Chapter 32
Auryn
I can’t stop pacing. Or whining. Or moving altogether. My nerves are frayed. It’s been almost twenty-four hours since we brought Emmett back to the compound. Twenty-four hours since I’ve seen Olly, because every time I get close to the lab, Gage finds me.
Let him work, Auryn. That’s what he keeps saying, though I can see the worry and concern in his eyes, too.
I’d fought him off once before Diego grabbed me and started purring up a storm.
I hate that it soothed me. Hate that upon hearing that sound my mind thought of something else, someone else other than Em.
It took everything in me not to crumble to the ground when I saw him. Naked. Bleeding. Struggling to breathe. I saw the scars on his arm. The big one across his hip cutting straight down to where his bandages were.
The memories try to resurface now as they did then, but I can’t let them. I don’t know what they did exactly, but I can surmise enough. I’ve lived through their torment. I know the things they put me through; I don’t even want to think about what they’d do with an alpha in their hands.
I growl in frustration, the sound echoing off the walls as Gage tries to speak to me.
“Auryn, sit down. You need to eat, you need to—”
“No!”
I cry, that whine in my throat beckoning to release once more. Gage reaches for me, and I fight him off, tears welling up behind my eyes. I can’t come undone. I can’t.
I need to fight, need to—
The smell of burnt cherries wafts in like a summer breeze, and I stiffen. I turn my head only slightly, and my heart beats a little faster.
“Uh…hey…”
Emmett stands in the doorway, his dark brown hair sticking out at all angles. His body is marred with cuts and gashes, his eyes tired. But he’s here. Standing in the doorway, and I don’t think twice about running to him before anyone can catch me.
I wrap my arms around him and nearly knock him over, but the minute I breathe in his sweet, smoky scent, I don’t care about anything else.
His arms come up around me, and he holds me tight. One hand rubs my back as he sighs.
“Fuck,”
he curses, burying his face in my hair. “You smell so fucking good, baby.”
The second thing I notice is the scent of rain and dirt. I look up to see Olly watching us intently.
“Make a better door than a window, Em,” he says.
“You don’t like it, fuck off,”
Em says, and I can’t help but smile because he’s here. My mate is here, and he’s safe.
“Hungry, amigo? I made dinner.”
I sniffle, feeling a sense of relief as Em rubs my back and says, “I guess some food wouldn’t be a bad idea right now. I can’t remember the last time I actually ate something.”
I frown at his admission.
“Why don’t you lead Emmett to the table, Auryn?”
Olly says, his voice cool and comforting.
I nod, grabbing Emmett by the hand and doing as he says. When we get to the table, Em sits down, grimacing as he does so. Olly and I both flock to him at the same time.
I growl at Olly, who jumps back. “Just trying to help,”
he says, his gaze flashing from me to Emmett.
“He doesn’t need your help,”
I growl, feeling strangely protective of this beta touching my mate.
It’s a feeling I’ve not had before. Olly should back off, if he knows what’s good for him.
But also…I know I shouldn’t be snapping at Olly. He’s likely the reason Em is alive right now, given the state he was in when we brought him in. But for some reason I can’t help it.
I watch as Gage sets a hand on Olly’s shoulder, pulling him away.
To his nature, Olly doesn’t look too upset. Only intrigued. I sit in Emmett’s lap, and he whimpers as I wrap my arms around him. Olly says, “Be careful—”
I can feel his pain, his distress as he grimaces. He’s putting on a good show, but I know.
I just…know.
The purr that erupts from my chest is beyond my control. Everyone quiets. Everyone except Em, who whines. Whimpers as he tightens his arms around me.
I’m vaguely aware this isn’t a normal reaction. I know that. But something inside of me tells me this is the most natural thing in the world.
Holding my omega.
No…not omega. Alpha. Emmett’s an alpha. I’m not sure where that odd thought came from.
“I’m good,”
Emmett murmurs against my throat. “I’m okay right now.”
“You sure?”
Gage asks, sounding just as shocked as Olly, who lets out a gasp.
Emmett peels his face away from my neck, glancing back at them. Some strange tension passes between them, which also makes me anxious. I don’t like this beta looking at my mate. I don’t like this alpha looking at what’s mine, either. My purring turns into a growl, and then Olly says, “Don’t worry; we’re not going to hurt him. He’s safe with you.”
That makes the growl go away.
“Emmett…we need to talk.”
Gage says. I know he’s right; we do need to talk about what happened.
“Food first,”
Diego says. A moment later, he sets a plate of enchiladas in front of me, and I groan with relief. I shift a bit so Em can get to them, but otherwise I don’t move.
“Auryn, you should eat, too, princesa.”
