine the latter, but since she’d never met any of her mother’s family it was hard to tell what her grandparents had been like.

“Have you heard back from your friend yet?”

Joseph’s scent quickly changed. He shifted next to her and cleared his throat. So, he had.

“Omar told me that he couldn’t find anything suspicious about Chad. He was never arrested, never appeared in any police report. Nobody ever made allegations against him. As far as Omar and the police are concerned he is a blank slate.”

“No, he’s only been careful,” she whispered more to herself than him.

Joseph shifted underneath her and cleared his throat. “If you want to press charges, I am the first one in your corner. When you came here unconscious, I took photos of your bruises in case…”

Maria put a little distance between them. “You did what?”

“Don’t sound so defensive. I didn’t know you and I didn’t want to get blamed for your injuries.”

“You should have still asked me when I woke up.” Maria got up and returned to the kitchen to finish lunch.

Joseph let out a huff. “I saved them on my laptop and did not jerk off to them while you were traumatized in my bedroom. I knew they would eventually be useful once you got your head straight and decided to do something against this asshole.”

Maria’s heart pounded in her chest as her hand around the pan began to shake. She didn’t want to get angry at him, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of betrayal. He should have asked her for permission.

“I want to see them. And I want to find out if Bethany is safe.” She took in a deep breath and turned to him. “I want to know what they know. Alma said the car was found close by. What if the man from a couple of days ago saw me?”

“If he saw you… and recognized you, police would have already been knocking on our door,” Joseph replied in an attempt to calm her down again. “And if you want to look at them, be my guest. My laptop is right here. I have no secrets from you.”

“How’s your leg?” she snapped, hating herself for turning so mean, but unable to hold back.

“Low blow, Omega,” Joseph growled and got up with some difficulty. “I think I will take a bath while you snoop through my files. Have fun.”

***

Maria sat at the laptop, chewing her lower lip with a knot twisting in her guts. She knew she should apologize for being a bitch, but then again, he should have asked before taking those pictures of her.

She found his laptop unlocked with no problem. Living alone, he probably didn’t have a password. Good for her, this meant she didn’t have to ask him for it while he filled the tub with warm water.

Maria’s eyes found the folder labeled “evidence bruises” immediately. His desktop was rather empty apart from his writing program, a media player and his browser. She took a deep breath before opening the folder and her chest clenched tightly at what she saw. Somehow, Maria didn’t remember them looking so severe. Her hand came up to cover her mouth, her eyes growing wide at the evidence she had forgotten about. Her face was unrecognizable, beaten up until her features were no longer her own. Blood covered the side of her face, swelling contorted her cheeks and closed up one eye as she seemed asleep in the photos. Her arm was the subject of the next picture. Joseph had held a quarter next to the marks on them showing the size of the hand that must have inflicted those bruises on her skin. Pictures of her bruised ribs and hips followed. The clenching in her stomach turned into twisting as she looked through the photos. Anger boiled in her guts as the initial shock wore off. How could someone do this to a person he claimed to have loved?

No, she thought, Chad had never loved me. He had used me for his public image and that’s all. Her heart beat up into her throat as she started the browser and Googled Chad’s name. Of course, the first results were of her disappearance. Multiple news outlets ran her story with his desperate plea for answers during his press conference as the hook. She watched the video in a loop. Her stomach flipped when she heard his voice the first time. He sounded so worried as he told the world one lie after the other. No wonder she had never seen through his behavior. Even though she knew the truth, she still found him convincing.

She backed out of the video again and scanned the article to see if they had any leads to her whereabouts. Nothing, but this particular article hadn’t been updated since shortly after the press conference. So, Maria looked for newer ones. Oddly one was shown to her about a man named Leonard Baxter searching for his daughter. Maria didn’t pay it much attention. Google sometimes had odd search results, although she wondered if Mr. Baxter’s daughter had run away as well. She shook her head and continued searching. Another article talked about her car and her personal items being found. She wrapped her arms around her middle and her heart began to flutter uncomfortably.

Along highway 31 leading up to the Canadian border, police officers had found the abandoned car of the missing Omega, Maria Williams. Authorities said they found traces of a struggle, blood on the seat and the steering wheel. A couple of yards from the car Metaline Falls Police found a travel bag with items belonging to Mrs. Williams as well. Among them were very personal items which were later returned to Rosslow’s mayor and husband of the missing woman, Chadwick Williams, who told the reporter, “She would have never left the sonogram of our son behind willingly,” in answer to rumors that Mrs. Williams left her husband after rumors of domestic abuse were put forward by an anonymous source.

He had the picture again.

Tears blinded her before they rolled down her cheeks.

He used him as a shield, proof for the truth in his lie. How could he do this and who had started rumors? The only one coming to mind was her neighbor. Hopefully Chad hadn’t hurt him… or Bethany.

Maria looked up information on her, but apart from the press conference nothing came up. Frustration and sadness burrowed into her chest. How could Chad do this and still sleep at night? Why was this happening to her? What could she do?

She closed the laptop as a sudden rush of need washed over her. It wasn’t safe here. She needed to… to get somewhere safer. Without thinking, Maria hurried into the bedroom and grabbed the bedding from the bed. Nest. She needed to nest. Nests were a safe place.

Instinct took over as she crawled underneath the bed and curled up into a small ball ignoring Moose’s attempts to join her in the narrow space or pull her out of her panicked reaction.

She cried quietly, her mind circling around everything she had learned today. She was still missing according to the media, apparently she had been kidnapped, the police didn’t investigate Chad, Bethany and her mom were still with him for all she knew. He would just keep lying and everyone would believe him.