Chapter 23 Rage
Rage
Pain.
All I know is pain.
They keep hurting me. It just makes me angry.
So angry.
Where is she?! What have you done with her!? Bring her back!
Words swim through my head. But even if they weren’t shocking me with those sticks of theirs, I wouldn’t be able to say them.
All that leaves me are loud roars.
Blood drips down from my wrists and ankles.
I’ve fought hard.
Tried to get out. To escape.
So I can find her.
All I remember was them hurting her. Her screams. Her body shaking with pain.
I don’t care what they do to me.
I have to find her.
I have to save her.
Protect her.
Because she’s mine.
I don’t know why I think that.
I just know.
The older guard glances down at his phone. He takes a break from shocking me.
I catch my breath, watching the two of them warily.
“Damn, Norman is sending Rowan in to deal with this mess,” the older guard says, shoving his phone away into his back pocket.
“Seriously?” The younger guard says. “Does he want his kid dead?”
“I don’t know. But he’s on his way here now.”
“With the omega?”
“Yeah, sounds like it.”
I freeze, my body going still.
With the omega.
With her.
They’re bringing her back to me?
The two guards look at me warily.
“I’ll be damned,” the younger one mutters. “The fucker’s gone silent. We’ve been trying for fucking hours to get him to shut the fuck up and that’s all it takes? You’re shitting me.”
“I mean, they bought the omega for a reason. We shouldn’t complain if it’s actually working.”
“You’re right. So we’re done for the day?”
“Yeah, we’re switching off with Rowan,” the older guard says, his voice fading as they leave me in my cell.
My chest heaves. My pulse races.
I wait. And wait. And wait.
Every second feels like an eternity.
Maybe it’s not that long, but it feels like forever before the young-looking new guard steps into the room warily.
“Mirabelle says you can understand me,” he says, standing right at the doorway. “I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Rowan. And I’m the one in charge of taking care of Mirabelle.”
Taking care of Mirabelle.
I don’t like the sound of that.
My lips curl back in a snarl, and a low growl vibrates from my chest.
He flinches back. Satisfaction rolls over me.
He should be afraid.
“I should rephrase that,” he mutters under his breath. “I’m the one keeping Mirabelle safe. You saw her get shocked, right?”
I lunge forward, the cuffs digging into the open wounds on my wrists and ankles.
“Hey, I hate the fucking sight of her getting shocked too, okay? That’s what I’m trying to say.
When she’s with me, she doesn’t get shocked, and she stays with me longer if I can get you and the other fighting dogs to behave.
So calm down. I’m only going to bring her in here if I know she’s going to be safe. ”
My body stiffens as I freeze.
Hurt her? I’d never.
Rowan studies me for a moment before he nods, stepping back out into the hallway.
“He’s calmed down a bit. You can come in now.”
She steps tentatively into the doorway, her eyes going wide.
“Oh my God! Are you okay?”
She walks towards me, stepping close enough that I’m surrounded by her sweet strawberry perfume.
I strain against the chains to lean closer to her. I want her scent on me again. Like earlier. Before they hosed me down to wake me up.
Rowan makes a noise at the back of his throat as she reaches out to touch me, and I glare at him.
She ignores both of us as her fingertips brush against the welts forming on my sides.
“Did they use the cattle prods on you?” She murmurs as she stares up at me with those big green eyes of hers.
I offer her a single nod.
“Oh God, I’m so sorry. That’s—that’s terrible!”
She looks like she’s about to cry. I don’t want her to cry.
I lean my body forward as far as I can, my arms straining behind me.
My chest vibrates with that strange sound from earlier—a purr—as I try to comfort her in the only way I know how.
Her startled gaze meets mine, and her lower lip trembles as she forces a smile.
“You’re so sweet, you know that?” She rests a hand against my purring chest.
I wonder if she can feel how fast my heart is racing.
I like all her smiles, but that one is my least favorite so far. Smiles shouldn’t be sad.
“Is there any way we could get the doctor to look at him?” She asks, turning away from me to look at Rowan.
Look at me. Don’t turn away.
The only thing that keeps me calm is the hand she still has pressed gently against my chest.
“He normally comes only after really nasty fights,” Rowan says. “They’re all alphas, so they heal quick. Doubly so ‘cause of the drugs they’re given.”
“Oh,” she says, her shoulders curling forward.
She looks defeated. Hopeless.
I hate it.
She shouldn’t look like that because of me. She should never look like that.
