Chapter 34 Rowan #2
“Alright, I’m down the hall if you need anything. Good night, Rowan.”
On his way our of the room, his hand reached out to touch the copy of Treasure Island, which sent my panic skyrocketing.
He was going to find the keycard if he picked up the book.
Instead of picking it up, he simply rested his hand on it for a moment, lost in thought, before turning and leaving without another word.
I heard his footsteps moving away from the common space, relieved that he was going to bed.
Killian had left the kitchen at some point earlier, and it was finally quiet.
I waited a long time after he left, needing to be sure that everyone had gone to sleep, before I changed into some clothes.
I had nothing to take with me, but felt sentimentally compelled to bring Treasure Island, telling myself that it helped conceal the keycard, but knowing it was more than that.
Cade’s whiskey scent lingered on it, so I brought the book to my face and breathed it in for comfort.
“You can do this.”
I pulled back the curtains, looking out the window to the deserted courtyard, which was once bustling.
It was extremely late, and in the darkness I hoped to make it off the base unnoticed.
Once I was in the city, I planned to find a rideshare that would bring me home.
I could probably borrow someone’s phone to order one.
The city didn’t sleep, so I knew there would be people lingering on the streets.
Arca didn’t know where I lived in No-Man’s-Land, so I would be safe, as long as I could get there.
I didn’t have any money on me, but there was cash in the cottage to pay the driver.
I steeled myself, committing to my plan as I carefully turned the doorknob.
It was now or never.
Peeking through the crack in the door, I opened it silently.
It was pitch black in the common space. With only dim light emanating from the blue power button on the coffee machine that stayed permanently lit.
I waited to give my eyes time to adjust to the darkness, so I wouldn’t accidentally run into a chair and send alarm bells ringing.
Their hearing was impeccable, especially Talon’s, and I doubted sleep would prevent them from being alerted if I made any noise at all.
When my vision acclimated, I started my careful journey through the living room and kitchen.
I held my breath, clutching Treasure Island, too nervous even to breathe.
It was only a short walk to the front door, but it felt like an eternity.
When I finally reached the door, I turned the deadlock as softly as I could.
The keycard granted access from the outside, but I didn’t need to use it to leave.
It would be required to open the stairwell door or elevator though.
Trying the handle, I said a desperate and silent prayer that there wasn’t a group of soldiers lingering in the hallway just outside. I had heard no noise and knew it would likely be desolate at this time of night. Still, my luck wasn’t great, frankly.
As I opened the door, light spilled into the apartment from the hallway’s fluorescent overheads. I peeked out, noting the coast was clear. It wouldn’t be for long, so as quickly as I could, I slipped from the apartment, closing the door silently behind me.
The bright lights jarred my vision, which had grown accustomed to the dark, and it took me a moment to orient myself toward the stairwell.
Its large red neon sign brightly illuminated my path and beckoned me towards it.
Although I hadn’t seen where it led, I felt pretty confident that it would exit somewhere in the courtyard.
A large parking lot sat beyond the courtyard, with a manned station and traffic barrier, which allowed entry on and off the base. If I stayed low, I could pass right by the guard’s tiny glass box without him seeing me. I doubted they were on alert for people leaving the compound.
I checked the glass window, making sure no one was in the stairwell. The elevator down the hall dinged and lit up, telling me that someone was about to get off at our floor. Shit, I needed to hurry!
I flipped through the pages of the book, finding the keycard and swiping it quickly through the reader.
A loud buzz sounded, and the light turned green, just as the elevator doors opened.
I pulled the heavy door frantically, squeezing my way through it when the opening was just large enough.
I hoped desperately that whoever had been in the elevator hadn’t seen me.
My feet quickly descended the cement stairs. The only noise I heard was my erratic heartbeat and soft steps, but I remained on high alert. I went down one flight and then two. I suddenly found myself on the ground level, in view of an exit sign glowing above the exterior courtyard door.
In just a moment, I would be free!
