Chapter 60: Dead Or Alive.
After that awkward kissing scene, those two finally returned to the seats. Princess didn’t even look at me. She just reached out, picked up my diet Coke, and took a long sip from it.
I was about to grab it right back from her.
How dare she use those lips of hers to sip from my straw? Was she doing that on purpose just to get on my nerves? I stared at the cup, then at her, but she acted like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Okay, looks like it’s getting late. Omega, let me drop you home," Princess said. She stood up and stretched, acting like the boss of the group again.
"Princess, we are not going home just yet. We all have one more place to go before the night is over," Beam said. She had a look on her face that meant business.
"Okay, let’s go then. I need to get this pregnant Omega home soon anyway," Princess agreed. She didn’t even ask where we were going. She just followed Beam’s lead.
Princess walked to her car, and I followed. I made sure to get to the front passenger seat before Kiara could even move. I sat down first, buckled my belt, and stared straight ahead. Kiara didn’t say a single word about it. She just narrowed her eyes for a split second and then quietly climbed into the backseat.
Well, she wasn’t alone back there. Malo scrambled in right after her. He would much rather ride with us than get into a car with Beam. I knew exactly why. He didn’t want his leg, which was finally healed, to be broken all over again by whatever mood Beam was in.
So Beam drove her own car, lead the way through the streets. Princess followed closely behind her. We drove for a while as the city lights started to fade into the background. When Beam finally slowed down and pulled over, we all came out of the cars.
We were at the cemetery.
It was already dark, the half moon casting long, jagged shadows across the rows of stone markers. The air felt heavy and cold.
"Beam, is this the location you were talking about?" Princess asked. She stayed close to the car door, looking around with a strange expression.
"Yes, Princess. We are digging the grave. We want to check if Peamah’s body is actually here or not," Beam explained.
"Why didn’t you tell me this is where we were coming? This place is creepy as hell," Princess muttered.
"I’m sorry, I should have told you. But I needed Faye to follow us since she’s the one who knows exactly where his body was buried. You were already going to take her home, so it just made sense," Beam said.
"She was not the only one that was there that night. You could have just taken MG with you," Princess pointed out, looking over at him.
"Princess, I am very poor at remembering places. I don’t even know where I keep my socks half the time. Or my underwear," Malo lied. He was clearly making things up on the spot. He never wanted to be alone with Beam, and he certainly wasn’t going to help her dig up a grave unless I was standing right there too.
"Baby, don’t worry. I know you are scared of ghosts," Kiara said. she stepped up and started rubbing against Princess’s arm in that annoying way she does. "Even though they don’t really exist, I am going to be right here with you while they go confirm everything."
I couldn’t help myself. A laugh bubbled up in my throat. "Fucking hell. The Alpha Princess is actually scared of ghosts."
I mocked her openly. I couldn’t believe it. This girl, who acted like she could take on the whole world, was actually terrified of things that weren’t even there. It was the funniest thing I had heard all day.
"I am not scared of ghosts," Princess muttered, her voice sounding a bit defensive. "Ghosts are friendly people. But zombie ghosts are real and they are deadly."
I stopped laughing and just stared at her. "Zo... zombie ghosts?"
I noticed Beam and Kiara were both trying very hard to hold back their own laughter. They were biting their lips and looking away.
"Yes. Ghost zombies," Princess insisted. "One day the dead will rise and eat everyone’s brain. And the dead are the ghosts who will become zombies."
"What the fuck? Are you actually serious? I thought you were supposed to be smart," I muttered.
"Smart enough to know that it’s true. You should believe me," she said.
Oh my goodness. She was dead serious. I couldn’t believe that of all people, Princess was terrified of what she called zombie ghosts. It was ridiculous.
"Yes baby, you are smart. I believe anything you say," Kiara said. Her tone was the fakest thing I had ever heard. "Just like you have been preparing for an apocalypse in the future. I believe that one day the dead will rise as zombies."
"You see? My sweetheart believes me. They are real," Princess said, looking at me like I was the crazy one.
I just rolled my eyes. Those two really were made for each other. Pure nonsense, bitches.
"Okay, we get it. Zombie ghosts are real. Princess, you can wait here with Kiara while the three of us go and confirm what we came here for. I need to know if my brother is dead or alive," Beam said, grabbing a flashlight.
"I am coming too," Princess said suddenly, stepping away from the car. "What if something bad happens to my pups? I need to be there to protect her. So Kiara, you wait in the car while I go protect my pups."
"No, I can’t stay here all alone," Kiara whined. "I am coming with you. I need your protection too. What if something bad happens to me too?"
So the five of us finally entered the cemetery. Malo went to a nearby shed and grabbed a couple of shovels for the digging, while I led the way to the spot where we had buried Peamah. It didn’t take long to find it. Malo and Beam started digging into the dark earth.
The whole time they worked, Princess stayed right behind me. She was crouched low, almost hiding.
I don’t know if this is what she meant by protecting me, but it definitely didn’t feel like it. She was using me as a shield.
I watched as they tossed dirt over their shoulders. I noticed they had already dug more than 3 feet down.
"He is not there," I said, looking into the hole.
"We are not done digging yet," Beam replied, her voice strained from the effort.
"It’s more than 3 feet deep, Beam. There is no body," I insisted.
Malo didn’t need to be told twice. He immediately dropped his shovel and scrambled out of the grave like it was on fire.
"I can still smell him," Beam said. she stopped and sniffed the air near the soil. "Which means his body is still here somewhere."
"Yes, because he was buried here. That is why the scent is in the dirt. But Peamah is clearly alive," I said.
"Then how is it possible? His DNA doesn’t match mine. That is not my brother," Beam said, sounding frustrated as she climbed out of the hole.
"Maybe his DNA changed when he rose from the dead," Kiara suggested, trying to sound helpful.
"Or maybe he has turned into a zombie ghost eating brains," I muttered. I turned around to look at Princess, who was still hovering right behind my back.
"I can’t believe you are an Alpha and you are afraid of ghosts," I said.
"I am not afraid of ghosts. I am protecting you from any potential attack," she whispered.
"Attack? What attack? And who protects someone while hiding behind them?" I asked, gesturing to how she was practically using me for cover.
"Can we all just leave this place now? We have confirmed that Peamah Frost is alive. Tomorrow we can figure out how that’s possible. Omega, let’s go. It’s getting late. You need to have a good night’s sleep," Princess said.
She tried to make her voice sound authoritative, but I could hear the flicker of fear in her tone. She didn’t want to be there for another second.
I was about to argue, but she didn’t give me the chance. She grabbed my hand in a tight grip and pulled me back toward the car as fast as she could. Everyone else followed along behind us, leaving the empty grave behind in the dark.
