Chapter 20
DIANA
It’s strange to admit that a few days have since passed.
There’s not much action one can take when holed up like this, and that eats at me.
What am I doing with myself? How can I possibly get any leads if I’m not allowed to leave?
Ravina seems to have changed her tune, claiming that taking me to the bonfire was merely an introduction, not an invitation to meet any alphas just yet.
Roxy was removed the following morning, and I haven’t seen her since.
I’ve explored the courtyard garden and found the fence line that Juno mentioned. It’s not only staffed with Dominion, but I’ve also since learned that dogs patrol it. You can hear them barking or yipping throughout the day.
And yes, they’re even out there at night.
None of the others have left, either. Where it once felt spacious, I admit it’s now pretty crammed.
Juno and Scorch play hacky sack during the day, Cassandra is pretty dedicated to yoga and stretching, while Mira and Alicia keep to themselves in their corner, drawing or reading.
Juno will go around and just talk all day long.
I focus on sharing stories about the Enclave if Juno asks too many questions.
I do what I can to avoid talking about my life before then.
I’ve also been trying to sleep a lot during the day.
Let my body rest after that intense heat I just endured.
Which means that I’m wired during the nights, so when the others are lounging or winding down for the day, I throw on a knitted sweater, jeans, wool socks with leather boots, and a wool blanket over my shoulders to repeat my initial meeting with the oak tree.
I brought a stool out the second night so I could sit on it, wrapping the blanket tightly around me as little clouds of breath form in front of me, my ass still cold. I stare up at the massive piece of nature.
My eyes connect with those of an owl, my breathing pausing. An immediate wave of envy washes over me, wishing desperately for the wings and freedom it has. I suck cold air into my lungs as the bird spreads its wings and flies away, watching it until I can no longer see it in the distance.
It’s very quiet now.
Not even the yipping of dogs is out there—
My eyes widen, and I hold my breath. Are they gone? Is it a changing of the guards? I nearly stand at the insinuation that there might be a break in security, but the sound of footsteps and crunching leaves stops me.
And then his scent.
My head snaps to the side to see Judge approaching from the side of the woods like he just appeared out of nowhere, hands placed in his bomber jacket. I glance at the large glass doors that would bring me back inside, but the lights are all dimmed in there.
“I wouldn’t run if I were you.”
My breathing becomes methodical, a thin, hazy cloud of warm breath disrupting my vision of Judge. I don’t know what’s changed in me, but the meekness that stemmed from hiding seems to be harder to access. “I’ve hardly got anywhere to go, thanks to you,” I mock.
Those pale, piercing eyes are set against a stubble on his face, blending slightly with the tattoos that crawl all the way up to his jawline. He looks me over very carefully. “You’re to come with me, Diana.”
I slowly rise to my feet, taking a few steps away from him. “No.”
“If you come willingly, I’ll set Selene free.”
My eyes widen under furrowed brows. He knows her name? “What?”
“She’s here,” he says, waving his hand around. “If you come with me, when I get back, I’ll let her go.”
“I don’t trust you at all. There’s no proof you have Selene,” I remark, although I’m terrified inside. What the fuck do I do if he actually has her?
It’s clear he’s putting in extra effort to hide his thoughts, that calculated man from New Bunker full on display here. “Do you have any other choice?”
A sad laugh escapes me. “Thanks for the reminder. What do you even want from me?” I ask, my voice breaking. “Please. Just spit it out instead of being so cryptic.”
He extends a hand, those eyes locked hard onto me. “Come with me.”
What is he doing? Why does that twist something inside like how he did when I was in heat?
It’s like the omega within is crying at the extension of an alpha, completely ignoring that it’s Judge.
Then, as I look at his weathered hand—the one that has touched me all over—I remind myself to be careful here. “Where is Selene?”
There’s a flash of annoyance, like he’s almost bothered by my focus on her rather than him. He doesn’t remove his hand. “Taken care of. The sooner you come with me, the sooner she’s freed.”
“You’re acting really weird,” I state, wondering for a moment if this is a dream.
He partially smiles. “No, I’m proving a point.”
“One, I have no proof you will free Selene, or that you even have her.” My subconscious scans for anything that might help me now. “Two, where are you even taking me? And three, what point?”
