Chapter 56
FIFTY-SIX
OCEAN
I awoke, stiff and aching, with no idea what time it was. Judging by the complexity of the emotions that were filtering through the pack bond, it was likely daytime.
It was cold in the cells, and the ancient threadbare blanket that had come with my cell wasn’t enough, though I guess I could be glad Casey hadn’t grabbed me to take another freezing shower.
I blinked my eyes open and stared at the concrete wall across from me.
Flashes from the night before were coming back to me; everything after I’d been injected with rofetamine was murky and hard to remember.
It was probably a good thing, though. It was a real mindfuck to relive moments when I’d had no control.
“Finally. You’re up.” Hugo’s gruff voice came over from his cell. I gave him a cheerful wave, which made him scowl. “Stop playing around,” he said. “It’s time to go through those exercises again.”
“Again?” I groaned. “I can barely stand.”
“It’s your funeral,” Hugo replied, shrugging, before settling into the first stance.
“I need a coffee,” I muttered, but I straightened my spine and bent my knees as I copied him.
My body protested, already beaten and tired, but I forced it to move anyway.
Hugo had said it would take repetition for these stances to become part of my muscle memory, and I needed every advantage I could get.
I had to stay strong until they got me out of here.
It was only when my limbs were shaking from the effort that Hugo said I could stop.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead. “You’re a real hardass, you know that?” I puffed.
He snorted. “Please. Laurel could do all those for twice the time without breaking a sweat, when she was twelve.”
I perked up with interest. “She could?”
“Sure, she could. The older Jule got without claiming an aura, the more his twat of a father sent him to me. As if you could make someone an alpha by having them train to fight. Laurel used to sneak in and join us when she could.”
“What a little rebel,” I said, imagining a small Laurel learning to kick ass.
“She’s a good kid. Her brother was a complete brat, but his heart was in the right place. She lost a lot of her fire when she lost him.”
“What happened?” I asked.
“His father, that’s what,” he snapped, and I decided not to push the conversation further.
I sank down on my pallet and lay back, preparing myself for another day of staring at my cage walls.
God, the sheer boredom of being stuck here might make me go crazy faster than any rut drug.
The time was only marked by Casey’s comings and goings as he tended to the alphas here.
He put down my breakfast with an apologetic smile. He had a black eye and a split lip.
“Jesus, Casey, what happened to you?” I asked, frowning at him.
“Oh. Just an accident when I was washing Titan,” he said, shrugging it off.
“They should have alphas doing that stuff. I mean, they shouldn’t be keeping feral alphas down here in the first place, but you know what I mean.”
He shrugged again. “We’re getting a new guard today,” he said, looking worried. “I might not be able to keep talking to you like this.”
I nodded, my heart sinking.
We’d lose a lot more than just talking.
Casey was the only nice person who worked here. It sucked when anyone else was on duty, and even though I felt a bit guilty, I was really grateful that Casey was scheduled so much.
“Boy!” Lars’s voice cut through the room, and Casey jumped. “Come meet your new partner.”
Casey gave me a worried look but walked away, cranking up the portcullis gate, then stepping through the reinforced door to where Lars was waiting for him.
Standing next to Lars was a small, dark-haired male. For a second, I blinked, sure there must have been a mistake. There was no way this person was a security guard—his tranquilizer gun and guard uniform looked comically big on him.
He could have been the poster child for male omegas. He didn’t even look old enough to grow facial hair yet, and his long, dark lashes and plump lips landed him firmly in adorable territory, even as he scowled at the room.
“This is Shaun,” Lars said disdainfully as the boy directed his scowl at Casey. “Honestly, they keep sending me fuckin’ trash. First you, now this kid. Try not to let him get killed on his first day.”
I stifled a laugh as Shaun flipped Lars off from behind his back. Casey gave a cough.
“Hi,” Casey said, straightening up to his full height. “I’m Casey.”
The new guard nodded at him curtly.
“Right,” Lars said. “I’m out of here, then. There’s keys and an ID on the desk.”
“Yes, sir,” Casey replied, and Lars glared at him before storming off.
After they disappeared into the offices for a while, Casey brought the new guard out, showing him how the security doors worked. Shaun was barely tall enough to fully turn the lever for the portcullis.
“There any cameras in here?” Shaun asked, stepping into the cell area and looking around. How old was this kid? It didn’t even sound like his voice had dropped yet.
“Yeah,” said Casey, pointing them out.
Shaun nodded, and Casey cleared his throat.
“Lars doesn’t usually check on us, and you’ll be working with me most of the time.” He folded his arms, an uncharacteristic frown marring his face. “Look, the alphas might be wild, but it's not their fault they’re stuck in here. If you try to bully them, you’ll regret it.”
Shaun raised an eyebrow. Casey was earnest, but despite his size, he wasn’t very intimidating.
“Sure,” Shaun said with a shrug. “Not really my thing.”
Casey nodded, and as he turned, Shaun’s eyes lingered on his face, assessing him as if in a new light.
“Don’t worry about helping me move the guys around for now. They’re pretty tough to manage, and I’d hate to see you get hurt,” Casey continued.
“You don’t need to baby me,” Shaun said, squaring up his small frame and narrowing his pretty eyes at Casey. “I may be small, but I can handle myself.”
“N-no, of course,” Casey said, and I was amused to see a hint of a blush coloring his cheeks. “I just, um, thought you should learn how I do it properly first.”
Shaun broke into a grin and shoved Casey in the gut with his shoulder. “I’m just kidding around,” he said. “If a guy like you is having trouble, I should probably start small.” His eyes landed on me, as I was the smallest one here. “Raze, right?”
“That’s his fighter name,” Casey replied. “His real name is Ocean.”
“Oh, cool. Do you know all their real names?” Shaun asked curiously.
Casey shrugged. “Hugo tells me,” he said, nodding at the older alpha who was watching them. “He asks them all when they first come. Titan was the only one who never told him.”
Shaun nodded, casting a curious glance at Hugo before turning back to Casey. “Okay, big boy. Let’s finish the welcome tour and then show me if there’s anything fun to do around here.”
I settled in to watch as Casey showed Shaun how to do the meal trays. They picked up the tray at the same time, and Casey’s face went scarlet as their hands brushed. Shaun caught me smirking at them. He bit his lip to hide a smile as Casey stammered an apology.