Chapter Twenty-three
T he van lurched and shuddered, throwing me hard against the rusted metal walls. I wrapped my arms around myself, curling into a protective ball as the engine's growl reverberated through my bones. My heart pounded, threatening to burst out as I squeezed my eyes shut, praying this was just another nightmare. But the van was too real, the feral snarls of the alphas in the front seats too familiar. This was happening. Again.
A strangled whimper escaped my throat as I recognized another one of the alphas. Kage’s second in command. His cruel sneer, the jagged scar slicing across his neck. He had been there that night. The night they came for me. For my parents.
I squeezed my eyes tighter, but couldn't block out the memories. They crashed over me like a crimson tidal wave of blood, drowning me in a sea of anguished screams. The feral roar of the alphas as they burst through our door. My mother's sharp cry of terror. My father's enraged shout as he lunged for his bat. The sickening crunch of bones snapping, of skulls caving beneath ruthless fists.
And the blood. So much blood. It sprayed the walls, pooled on the hardwood, soaked into the rug where I crouched frozen in horror. The coppery scent of it clogged my nostrils, coated my tongue. I could still taste it. Still feel the warm splatter on my face as my parents took their last, gurgling breaths.
A broken sob shuddered through me, yanking me back to the present. To the van that had become my mobile prison. To the alphas who had stolen everything from me. Who hadn't been done tormenting me yet.
The van jolted to a violent stop, slamming me into the doors with a thud that rattled my teeth. I bit back a yelp as pain flared through my shoulder, knowing they would only revel in my suffering. Heavy boots crunched on gravel, then the rear doors were flung open, and dull yellow light from a single flickering bulb illuminated the sneering faces of my captors.
Hands seized me, rough and unrelenting, dragging me out into the cold. The warehouse loomed ahead, all broken windows and peeling walls, its hulking shadow swallowing the moonlight. My feet scraped against uneven concrete, knees buckling, but their bruising grips kept me moving. Not out of concern, just control.
A rusted metal door groaned in protest as it was shoved open, ushering us into the dank shadows. Inside, the air was thick, wet with rot, heavy with grease. The stench curled in my nose, but I didn’t have time to brace before I was hurled to the filthy floor.
The impact forced the breath from my lungs in a sharp, shuddering gasp. Dust clung to my skin. Pain bloomed everywhere. But I clenched my jaw and stayed silent.
I wouldn’t let them hear me break.
Tremors snaked down my spine as the door clanged shut with a resounding boom, trapping me inside with the alphas who had brutally murdered my parents in cold blood.
A single bare bulb sputtered to life above me, its weak illumination only emphasizing the oppressive darkness that filled the cavernous space. It felt alive, and shadows danced as the bulb swung from the ceiling.
My arms shook beneath me as I pushed off the floor, muscles trembling, slick with sweat and fear. Filthy concrete bit into my palms, layers of grime grinding into my raw skin. I hissed through clenched teeth, but no sound escaped. I wouldn’t give them that. Not even a whimper.
Tears threatened, hot and stinging, but I blinked them back, forcing the burn down into the pit of my stomach. Weakness was blood in the water, and they were the sharks ready to devour me. Their eyes were crawling over my skin, undressing me in their minds, licking their lips. I felt stripped bare. It curdled my gut, bile searing the back of my tongue.
Still, I didn’t break.
I had clawed my way out of hell before, and I would again. If only to spit in the memory of what they did to my parents.
Squaring my shoulders, I lifted my chin in defiance and met the cold eyes of Kage towering over me. His lips curled back in a slow, feral grin.
"Welcome to your new home, little Omega," he murmured, vicious anticipation dripping from every word. "We're going to have so much fun breaking you."
His words slithered down my spine like ice, but I didn’t flinch. I burned them into my bones. I’d remember them. Every syllable, when I tore him apart.
A slow, sadistic smile spread across his face as he crouched down, his knees creaking, until his face hovered inches from mine.
Our eyes locked, but his held nothing human. Just a cold, gleeful malice. His gaze slid over me like a knife testing for soft spots, each flicker a violation. I could feel him smelling my fear, dragging it in like oxygen.
I inched back, spine scraping against the wall, hoping idiotically that its stone might swallow me whole. But he moved faster than I thought possible. His hand snapped out, fingers closing around my throat like a vile collar forged in hell.
