Chapter 22
Seven days until appeal
CRESCENT
It was the next day—and well past lunch already—and my pack was panicking.
They’d cuddled me all night, though there had been a scrap between Karma and Phantom at one point (and still no hint of consummation, but if they wanted to take it slow, I would spare a rare prayer for patience).
Now it was past midday, and they kept stepping out to talk in hushed voices in the hallway or bathroom, where I couldn’t hear anything other than the worried tone of their words. As the day went on, they turned the cell inside out four times, leaving only my nest undisturbed.
If something was wrong, I wanted to help fix it, but they shut me down every time.
I was pouting in bed when a crash echoed through the room, coming from the hall. My heart jumped, and I shrank back for a second, but Karma and Phantom surged to their feet.
Sin was out there. And Vandle.
As my alphas rushed to the door and threw it open, I stood on shaky legs and followed. I kept a pillow clutched to my chest, my hands engulfed in my sleeves.
Phantom had to hold Karma back from lunging at whatever was waiting in the hall, and I swallowed my whine, peering around them.
Vandle was restrained by four alphas, his violent aura flaring with rage. Sin stood face-to-face with Dominic Redgrave—a man I’d learned was not only begrudgingly respected by the alphas down here but also powerful and dangerous.
“Do you have it or not?” he asked.
“I said I would get it to you today.”
“Time’s up. You’re going to give us a show.”
I frowned. What did that mean?
Sin pushed his hand into his pocket but pulled it out empty-handed. His jaw was clenched. “We can negotiate something else.”
“You know we can’t. Now, either come with us by choice, or we can traumatize your little gold pack by dragging you both to the cages, kicking and screaming.”
Phantom’s grip on Karma slipped. Or he released him so he would have help with the fight he was about to start. They both surged forward, growls in their chests, but barely got a punch in before they were held back, same as Vandle.
Karma kept thrashing and fighting, but it only meant he got shoved face-down onto the floor with the weight of two alphas keeping him there.
I shied farther back into the room, but Dominic’s piercing gaze landed on me.
“Come to Sin.” He waved a hand in a gesture that he maybe thought would look welcoming.
I locked eyes with my mate. Should I… listen? There was nowhere to run or hide. No options other than to walk out into the mess of battering auras and the faint scent of blood from Karma’s scraped knuckles.
Sin’s blood-red eyes were hate-filled, more devilish than they’d ever been. His body vibrated, but he pushed out a heavy breath and held out a hand for me.
I dropped the pillow and rushed forward, launching myself into his embrace before anyone else could think to grab me.
“Oh, this is going to be a wonderful show.”
SIN
“You lied to me, Sin.” Dominic sat in a rusty metal chair in the corner of the room.
They used this space as the office for the rut cages, where dangerous bets and dark deals were agreed upon. While the Marshall pack ran the alpha fights, tonight’s show was controlled by the Redgraves.
And Crescent and I would be the stars.
Evening was closing in, and Crescent was in the room next door, heavily guarded by alphas. If our pack had been freed at all, which was doubtful by the echoes of frustration and fury down the bond, they wouldn’t have the numbers needed to save her anyway.
“I didn’t lie.”
“Then where the fuck is my key?”
“We lost it.”
I lost it… somehow. I still didn’t understand how it had been there one second and gone the next. Someone must have pickpocketed me, but how did I not notice?
“That’s a liar’s excuse. Was your plan to use me for protection until your appeal and abandon me with nothing? You should know I’m not that stupid, nor that kind.”
He wouldn’t believe my excuses, and I couldn’t blame him. I wouldn’t.
I waited to hear what he said next because deceiving him would have a cost.
“Do the show with her, and I won’t kill you.” Dominic’s eyes glinted, and I knew he’d already advertised the show throughout Anarchy. If we’d been less preoccupied with finding the key, we might have realized. “Or object, and your entire pack dies. She can always do the show with someone else.”
I snarled, shaking my head. “We’ll do the fucking show. But we get protection after.”
“You get mercy, Sin. I should kill you for lying to me.”
Fuck this deal.
But it was locked in now; probably had been since I’d first visited the Redgraves for those clothes. I guess fate gets what it wants, and the key wasn’t able to save us after all.
When I'd made the deal, I'd known nothing about her. Not that she was my scent match, or that she would be so... soft.
Most of the omegas tossed down here were half-feral already, rough around the edges and willing to do what it took to survive. Crescent wasn't what I'd expected—and I hadn't expected the Redgrave pack to call in those debts so quickly, or with such... extremes.
