Poison Ivy Ch. 05

"You will stay away from him. If he is there when you are with Aella, you will come back to our room. Understood?"

Ivy sighed. "Anybody told you how obnoxiously bossy you are?"

He frowned. "Of course I am. And you will do as I say. I am your Alpha."

She snorted. "Because that's worked out really well for you so far."

He stopped purring and let out a low growl. She tensed at the sound, wiggling her hips to test the knot. It was securely hooked behind her pelvic bone, with no hint of abating. She was stuck, her back to him, unable to watch his storm cloud eyes shift and narrow.

"I am trying to keep you safe, Ivy, but you like to make things difficult." She squirmed against his knot and he gripped her tighter. "Listen to me." He jostled her just enough to make sure he had her full attention. "In this, you will not question me. You will not go near him, and you will leave if he comes near you. Is that clear?"

He watched the back of her head bob as she nodded.

"Words, Ivy," he warned.

"YES, Hunter, I understand."

"Good girl." He resumed purring, and she fell silent, eventually relaxing back into him again. Just as he was sure she had fallen asleep and was contemplating getting out, she spoke again, so softly he could barely hear her.

"I'm having nightmares."

He stiffened. He didn't want her thinking about that. Not now. Not yet. "I know you are, baby." He kissed the top of her head. "I know."

He purred louder, and this time, he listened to her breathing even and slow, trailing his fingers up and down her arm and holding her until the water turned cold.

.......................

Aella was the key.

The Betas had been instructed to escort her wherever she went, and to never leave her side. As far as Ivy knew, they even guarded her in her sleep, standing over her bed like creepy, surrogate stalkers. Aella was a good, submissive Omega who had never tried to escape, so the Betas had no objections to taking her where she wanted to go. And when Ivy casually suggested they take a trip to their friendly, neighborhood medical building to visit with the injured soldiers? Aella had happily agreed!

If Ivy had an evil laugh, it would have been the perfect opportunity for one. Sadly, she had tried it once, and it came out as a gasping chortle that had quite a few people inquiring about her well-being. So... That had been the end of that.

Ivy knew exactly where she wanted to go once they reached the building. She suggested that Aella find a larger group of injured Betas to visit with, along with her chaperones, while Ivy took a quick step into a darkened room with one, solitary soldier. Perhaps understanding more than she let on, Aella just smiled, nodded and walked away, the conflicted Betas finally following her and leaving Ivy behind.

There he was. Wires, cords and tubes stuck out of him in all different places, at all different angles. Screens and monitors spit out vitals, EKG tracings and brain activity. The works. She hadn't seen a Beta soldier so well treated since she arrived here. Actually, she had never seen any Beta taking up this many resources. Ivy thought back to the first night she had been trapped in the room with Hunter, how he had yelled at her for risking her life for disposable Betas. That's how they were treated. As disposable.

Ivy found a chair in the corner and dragged it over to the side of Kentucky's bed. Brad. Kentucky had been his nickname, but there were a few occasions Ivy had used his real name, and he had used hers. At the time, Ivy considered those occasions intimate moments where they shared something personal, something true. Now she knew it was all just bull shit. Everything about him was a lie. Fake. Traitorous.

So why was it so hard to look at him like this, suspended between life and death, machines around him whirring and working to keep him breathing, keep his heart pumping? Why did she care? Why was she here?

She wished everything could just go back to the way things were. What a hot mess. She wanted to go back to Chid FOB and just be a normal Beta medic again. She wanted this to all be just a really bad, long, crazy lucid dream.

Something stirred inside her chest. She swallowed hard, past the lump in her throat. She wanted to reach out and run her fingers through his dark hair, to touch the tanned face she had crushed on for years.

"What the fuck, Brad?" she said softly. "You're a fucking bastard, you know that?"

The machines beeped. The ventilator whirred. The blood pressure cuff inflated and then displayed the new reading on a glowing screen.

She stood up. She shouldn't be here. There were no answers for her here. The body in front of her wasn't the Brad she had known. She would mourn the loss of her friend, but this wasn't him. It had never been him. This asshole had tried to use her, had tied her up and knocked her around and attempted to hold her for ransom. Fuck that. And fuck this guy.

She walked to the door and didn't look back. On her way out, her eyes were drawn to a tiny red dot in the upper corner of the room. A camera. They were watching him.

