The Forgotten (Unhingedverse #6)

Prologue

Pulling my leg weakly, I sigh as I stare at the cold metal surrounding my ankle. I’m trapped by my kidnappers, and I have been for over a year and a half. Calling them my alphas feels foul. The bonds sit on my mind like an insidious virus, poisoning me against escape.

The baby inside of me kicks, making me gasp out a sob as I wrap my arms around my stomach.

“I’m so sorry, sweet girl,” I sob out. I don’t know for sure that this baby is a girl, but I have a feeling.

It’s a dangerous one that I can’t allow my alphas to learn about, because they’ve been attempting to breed me since they kidnapped me off the streets. They want a little boy to continue their business of sex trafficking.

I’m getting very little prenatal care, and have no idea what will happen once my baby is earth side. My kidnappers have never taken me to a single obgyn appointment, and it’s also why they don’t have any idea if this baby is a girl or a boy.

I’m running out of time to leave, because they could easily bribe someone to do an ultrasound, or worse, a blood test to find out the sex of the baby. They have the police in their pockets in this city.

Wiggling closer to the end of the bed, I wrinkle my nose as I dig into the disgusting mess I’ve made of the sandwich given to me by my kidnappers.

I hate mayonnaise with a passion, but I told them that the baby has me craving it.

Gagging, I cover my ankle and foot with the disgusting mixture to be able to pull myself free.

I will do anything for the tiny baby inside of me. I never want her to know what I’ve gone through for her to survive, not unless her fathers manage to follow me out of this cesspool of hate and fear. It’s possible that they will, because of how twisted the bonds are.

I never want my baby to experience the terror of knowing your biology is a trap. If she’s an omega, she needs to be able to protect herself.

I’m learning that it’s possible to force bonds, despite how many times an omega’s body rejects them. If you’re looking for my number, it was twenty-three.

Twenty-three alpha bites, attempts, and so many more rapes. Breathing fast, I shut my eyes and whine as the memories and pain batter at my mind. I can feel the pleasure my alphas are having at my pain, and use it to cover up what I’m doing.

“Come on, slide out,” I gasp, working the metal cuff down my skin. It’s not as tight as it usually is. My ankle was very swollen earlier, causing my alphas to trade out the metal band for something larger.

It’s better today than it was yesterday, which made me decide that today is the day. I’ve tried to escape four times, and I’ve been caught each time. One of them, I was at the train station when I was found.

Forcing away the black spots in front of my eyes from the pain and terror of getting caught again, I tell myself that the fifth time is the charm. Tonight is the night I’ll get free. My kidnappers told me that they have work to do for their boss, and I’m hoping that they aren’t fucking with me.

Mallan is one of the cruelest of my kidnappers and enjoys feeding me the wrong information so that he can laugh at me. I haven’t tried to escape in months, too scared of being beaten again. The last time, I bled and bled, making me believe that I was miscarrying.

I can’t lose Cerenity. I won’t. My stomach is heavy and hinders my movements, but I can’t allow that to keep me from escaping. It’s now or never. I’m weeks away from my delivery. I can feel every movement she makes, every sweet barrel roll, every kick.

I cherish it all.

“Almost,” I whisper, feeling as the cuff makes it to my heel. Shoving it down, I know I may have to break my foot. It won’t be ideal, but if that’s what needs to be done, I will.

The cuff is very tight, constricting the air in my lungs as I fight against the instinct to force it down more. The stupid thing slips further, until it’s down my heel and I’m moving it over the widest part of my foot.

“Ow, fuck,” I gasp, tears flowing generously over my face. I only ever allow myself this weakness when I’m alone. I won’t let myself cry around my kidnappers because they get off on it.

I often wonder why they are so twisted. I’ve heard them talk when they think I’m passed out, and their father is a royal prince of shit. He taught them what his version of being an alpha is like, a kindness I’m subjected to every day.

Fuck, I can’t breathe. The more the pregnancy has progressed, the higher my anxiety gets. There’s many factors for this, which I know, but I’m panting with even the slightest exertion. Getting the fuck out of here is going to take a miracle.

Using steady, even pressure with the heel of my hand on the metal cuff, I blow out my breath slowly as it moves down at a snail pace. I force myself to have patience, not rush, despite my heart beating like a jack rabbit racing from a predator.