But if he was going to force me to do this, I would make sure it counted.
“No—I'll give you something that will make this show the most lucrative you've ever run, but you will give us protection until our appeal.”
Dominic stared at me, clearly considering. Honesty had its own value down here, and he thought I’d just lied to him. That would make it harder to convince him I wasn’t lying again.
“And,” I added, “Not one member of Holden’s pack is allowed in.”
“A paying customer is a paying customer.”
“I guarantee you’ll be turning people away anyway. The room isn’t big enough for everyone in Anarchy.”
He looked me up and down, and I thought he might have an inkling of what our secret was. But he had integrity to uphold—he wouldn’t advertise information that was only his hunch.
It was the biggest risk I'd ever taken, but Dominic Redgrave was known, above all else, for keeping to his deals. It’s how he’d maintained such strict control over Anarchy.
“What’s the information?” he asked.
“Can't tell you until you’ve agreed to the deal.”
Once I told him, it was done. He'd have the value.
“She’s more valuable to me in here, you know. Why should I secure her departure—and yours?”
“This will be the most value you'll ever get out of her. Give it a few months and she'll be old news, if she survives.”
“And what of you?”
“If you make me stay, it won't be the same on the other end.” It wouldn't be. I wouldn't work with any of these fucking pricks if I knew all they were set on was trapping me down here. Before, I hadn't known what would happen if we failed. But the whole landscape changed with Crescent.
Failing wasn't an option.
“You're lucky I like you, Sin.”
“You better. I've made you enough money.”
It was true. I made bargains with other packs regarding their omegas, but the Redgraves were partners with the Marshall pack in operating the rut cages. He was usually involved in the deals I made—if I wasn't dealing with him directly.
I was lucky too that Dominic was a bit of a gambler himself. He grinned, eyes twinkling.
“Fine. You have my word. But the show better be like nothing we've ever seen.”
They’d get a show, alright. I’d done this hundreds of times and knew how to work the crowd. And Crescent… Well, she was just Crescent. No one would be able to take their eyes off her even if she wasn’t playing it up.
Dominic tapped his foot, waiting for me to give him the confirmation he needed to jack up the prices for our show.
“As it turns out, my scent match—” I lingered on the word. Dominic wasn’t noticeably surprised by the information. “Isn't... experienced.”
His smile widened, his eyes darting between mine. “At all?”
“At all.”
“Well then. Looks like it was valuable information, after all. You’ll get your chance at appeal.”
It might be, but before we reaped the benefits, there were more hurdles to clear.
I had to explain it all to Crescent.
CRESCENT
We were in the bathroom, and one of the Redgrave alphas was outside, guarding. I wasn’t sure how long we’d been here, but I could feel all my alphas’ stress through the bond.
“What's happening?” I asked, trying to keep the quiver from my voice.
“This is my fault,” Sin said. “I didn't know…” He rubbed his face. “I'm a performer. To keep the pack safe, I've built a... reputation. Sometimes packs like to throw their omega in a cage with me so they can watch…” He winced.
Watch?
My lips parted.
My mind raced through everything I knew about alphas. I had seen the viciousness of the ones down here.
“They want you to... fight me?”
For entertainment?
Sin’s lips parted, and I saw surprise cross his features. “No. That's not what I mean.”
Oh, thank god. He was really muscular, and I'd never been taught how to fight. “Then...?”
“Oh, sweet omega, they want to watch me fuck you.”
“What?” The word came out as a squeak, my mind going blank.
They... what?
“That’s… sort of what I do. Used to, you know…” He shook his head, not meeting my eyes for a moment. “Bang the other packs’ omegas for favours…”
Favours?
But that was completely sinful...
And I... “I've never…”
“I know.”
Okay. Well…
I mean, I had been dreaming of them, though this wasn’t exactly the way I’d pictured it. But it was… good, to a degree.
It was making me really stressed out that none of them had wanted me yet.
His hand brushed my cheek, and he pressed his forehead to mine. “I'm sorry.”
He was so beautiful.
My mate.
And it was hard not to trust him, but uh… with others watching? No one had seen me... like that... “I won’t know what to do—”
“If you say it’s a no, I'll do everything I can to get us free—”
“No, no.” I’d heard them discussing it. I knew what the Redgraves represented. I’d been so nervous since the confrontation in the cafeteria yesterday—seeing just how many alphas might want to hurt my pack to get to me.
And the Redgraves were security from that.