Chapter 3
SKYLAR
Thump.Thump.
I groan at the pain in my head as my body continuously jolts. My eyes are closed, I’m freezing, and this is the worst nap I’ve ever had in my life.
And why am I lying on the floor?
Thump. Thump.
My eyes snap open, but I’m engulfed in darkness.
And my head?—
Thump. Thump.
It hurts too much to keep my eyes open. It feels like an ice pick is stabbing into each of my eyes, and any movement at all shoots pain throughout my body.
Thump. Thump.
I kick my feet out, squirming to get more comfortable, but there’s not enough space to stretch out.
I try to recall anything from before I fell asleep, but it’s all strangely…gone.
I was at home, and River and Landon were there, and…was I crying?
THUMP.
Another hard jolt, and my mind goes blank.
I wakeup to another headache, but this time, there’s no more thumping, which makes the pain minutely better.
I blink my eyes open to stare at an unfamiliar wood paneled ceiling.
My mouth is dry, as if I’m hungover. I have to pee, and it’s freezing.
I’m lying on a bare mattress under a thin, itchy blanket.
“What the hell,” I mutter, struggling to right myself.
I attempt to sit up, but that only makes my head pound and the loud, unpleasant clink of metal sound throughout the room. My left foot feels heavier than my right, and it takes me a moment to comprehend what has happened.
I’m in a small, chilly room with dark wood paneled walls. The flimsy mattress sits in the middle of the room, and a metal pole installed against the left corner of the wall is connected to the shackle that wraps around my ankle. A fluorescent light hanging from the ceiling is my only source of light.
With a shaky breath, I stumble off the mattress and scramble to my feet on the faded beige carpet, leaning against the wall for purchase. Behind me is a doorway that leads to a toilet and the smallest shower I’ve seen in my life, with a flimsy curtain and dinky looking showerhead. The door to the bathroom is removed, leaving only a splintery frame, eliminating any privacy.
I swallow and squat down to yank at the shackle on my ankle, swallowing a scream as I attempt to pry it open.
It’s no use.
I’m trapped.
That’s when fuzzy memories come back to me.
River and Landon arguing with me….telling me it’s not safe…a hand clamping over my mouth.
“Oh,” I whisper as panic seizes my gut.
The thumping against my head and the cramped space suddenly make sense.
I was in the trunk of a car.
Oh no.
I start to hyperventilate, the chain rattling as I double over and gasp for air.
Landon and River were right, and I sent them away.
Omegas have been disappearing, and now I’m another one.
Just like April.
But before I can process it, the sound of a key in a lock clicks, and I stand frozen in horror as the door opens.
It takes me a moment to recognize my captor. Dressed in faded jeans and a white t-shirt, he stands in the doorway, his gaze solemn as I gape at him.
“You?” I whisper, my hands shaking as I take in the Alpha before me. I back away from him, but he doesn’t follow me.
I’ve only seen him as a customer once, unable to decide what he wanted to buy. He was the one who lingered too long, taking every ounce of my patience as I fought not to bang my head against the counter.
He said he was picking out macaron flavors for his Omega.
This happened the day April disappeared.
He gives a slight nod as he leans in the doorway, his expression stoic. His murky brown eyes are devoid of light as he regards me, almost as if he’s in a trance.
I take another step back until I’m pressed up against the wall, breathing in the stale air. His scent swirls along with it, that same faint cologne I recognize from that fateful day.
I’m terrified.
I know what can happen if I’m too close to him. If his scent affects me, he could trigger my Heat.
I would be alone, captive in this dingy room as I soil myself with slick.
I gasp in fear as he takes a step closer, and I push my hands out, hoping to block him. His scent fills my lungs again, this time stronger and…
Artificial.
My body doesn’t respond. Nothing happens.
He smells pleasant, slightly warm and musky, but it’s fake.
This isn’t an Alpha in front of me.
“Stay away from me!” I shout, my voice booming in the small room. “Back away!”
He’s a Beta.
The knowledge empowers me even as he comes closer. He’s buff with corded forearms and thick biceps, but he’s not an Alpha.
And I’m going to kill him, I decide.
But not before I find out what he knows about April.
I brace for impact, fully expecting him to grab me or worse, but he only stands before me, his frame towering over me. His greasy black bangs fall into his eyes as he speaks.
“You will eat and drink,” he says, his voice monotone. “And you will keep your voice down.”
“What?” I whisper. “What are you talking about?”
“Eat and drink,” he repeats. “And stay quiet. That’s all you need to do.”
A chill runs down my spine.
My hands won’t stop shaking. “The police are on their way,” I lie, widening the distance between us and backing towards the dingy bathroom, the chain rattling. “I know detectives. They’re looking for me.”
Even as it leaves my mouth, I know it sounds ridiculous.
That seems to snap him out of his stupor. He narrows his eyes and tilts his head. “Liar,” he says, his voice low. I catch his fingers twitching as he takes a deep breath. “Keep in mind…I’m the only one that can keep you alive.” His eyes flick down the chain that spreads across the floor. “Without me, you starve.”
I swallow nervously.
This is exactly what Landon and River said could happen.
And I argued with them. I kicked them out and told them they weren’t my Alphas.
Do they know I’m missing yet? Will they even bother to check?
“Why are you doing this?” I ask softly. “What do you want from me?”
He runs a shaky hand through his hair, moving the bangs out of the eyes. “I already told you,” he snaps, causing me to jump. “Are you stupid?”
My mouth snaps closed, and icy fear shoots up my spine.
I meet his bloodshot eyes, and it clicks.
The twitching fingers. The dilated pupils.
He’s under the influence of something.
Probably O.
I shake my head and flick my eyes to the floor.
Don’t provoke him. Cooperate. Stay calm.
I fidget as I feel him watching me. The stale, fake pheromone scent fills my nose and baffles me.
Why would he pretend to be an Alpha?
There’s an answer in front of me if I can concentrate long enough, but the headache shoots through my skull.
I’m thirsty and hungry.
But I open my mouth one last time, desperate for an answer, even if it gets me hurt.
“Did you take April?” I whisper hoarsely.
Silence.
When I finally look up again, he’s staring past me, as if in a trance. He blinks once, then turns and leaves the room. The door shuts behind him, and I hear the click of the lock as I sink to the floor, my face in my hands.