Broken Dreams (Unhingedverse)
Broken Dreams: Chapter 10

LINUS

I didn’t mean to rip the bandage off quite like that. Jesus.

Duncan jumps out of the truck and runs to the back where Makayla is sprawled across my lap. Fuck, is she Quinn now? I never told her that my name has always been Linus. It was such a unique name, Bret decided to eschew his usual rules of changing the omega’s name.

There’s a lot about her past I don’t know. She communicates in single words or by writing on my skin with her finger. I don’t know if her words will come back to her.

I hope they do, I love the sound of her voice.

Duncan pulls open the door to the back seat as if he’s trying to tear it off, and I gaze down at the beautiful girl in my lap.

“She’s okay,” I murmur, my fingers running over her throat until I can check her pulse. “That was a lot.”

“You said to pull off the bandage,” he hisses, making my lips twitch inappropriately. Duncan is two hundred pounds of muscle, and I have a feeling he can handle anything. Makayla may be the exception.

“It may have been too abrupt,” Callum says, his face strained as he stands in my now open door. “Let’s get her inside. Someone please tell Adira we didn’t fuck this up already.”

I’m starting to get curious about who this girl is as Duncan scoops Makayla into his arms and I follow him out of the truck. Pack Dresmond piles out of their SUV, gazing at the omega in Duncan’s arms.

“Did she ever wake up?” Morris asks, looking concerned.

“She did, and then I fucked up,” Duncan mutters. “I told her we were scent matches with both her and Linus, which overwhelmed her.”

“Quinn passed out,” Callum says, leading the group to the front door. “There’s just so much we need to talk about, but it all feels really⁠—”

“Big,” Kane grunts.

He still has a baby carrier strapped to his chest with what I can now see is a doll. It was mentioned that Adira is pregnant, is he trying to get ready for the baby in this way? It feels very strange.

“If I was returning to my life after twenty years, it would be easy to feel anxious as I learned about things I wasn’t here for or unaware of,” Kane adds.

He’s oddly self aware, and I don’t know what to think about that.

“You’re so good with Adira, I have no doubts that you’ll be able to figure things out,” Demon murmurs. “I expect there will be big emotions for a while.”

Callum unlocks the door, pushing it open as he pops his head in.

“Maybe she’ll get mad enough one day to talk to me,” he says, softly enough that I almost miss the words.

“That’s not why she doesn’t talk,” I interject as we walk into the house. “I think it’s deeper than that. She doesn’t say more than a word or two to me either.”

“Hmm,” Duncan says before a girl with chestnut curly hair and midnight blue eyes comes around the corner.

“You’re back,” she says, her eyes moving over everyone to make sure they’re all in one piece. There’s a barely veiled anxiety in her movements, her worry palpable to me. “No one’s been shot or stabbed right? I didn’t feel anything, so I expect everyone to be okay.”

“We’re fine, Short Stuff,” Duncan says.

“Minimal casualties on the way out were reported,” Morris adds.

“The baby even made it out fine,” Kane says excitedly, making Adira smile as he rubs the doll’s head.

It’s clear that she has a very special bond with these men. Her pack walks over to check on her, ensuring that she’s been eating, sleeping well, etc. God, what is it like to be loved like that?

“I swear, I’m fine,” she says with a false glare before ducking under Jed’s arm to walk over to me. “Since Quinn appears to be resting, I’ll introduce myself quickly before I get out of your hair. I’m Adira.”

I’ve never met a more unassuming person in all of my life. She’s unsmiling, her eyes curious and friendly. A lot of people would say that she has a resting bitch face, but not everyone needs to smile all of the time. The fact that she came over to introduce herself to me at all speaks volumes.

“Linus,” I reply, holding out my hand to shake.

Adira’s lips twitch for a moment before she shakes my hand.

“Meet our scent match,” Callum says, proudly claiming me as Duncan walks further into the house to lay Makayla down. “Quinn and Linus are both ours.”

“Then we’re hopefully meant to be good friends,” Adira says. It feels as if she’s manifesting into the universe, and I get goosebumps that slowly rise on my skin. “I’m very curious about everything, but I really am taking my men and leaving. I did a little decorating while I was here.”

“Oh, did you?” Callum asks as Adira takes her hand back. “Do tell, Adira.”

There’s a playful banter as they talk, and he doesn’t sound in the least bit upset about whatever it is that she may have done.

“There’s a room upstairs that’s meant to be a nest. It’s been there for show, Linus,” she says in an effort to pull me into the conversation. “I refreshed it, changed the sheets, and then aired it all out so it’s as if I was never in there. The detergent is a light scent, I bought new candles for the room, and tons of fluffy blankets. Online delivery is wonderful.”