I eye him skeptically, but ultimately Emmett shifts me again to grab the fork. I watch as he cuts a slice, prepared for him to take a bite. But he offers it to me.
The look in his eyes makes me whine, and he gives me a half smile. “Ladies first.”
His gaze holds mine for a moment before flashing to my mouth. For a moment, I forget we have an audience. I open my mouth, and he slides the warm bite in. It tastes good. Spicy and hot. I settle a fraction, and he grins, then cuts himself a piece.
Everyone is quiet except for Olly, who is the first to speak up.
“Does Emmett smell different to anyone?”
he asks. We all turn to look at him.
“Smells the same to me,”
Gage says.
“What do you mean?”
Diego asks. “He still smells like smoke and bad fruit.”
“Hey!”
Emmett bites.
Olly looks at me. “Auryn, what about you? Em smell the same to you?”
I lean into his neck, breathing him in. Burnt cherries. And … something sweet. Something really sweet.
It’s faint, but it’s there. “Vanilla,”
I murmur. “Burnt cherries and … vanilla?”
“Vanilla? What the fuck am I, a cupcake?”
He bristles, and I can tell the word is offensive to him for some reason.
“Yes,”
Olly says. “He does smell like a cupcake. Sort of.”
“What the fuck, Olly?”
Diego laughs, and a moment later so does Gage.
“Come to think of it, I think I do detect a faint sugary smell,”
Gage says, his laugh lessening. “Do you think it has something to do with—”
Tension fills the air, and the unsaid words make me feel on edge again.
“Oh, I know it does.”
Olly says. “The good news is it won’t last. Whatever chemicals they injected have about a forty-eight-hour effect.”
He clears his throat. “But before I give you my theories, I need to know the details.”
I tug on Emmett’s neck. I don’t want details. Can’t we just…
I feel him tense beneath me and Olly staring at me.
“Of course, if you’d rather discuss this without Auryn present—”
“No,”
I say, shaking my head. The word is a growl so deep, it rattles the cabinets. “I am not going anywhere without my mate.”
Gage curses. Diego chuckles. Olly grins.
“Just tell us what you can,”
Gage says carefully.
“Not much to tell,”
Emmett says, stealing another bite of enchilada. He feeds it to me. Along with the next two bites. I think he’s trying to keep my mouth occupied, so I don’t growl or bite someone’s head off.
Fair.
“I had a feeling Diego was in trouble. I trusted my gut. Gave a good distraction—”
He looks at Diego, and so do I. The pain etched on my other mate’s face cuts me to my core. Without thinking, I reach for Diego’s hand. It’s not far, but my fingers barely grasp his hand. He shifts closer to me, only a fraction, and I am able to hold it. I hope he can feel that everything is okay. Em is here. He’s with us. He’s safe.
We’re all safe.
But not for long. I know that. Sneed let him go, but there’s got to be a reason. A bigger plan. And I’m certain whatever that plan is, it’s not good, and it probably has something to do with what he did to Emmett. Which I will find out, one way or the other.
I spent too long in those walls, those cages. Too many nights fighting for my life, for the freedom I desperately wanted. Too many days fighting the restraints on my wrists and ankles while they shot me full of things that made me an animal.
Hot, skin-crawling chemicals that pulled at my insides, tearing me apart.
Some days, I fought like a demon, and the alphas walked away with as many cuts and bruises as they inflicted on me.
Other days, I was powerless to fight them off.
“And after that?”
Gage presses. I notice Olly watching Emmett and me intently. Studying us.
“They knocked my ass out good. When I woke up I was in some sort of cell and—”
He bristles. “Let’s just say the Orions aren’t winning any welcoming committee awards.”
“They hurt you,”
I say, my voice barely a whisper. Emmett looks down at me.
“Yeah, but—”
“We need to make them pay,” I say.
“One thing at a time, Auryn,”
Gage huffs.
I growl, but Olly interjects, his voice colder than I’ve ever heard it. “They are running a ring of experiments at Orion, aren’t they?”
I’m not certain who he's asking, me or Em, but we both speak at the same time.
“Yes.”
“What kind of experiments?”
Diego asks.
Olly leans back in his chair.
“Judging by the chemicals in Em’s blood, coupled with Auryn’s reappearing and disappearing protein, and the results from the omega and knotless alpha Gage brought me…I’d say breeding experiments.”
Emmett tenses beneath me, a deep growl emanating from his chest.
“What chemicals came up in his blood?”
Gage asks.
Olly smirks. “Now, remember, I said it’s only temporary…”
He looks at me then at Em. “But…they are omega proteins.”
“What?”
Emmett nearly jumps up with me in his lap, but hisses and falls back down as if he forgot we were even sitting. He growls and whimpers, cursing under his breath.
“I’m no damn omega!” he howls.
