Page 68 of Shattered Trinket

When Ridge attempts to attack Jeremiah once more, Jeremiah effortlessly dodges his advance, intensifying the other alpha’s anger, and he doubles his efforts until Jeremiah finally puts him in a headlock after getting him good in the face in retaliation. Nobody steps in between the two men, everyone around us too stunned to even move a muscle as they go at it, grunting and growling like absolute animals. Overwhelmed with emotion, I turn in Micah’s embrace and break down, my sobs muffled by his strong chest. With a gentle touch, he massages my back, his comforting voice urging me to relax and take slow, deep breaths, my heart pounding and my breaths coming in quick gasps.

The moment my distress reaches the other’s ears, the sounds of their fighting halt abruptly, creating a jarring silence that fills the air, yet I can’t bring myself to turn back around. Instead, I break free from Micah’s embrace and sprint back inside, up the stairs, and straight into the sanctuary of my room. With a forceful slam, I shut the door behind me, my heart pounding in my ears. I retreat into my closet, seeking refuge in my nest. Curling into a tight ball with one of the blankets that still smells like me, Micah, and Jeremiah, I surrender to the overwhelming flood of tears and sobs that consume me.

This is all my fault.

Twenty-Six

Ridge

The moment Cozette runs back inside, crying her eyes out, I feel like an absolute ass. I glance over at the alpha she walked out with, panting and wiping my split lip with the back of my hand. He glares at me, his fists clenching, and I raise a brow at him.

“I should pummel you into the ground right here, right now, for doing this with her around to see. I told her if any of you made her cry, I couldn’t promise not to break bones, and godsdamn, do I want to break your bones right now for what you’ve done. But my omega needs me, and she’s far moreimportant than sitting out here fighting with you. Unfortunately for me, she fucking likes the three of you. Get your shit together and figure out if you can handle being with her if I’m around, because I’m not going anywhere unless she tells me to.”

Before I can say a word, he spins and stomps off back into my parent’s house, the other alpha that walked out with them looking at me with a frown and sighing before he follows. When I turn around and look at everyone, there’s a mixture of disappointment and frustration on everyone’s faces, and I flinch when I catch sight of my mother’s furious glare.

“Well, that just went swimmingly, didn’t it?” she asks sarcastically, shaking her head as she puts her hands on her hips.

“Ma! You heard all of that, right? He stalked Ripley for that psycho of an alpha, for fuck’s sake!” I growl out and her eyes narrow.

“Don’t youdaregrowl at me, young man! I didn’t need to hear all of that. Cozy told me everything herself before I had to call him to come take care of her for her heat! And yet, he was man enough to walk over here to your sister’s pack and apologize, despite the hostility.”

“So that absolves him of it all? Gods knows what the fuck else he’s done that none of us knows about!”

My mother’s disappointed sigh is like a shard of glass stabbing directly into my heart, and I can’t help but flinch.

“You don’t get it, son. That man may have done some bad things in his life, but anyone with eyes can see how completely devoted to Cozette he is. He saw her at her lowest, watched her be abused repeatedly, and tended to her wounds behind the back of the man he was supposed to be working for. All forher.”

She huffs, her gaze sweeping over each one of us, and a sense of nostalgia washes over me as I feel like a child being reprimanded once more.

“I want each of you that have an issue with that man to think for a second about how that would feel for you. To have to watch the person you feel so strongly for be beaten and abused, humiliated and treated less than a dog. River, sweetheart, I love you, and I get your anger, but I know you remember how you felt when Victor took Ripley. How agonizing it was for you to not know where she was and if she was okay. So put yourself in Jeremiah’s shoes and think of everything you know of what Cozy went through and ask yourself if you wouldn’t do terrible things to save my daughter, no matter the consequences.”

When she looks back at me, she has tears in her eyes as she shakes her head, and that only makes me feel worse. Throughout my life, I have never seen my mother cry because of my actions, and the weight of realizing that I’m responsible for those tears now is unpleasant.

“That poor girl was terrified of every one of you for the longest. It took so much for her to reach the point of being comfortable around any of you. And if none of you can see how comfortable, protected, and cherished Jeremiah makes her feel, then I don’t know what to tell you. I’m so disappointed in you for this. Today was supposed to be about her and helping to put her fears to rest. She was already so scared about how you three would react to her having other alphas, afraid you’d all change your minds about her. And to be honest, I think you just validated all the worries she had.”

Before I can even think of what to say back to her, she walks away and goes inside. I glance at my dads, running my fingers through my hair as I blow out a breath.

“Did you all know?”

They nod, and I sigh, closing my eyes. Did I completely fuck this up? I let my anger get the best of me, and in turn, I hurt the omega that’s supposed to be mine.Ours.

This isn’t how it’s supposed to be.

“Your mother told us after he got here, and we spoke with him ourselves when he came down once for food and water for them all. He’s not so bad, and he’s hopelessly in love with Cozy, which was all we needed to see to let go of any resentment we could have held over what he almost did. Try to remember that, son. Don’t persecute him for something he ended up not even being responsible for,” Pops says before him, Dad, and Papa follow Ma inside, leaving me standing there feeling like a complete piece of shit.

“This is a disaster,” Ripley cries, sniffling in River’s hold.

“I’m sorry, Little Bird. I didn’t mean to ruin Cozy’s day. I just— I was surprised, and suddenly flashed back to that night at the carnival. Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I-I meant to, I swear. But so much has been going on, and since my abduction you’ve all been hypervigilant and anxious in the bond, so I thought I’d just wait until things calmed down so I could break it to you all. But then I just forgot until Ma called and told me he was here because Cozy had gone into an unexpected heat, and I couldn’t figure out how to tell you…” Ripley trails off, pouting up at her omega before sighing and wiping her face with a sniffle.

“My parents are right, though. He really isn’t that bad, and he makes her happy. The way she talks about him, the way she is when he’s with her. It’s just like I am with all of you.”

When she glances back at me, a wave of isolation washes over me. Without Manny or Zeke by my side, I’m left clueless about their perspectives on all of this. Neither of them has said a word yet, and neither is standing with me, which has a pit opening in my gut.

“They’re bonded through pain, and for a long time, he was her only light in a very dark place. If you can’t get past her loving Jeremiah when I can, then you need to leave her alone. Don’t give her false hope if you can’t accept him, too. It’s not fair to her,and even though I know he’d protect her with his dying breath, I’ll step in to stop you before you can send her back to that dark place inside her mind,” my baby sister growls at me, a frown marring her lips.

“I—” I’m cut off by Manny when he comes to my side and grips my shoulder tightly, his body tense and his jaw clenched as he looks at my sister.