The door opens, making me grab the sheet on the dirty mattress and pull it over me. Cleaning my face with the sheet, I try not to gag at how bad it smells.

They lied. I’m unsurprised, because this is what they do. Lies seem to fall out of their mouths without end. They told me they kidnapped me because I was pretty, when really they thought I’d be a great amusement. A play thing to keep their bed warm.

Laying down, I hope that the garbage in the corners of the room will help cover up the disgusting smell of the mayonnaise smeared over my ankle. Forcing my breaths to even out, I pretend to be asleep.

“Damn, I was hoping she’d be awake,” Neiman complains. “All she ever does is sleep. This baby had better be a boy to compensate for dealing with this shit. I’ll smother it if not. Girls are a pain in the ass and dramatic.”

“She’s so fucking lazy too,” Bryce sighs. “The room is a mess. What is that smell?”

“She didn’t finish the sandwich she begged you to make either,” Mallan says, stomping into the bedroom to pick up the plate. My eyes are slit open to watch him, my hair tangled over my face to hide it. “We’ll make her clean up in the morning. This place could use it.”

I’m always chained up, how could I possibly clean? Neiman watches me like a hawk whenever I’m around cleaning products, saying that he believes I’m stupid enough to swallow bleach to kill myself.

I’m past the point of wishing for death. There’s a little life inside of me that I’m responsible for. I have to survive for her.

“Let’s go to sleep in the other bedroom,” Mallan says. “She doesn’t deserve to sleep next to us.”

The omega inside me wants to whine and beg for them, and I want to hit her. They forced the bonds when I was at my lowest. I never chose this.

Listening to them, I force myself to continue to breathe. Their footsteps are loud as they slam the door to the other bedroom, and I force myself to wait and wait and wait some more until I can hear Bryce’s snores.

Sitting up, I fling off the damn sheet and get back to work.

“Oh my god,” I sob softly as it finally slips off my foot. Crawling off the bed, I go straight for the bathroom beside the decrepit bedroom where I’m kept like an animal.

Struggling to keep my balance, I stick my foot under the faucet of the tub, begging for clean water.

The choking sound of the pipes clues me in that I won’t be that lucky, and I jerk my foot away as the water runs brown.

A part of me worries that I’ll get caught, but once they’re asleep, they’re out for a while.

It’s not unusual for pipes to creak and groan from the walls either, so we’re used to it.

I’m wearing a scrap of a bra that doesn't fit my breasts and panties that are being swallowed underneath my swollen stomach.

I keep waiting for my kidnappers to find me repugnant, but that day hasn’t come yet. Instead, they continue to use my body whenever they want, alpha barking me into responding to their demands. I don’t want to want them.

And yet.. this is the hand I’ve been dealt.

Finally, the water runs clear, and I scrub the mayonnaise off my foot and ankle. There’s a small bar of soap, and I use that to clean up as much as I can. Something inside me keeps telling me to go faster, hurry up, but I have to get this mayonnaise off my fucking skin.

I used to insist on being as clean as possible, my little apartment was exactly the way I wanted it too. All of that went out the window when these alphas stalked me outside of my school and kidnapped me. Now, it’s a new form of existence, one where all I can ask for is to survive.

Drying off, I stumble to a closet where my kidnappers keep their clothes.

They think it’s a punishment to not sleep in my bed.

If this was a normal relationship, it might be.

Instead, their choice to sleep elsewhere is a godsend.

Gagging at their scents, I pull on the largest shirt that I can, steal pants, and force socks into a pair of shoes so that they won’t slide off my feet.

Shuffling out of the room, I find their emergency cash in the kitchen, lift the money in their wallets, and lean against the wall to catch my breath.

“Be nice to mama, baby,” I whisper, rubbing my stomach. Maybe this shirt will allow me to look fat, instead of pregnant. “I have to make it out the door now.”

Breathing heavy, I grab a giant jacket that hits my knees. Bryce is the tallest of the three of my kidnappers. The jacket will hopefully keep me warm enough until I can get as far away as possible.

“Stupid perfect hair,” I mutter under my breath as I pull the jacket closed around me. I ran into Bryce at a coffee shop first, and I thought he reminded me of a Greek god. I made the mistake of smiling at him, and he decided that his pack had to have me.

