Chapter 32
thirty-two
KITANIA
I stared at the barrier in confusion, then quickly tried my phone again. Nothing. I reached for the door handle, finding it locked with no way out from the inside.
My heart began to pound as understanding dawned, terrible and cold. I looked down at Beretta, who looked worse than ever. His tongue stole out to lick my hand, as if sensing my distress amid his own.
It had all been an act. A ruse to get me away from my mates, from the safety of the penthouse.
The mask of loyalty Enzo always wore had been ripped away, and dread dropped through me hard and fast as I realized that this man had never been my friend. He’d been my enemy all along.
And I had walked right into his trap.
The car wove through the city streets as everything clicked into place. The random texts. The disappearances during our outings. The way he always seemed to know our plans—like my drive with Marco. It wasn’t coincidence—it was reconnaissance.
A short time later, the car stopped and Enzo got out. My door ripped open, nearly coming off its hinges, and he reached for me.
My heart plummeted as I backpedaled away from him, my breath coming in short, panicked gasps. His eyes, usually warm and teasing, had turned hollow, like he’d slipped on a mask and the real Enzo had vanished. The bitter taste of betrayal flooded my mouth as he grabbed my wrist and yanked me out of the car. My charm bracelet bit painfully into my skin, and the sting only got worse when I tried to fight. To twist and pull and free myself as he dragged me toward an abandoned warehouse.
The sounds of my struggle echoed off the old, dirty brick, but there was no one around to hear me. I tried to note my surroundings, looking for any landmarks or street signs I could use to figure out where the hell he’d taken me, but I barely had time before he’d hauled me inside.
Wild terror clawed up my throat at the sound of Beretta’s weak growl, silenced as the old steel door slammed shut, leaving me surrounded by nothing but old concrete walls covered in graffiti and the harsh, unfeeling, rigid frame of my captor.
I tried to scratch him, hit him, to pry his fingers off of me, anything to make it more difficult for him to drag me toward the rusted, unsafe looking freight elevator.
“Kit, just come with me. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.” His voice was flat, practiced, devoid of the Enzo I knew. The Enzo I’d trusted.
I shook my head, yanking against his punishing grip on my forearm. “All this time... it was you?”
He swallowed and glanced away, not even giving me the courtesy of a response.
“Why?” I whispered, the single word scraping up my throat.
A muscle in his jaw twitched. He didn’t answer. Just lunged forward, faster than I could react, and wrapped his fingers around my upper arm instead so he had better leverage to control me. The pressure was bruising, but it was nothing compared to the agony of his betrayal. This man had wormed his way into my life. Had pretended to be a friend. An ally.
And it was all a lie.
He forced me into the rickety elevator tucked in the corner of the warehouse floor despite how hard I struggled, digging my heels into the concrete and twisting my body to try to break his grip. But Enzo was a Beta nearly twice my weight, and despite Gio’s training, I was no match for his raw strength.
“Stop fighting,” he hissed, shoving me into the corner. The metal cage rattled as he yanked the grated door shut. “It won’t change anything.”
The lift groaned to life, ancient gears grinding as we ascended. Dust motes swirled through the air, making my throat tickle, and the stench of old oil and rusted metal filled my nostrils. My head spun with disorientation and fear.
“Where are you taking me?” I demanded, trying to mask my terror with anger.
Enzo stared straight ahead, refusing to meet my eyes. “You know where.”
And I did. Deep down, I knew exactly who was waiting for me.
Rocco.
The elevator shuddered to a stop on what must have been the top floor. Enzo pulled the door open and pushed me out into a large, open space. The windows lining the walls were coated with years of grime, turning the afternoon sunlight into something murky and diffuse. The air was stagnant, thick with dirt, mold, and neglect—but it was the faint, familiar traces of scorched metal and burnt ash that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
Rocco…
Enzo shoved me forward, and I stumbled, my legs trembling, refusing to work right. The rational part of my brain screamed at me to keep it together, to look for exits, to remember everything my Alphas had taught me. But panic was a living thing inside my chest, squeezing my lungs and making each breath a struggle.
And then, beneath the panic, I felt something else. Four faint yet distinct tugs inside me, like threads being pulled taut. Dimitri, Giovanni, Tommas, Marco—my mates. Our bond, still new but undeniably powerful, stretched between us. They knew something was wrong. Could feel my fear, my distress.
But the connection was too weak, too distant. Like shouting underwater. I closed my eyes, trying desperately to strengthen it, to send them some clue about where I was. The threads pulsed, warm and alive, but frustratingly dim. Not enough to guide them to me.