I blink in shock that this girl would do anything so sweet for Quinn, and by acquaintance, me. There’s heat behind my eyes, and fuck, I think I may cry. No one has ever done anything this nice for me, especially not a stranger.

“Wow,” I whisper, trying to wrangle my ping ponging emotions.

“If you used your card, I’ll dump money into your account,” Callum says, looking a little awestruck himself. “You know you’re a gem, right? That’s the one room we haven’t touched. We didn’t know if we should or not.”

“It’s a start. And don’t you worry about what card I used,” Adira insists. “I’ve woken up in this house confused and terrified before, and I can honestly say if there’s anything I can possibly do to help, I will. Those are not empty words, Linus, okay? If you hate everything I bought, order new things. It won’t hurt my feelings in the least.”

There are so many things she’s not saying, history she’s lived in these walls. And yet, everyone seems to think it’s also the safest place to be. That somehow speaks volumes to me.

“Why wouldn’t it?” I ask, still feeling as if an angel just walked into my life. It’s ridiculous that I thought I’d be jealous over her.

“A nest has to be perfect,” she says. “It’ll claw at you until it is. Whether it’s stealing the guys’ clothes to get it where you want or changing all of the colors, only you’ll know when it’s perfect.”

I’ve never had a nest outside of a closet when I was feeling anxious in college. I presented later than other omegas at twenty, and didn’t have a heat until after I’d been sold. I’ve never had a normal heat. It’s not something I’ve allowed myself to think about until just now.

I know Makayla hasn’t either. Fuck, we may have questions later about this. I don’t know if it’ll be appropriate to ask Adira. I feel so at sea right now when this is second nature to older omegas. Adira appears to be in her early twenties, but moves confidently in the world, as if she expects things to go her way.

What an absolute privilege. One that it sounds as if she’s fought for. There’s nothing spoiled about this girl.

“This is the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for us,” I rasp, swallowing hard. Fuck, I really don’t want to cry. It feels so silly.

“I know what that feels like,” she says gently. “I really do.”

“I expect Quinn will be waking up soon,” Jed says gently, walking over to place his hand on Adira’s waist.

“Her unconsciousness is due to her passing out instead of sleeping,” Duncan says quietly for Adira’s sake, leaning against the wall next to Callum as he gazes toward the living room.

I can see Makayla laying on a couch from here, her body limp. I’m itching to go over and hold her, my muscles bunching up to do exactly that.

“We’re leaving,” Adira says with a sharp nod. “I cleaned up after myself, and aired out any areas I was in. You’d never know I was even here!”

My attention is drawn to the omega who is trying damn hard not to make Makayla or I uncomfortable with someone else’s scent in the house. A girl who has already done more than most people would.

I can see why Duncan and Callum took her so firmly under their wing. There’s a strength inside of her, though I can see a few shadows moving in her eyes as well. This girl has seen some shit and come out the other side.

“Call us if you need anything,” Morris grunts as he opens the door.

Damon and Jed incline their heads at us as they leave in that way alphas have that somehow doesn’t look silly. Kane unconsciously rubs his baby doll’s back, waiting for Adira to follow.

“See,” she murmurs to him as she rises onto her toes to kiss the baby’s head. “You’ve got this dad thing down.”

Kane preens as he grins at her, his other hand on her back as they walk out. It’s clear to see that their pieces seem to fit together well.

“Do you want to watch a movie when we get back or nap?” he asks.

Their voices fade as they leave, and Callum closes the door affectionately behind them.

“Adira is…” I shake my head as my voice trails off because I don’t know how to describe what I’m feeling. “I think I expected to hate her.”

“She always manages to surprise me,” Callum confesses, setting the alarm before moving into the living room. “Is there anything you want to ask me before I wake her up?”

“I’m going to get food going, grab clothes for showers, shit like that,” Duncan says, appearing as if he needs to do something. His eyes are glued on Makayla, features pinched.

“Hey, she probably would have passed out no matter how she was told,” I tell him, putting the poor guy out of his misery. “Let’s call this a reset.”

Duncan snorts under his breath as his blue eyes move to gaze at me. “Really?” he asks.

“Yep,” I say. “She’s very resilient, so much so that she scares the shit out of me often.”

“How so?” Callum asks, sitting by Makayla’s feet on the couch. It looks really fluffy, and I need a shower desperately before I sit on it.

