Chapter 252: That Sick Fucking Bastard!

Rachel

"What the fuck?" His voice was deadly calm now, suppressing the kind of rage that would make even an Alpha wolf take a step back. "Rachel, where are you?"

"Upstairs," I managed to call out, though my voice came out barely above a whisper.

I heard his footsteps on the stairs, taking three steps at a time, and then he was beside me, his massive frame filling the doorway as he took in the destruction of our bedroom.

The sound that came from his throat wasn't human. It was a low, primal growl that seemed to penetrate my bones and made every instinct I had scream that I was standing in front of a predator.

"That sick fucking bastard," he snarled, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "He did this. He was here, in our house, touching our things—and he hurt Lyra too. Julian was right, I brought him here."

"I'm sorry you had to see something so horrible..."

"Damian." I reached for him, needing the comfort of his touch, but he was already moving.

"We need to get you out of here. Now." His tone was serious, protective instinct overriding everything else. "This place isn't safe. He could still be lurking around here, waiting for us to come back. Or he could be gone."

"But the medical supplies—"

"Fuck the medical supplies." He grabbed my arm, not roughly, but with obvious urgency. "We're leaving. Right now."

As we rushed downstairs and out of the house, I found myself looking back, half expecting to see Orion's massive figure lurking in the shadows.

I knew in my gut he wasn't there—Damian would have sensed him immediately. Maybe the blood scent was masking his smell, keeping Damian from picking up his trail.

But where did he get all that blood?

This was all too fucked up. But seeing our bedroom like that, seeing our most intimate space violated, left me shaken beyond words.

"We need to contact Dominic," Damian said as we quick-walked toward the Alpha House. "Tell him what we found. And we need to get you somewhere safe where that bastard can't touch you."

"From now on you have to stay with Ethan and Avery!"

"Avery can handle it. Or we can even call Julian to help." His jaw was set tight, radiating barely contained violence.

"Right now, the only thing that matters is keeping you safe. I'm certain he'll try to get revenge on me by hurting you."

His obsessive protectiveness didn't bother me. But I was a little unused to it—for so many years I'd faced difficulties alone. This was the first time I'd had someone standing beside me when confronting trouble.

I wanted to argue, to insist that I was a grown woman who could take care of herself. But the image of those bloody handprints covering the windows, and the scrawled message on the mirror, was still burned into my mind.

As we approached the Alpha House, I realized that whoever wrote those words was wrong. I wasn't Orion's, never would be. But the fact that he thought he had some claim of ownership over me, that he'd violate our home to prove it, made my skin crawl.

"Try to contact Dominic," he said quietly as we walked up the steps to the Alpha House, squeezing my hand. "We need to tell him what happened."

"When you guys find Orion," I said, despite the fear coursing through my veins, my voice remained steady, "I want to be there. I want to make it clear to him that his little psychological games don't work. I chose you, and no matter what he does, I'll keep choosing you."

For the first time since we'd discovered the blood, Damian's expression softened slightly. He cupped my face in his hands, his thumbs brushing across my cheekbones.

"He can do whatever the fuck he wants, but he can't take you away," he said, his voice rough with emotion.

"You're mine, Rachel. You chose me, and I chose you. That psychotic bastard can't change that no matter what he does."

But even as he said those words, I could see the worry in his dark eyes. Orion wasn't just talking shit. His actions were escalating, becoming more dangerous and unpredictable.

Somehow, I had the sinking feeling that this was just the beginning.