Page 90 of Unhinged Alphas

Chapter

Twenty

VALEK

"What did you do?"

Ivy’s voice trembles, her honeysuckle scent souring with horror, and for a moment, I feel... something new. An unfamiliar tightness in my chest.

Guilt?

Impossible. I do not feel guilt.

"Relax, little omega. Your drink is fine." I keep my voice low, steady.

"Is Whiskey going to die?" she asks, her voice rising.

I cannot help but smirk. "I did not have enough poison for that."

She starts hyperventilating, her chest heaving. I sigh, grinding my teeth. "Of course I did not kill him.But only because you clearly care for him for… whatever reason."

Confusion clouds her features. I reach for my knife, and she flinches. Instead of attacking her as she clearly fears, I hold it out, handle first.

"Hurry. We are running out of time." I glance at Whiskey's unconscious form. "I do not know how long that will keep him out, or when your other... ‘boyfriends’ will be home."

"What are you doing?" she asks, hesitantly taking the knife.

"I need you to cut out my chip. It is embedded in the back of my neck." I turn, exposing my nape to her. "I need to leave. I know where all this is headed—with me hanging from a noose in prison." I chuckle darkly. "And I believe Wraith knocked something loose when I tried to defend your honor. If I do not cut it out, it may leech more poison into my veins."

That probably makes me a hypocrite.

"Why can't you do it yourself?"

I give her a stiff grin. "I am... funny about my neck." Images of rope and gallows flash through my mind. "Trust me, I've tried plenty of times. I cannot do it."

She just stares at me. A doe caught in headlights.

I meet her gaze. "If you really want to escape, this is your only chance. We need to hurry. I will even take you to a safe zone. Somewhere you can be truly free—and if you want nothing to do with me after that, that is your choice."

As the words leave my mouth, I realize I'm not sure I have it in me to release her. I'd like to think I do. Like to think I'm capable of one selfless act in my life.

Perhaps she wouldn't want to leave.

I let myself enjoy the fantasy for a moment. The fantasy of Ivy wanting to hunt and kill at my side, to tear the world apart from the inside out. If she wants to make a difference in this fucked up world, her best bet isn't with Thane. He's hurt by what his father is doing, I can tell. He is a daddy's boy through and through.

But even at my promise, conflict flickers across Ivy's face.

Interesting.

She thought she wanted to leave, but now that she can, she hesitates. That hesitation shocks her, I can tell. I watch her carefully, wondering if her omega instincts that have bonded her to this pack are stronger than her hunger for freedom.

She knows she can't have that here. Doesn't she?

Then her jaw sets. She's made her decision.

"Fine," she says finally, her voice barely above a whisper.

I grab a bottle of vodka from the kitchen and return to her. Sitting on the floor, I take a long pull before tilting my head forward, my stark white hair falling over my face.