I open my mouth, working my jaw as I find the courage to do something I don’t think I’ve done in years.
“I’m... fine...” I croak out, each word feeling like I’m throwing up razor blades.
My voice sounds strange. Not like me. But I don’t even know what me sounds like.
She finally looks up at me, her jaw falling slack.
“Oh my God, you just talked!” She smiles, and it feels like being bathed in warm sunlight.
“Holy shit,” Rowan mutters.
“Did you hear that? He spoke!” She continues, practically bouncing on her toes.
She’s so happy. So much better than the sad look she had on earlier.
“Wait, so if you can talk, why don’t you? Is it ‘cause it hurts?”
I offer her a silent nod.
“Oh, well then you don’t have to talk if it hurts! The last thing I’d want is for you to be in pain. But are you sure you’re fine? It—it looks like all these hurt,” she says, gesturing to all my injuries.
My shoulders shrug.
They’re really not that bad.
I’ve had far worse, and no one else cared.
It’s strange how much she seems to care about me. I like it. A lot.
“We should get going,” Rowan murmurs softly.
Mirabelle pouts before nodding, stepping away from me.
A panicked snarl leaves my chest. Are they going to take her away from me again?
She freezes, glancing between me and Rowan.
“It’s okay, big guy,” she says. “I know it’s probably hard to trust people after what you’ve been through, but we can trust Rowan.”
I shoot a suspicious glare at him, my jaw clenching.
“I’m not going to hurt Mirabelle, I promise,” Rowan says. “And I’ll do my best not to hurt you, if I can help it, but I need you to work with me, okay?”
The silence growing between us is thick.
“Please, Rage?” She asks softly.
I give a reluctant, jerky nod of my head.
The beta doesn’t seem to show any sign he’s going to hurt her.
I still don’t like the way he watches her every move, though. It reminds me of how I look at her.
“Good,” Rowan says with a sigh of relief. “Okay, here’s the plan. I’m asking you to get into the transport cage so I can take you back to the stables. There’s a new dog. He’ll probably introduce himself to you.”
Mira spins on her heel, her hands on her hips.
“Can we just call them the fighters? I don’t like the way everyone calls them dogs. It’s not right.”
Rowan stops in his tracks, blinking down at her.
All the muscles in my body coil up, waiting to strike. If the beta has a single thought of hurting or punishing her, this little truce we have? Gone.
But to my surprise, his expression softens. He reaches up and scratches the back of his neck.
“Yeah, you’re right, Sugar. Sorry ‘bout that. I guess it was just habit.”
“Well, time to get a new habit,” Mirabelle huffs. “Thank you.”
Something like pride warms my chest as I watch the little omega make her demands.
“Well then,” Rowan continues. “You’ll meet the new fighter. Does that all sound good? You gonna give me any trouble during transport?”
I take a beat to watch him for any signs of deception.
When I don’t find any, I shake my head.
“Good,” he breathes out. “I’m going to be your new trainer, too. I don’t want to hurt you to get you to listen to me when that happens, either. It’ll be with the other fighters. You’ve gotta work together with them since you all are training for a group fight.”
Group fight?
That’s never happened before. It’s always been me against a single opponent.
“I know seeing Mirabelle means a lot to you, right?”
I jerk my head in a nod twice.
“I don’t blame you,” he says, letting out a huff of laughter. “Unfortunately, to avoid suspicion, since my dad doesn’t know about this... deal I’m making with you and the other fighters, the time you’ll see Mirabelle will mostly be during trainings.”
Fine with me.
I just want to spend time with her.
“I’ll try to bring you and the other guys snacks!” She says brightly.
“Great,” Rowan sighs. “I’m sorry about this, but I’ve gotta get the transport cage to move you to the stable. We’ve gotta keep up appearances, and I’m not going to lie, I’m not sure you won’t try to run away and I don’t want to knock you out.”
The beta leaves to go get the transport cage, leaving her alone with me.
She steps up to me. Her hands are soft as they brush some of my hair from my face.
“Thank you for listening to him,” she murmurs, blinking up at me with a small smile. “I trust him with the plan. He doesn’t want any of us to get hurt, and this will keep us safe from the people who want to hurt us.”
My lips curl back in a snarl.
Hurt us.
Us includes her.
I hate the thought of anyone wanting to hurt her, but I know the other guards have no issue hurting her if they want to.