“You don’t need to be afraid, nurse. Not with me. And I’m taking you from out in this courtyard because we’re going somewhere else in the Iron Castle, and I want to avoid the halls in front. I’ve had you watched and figured you’d be out here tonight.”
Oh, good. Of course I’m being watched by him.
He knows Selene’s name, though. Sure, I could have blabbed about it while in heat, but it’s still a bad sign he knows.
I failed her.
Not yet. I didn’t fail her yet.
My chest heaves over and over, sucking in the cold air. My eyes blur, hating all of this.
He tilts his head. “Take my hand, Diana,” he gently says, like it might actually fix everything. I bet he’s proving a point as an alpha, that he can get me to take his hand so easily.
I start shaking my head, wiping my eyes with the blanket, so damn annoyed he’s putting me in a situation like this. He steps closer, and even though I take an immediate step back, I don’t run. I don’t feel like being pulverized again.
There’s a pause between us until he’s so swift that he’s already on me, that outstretched hand gripping the back of my head, my body stiffening when he touches me. He cranes my face to meet his, exchanging puffs of warmed air between us. “You don’t need to be afraid, little omega.”
“What do you want with me?” I grind out. “You already got your revenge for sedating you at the Enclave. Trust me on that.”
“I want your attention,” he articulates very slowly. “This has nothing to do with revenge.”
I pant as my lips wordlessly move, trying to process that. His eyes are so pale against the darkness of night, almost reflecting like an animal’s when the moon hits him just right. “Why?”
“We’ll discuss it shortly.” Again, slower, calculated words.
“Why not here?” I squeak.
“You don’t want to leave?”
I grit my teeth. “I want to leave all of this.” I lower my gaze when I can’t stand to look into his eyes any longer. “Where is Selene, if you even have her?”
“In a holding cell, but a decent one.”
“In prison?” I ask, trying to thrash. His grip tightens, pulling on my hair as I wince. I’m about to use my hands, but as soon as he senses that, his body stiffens like he’s ready to physically restrain me, so I stop.
I don’t want him touching me any more than he is now. I think back to what Juno said about alphas and the effects they have on us, and how I need to make sure I don’t get saturated with his scent again.
He tilts his head. “She’s in the best place for observation. She’ll be taken out frequently and is fed. Her room is warm, her water fresh.”
“I want her freed,” I demand.
“That will happen if you willingly come with me.”
I press my lips together before mumbling, “Just drug me.”
“No.”
I give a little tug of my head, only to wince again at my hair pulling. “Why not!”
“That was a necessary means to get you here safely. It has no purpose now. You will come on your own this time.”
“Don’t hurt her,” I beg, still not looking into his eyes. “I know I might as well be speaking to a brick wall, but please don’t hurt Selene.”
“She’s uninjured and will remain that way. She hasn’t done anything wrong. Her freedom is the only thing you have any control over.”
I still don’t believe him. I shake to try to tug out of his grip one more time, and I’m shocked when he pulls his hand back like I didn’t have to be so dramatic about wanting space.
What the fuck kind of game is he playing?
“I might have been sheltered a lot of my life, but I have lived among the wastes. I’m not dumb.
I know what’s going to happen is I’m going to go with you, thinking I’m helping Selene, and then you’re going to use me, and then come back and not free her.
Keep her and use her, just to mess with me further. ”
He looks around, still acting like he’s totally unfazed. “Are the omegas here not taken care of?”
I glance around like I’m arguing with someone in a dream. “Technically, yes.”
“Then why would I torture you?”
“Because I knocked you out and bruised your ego,” I say, grimacing slightly at mentioning his ego, afraid it might have crossed a line.
His laugh is genuine, warm against the cold air. “On the contrary, nurse. Omegas like you make for strong mates. That’s not to be punished.”
He’s a fucking liar. Why would I be allowed to get away with accosting him? “Why did you hunt me out then, instead of just letting me go?”
Something sharp and alive flickers in his eyes, and for a moment, he looks almost human, like maybe he’s about to say something vulnerable.
His head dips, a slow, deliberate bow of consideration, like he’s choosing which truth to set loose.
When he finally looks back up at me, it’s with that quiet, terrible certainty that always makes my ass cheeks clench tighter.
“You are my scent match, Diana.”
The words land like a physical blow. The air vanishes from my lungs; my skin prickles with goosebumps. No. No, that can’t be—
But it’s so goddamn obvious.
His scent.
That dizzying pull every time he’s near.