Enzo guided me through the large empty space as a slow clap echoed through the room, the sound bouncing off the bare walls.
“Well, well. Look who finally decided to join us.”
That voice. The voice from my nightmares. I forced my eyes open to see Rocco Valentino sauntering toward me, a twisted smile distorting his cruel face. He looked different from the last time I’d seen him—thinner, with dark shadows beneath his eyes and a manic energy that made him seem barely contained in his own skin.
Enzo gave me a harsh push, abandoning me to the man who dominated my nightmares.
“Hello, little bitch ,” Rocco purred, circling me like a predator. “Did you miss me?”
I said nothing, focusing instead on controlling my breathing, on not showing the bone-deep terror that threatened to paralyze me. Behind Rocco, several men stood awkwardly, their hands resting on holstered guns. They shifted uneasily, exchanging glances when Rocco’s back was turned. Something about the scene felt off—like they were as unsettled by their boss as I was.
“Nothing to say?” Rocco stopped in front of me and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. “That’s fine. I’ll do the talking.”
He released me with a shove that sent me stumbling back. Then, without warning, he grabbed a metal pipe leaning against the wall and slammed it against a nearby rusted out filing cabinet. The crash made me jump and the men behind him flinch. One of them—a burly guy with a neck tattoo—actually took a half-step back.
This wasn’t business as usual for them. This was something different. Something unstable.
“Funny how history repeats itself,” Rocco mused, caressing the pipe like it was a pet. “Last time I tried to kill your Alphas, they lived.” His eyes gleamed with a feverish light. “This time? I’ll finish the job.”
From the corner of my eye, I spotted Enzo leaning against the far wall, arms crossed over his chest. He was deliberately looking anywhere but at me, his face pale and drawn. A slight tremor ran through his hands, which he tried to hide by clenching them into fists.
The sight of him made something inside me go cold and hard. My former friend. The man who’d made me laugh over cookies. Who’d shared meals with my family. Who’d helped me learn to fight.
I’d trusted him. I’d welcomed him into my home, into the sanctuary my Alphas had created for me. I’d confided in him, opened up to him, treated him like one of us.
And he’d betrayed us all.
For what? Money? Revenge? Power? I didn’t know, and at the moment, I didn’t care. There wasn’t a single reason in the world that could justify what he’d done.
Rocco stalked closer, invading my space in a way that made my skin crawl. “Your Alphas took everything from me,” he whispered, his breath hot against my ear. “My Omega. My brothers. My business. And now? Now I take everything from them.” His hand shot out, fisting in my hair and yanking my head back, glaring at the marks that branded my throat. “Starting with you.”
Before I could process what was happening, his fist connected with my cheekbone. Pain exploded across my face, stars bursting behind my eyes. I staggered, crying out, tasting blood where my teeth had cut into my cheek. My skin had split, and a dribble of red trickled down to drip off my chin. Dimly, I registered Enzo turning away, unable to watch.
The coward.
My cheekbone throbbed, my whole face aching from the force of the hit.
Rocco grabbed my hair again, forcing my head up as he pulled out his phone. “Smile for the camera, micia . Let’s show your mates what happens when they fuck with a Valentino.”
The camera flash momentarily blinded me. Through the haze of pain and disorientation, I felt the bond threads spike with a fresh, raw emotion—panic, fury, desperation. My Alphas had felt that punch, had seen the picture of the aftermath. They knew I was gone. Taken. And they felt my fear, my pain.
“There we go. That ought to light a fire under their asses.” Rocco tucked his phone away, grinning. “They’ll come running now. Like the good little guard dogs they are.”
A chill ran down my spine. That’s what this was. I wasn’t just a captive—I was bait. He was using me to draw my mates into a trap.
“They’ll kill you,” I told him, my voice steadier than I expected. “Every single one of you.” I eyed each man behind him, giving them fair warning.
Rocco just laughed. That same low, vicious sound I’d heard before—but now it was edged with something completely deranged. “You really think they’ll get the chance?” he taunted, stepping closer. “I’ve been planning this moment since the night your little pack walked into my compound and blew it all to hell. I’m always one step ahead of our little game of cat and mouse. Now all I have to do is wait.”
He jerked his head toward the metal door set into the far wall, then strode toward it, heavy boots echoing on the concrete.
“You like games, micia ? I do.” He unlatched the door and threw it open, revealing a shadowy space beyond. “Since we have time to pass until your Alphas arrive, let’s play one.” His smile was all teeth and malice. “I had fun creating a little maze for you. Even tested it out with that whore, Jennica, to make sure it was all ready for our little playdate.”