My life would be so different if we’d never had that chance encounter. Fate is a bitch.

They’re all gorgeous, yet the ugliness inside of them makes it hard to be able to concentrate on that. I think I may have some sort of Stockholm syndrome, because I feel really guilty for leaving.

“Get it together, Olivia,” I wheeze. “Out the door, you can do it.”

Unlocking the door with shaking hands, I open it to find a rundown hallway. Pack Cockburn makes really good money, but hides in a shitty apartment building so no one will think twice when someone screams. It’s so fucked up.

Taking a careful step outside, my heart hammers so loud, I can’t hear anything else for a second.

I’m so fucking scared that they’ll wake up, hear the beep of the security on their shitty system every time a door opens or closes.

With a quick inhale, the bubble around me bursts, and I hear people yelling, children crying, and people living their lives.

No one runs out to ask me where I’m going, and my shitty alphas continue to sleep.

It encourages me to take another step out of the apartment and close the door behind me.

I want to live my life, away from the degradation, kicks, and alpha barks that have taken over my life.

I’ve been here for too long. I barely know how to exist outside of the shitty normalcy they’ve created for me.

One step leads to another, and I’m almost running down the hall to the stairway before I realize it. A sharp cramp in my stomach makes me lean against the wall, a shuddering gasp reminding me that I can’t run.

“Sorry,” I whisper, cupping my stomach through the clothing. Walking carefully, I begin to walk down the stairs, worried I might miss one.

Still, no one screams at me to stop, and I can see the exit from here. Every step is one step closer to freedom. I’m going to make it this time. I have to.

“You there!” a voice yells shrilling, making me slump over my stomach protectively. “I’ve seen you before, haven’t I?”

My thick brown hair is tangled and matted, I don’t know how anyone could possibly know who I am. I’m a mess, a shadow of my former self.

Glancing to the side, I shake my head, moving closer to the front door.

“No,” I whisper. “I don’t know anyone in this building.”

“That’s a lie. Those ruffians dragged you in here a few months ago. They didn’t think anyone saw, but I see everything,” the older woman hisses, looking me over.

It’s true, Pack Cockburn wasn’t at all gentle when they caught me the last time I escaped. They slammed my head into the wall, screamed at me, and dragged me back to the apartment. No one came out, I don’t think they’d dare.

Their cop friends run this city alongside the mob and see everything.

“I just want to go,” I say, my voice cracking. “Please, they can’t find me again.”

“Then be smart,” she says, hiking up her bag over her shoulder. The woman must be in her sixties, but looks like she could run circles around me in my current condition. “I know people who can help you…and your baby.”

At my startled look, she sighs.

“I’m Chrysalis,” she says. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that you’re on the run and very pregnant. Dressed like that, you’ll get picked up in a second. Sometimes, you have to trust someone. What does your gut say?”

Cerenity gently rolls around in my stomach, and I don’t feel any sense of panic. Chrysalis is the epitome of calm, even as she gazes at me with impatience circling in her blue eyes.

“Okay,” I breathe.

“We’re taking the bus,” she announces, linking her arm with mine. I don’t like people touching me, but she doesn’t bother me. There’s a small amount of peppermint coming from her, muted and soft. She’s also an omega, but it’s almost as if she’s hiding it.

“And then?” I ask, walking out the door with her. The winter wind is frigid as it attempts to cut through my layers.

“We’re going to get you new documents, use the underground to keep you safe, get you new clothes that fit. You’ll need to keep moving forever. Can you do that?”

“Yes,” I say immediately. “My bond…it’s messed up and they always seem to find me.”

“Stay strong for your baby, show her how omegas keep their children safe. One day, you’ll find alphas who know what to do with an omega,” Chrysalis says sagely.

My feet move without being asked to, and I silently raise up a prayer as I walk.

Please, protect my baby. Cerenity is the only one I care about. I don’t matter. I truly believe that, and no one can tell me differently. The picture Chrysalis paints of finding good alphas seems too good to be true and I can’t focus on that.

“If anyone ever asks how you got away, you make something up,” she adds. “No one can ever know we helped you.”

“Who is we?” I rasp.

“The Abused Underground,” she replies. “We help those who can’t help themselves.”