She flipped the camera off and walked out.

..............................

Aella looked down at her swollen belly and rubbed it lovingly. Pink glitter sparkled from her freshly painted nails as Ivy's eyes traced the pregnant Omega's circling hand. The poor girl had tried to include Ivy in her little arts and crafts project. As much as she wished to stay in Aella's good graces, she hadn't been able to hold back the snarl in response to being approached with the insidious little pink brush of glitter and doom. The older Omega was far too polite to admit to being frazzled, but Ivy wasn't stupid. The two Omegas were incompatible, at best. Still, it was pleasantly surprising how far Aella seemed willing to go to be friends. Or, at least, to be friendly. And there was something about her that, despite practically living in different universes until very recently, was oddly endearing. It was easy to be around her, even when she didn't particularly want to be easy to be around.

"It's very romantic," her would-be friend was saying, a faraway look stealing over her face as she gazed at the far wall. "It's like a fairy tale, isn't it? How he found you, hidden away in the middle of nowhere, like a lost princess?" she sighed. "Tell me about how he saved you."

Ivy looked up, startled. Fairy tale? Princess? Saved?

What in the fuck?

"Wh... He... That's not, no..."

"Oh, I can be so insensitive! It must be difficult to think about. Just forget I asked." Ivy watched her for a moment, noticing a strange sadness in the way she stared off at nothing. Pale blue eyes locked on hers and the older girl seemed to shake off whatever sad thought had made her look lost and empty. Then, in the next minute, Ivy thought she must have imagined it as Aella smiled conspiratorially. "I can't say I'm not a little jealous you were claimed so quickly by such a wonderful Alpha." She sighed and looked down at her hands. "One day, maybe. Perhaps after the baby comes."

Ivy looked at her quizzically. Her eyes were drawn to the bare skin on the Omega where her own claiming marks were still an angry, swollen red. The area was smooth and creamy, the skin flawless.

Flawless.

"He didn't claim you?" Ivy asked, her eyes widening. That was a fucking option?!

Aella flushed, her eyes remaining downcast. "Not every Omega is gifted a pair-bond by their Alpha. It's so... permanent. So special. Some Omegas are just not considered worthy enough."

Ivy's mouth dropped open at the revelation that the pair-bond was fucking optional. Never mind the fact that this poor, brainwashed, delusional woman thought that she, and all other Omegas, had to be considered worthy enough to be claimed. A gift. What absolute garbage.

She could see the desolation in Aella's eyes as she continued to pat her belly fondly. Maverick-dude, the jackass, had impregnated this gorgeous, sweet female, had dragged her out here into this wretched, bullshit conflict, in a dangerous forest, and he hadn't even given her the one thing she obviously, desperately wanted from him.

More than that, he had made her feel that she was fucking unworthy of his mark.

She had the sudden urge to reach out and grab Aella's hand, to assure her that if anyone was unworthy in this situation, it sure as fuck wasn't Aella. Her blood boiled as she remembered the arrogant, self-assured face of the asshole who was obviously fucking with this poor girl's head. She waited a moment, let the silence fill the empty space between them, and then gave in to her urge and reached across to grab the Aella's slender fingers. She didn't say anything, though. She just held on and hoped the gesture would be understood without having to say the words. Keeping her eyes on their joined fingers, Ivy squeezed once, and was surprised at how good it felt when Aella squeezed back.

The pair-bond thrummed in a peculiar way that was not entirely unpleasant, even as white-hot anger flushed through to her core at the memory of how her own obstinate Alpha had made that particular decision for her. She wanted to assure Aella that the pair-bond was not all it was cracked up to be, that it punished her when she was being insolent or stubborn, that it sometimes made her physically ill with whatever unpleasant emotion or mood her tormentor was in. She opened her mouth. "Aella, trust me, it's not --"

The door across the room flew open, slamming against the wall, and Maverick-dude's massive frame filled the doorway. His mud-brown eyes were dangerously bright as he glowered down at the two Omegas seated comfortably on a white leather sofa. Ivy shot to her feet, every muscle tense at the sense of dangerous fury emanating off the aggressive Alpha in nearly-visible waves. He stalked toward them menacingly. Before she could react, he had reached down and snatched Aella off the couch, his oversized hand buried in her sunshine silken hair. He yanked violently, forcing the Omega to her feet and pulled down so that her body was bowed backwards, her neck exposed. Aella cried out, her hands clutching his thick, muscular forearms.