Olly shakes his head. “In the next twenty-four hours, it’ll taper off. It was just an injection, nothing permanent. But it does make me think that whatever is going on in that compound, it has to do with their declining population.”
“Fuck,”
Gage says.
I look up at Emmett, trying to wrap my head around Olly’s theory. Does this mean…
Does this mean Em’s like me? Well, at least for a day?
I’ve never even seen a male omega at the compound. I know they exist, but…
Em’s an alpha. How can they do that? How can they change someone’s DNA like that?
Though Olly said it was temporary.
Still, the thought is…
A strange sort of wetness blooms between my thighs at the thought of Emmett beneath me, whimpering and whining, takes hold. My cheeks flush and everyone groans.
“Fuck, I missed that smell,”
Emmett says, holding me tight.
The enchiladas are now long gone.
“Did you get a good look at the inside at least?”
Gage asks. “At how many others might be—”
“Not really, but I saw at least ten or so cells on my way back from—”
He swallows harshly, his gaze finding Olly’s.
“I just saw about ten or so cells.”
He clears his throat. Gage opens his mouth to press, but Olly speaks first.
“I think you should probably get some rest.”
Emmet nods, his gaze fixed on Olly. “You’re probably right.”
“Need our help, Em?”
Diego asks. “I can walk you to your room, if you’d like.”
“No, thanks. I think I’ll make it.”
Emmett kisses the side of my head, whispering in my ear. “But you can come.”
I grin, nodding as I get up. “I’d like that.”
No one says a word as Emmett gets up. I don’t miss the grimace on his face as he does so, but he doesn’t whine or whimper again. Instead, he grabs me by the hand and leads me out of the kitchen into the hallway.
The walk from the kitchen to the quarters isn’t long, but it feels like an eternity.
Finally, we get to the hallway, and he looks as if he’s going to leave me be, looking at his room, then back at me with sadness.
“Don’t even think about it,”
I say, tugging him closer.
“Huh?”
“You’re coming with me.”
I say the words solidly, with more command than I’ve ever felt in my life. I pull him into my room—into my nest—
“Auryn, I—”
The minute he lies down, his shoulders loosen, and I pull him close. I bury my face in his neck as I pull the blankets around us, creating a cocoon of warmth.
“Don’t you ever fucking do that to me again,”
I whisper angrily against his neck. He sighs as he pulls me against him.
“Baby—”
“Promise me you will never leave without my permission again.”
The words feel strange on my tongue. Emmett is an alpha—well mostly an alpha, I guess right now he’s fielding some omega chemicals, but he’s still my alpha—I should not be bossing him around.
But I also remember, not that long ago, how he said he liked that. Me being bossy. Taking charge of him. Fighting with him.
So that’s what I hold onto for the moment. What I know.
“I promise,”
he says, grasping my chin with his hand. He tilts my head up so I’m gazing up at him, and there is a moment of silence that speaks volumes. The way he looks at me is like the way I imagine every omega wants to be looked at.
His lips find mine without any hesitation. I fall into his kiss easily.
And all at once, it’s like he never left.
Like he never left this hole that’s been filled so quickly. I kiss him back, sliding my hand over his neck. I pull him against me, and he winces, groaning in pain.
“Auryn, I—”
He breaks away from me, turning away from my gaze.
I want to ask the question I don’t want the answer to. Because on some deep level…I know the answer. And if I don’t ask, I won’t know. I won’t feel the pain he does.
But I need to know. I need to know what they did to him so I can rip their fucking hearts out. Tear their bodies to fucking shreds.
But I can’t bring myself to ask. Instead, I grab his face, turn it towards me, and hold it still.
With my free hand I trail my fingers over his arm. Over his hip. Over the pronounced scar jutting up his hip from the sweatpants he’s wearing.
“You don’t have to,”
I tell him as I watch him wince the moment my fingers trail down his body. Alongside his hardness. “You’re here,”
I say softly. “That’s all I want: You here.”
He kisses me again, slower. Softer. I feel the faintest wetness against my cheek, but I’m not sure if it’s his tears or mine I feel.
Perhaps it’s both.
When we break away, I feel that rumble in my chest. The purr that seems to keep coming back.
I pull him to me, and he whines against my chest. Must be the omega chemicals. I stroke his hair, loving the feel of it between my fingers. Something inside me is sated beyond satisfaction.
It’s similar to the way I feel when Olly lets me take charge of things.
Though I know I won’t be taking charge of anything right now except sleep. Because the sound of Emmett’s heartbeat is loud in my ears, as is his steady breath and soft whines.
And for the moment, that’s enough. My mate is here. He’s alive.
When the sun rises, we fight back.
Because Sneed is not going to walk away from this.
I’m going to make sure of it.