Chapter 49: Offend me, husband.

Noah’s POV

How did I sleep through it all?

One minute I was falling asleep with Elias sitting on that chair like he’s a self-sufficient king, and the next minute, I’m at Roman Stiles’ home, fully dressed in Elias’s clothes.

No...no...no...Roman is looking at me.

"Take your hands off him" the blonde man says loudly. There’s authority and confidence in his tone as he gets up with a growl.

’Roman’ I call his name in my head, ’please, don’t get yourself killed’

"Off my husband?" Elias asks, his voice is low, it still has that metallic coldness but this time there’s a hint of pride.

"He’s not your husband" Roman moves out of his seat and I gasp in surprise as Elias suddenly holds me by the neck.

His wedding ring presses into the skin of my throat as he brings my back against his front.

My omega whines in approval, but my brain is screaming at him. The alpha’s body is rigid and mine is trembling.

No...no...Roman please don’t see me in this state.

"I can take him here as hard and as dirty as I want, and you’ll only hear him beg for more" Elias says and Damien snorts while my cheeks burn red.

"Fucking prude" the oldest Deus brother says and moves further into the room.

At his movement, all the guns in the room are redirected to point at him, but he doesn’t care.

"We’ll share breakfast with the Stiles, and we’ll talk, and you-" Damien says in a tone I’ve never heard before.

I’ve never seen him taking the lead...well, it happened only that day at my home, and that day was horrifying.

Elias Deus is terrifying, but Damien...I’m glad he listens to Elias.

"You all will drop your weapons" he says and picks an apple off Martha, Roman’s mom’s, plate.

I feel sorry for how pale she looks and how her eyes are wet with unshed tears, but she doesn’t cry out.

My pity for Martha and shame for Roman dies out when I feel hot air on the shell of my ear.

"You will explain what happened between you two, but till then...offend me, husband. Offend me and he pays the full price in blood" Elias growls in my ear before he lets go of me.

My eyes are wide with fear.

It’s like the day they took me from my home all over again.

I’m frozen and terrified to death while wearing an elegant front. And the brothers are confident and willing to do anything for power.

"Everyone sit" Elias commands.

His brothers and Lucas take their seat at the Stiles’ family table as if they belong here, while I stand in front of Elias.

I still don’t know why we’re here or what exactly is going on.

"Move"

I whimper as Elias takes me directly to the empty seat next to Roman, the one he used to keep for his cat when she feels like sitting.

He pulls out the chair like a gentleman, but his intentions are nothing gentlemanly.

The alpha places his hand on my shoulder and forces me to seat.

I want to beg him to let go of me, to let me hide outside, or to even lock me in the car...but I can’t.

’Offend me’ is hanging over my head like a guillotine, except it’s not my head that would get chopped off...it’s Roman’s.

"What is the meaning of this, Deus? Is this how you act now, like lawless animals?" Roger Stiles, Roman’s dad, asks.

He sounds like he’s choking, I would have been worried, but he always sound that way.

"We prefer the term beasts, it’s more...sexy" Damien says, but without his usual humor.

"Why are you here?" Roger asks, falling into his seat and glaring at Elias.

He already knows that talking with Damien is equivalent to talking to a well that mocks you instead of sending back an echo.

"We have business" Elias responds.

"You couldn’t have called or sent a message? Is being barbaric the only thing your family is good at!" Roger snaps and Damien bangs his fists on the table.

"Shut. Up" he says quietly before biting into the stolen apple.

"Noah?" Roman says my name softly and I shut my eyes.

’Please, Roman, don’t look at me’

"Hey?" he asks, reaching for me under the table, but before he can even touch me, Elias places his hand on my thigh and meets Roman’s eyes.

He and Roman hold eye contact from a few seconds. It’s silent but it’s heated and packed with danger in every form.

"Elias, I’m uncomfortable" I say to Elias while avoiding Roman’s gaze, I can’t risk putting him in trouble.

"Will you sit in my lap then, husband?" Elias asks and Martha gasps.

"Oh my goddess, what sort of lawless people are these" she starts crying.

His mother’s dramatic sobs is enough to pull Roman out of the silent clash with Elias, but even with Roman’s attention off me, Elias’s grip on my thigh grows stronger.

I’m sure he’ll leave a mark if I check under the pants I’m wearing.

"Mom, please don’t cry, we’ll get them out of here" Roman says and his father starts to rant again.

"If you try to ’get us out’, this family will lose at least one member and three limbs" Kai speaks for the first time and all head turns in his direction.

The youngest brother looks almost angelic, an almost perfect replica of his mother, expect he has shorter hair and even colder eyes.

"Tell us what you want" Roger says, forcing a calm tone.

I can see the twitching of his lips.

"You attacked our father’s slave cargo" Elias says and I whip my head in his direction so fast that I pull a muscle in my neck.

"S-slave?" I stutter.

"I have no idea what you’re talking about!" Roger yells and Damien, who looks like he’s had enough, stabs a knife into the table and pull himself up.

"I will fuck him up" he says.

"Wait" Elias says and sighs.

Slaves?

They brought me here for a...slave trade?

"It was a ship full of people, does it ring a bell? Those people had Darius Deus’s name branded on their skin with a hot iron" Elias says and the food I don’t remember eating threatens to come out of my mouth.

Oh goddess.

"We have nothing to do with..."

"It happened yesterday, one of the slaves has a fresh brand on his forehead. Father said you could smell his skin if you...sit down Noah" Elias says.

I can’t sit.

I need to throw up.

I get out of my seat and bolt out of the dining room.

I’m sick to my stomach and close to passing out as I make it out of the mansion, but before I would trip over nothing, someone grabs me roughly.

"Let me go!" I yell and claw for my freedom.

"Elias! Elias!" I scream the alpha’s name and the person slams me into the wall.

"Shut up" he roars in my face, but I can’t shut up.

I can’t!