A threatening growl vibrated through the room. It took a few seconds for Ivy to register that it was coming from her. Adrenaline pumped through her veins like a potent drug, and she fell into a defensive crouch, ready to spring. Aella's face was twisted with pain, her breaths coming in panicked gasps.

The Alpha's low growl drowned out her own. "Took a little field trip today, did you? Decided to parade around medical, like a whore?" His voice, already low and filled with the threat of further violence, dipped down another octave. "Without my permission?" His grip in Aella's hair tightened, and his other hand came up to curl around her neck. Aella whimpered, crying out hoarsely when the hand around her throat gripped tighter.

Ivy froze, some dark memory circling closer and closer to the surface of her consciousness. Her eyes flicked down to the holster wrapped around the Alpha's torso. Acting on instinct, Ivy's hand shot out and grabbed the 9mm semi-automatic from Maverick-dude's holster, and without hesitating, she spun around and pointed the barrel at his skull.

"Let her go, you motherfucking psycho," she snarled, baring her teeth in response to the icy glare the Alpha cast her way. "Don't think for a fucking second that I won't put a bullet in your head. I would enjoy it, actually," she said, loading the chamber with a round and flicking the safety off with a satisfying click. "I'm fucking sick like that. Now, back off!"

Maverick yanked down once more before releasing his grip on Aella and dropping her to the floor. Aella gasped and sobbed, clutching at her throat. "I'm sorry," she croaked, and fresh fury flowed through Ivy's veins. This motherfucker was going to pay.

"Don't fucking apologize to him," Ivy growled. The Alpha turned to face her fully, his murderous eyes, the dirty-underwear brown of his pupils a swirling storm of shit fury, bearing down on her. She supposed she should be intimidated, but he was the one with a fucking barrel pointed at his pretty face, and all Ivy felt was rage at the asshole's violent treatment of his Omega.

His pregnant Omega, and the first person who had been sincerely kind to Ivy since before she could remember.

"You don't have a fucking clue who you're attempting to threaten, do you?" His voice sent involuntary shivers up her spine, but she stood straight, her chin thrust up, refusing to back down. "You can't even begin to imagine the things I could do to you. Go ahead, little girl. I fucking dare you."

Ivy shook her head as if to clear it. His sinister words were meant to throw her off, to distract her so he could take the weapon away from her, and she snarled and stepped out of his reach as his hand shot out in an attempt to do just that.

"Get the fuck away from me, asshole." He took another step forward, and Ivy pointed the gun down, aimed at his right kneecap, put her finger on the trigger, and --

A hard body barreled into her from out of fucking nowhere, forcing her up against the wall with unbelievable strength. Air was forced from her lungs and she grunted, her grip on the firearm slipping as a large hand wrapped around her wrist and squeezed. The gun fell to the floor with a disappointing clatter. As Ivy's brain struggled to catch up, Hunter's tornado-wild eyes penetrated her own. He looked ready to tear her head off.

Ivy swallowed hard.

Okay, this was bad. She had crossed a line. A big, thick fucking line, etched into pavement. She could feel his fury vibrating through her, cutting like a hot knife through the place below her sternum and spreading through her body like ripples in a pond.

Her rage, momentarily forgotten in her initial shock of her Alpha's dominating presence, answered his own.

"He fucking deserves it, Hunter! He's an abusive fuck, and she's pregnant!" She attempted to look over his shoulder at the offending male. "You get off on that, big guy? Knocking around your defenseless, pregnant Omega?"

"Control your bitch, Lieutenant." The dick had the audacity to address her Alpha by the lower rank of his title, and she bristled at the insult. Her Alpha was powerful and strong, deserving of his full rank.

Wait, where the fuck did that thought come from? Ivy brushed it off quickly. She'd address her insane defensiveness later.

"Pick on someone your own size, asshole," she shot back, her tense body ready to spring, if only the Alpha currently caging her in with a hand on either side of her head would just let her go.