"Look at you," he rasped, his breath rancid against my cheek. "Pathetic. Weak. Just like your parents."
The words struck like a blade to the gut, and rage surged, sharp and wild. Igniting through the raw ache of grief. My mouth opened, a protest catching fire in my throat.
Then came the blow.
A white-hot explosion bloomed behind my right eye as his fist connected. My head whipped sideways— crack . My skull slamming into the concrete with a sickening crunch. Pain fractured through me like shattering glass. The world spun. My vision blinkered with bursts of searing white.
I hit the ground in a heap; the cold floor rushing up to meet me. My pulse thundered in my ears. The metallic tang of blood flooded my mouth, hot and thick. I spat weakly, watching crimson spatter the grimy concrete, but I didn’t scream. I just lay there. Broken and burning, the echo of his words still ringing louder than the pain.
“Plea—” The word barely left my lips before agony shattered it.
His boot drove into my ribs, once— crack . Then again, a sickening grind echoing through my body like splintered glass in a storm. Something broke inside me. I felt it. Heard it, as fire lanced through my chest with every gasping breath.
But the pain was nothing compared to the memories. They crackled through my skull like lightning, each one a lash of pure anguish. My father's swollen eyes as the light faded from them. My mother’s choked sobs as she reached for me, fingertips twitching before falling still. Their bodies had been warm when I screamed for them. Still warm.
Tears carved burning paths down my face, mixing with the iron tang of blood, with the stench of dirt and sweat and fear. I folded into myself, ribs screaming with the effort, arms cradling my skull like that would stop the next blow.
It didn’t.
Fingers like iron tore into my scalp, fisting my hair and yanking my head back so hard the world tilted. I felt strands tear free. Sharp, fiery bursts across my skin. But I didn’t flinch. I couldn’t.
Pain was everywhere now, a living thing inside me, gnawing at every edge. But I welcomed it. It meant I was still here. Still mine .
For now.
“Look at me!” he snarled, shaking me like a rag doll. "I want to see the light leave your eyes every day when I fuck you." I choked back another cry, trying to focus through the red haze filming my vision. His face swam above me, a sinister smile of victory coating it. But then his gaze snagged on something.
His expression morphed into one of revulsion, and with brutal efficiency, he tore my blouse down the middle, sending buttons flying. Cool air kissed my bruised skin as the tattered fabric fell away. The alpha traced a finger over the silver crescent on my chest. Blake's bond mark. The only thing that had given me hope since they’d taken me.
The alpha spat on it.
"Filth," he growled, releasing me with a violent shove. I slammed back to the ground, gripping my ribs as the pain seared through me. "Claimed and broken already. You're not worth my time."
He straightened, towering over my trembling, battered form once more. With a dismissive flick of his hand, he turned to his pack mates.
"She's all yours, boys. Have fun." Then he walked off.
I could only watch through a veil of blood and tears as they descended on me, their shadows engulfing my broken body. Their feral snarls and vicious laughter echoed off the walls, filling the air with sadistic anticipation.
And I knew, with soul-crushing certainty, that the worst was yet to come.
THE REMAINING FOUR alphas circled me like a pack of rabid wolves, their movements tight with coiled brutality. I pressed against the freezing floor, arms cinched around my middle, barely holding myself together. My body trembled, not from fear, not anymore, but from the pressure building in my chest, white-hot and volatile. I wasn’t prey. I couldn’t be. Not again.
My eyes darted between them, searching for a crack in their formation, a moment of distraction. Nothing. Just the beta, lingering on the edge like a coward, wringing his hands and pretending this wasn’t real. He wouldn’t save me. None of them would.
Fingers latched around my ankles and yanked, dragging me away from the wall. I kicked out on instinct, heels flailing. But they just laughed, amused at my feeble attempts at resistance. One of them snatched my leg mid-kick, twisting hard. The world tilted. My stomach slammed into concrete as they flipped me. My arms were yanked back so violently that my shoulder almost dislocated. Pain flared, but under it, fury simmered.
“She squirms like a worm,” someone sneered.
“I bet she’ll squirm even better on my knot,” another laughed, voice thick with filth.
A roar built in my throat. Not a scream, but something primal. My teeth clenched until they ached, bile scorching up from my gut. I was done being afraid. Done being helpless.