“Yeah, I don’t like them either,” she says, her nose wrinkling in a way that has me freezing.
She looks adorable.
The ATV engine echoes off the cement walls as Rowan backs the cage into the small cell.
“You ready?” Rowan calls, cutting the engine as he hops off and opens the cage door.
I jerk my head towards the chains.
I want them loosened. I want to hold her in my arms one more time before I’m sent back to the stables.
“What does he want?” Rowan asks her, his brows drawing down in confusion. “I don’t understand what he’s asking for.”
“Hmmm, I don’t either, can you try telling us again, Rage?” Mirabelle asks, turning her wide eyes to me.
I jerk my head towards the chains before nodding at the beta.
“I think he wants you to do something with his chains,” Mirabelle says. “You want him to loosen them?”
I give a single jerky nod before tilting my head down towards Mirabelle.
“Ah, I get what he’s saying now,” Rowan nods before heading to the control panel outside the room.
A second later, the chains are loose enough for my hands to rest at my sides.
I shuffle forward a single step, as much as the chains around my ankles will let me, and then I wait.
“Does that feel better?” Mirabelle asks, peering down at my wrists. “I know you said you were fine earlier, but that seriously looks like it hurts.”
I just shrug, my body coiled and tense, waiting.
I don’t know how to ask for what I’m waiting for.
I’m too scared that if I reach out and touch her, I’ll be rejected.
“What’s wrong?” She says, her brows drawing down as she stares up at me.
She sees me.
In a way no one else has.
“I think he wants a hug, Sugar,” the beta says, leaning against the doorway. His gaze is sharp. Assessing.
He sees me too.
Maybe I’m easy to read. Maybe no one has bothered to look at me as a person in a really long time.
“Oh!” Mirabelle says, flashing me a bright smile that has my breath catching in my chest. “I can do that!”
And then her slender arms are wrapping around me. My movements are hesitant as I watch the beta with a wary gaze.
When the beta just watches on saying nothing, I slowly wrap my arms around her.
She smells like sweet strawberry cake. I press my nose to the top of her head and breathe her in.
I want to hold her in my arms forever, but I let her go when she takes a step back to look up at my face.
“Do you feel better?” She asks, one of her small hands coming to rest in mine.
It looks so delicate in mine. Breakable. Like a bird’s wing.
My gut roils with an all-consuming need to protect her.
I give her a single, jerky nod.
“Okay, time to go,” Rowan calls.
Mirabelle takes a few steps back, and it takes everything I have not to rush over to her and carry her with me. But I don’t.
I crouch down into the cage, squeezing through the doorway and settling in, hunched over on my knees.
“We’ll be there soon. I know it’s cramped in there for you,” Mirabelle says, shoving her hand through the bars to brush against the scars on my face.
I flinch back at her touch.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she says, jerking her hand back out of the cage like I’ve burned her.
I bow my head, hiding the disgusting part of my face.
“Time to go, Sugar. Hop on with me, ‘kay?” Rowan calls.
“Okay!” She says, over the buzz of the engine. She shoots me one last glance, her eyes sad, before she hops onto the back of the ATV, wrapping her arms around Rowan’s waist.
She probably thinks I look disgusting compared to the beta.
Rowan looks nicer than I ever had any hope of looking. And he can keep her safe in a way I can’t.
The thought grates against my skin, making me want to tear my flesh off my bones.
I barely notice the drive to the stables.
“The hell did you do to him?” A voice growls. My head jerks up, and I see Ash’s face pressed up against the door.
I think he’s the closest thing to a friend I have here. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him. I’m glad he looks like he’s doing alright.
“Did you drug him?” Ash asks, glaring at Rowan. “This is the calmest I’ve ever fucking seen him.”
“He understands everything people say, so we just had to talk to him a bit,” Mira says, hopping off the ATV and rounding the trailer to wave at me through the bars of the cage. “We’re gonna get you out now!”
“You going to cause any trouble?” Rowan asks, dragging open the heavy, reinforced metal door of my stable.
I give him a single shake of my head.
“Hey man, my name’s Griffin, nice to meet you,” another voice calls. My gaze jerks to the stable across from Ash and mine, and I see a new face.
“This is the other new fighter I mentioned!” Mirabelle says, waving a hand between us. “Now you’ve met everyone on the team.”
Team.
Because apparently, now we’re a team.
It’s a little scary. Anything new is a little scary.
But I’ll be a part of anything, as long as it’s something with Mirabelle.