"Enough, Ivy." Hunter's voice was low, and too soft, full of anger and authority and the threat of punishment. Ivy stilled, fully registering for the first time the looming threat staring out from behind her Alpha's eyes. Her lips pressed together, the spark of fury over Aella's mistreatment suddenly dampened by a sensation of suffocation. She felt the steel cage of his arms close around her, felt herself being lifted and carried away. She wasn't sure if the horrible tension oscillating between them was from the bond or from the menacing growl saturating the suddenly thick air, but in that moment, she was more afraid of Hunter than she had ever been.

Before she could fully process what was happening, the adjoining door between the two Omega's rooms was being slammed shut and she was being deposited on the velvety blue couch that was inexplicably collecting more and more pillows and blankets. Her instincts screamed at her to flee, and without thinking, she darted out from underneath him and bolted for the door. It was fucking useless, she knew it was, but at that moment, she could think of nothing outside of getting away, far out of range of the furious Alpha's grasp.

She got as far as the washroom door, but before she could yank it open, a strong hand caught her around the waist and hoisted her back the way they came. Setting her down again, he caught her forearm in an iron grip and spun her around. She mindlessly snarled and scratched at the hands that gripped her shoulders and pushed her against the decorated navy-blue wall.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID I TELL YOU, IVY?" The beast bellowed, and she was sure every Alpha in the barracks could hear his irate words. She flinched and shrank back.

She had forgotten the sheer magnitude of Hunter's size and strength, his ability to snap her in half like a twig. She took it for granted that her Alpha wouldn't harm her, that she was safe around him. But having to face down the full force of his rage, all of it directly at her, shook her to her core.

His grip on her arms tightened and he shook her. "ANSWER ME!" He barked. She worked to swallow down the bile rapidly rising up her throat, trying, quite unsuccessfully, to stop shaking. Her eyes burned as her breathing shallowed.

"You told me to stay away from him," she answered, her voice shaky and small.

"And did you fucking listen!?" His voice was only marginally softer, his grip only diminutively looser, but it was enough to convince her that there was a small chance she would not, in fact, lose her life today.

She shook her head. Negative. She did not listen. But she felt no remorse for her actions. That slimy motherfucker deserved every ounce of her anger, and if she had the chance again, she would have pulled the trigger and laughed at him as his knee exploded. But again, she wasn't a total fucking idiot, and she knew instigating the simmering temper of the man in front of her was not what she wanted to do right now.

"No, you fucking ignored me, like you always do, and like you always do, you put yourself in danger. FUCK Ivy, do you have ANY FUCKING IDEA what would have happened if you had fired that gun? Do you just not realize that there are consequences for your fucking actions?"

She pressed her lips together. He was treating her like a misbehaving child, and her initial terror at his outburst was quickly wearing off. He was glaring at her, waiting for an answer. Well, all right then.

"You think that I'm the one who needs to be reminded about consequences? Did you know about the way he treats her? Do you know he lays his hands on her, and makes her feel like shit about herself? She did nothing wrong, Hunter! I'm the one who convinced her to go to medical, and she only agreed to go because I persuaded her to visit the injured soldiers."

"Yes, let's talk about your little trip to medical, shall we? Besides the fact that I was explicit in my instruction to stay in the barracks, you placed both yourself and Aella in danger by walking straight into the one place on base enemy soldiers would have access to you. And for what? So you could see the little fuckhead boy who wanted to rape and ransom you?" His stormcloud eyes gleamed dangerously. "I should have killed him the day he laid his fucking hands on you back in Chid, and as soon as we're done here, I'm going to rectify that mistake."

An inexplicable sense of dread churned in her stomach. "What? No!" Why the fuck did she care about what happened to Kentucky? Hunter was right, he was a complete fuckhead, but the thought of Hunter littering his unconscious body with bullets made her sick to her stomach. "Don't, Hunter. Please. I'm sorry!"

Fury flashed across his face as he glowered down at her. His big palm cupped the back of her head and gripped her hair, pulling her head back to face him fully. "You are mine, Ivy. Do you fucking hear me? You're MINE. The only reason he was kept alive was for answers, but since you seem bound and fucking determined to put yourself in constant reach of people who want to hurt you, I'm just going to have to start killing them off before they have a chance." He leaned down and came nose to nose with her, his jaw tensing. "And make no mistake, Ivy, he wanted to fucking hurt you."