"Breath Rhea," Jett's voice soothed through my mind.
I tensed at his words, why is Alpha Maddox here?
Jett must've said something to Rooks through mind link because he slowly made his way to the back of the crowd to reach Alpha Maddox.
I felt sick to my stomach if he was here, was Thane?
I watched Rooks carefully as grabbed Alpha Maddox by the arm, leading him into Jett's house. No one noticed him, which I was grateful for, his betrayal was probably still fresh on the mind of a lot of pack members here.
Everyone rose up again, letting out a howl to the moon to finish the ceremony, but my mind wasn't on the ceremony anymore. I was having a full blown panic attack.
Jett squeezed my hand, "Smile, I will protect you."
I tried to smile, but it fell flat. The crowd began to disperse, concluding the ceremony. Some hung around to offer their congratulations, Jett and I stayed to thank them.
"Rhea," Athena came up to me, pulling me into a fierce hug.
I smiled, slightly relaxing as I hugged her.
"You look radiant," she smiled at me as she let me go.
"It's good to have you officially in the pack," Ryker awkwardly hugged me, careful not to make Jett mad.
I gave him a small smile, "Thank you; there's no other place I'd rather be."
Ryker took Athena by the hand as they gave us their congratulation, walking back to their small house.
Octavia came out of nowhere, tapping me on the shoulder causing me to jump a bit.
She frowned at my reaction, "Are you okay?" She whispered.
I hesitated, before slowly shaking my head.
"What's wrong?" She asked, concern filling her voice.
"Octavia, I need you to go with Ryker and Athena," Jett's voice cut through our conversation.
"But-"
"Octavia, do not fight me on this," he used his Alpha voice on her if she disrespected him, she would be punished.
She huffed before trailing after Ryker and Athena.
"Why is he here?" I turned my attention back to Jett, whispering.
Jett let out a sigh, "Let's go find out." He took my hand, leading me back to the house where Rooks and Alpha Maddox would be.
Maybe it wasn't just ceremony nerves, I thought to myself.
My stomach was churning; I think I went through every possible scenario of why he was here, none of them ended well.
We walked through the doors of Jett's house, down some stairs I had never noticed.
We went further and further down until it became clear we were in some dungeon interrogation room. It sent shivers down my spine, reminding me that while the Onyx pack is my home, I still knew very little about them.
Jett stopped, letting go of my hand, kissing me on the forehead.
"I know you're nervous, but I need you to wait out here."
I stared at him dumbfounded, "What? No!"
"Rhea, please," His eyes pleaded with mine.
I frowned, "We're mates; your problems are my problems; please let me help."
He sighed, his eyes washing over every inch of my face. "Fine, but please, stay quiet."
I nodded, thankful I didn't have to stay in this cement room. We walked through the only door in the room, I sharply inhaled.
It was a small room, with a table and some chairs, but in the corner were some shackles against the wall, it smelled like mildew and the light overhead did nothing to illuminate the dark shadows in the corners.
Maybe this wasn't a good idea; I started to regret coming into this room.
Alpha Maddox sat at one end of the table, his feet on the table looking extremely comfortable. Rooks stood by him, arms crossed and tense, his eyes never leaving Alpha Maddox.
Jett protectively stood in front of me, shielding me from Alpha Maddox's gaze.
"Brother," he grinned wickedly at Jett.
Jett narrowed in his response, slightly tensing.
Alpha Maddox peered his head around Jett, "My my, so she was your mate," his voice playful. "Guess that means you won't be coming to visit my pack," he frowned at me.
I froze, remembering what Doran told us about his pack, that they were all feral hybrids.
"Cut the shit, Maddox. Why are you here?" Jett's voice thick with anger, his expression giving nothing away.
"Oh you know, I just came to give my congratulations to the happy couple," he winked at me, sending shivers down my spine.
"How'd you know?" Jett eyed him suspiciously.
He shrugged casually, "I have my sources." Jett and Rooks exchanged a knowing glance.
"Oh also brother, I heard that you've put in a mandatory training? Whatever could you be up to," his eyes gleamed.
My mouth slightly dropped, he knew, if he knew, Thane knows. My eyes grew wide, I felt like I was going to throw up. I was so dumb to think we could pull off our plot without going undetected. I put everyone at risk because I believed in my plan without thinking everything through.
Alpha Maddox looked at me, "You okay beautiful? You're looking a bit... pale," he smirked at me.
I reached for Jett's hand, silently praying it would give me the strength I needed not to pass out right here. I gripped it tight, trying to calm myself down.
"Do you need to leave, Rhea?" Jett mind linked to me.
"No, I asked to be here."
"I don't know what you're talking about, I didn't order mandatory training," Jett casually responded.
"Are we going to have a repeat of what happened six years ago? Are we going to replace you with another alpha so soon?" Alpha Maddox's voice filled with genuine excitement.
I audibly gasped, did he really say that?
"What is wrong with you?" I spat, somehow finding my voice.
Alpha Maddox raised an eyebrow at me, "Is that a rhetorical question?"
"How could you say something like that? Do you feel no shame?" I stared at him, hatred filling my senses.
"Rhea," Jett's voice called out to me, trying to soothe me.
"How could I...?" Alpha Maddox trailed, "Do you mean how could I betray my family? Sell them out?"
I frowned at his bluntness, his lack of remorse.
"Let me tell you something sweetheart; I don't regret a thing I did. I wanted power, that's exactly what I got. It was worth it," He grinned at me.
Jett lost it, letting out a feral growl while lunging at him. My wolf growled, wanting to join in with him, to hurt the person who was causing him so much pain.
Alpha Maddox let out a mad laugh, while Rooks tried to get Jett off of him. I stared at the scene, unsure of what to do.
Rooks finally managed to pull Jett off of his brother, "Calm down man, don't lose your head."
Jett's face was furious; his nostrils flared, his canines prominent. He would go for the kill at any second if he didn't calm himself. I reached my hand out to Jett, hoping it would bring him back.
His eyes snapped to me, visibly calming. He took a deep breath before looking back at Alpha Maddox.
"Get him out of my fucking sight," He snarled.
Rooks immediately grabbed Alpha Maddox by the arm, taking him out of the room.
I wrapped my arms around Jett, struggling to find the words to comfort him.
"Let's get out of this forsaken place," Jett whispered.
"Okay."
We walked back upstairs, into his bedroom. He sat down on the edge of his bed looking completely defeated. My heart broke at the sight of him, anger rising through me at his brother who caused it.
"Jett," I whispered, kneeling in front of him placing my hand on his. "What... what can I do?"
He sighed, "I don't know," his voice broke.
I moved to sit on the bed, wrapping my arms around him as he pressed his head against my chest. "It's hard to remember that used to be my innocent little brother..." he mumbled.
I leaned my head against him, trying to find any words of comfort, "I'm so sorry," I whispered.
I felt something drip on my warm, quickly realizing Jett had started crying. My heart shattered into a million pieces, the strong alpha I had grown to care for, was shaken to his core.
I untangled myself from him, moving to the bed to lay down, pulling him into me. He laid his head against my shoulder, his body shaking with the steady tears pouring from his eyes.
"Shhh," I tried to calm him down, "I'll always be here."