I hurriedly approached the door, swiping my keycard as the reader beeped loudly. The door unlocked, and I pushed it open triumphantly. Warm air from outside enveloped me as I moved through the door.
Suddenly, my body collided with a large object, stopping me in my tracks. Harsh brown eyes peered down at me, and my stomach dropped.
The two alphas whom we had encountered at the elevator were standing in front of me. One was a tall brunette and the other had fiery red hair. They had been about to walk through the door, just as I went to walk out, crashing into me.
“Excuse me,” I said, trying to push past them and slip away before they figured out that I wasn’t where I was supposed to be.
The fear in my eyes must have given me away because a large hand clamped onto my bicep, holding me in place, as the redhead circled me.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” the redhead said.
“It’s Cade’s omega,” the tall man said, eyeing me warily and still gripping my bicep tightly. “Where exactly are you going at this time of night?”
“That’s none of your business!” I said, struggling to come up with a valid excuse as I shook my arm, trying to break his firm hold.
“Let me go now or I’ll tell Cade that you touched me!
He’ll rip you apart if he finds out!” I cried, hoping the threat of Cade’s retribution would be enough to repel them.
They had certainly seemed intimidated by him when we passed them at the elevator.
“He absolutely would, but something tells me you will not yell for him, or even tell him at all. Something tells me he doesn’t even know you’re here. I bet none of them do. Whose key card is that?” the redhead asked, pointing to my hand that still gripped it.
“It’s Killian’s. He said I could use it. I don’t have my own yet,” I lied.
They both laughed as if I had told the funniest joke in the world.
“Now we know you're lying. Omegas don’t get their own keycards, you silly girl. A packmate always chaperones them. Let’s go; we're bringing you back to your unit,” the brunette said, pulling my arm toward the staircase.
They were going to hand me right back over to Cade. I shuddered, thinking about what he would do when he found out about my attempted escape. I felt weak and dizzy. My fever was spiking, even with the recent Tylenol, and my head pounded.
"Hold up, Jayden," the redhead said, firmly positioning himself in the way and lifting a hand to his packmate's chest. "Let’s pause and think this through."
“What’s there to think about, Finn?” the other soldier asked skeptically.
Finn grabbed a lock of my hair between his pointer and thumb, raising it to his nose and breathing my scent in deeply.
“Her scent hasn’t changed yet. She still smells heavenly, which means they haven’t all finished marking and mating her yet,” he told him, offering my strand of hair to the other man.
“So what?” he questioned, grabbing the offering and inhaling.
“Think about it, Jayden. She’s not technically theirs yet.
Arca Military Law mandates that if a pack catches a deserter omega, she joins the pack that retrieved her.
Technically, she’s trying to desert right now, and we just found her.
Cade, Ryker, Killian and Talon had their chance to mark and mate her.
They didn’t finish the job, and here she is sneaking away from them in the night.
She clearly needs a stronger pack to discipline her and keep her behaving.
If it had been me, I would have kept her chained to the bed until her conditioning was complete.
” His callousness sent a chill of terror through me.
Was he really suggesting what I think he was suggesting?
He continued scheming, ignoring the look of horror that crossed my face. “We’re a small pack; there’s only two of us. We could mark and mate her quickly. Once her scent changes, they won’t be interested in her anymore.”
He studied my neck closely, peeling back a corner of the bandage that hid Killian’s mark. Killian wouldn’t take it well when he found out Finn had touched it. He’d probably beat him to a bloody pulp. That part of me was sacred to him. Even the rest of his pack knew better than to go near it.
Finn’s face contorted into a grimace at the gruesome sight of the wound before he continued. “They got her good, but we can bite right over the top of their marks for good measure. They're nowhere near healed yet.”
They both looked at each other, eyes meeting in silent agreement, before their carnivorous gazes turned to me, raking my flesh and burning with hunger.
The look on their faces might have ignited desire in me, if it had belonged to any of my alphas.
But coming from these men, it stirred nothing but a cold, consuming fear.
Deep inside, something warned me: these men weren’t honorable. Their intentions were sinister. And if given the chance, they would hurt me.