Ice ran through my veins, because deep down, I knew she hadn’t survived whatever cruel, twisted game this was.
“Run, little Omega.” The glint in his eyes was brutal and mocking. “And since I’m feeling generous, if you can make it out before I catch you?” He gave a mock bow. “You’re free.”
I peered past him, my stomach dropping. The doorway opened into what looked like an industrial jungle—narrow corridors formed by metal walls and stacked crates, twisting away into darkness. Strange echoes bounced through the space, disorienting and eerie.
When I didn’t move, Rocco sent Enzo a pointed look.
“Go on,” Rocco prodded, and Enzo shoved me toward the opening, doing his bidding. “Run. Hide. Let’s see how long you last.”
It was bullshit. I knew it was bullshit. There was no escape, no “freedom” at the end of this sick game. He just wanted to hunt me, to toy with me, to break me down completely before my mates arrived.
But I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me beg. I wasn’t going to cower while he gloated.
“ Run , you little bitch,” he yelled, obviously reaching a breaking point with my disobedience.
Enzo shoved me again. This time I moved forward, meeting Rocco’s gaze on my way past, letting him see the hatred burning in my eyes. He sneered, and I’d seen enough.
I turned away and faced the maze, calculating my chances, trying to figure out a strategy.
Behind me, I heard Enzo’s voice, quiet and strained. “I didn’t have a choice.”
I paused, just for a second, to glance back at him. His face was a mask of guilt and what looked almost like grief. But I had no sympathy left for him.
“You always had a choice,” I spat, and then I was running, plunging deeper into the labyrinth as the door slammed shut behind me, locking me in.
The corridors were tight and disorienting, the metal walls reflecting what little light filtered through. My footsteps echoed, making it impossible to tell if I was being followed or if the sounds were just bouncing back at me. The air was thick, damp, and pungent with chemicals that burned my nose and lungs and made my eyes water.
Or maybe that was just the tears I refused to let fall.
Gio’s training sessions flashed through my mind as I ran. His voice, calm and firm: “Head down, elbows in. You’re faster than you think. Don’t stop moving.”
I tried to keep my breathing even, to pace myself. To think strategically. I needed to find a way out, or at least a place to hide until my mates could find me. The bond threads pulsed in my chest, stronger now, which meant they were getting closer.
Unfortunately, that only fueled my desperation and fear. As much as I wanted them to burst in like knights in shining armor and rescue me again, I was terrified that this might be the time Rocco made good on his promise.
If I could find a way out. If I could just warn them before they entered the building… maybe I could save them .
I took a sharp left, then another right, trying to create distance between myself and Rocco. The maze seemed endless, one identical corridor bleeding into the next. My lungs burned, and my legs were starting to feel like lead.
I hit a corner too fast, my shoes slipping on the smooth concrete. My shoulder slammed into the metal wall with bruising force, and I bit back a cry of pain. Blood filled my mouth from where I’d bitten my tongue. I spat it out, wiping my face with the back of my hand.
Get up. Keep moving. Don’t stop.
Thoughts of my mates flickered through my mind as I pushed forward. Dimitri, with his quiet strength and unwavering protection. Giovanni, fierce and tender in equal measure. Marco, wild and loyal and sweet to his core. Tommy, whose smile could light up even my darkest days.
I could do this.
I could survive this.
I could break out.
Save myself.
Save them.
The corridor narrowed, forcing me to turn sideways to squeeze through. My heart hammered against my ribs, adrenaline making my hands shake. I was lost, completely turned around in this industrial nightmare.
And then I hit a dead end.
Cold concrete wall rose in front of me, solid and impassable. To my right was a heavy metal door, but when I tried the handle, it was locked. No way forward. No way out.
I spun around, intending to backtrack, only to freeze at the sound of footsteps. Heavy. Deliberate. Coming closer.
A sob caught in my throat, but I swallowed it down. No. I wasn’t going to break. Not like this. Not for him.
Never, ever again.
I squared my shoulders, ignoring the pain that radiated from my bruised face and battered body. I spat another mouthful of blood onto the floor and raised my chin as the footsteps closed in. A small act of defiance.
There was no backup. No exit. Just me. And him.
But I still had one thing left—
Fire .
“Come on, then,” I growled, clenching my fists at my sides.
If he wanted a fight, I’d give him one. I wasn’t the same terrified Omega he’d kept locked in that basement. I’d changed. Grown stronger. Found my voice.
Found my confidence. My power .
And no matter what happened next, I wouldn’t let Rocco take that from me. I wouldn’t let him break me.
The footsteps stopped just around the corner, and a shadow stretched across the floor, elongated and menacing.