Victuals & Vehemence - Septiplier

Chapter Thirty Eight

A few minutes later, the rest of the posse shows up, filing in with wariness at the new surroundings. Mark and Jack are at the table by now, and the two look up when the others enter. Their eyes all immediately go to the body in the kitchen, eyeing the gruesome death with shock. Jack leans back in his chair, crossing his arms and slouching.

"It's not the Angelmaker, too imprecise. Less enjoyment and patience in the kill. Hardly even a copycat. There's another body upstairs, stuffed into the chest in the first room on the right," Jack calmly says. The others nod, beginning to move through the house, some towards the body in the kitchen and others making their way upstairs. Felix crosses his arms and leans back against the wall by the table, looking at the two.

"It's a fresh kill, think we can catch the killer?" he asks, glancing over at the fresh blood, just now beginning to dry. Jack shakes his head.

"They'll be long gone by now. Probably scrammed immediately after," he says, looking down at the table. Felix's eyes narrow.

"Jack, come with me," he orders, turning and walking outside. The omega scowls, baring his teeth at Felix's back as he stands and follows after him. Mark watches with a bemused expression at the omega's futile frustration. Felix turns to face Jack as they stand by the horses, arms crossed.

"You're lying," he immediately says, icy eyes narrowed on Jack. The omega ducks his head at the sharp gaze, glaring at the ground.

"What would I lie about?"

"Why don't you tell me," Felix immediately shoots back, stepping forward and pushing into Jack's personal space. The omega whines quietly and shuffles his feet, but he won't back down just yet.

"I'm not lying. You aren't going to catch the killer, and it ain't the Angelmaker. This is way too sloppy for him. This isn't Barnes," Jack says, unable to meet the alpha's eyes. Luckily, that's all too easy to play off as omega instincts. Not lying.

"I know your liar's voice, Sean," Felix hisses, hands grabbing the front of Jack's shirt and jerking him forward. The omega lets out a loud, shocked yelp, stumbling into Felix with a scared cry.

"F-Felix, l-let go!" Sean manages, before letting out a high, scared whine. The alpha is angry. The alpha is very angry.

"No! Tell me the truth!" Felix snarls, growling in Jack's face and baring his teeth. He knows Jack, the private investigator, won't back down, but perhaps Sean, the omega, will. Sean lets out another high whine, falling limp at the sight of Felix's sharp, large canines so close to his face and neck.

He opens his mouth to speak, but before he can get a word out, a vicious growl erupts to their side, and Felix is tackled to the ground. Sean yelps and stumbles back into Hades' side, causing the horse to snort and shift. Mark is on top of Felix, pinning the other alpha to the ground.

"Don't fucking touch my mate," he growls down at him, all protective father and defensive mate. Felix immediately falls limp beneath Mark, submitting and letting out a low rumble of apology, baring his neck slightly. Again, Mark growls, pushing Felix down into the ground once more before standing and hurrying over to Sean. His hands immediately go to Sean's stomach, caressing his abdomen and nuzzling at Sean's temple. The omega whimpers softly and leans into the comfort of his mate's embrace. He has nowhere else to go. Felix is onto him. He can't play these murders off on Mark; the alpha knows too much. Sean has nowhere to go, especially now.

Mark knew what he was doing.

Jack is going to have a baby within the year. He can't leave Mark without facing a vicious stigma for being an unmated omega with a child. He can't accuse Mark without getting accused in return. He can't turn to Felix for help. The rest of the posse is just as off-limits. He has nowhere to go.

"Are you alright?" Mark murmurs, hands finished checking up on Jack's stomach, and moving to hold the omega's hips. Jack sighs and leans forward, burying his face into the crook of Mark's neck and curling his arms up between their chests.

"I have a liar's voice," he whispers, shaking in Mark's arms as tears well up. He's going to get caught, isn't he? Of course, he is. He's an idiot, doing this here. He can't lie; alphas can intimidate him into the truth. There's no way Jack can get out of this. He sighs as Mark caresses over the small of his back, letting out a thoughtful hum.

"That's fine. We all know it's improper for omega's to discuss things such as sexual encounters. Of course, you'd want to keep our escapades private," Mark replies, clearly implying what their lie would be as he spoke. Jack grins into Mark's neck, canines brushing over the cigar burn.

"If it weren't for you, none of this would've happened, absolute rascal that you are. I didn't want to tell Felix; that's so embarrassing. Would you tell him for me?" he replies, voice louder than Mark's so that the recovering posse leader nearby could hear it. Mark lets out a soothing rumble, running a gentle hand through Jack's hair.

"Of course, my love," he replies, pressing a kiss to the top of Jack's head. "Go back inside, I'll speak with him," he told Jack. The omega did as he said, playing the part of an innocent mate as he wanders back inside. Mark turns to Felix with a slight scowl, but nowhere near as aggressive as the growling and snarling earlier.

"What is he lying about?" Felix asks quietly, staying a safe distance from Mark.

"Let's leave it at the fact that it's improper to share details of intimacy with people who are not mates," Mark answers in an icy tone that rivals the sharp, cutting gaze of Felix's eyes. The alpha reels back slightly with surprise at the implications, a flush rising up. He clears his throat and looks down.

"Ah- I apologize. I didn't know, I'm sorry," Felix murmurs, turning and hurrying back inside with his metaphorical tail tucked between his legs. Mark smirks in victory and ambles behind him, confident in his manipulations. Everything has gone marvelously.