Chapter 48
SIN
My own fear wasn't as strong as I had expected as I saw Holden walk through the cell door. Instead, it was washed away by the sharpest stab of relief I'd ever experienced.
I'd been right.
I'd been right, and Crescent was protected.
The rest of my pack, though… They were fighting. Not dead, but I didn’t know how long that would last.
Holden leaned against the bed nearest the door, watching me where I sat. I was on the bed closest to the far corner, not right next to the rut cage, my gun in my lap.
“We were told there were two omegas.” That was Wyatt, another in Holden’s pack. He drew up like Holden had, not getting too close when he caught sight of me.
“We didn't trust Sterling,” I said, clenching my jaw. “Went to get help herself.”
Holden grinned. “Don't get your hopes up. I’m sure she’ll be returned to us. Everyone will know who she’ll belong to by morning.”
The rest of the pack was here. I could see them through the door, filtering in behind Holden, none getting too close.
The whole fucking Ronan pack. Seven alphas left. One was already dead, but it didn’t seem as though they’d examined his body. If they had, they wouldn’t be lingering back, eyes drifting occasionally to the ammo-less gun in my hand and back to their pack lead, as if awaiting instruction.
“You promised the Wakefield pack Crescent?” I asked.
A betrayal like this was a gamble. It meant a full flip in loyalty. Building trust would be difficult in the future if their word meant nothing.
The reward would have to trump all of that.
“Your value was used up the moment your pack bonded her, Sin. If they don't get invites to watch you with those other omegas, they aren't interested anymore. But I told them not to worry. When you're dark bonded to us, they'll get all the shows they want—and a sweet little piece of ass on top.”
I got to my feet, grip white-knuckled on the bed frame as I looked between them.
My heart was racing.
Where were the others?
Alive… I could feel it, but they weren’t good.
And Vandle was almost non-existent in the bond now.
I shoved back the momentary panic that shot through my nervous system.
Holden grinned. “Those alphas of yours are dead.” He pulled a key from his pocket and held it up like a medal before putting it back.
“I’ll take you to look at their bodies in the cages after—the Wakefields tore them to pieces, I bet.
But first, we're going to get a heat and a dark bond all in one.”
I wasn't nearly out of it enough to truly look like I was in heat, but I think Holden's pack had so much obsession for me that they were seeing what they wanted to.
And if I was right, and my blockers had worn off, my scent should be in this room more than hers. Sterling had obviously mentioned heat, and they thought it was me.
My eyes flickering to the door, I caught Wyatt following my gaze before snapping back to me, a purely feral look in his eyes.
As if he wanted me to run.
I had to hold it together.
Not long ago, this would have been my worst nightmare. The outcome I’d protected myself from ever since I’d arrived here. But Crescent had changed everything. The whole dynamic of Anarchy had shifted, alliances crumbling, previous, perfectly laid plans and protection, like dust in the wind.
This outcome, perhaps it had always been inevitable, but at least it wasn't my worst nightmare any longer.
Seeing Holden with his hands on her, that was something I couldn't survive.
Holden took a step, closing some of the distance, and I lifted the gun, levelling it at him.
He stopped, eyes darting between mine, amusement in them. “They will tear you limb from limb if you do that, Sin, and you know it.”
We stared at each other, and he slowly took one more step. On pure instinct, I flipped the gun and pressed it up to my chin.
Again, he paused, cocking his head as if curious. He didn’t say anything for a long moment, a smile playing on his lips.
There was a long silence as I ran through every useless plan possible. I was fucking trapped. Before I could do anything, Holden closed the final gap between us, his huge fist closing around the gun and my neck.
I trained every fucking day in this godforsaken place, but it didn't matter. It never would matter in the face of an alpha with an aura.
My free fist caught him in the cheek before his aura burst into the air. It made him far faster than me, and in a half second flat he’d dragged me from the bed and slammed me against the wall. His foul smell of sour whiskey was everywhere as he leaned close.
“We found Grady’s body, Sin,” he said. “Shot to the stomach, and there aren’t that many guns around here, are there?”
I snarled, struggling uselessly as he adjusted his grip, re-angling the gun to my chin properly. I tensed as he moved his finger and I heard a click.
Nothing happened.
He grinned. “That’s what I thought.”
He dropped his grip on my neck, but I barely had a chance to breathe as pain split my head and I was knocked to the ground. I grunted at another burst of agony in my stomach as he kicked me.
The room spun as I blinked, adrenaline keeping me alert. My hands were planted on the stone floor, trying to steady myself, a groan slipping out as the pain worsened.
But I froze as I heard the intercom crackle above me, and a feminine, robotic voice said: “Karma Thomas. Your appeal has arrived. Proceed to the waiting room with your pack.”
I… no.
The thirty-minute timer had started… I…I didn’t even know where my pack was.
I heard Holden laugh. “There it is, Sin. Looks like it’s over for you and your pathetic pack.”
But… It was too soon. When the Leo pack wanted out, their call had been delayed too late. And now ours was the opposite and fucked us over just the same.
Despair made the world spin.
I didn't see Holden, just the shadow crossing the cracks in the floor.
“Sterling thought it was her in heat, you know, but I'm not disappointed,” Holden growled in my ear.
“I've dreamed of this for so long. I'm going to break you before I use that body for the only thing it's good for.” I felt his fist around my neck as he shoved me onto my back, pinning me to the ground.
“Welcome to the worst day of your life.”
I hated how weak I was in the face of an alpha’s aura.
This was wrong.
I could hear the sneer in Holden’s voice. “And you'll still be begging for me by the end of it, like the pathetic creature that you—” He cut off, head turning, clearly stalled by something.
My blood was still pounding in my ears, agony trying its best to distract me, but I'd heard what he’d heard.
No...
Fuck.
Thump!
I couldn't see them, but I knew every alpha in the room froze.
I'd been in Anarchy long enough to be able to parse out different sounds.
Distant howls from the nearby ones. Threats or paranoia.
And the distinct difference between the fainter sounds of a rutting alpha far away, or the one in the rut box in my own cell.
We could all tell.
So I knew why they froze at the faintest thump... thump... It was irregular. Not as loud as I was used to. But it was unmistakable.
A sound coming not from far away at all, and my blood chilled as Holden's eyes snapped to the rut box.