“Makayla endures everything with a savage steadiness,” I say. “Bret is screaming at her for something? She stares him down without expression. I heard he’d beaten the hell out of her before I came along, all because he’d been so angry that she wouldn’t cower for him. There was one instance I think four years ago that he backhanded her. It’s the reason that Saxon is who he leaned on when punishment had to be given. Her lack of reaction on her face is what worried me. It made Bret want to hurt her.”

“Neither of you need to worry about him,” Duncan mutters. “I doubt he’ll let you both go without a fight, so I plan to track him down as soon as possible to kill him.”

“May be a little more difficult since we’ll have to use a different way to get to him, but it’s happening,” Callum confirms.

“If you need me, you know where to replace me,” Duncan says, walking out of the room. He still looks angry with himself, and it’s hard to hold down the whine.

For some reason, I want to make things better for him.

“Linus, he’s good, I promise,” Callum says. “Duncan and I are always going to be hard on ourselves when it comes to you two. Taking care of you, making sure you’re happy, or at least helping clear the path to it, is our responsibility as your alphas. We take it seriously.”

“I’ve never…” I blow out a breath as my fingers tear through my hair. “I don’t understand that level of care.”

“Well buckle up, because we’re probably going to go overboard,” he says, moving until he’s leaning over Makayla. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. Let’s get you washed up.”

His fingers graze over her forehead and cheeks, rubbing gently to pull her back to the land of living. Long lashes blink slowly until her eyes open, and her pink lips part. There’s no one in the world as beautiful as she is.

“Hey,” he whispers, smiling. “Duncan is getting food ready. Do you want to grab a shower while he’s doing that? He also mentioned getting clothes.”

She clutches at the shirt possessively, while Callum simply shrugs. He understands her so much better than he thinks.

“I have other shirts,” he says easily. “Hell, you can have the one I’m wearing now, Sweet Girl. Anything I own is yours.”

Makayla bites her lip so hard I’m afraid she’ll make herself bleed, while my heart aches. It feels as if it’s trying to remember what it’s like to be cared about. I have a little sister out there somewhere, but we haven’t been close since before I was kidnapped. My mom is an omega who’s always been very busy, while my dads catered to her every whim and practically forgot they had children.

My childhood was sad, and then my sister forgot about me when she turned sixteen to chase boys. I doubt anyone bothered to look for me when I became a statistic.

It’s hard to know how to process what it feels like to be wanted.

“It feels weird, huh?” I rasp as Callum helps her sit up.

Her gaze looks for me, warming as she replaces me. Makayla’s nod speaks volumes. Her tears, as they gather and fall, speak of screams she’ll never release.

“Guess what?” I ask, swallowing hard. When she tilts her head slightly, I reply, “We have a nest, blankets, a real bed.”

Her sob is audible as I drop to my knees beside her. Fuck Bret. I’m all for his torture and murder. No one should ever feel like this. Holding her in a tight embrace, I kiss her hair. I can feel the anger in Callum’s body, hear him gritting his teeth.

“Most of all, you’re safe here,” he says vehemently. “We’ll take it as slow as you need. There will be paper and pen when we eat so you can ask me anything. Fuck, you can even yell at us if you want.”

The huff of laughter is gratifying as Makayla turns to look at him as he stands, her tear filled eyes sparkling.

“You’ve never had any problems yelling at me, as I recall,” he says, smirking as he holds out his hands for us to take to stand.

The house is huge as we walk through it to the stairs, and I swear I’m going to get lost.

“I promise I’ll give you a tour of your new home too,” he says. “Do you remember my grandma Diedre?”

Makayla’s eyes light up as she nods, a question in her eyes that Callum recognizes.

“Oh, she’s still alive and kicking,” he says with a laugh. “She gave Duncan and I the house. She said that she wanted us to have a place to grow into. I want to talk to you later about what you want, okay?”

Curiosity is in her eyes, though it could be for a million reasons. Callum walks us upstairs, pulling towels and washcloths.

“Separate showers or together?” he asks.

Makayla’s hand reaches out for mine, and Callum nods as he opens the door of the bathroom. It’s beautiful and large, with both a shower and a tub.

“There’s every toiletry you could imagine in here,” he says, opening a drawer to pull out two new toothbrushes in the packaging and toothpaste. A new hairbrush follows as well as razors and shaving cream.

It’s every omega’s wet dream for a shower. Makayla and I both shift as we perfume, blushing. Callum simply smirks, breathing in deeply as he adjusts himself.

“You’re both fucking perfect. Do you need anything else?” he asks.

Shaking our heads, we watch as he closes the door behind him.

“I feel as if I’m in a dream,” I whisper to Makayla.

“Same,” she whispers back after a long moment. Her words appear to only unlock with difficulty.

I don’t think these alphas will rush her, and neither will I.