I fought harder, ignoring the pain splitting my ribs, ignoring the blood leaking from my eye. Let them break their fingers on me. Let them bleed.
"Shut her up," a voice barked. "Before I rip her tongue out."
A hand crushed over my mouth, nails raking my cheeks. Hot, rancid breath oozed against my skin as someone leaned in, teeth grazing my ear.
“You’re gonna swallow every inch like a good little Omega whore,” he growled.
My skin crawled. My blouse tore at the seams. Nails raked over me. Hands groped, pulling at my pants.
No. No. no. no.
Something cracked inside me. A memory. Zach’s voice, firm and steady, cut through the chaos. Fight, Summer.
I slammed my heel up, connecting with flesh and bone. A howl. His grip loosened. I kicked again and his nose shattered beneath my boot.
Blood sprayed across the floor.
Snarling, I surged to my feet. A hand lunged, I sidestepped, my teeth bared. The beta charged from the side. I used his momentum against him. Planting my foot in his stomach and shoving hard.
He screamed as he landed on a steel pole, punching a hole through his torso. His body convulsed.
The sound would haunt me, but right now, I couldn’t care. I had seconds to move. Choking gurgles frothed from his gaping mouth as he slid further down, his weight driving him deeper onto the metal. The sickening squelch of tearing flesh churned my stomach.
Then he went limp, dead eyes staring at nothing. Skewered like a piece of meat.
Pain lanced through my spine as I was tackled from behind. My face smashed into the concrete with an audible crunch. I tasted blood and grit, then saw something gleam in the half-light. A knife.
White-hot agony tore through my shoulder. I screamed as the blade sliced into it, parting skin, and muscle. A hand clamped over my mouth, smothering the sound. I bit down hard. He shrieked, yanking back, leaving his finger behind.
I spat out blood and flesh, gagging. Still thrashing, still fighting.
Blood-slick fingers scrabbled at my waist, trying to tear my pants off. The icy sting of a knife tip traced my bare stomach. I bucked wildly, not caring as the blade cut into me. Anything was better than what they had planned.
A ragged cry tore from my lips as another alpha grabbed a fistful of my hair, wrenching my head up. My scalp screamed as strands ripped free. He shoved two fingers into my open mouth, hooking them behind my bottom teeth. I gagged on the foul taste of his skin. With a brutal wrench, he forced my jaw open wider until I felt the joints pop. Until drool leaked down my chin.
"Such a pretty mouth," he sneered. "Gonna look even prettier stretched around my cock." His words were cut off as I bit down hard, tasting blood again, this time his. He screamed, cursing, as he pulled back. They should have learnt the first time!
I gasped for breath, the air rasping painfully against my raw throat. The room spun around me, but through the fog of pain and fear, a searing clarity emerged. I had one chance to escape, one fleeting moment to leverage their shock into an opportunity.
Summoning every shred of strength left in my battered body, I made a break for it, tearing through the ring of alphas. My feet slipped on the slick floor, but desperation lent me speed. Behind me, I heard the furious roars as they recovered and gave chase.
I spotted a small side door at the far end of the warehouse. My heart surged with a cocktail of hope and terror as I ran as fast as I could. My lungs burned with each breath, my injuries screaming in protest, but fear propelled me forward.
As I slammed into the door, hands clawed at my back. With a violent yank backward, I was flung against the wall. The impact rattled my teeth, and stars exploded across my vision.
"Going somewhere?" a menacing voice sneered into my ear as another alpha pinned me against the wall.
But the fight wasn't out of me yet. With a snarl that surprised even me, I slammed my head back into his face. The crunch of his nose breaking was satisfyingly loud.
As he stumbled back, clutching his face, I wrenched the door open and stumbled into the night.
The night exploded around me, cold air hitting like ice water. I ran, lungs burning, legs trembling, blood soaking my bra and thighs. Something sliced my leg, but I didn’t stop.
The fence loomed, twisted metal and rust. I hurled myself at it, ignoring the bullets zipping past.
Climb! Climb!
My fingers bled as I scraped over the top. Then I was falling, tumbling, rolling, choking on air.
Underbrush swallowed me. Somewhere, sirens screamed. Too distant. Too far.
My body throbbed. My vision wavered. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. But inside, beneath the blood and brokenness, something refused to die.