Chapter 11 Mona
I know I passed out, but my new healing abilities keep me from death.
If I were human, I'd be dead. It doesn't mean everything doesn't ache with the pain of a thousand suns, though.
I can't breathe. My face feels raw, like ground meat.
My omega whines while Beep begs and pleads with me to stay awake.
She doesn't even argue with me like she usually does.
I feel her pace. My poor protector. Locked in the cage of my body, looking on as this male shifter—Stance, I think the other wolf, Andrea called him—carries me across a grassy field.
The scent of wolves grows stronger, but it's still the middle of the night, and I don't see or hear any around us.
Not that I can see or hear anything through all the pain.
Andrea is going to kill me. I just wish I knew why.
You will not die! We are meant to be here. Our destiny lies with Silent Peak.
I want to roll my eyes, but even my eyeballs hurt. Still, Beep can sense my amusement, and it puts her at ease, if a little.
My limbs sway as Stance grips my torso and hips, bridal style.
His fingers dig into the flesh of my ass and thighs, tracing circles and kneading, exploring places he has no right to touch, his breath hot on my neck as he follows the dominant female wolf.
My skin crawls. I'll punch him for this later.
If I get the use of my hand back.
When, Beep corrects.
A collection of large buildings nestles amidst the forest lining, and we head toward one on the far right, but I drift in and out of consciousness.
The sound of doors opening and echoing footsteps wake me, then metal creaks. Before I gain my bearings, Andrea rips me out of Stance's arms, and I land in a heap on the floor. A moment later, the barred-door to the cell swings shut.
The ground is hard, but I'm so tired I'm almost grateful for it.
"Don't bother trying to escape." She kicks the bars with her thick boot. "Silver-lined. Will burn the shit out of your skin. Witch, wolf, omega, whatever the fuck you are." She glances over at Stance, who's still staring at me, but with a renewed sense of need. Andrea grits her teeth.
She goes to leave, but comes to an abrupt stop when she notices Stance doesn't immediately follow her out the door.
She grips his collar, and he stumbles after her.
I will keep watch. Rest, Mona.
And then I'm out like a light.
Time slips away. When I come to, it's still dark outside, the night sky visible through the tiny barred window near the top of the cell.
I can feel my pulse everywhere, beating through my head like a hammer in my skull, throbbing in my fingertips and toes. Even my teeth seem to pulse with pain.
Beep waits vigilantly. Alert and unwavering. I don't know how she planned to protect my unconscious body, but it's one of those things I've just learned to go with.
I groan, attempting to roll over, but my hand buckles beneath my weight.
That's a good battle technique. I'll have to remember that one for the future. Go for the limbs. Stomp, stomp, stomp.
Yes, but they were sloppy. Uncontrolled.
A bitter laugh escapes me. "Thanks, Beep. I'm sure they'd appreciate your critique."
She doesn't respond, resuming her attention to our surroundings.
A few moments pass when finally the door rattles and creaks open. Andrea holds a cell phone to her ear.
"Yes, we're in the holding cell. No. Yes, we had to subdue her, she fought back. She was sneaking around in the office. Orion," she hisses, eyes darting around the room before landing on me. "There's something wrong with this one. She smells different. I think she's a witch."
There's a pause on the other end. I can just barely make out the voice and a heavy intake of breath, then they hang up. This wolf, Orion, is on his way.
I start shivering. I can't take another beating.
Yes, you can.
Be quiet, Beep. Unless you want to take over, I snarl back.
Gladly. Shift now, please. We have at least five minutes. It won't take that long.
It will, but I don't remind her she takes forever.
I groan and attempt to sit up again, leaning my weight into my other hand, the slightly less mangled one.
Andrea smirks at my pain. She tries to laugh with her conspirator, but when she notices Stance is still staring at me in a way that makes my skin crawl, she shifts in front of him to block me from his view.
"Orion is the second highest-ranking alpha in this clan, and you will show him some fucking respect when he gets here if you have any hope at all of making it out of this alive.
We Silent Peak wolves do not tolerate rogues who creep uninvited onto our lands.
Or witches," she spits, "who mask their scent to reduce the unmated into blubbering idiots.
" She kicks at Stance's leg, but he barely acknowledges her.
I close my eyes and inhale. My omega feels off—she's restless, yet strangely composed. I'm not panicking like I should be. Not with those threats.
I need to heal. I need to survive. And then I'll high-tail it out of here and never look back, instincts be damned.
All these months, and this was the only plan we came up with.
My future, however pathetic it may have been, is in shambles thanks to my change.
My previous life is over, has been for a while now.
And I've made peace with that. Kinda. But now, this one tenuous, last-ditch plan—head north—has gone up in flames.
But I know what happens when you reach rock bottom.
When your will and everything you thought you were, everything you thought you had, has been stripped away, and the only thing that remains is your still beating heart.
I will get out of this. And I will thrive. Fuck these people. Fuck these wolves.
My adrenaline spikes, but that's not a good thing. I can't concentrate enough to let Beep take over, and we haven't mastered the balance of her taking the reins without my help. She says I have trust issues and that I'm blocking her.
I wonder where I got trust issues from?
It doesn't matter. Even if we magically healed whatever she claims is wrong with us, this brief spike of adrenaline is going to crash soon, and then we'll both be useless.
The door rattles outside the building. Andrea straightens, feet planted wide, clasping her hands behind her back like a good little soldier.
Stance follows suit, and we listen as a lone shifter ambles down the hallway, footsteps echoing closer and closer.
The rusted hinges of the door groan as it swings open, revealing a towering figure silhouetted in the shadows.
Despite his imposing frame, he moves gracefully.
There's an intelligent, observant way his gaze sweeps the room.
Slowly, calmly. He's not agitated or riled up like Andrea and Stance.
But I won't be fooled. He's still a predator, just like the rest of them.
But then his lightning-strike blue eyes—simmering and wild—lock onto mine, and the rest of the shitty, blood-soaked world falls away.
I swear I can hear his wolf attempting to claw his way toward the surface, while his human form takes slow, measured steps toward me.
Rich chocolate and hazelnuts fill my senses, an intoxicating scent that makes my mouth water and my knees go weak.
His nostrils flare, teeth snarling in rage, distorting his otherwise beautiful face.
Orion, she called him. The second highest-ranking wolf in this merciless clan. His eyes widen, teeth-gritting, jaw tensing with an audible click. He whips his gaze to the two shifters standing guard and spits out, "What did you do?" with such horror that they both flinch backward.
He storms forward, losing some of his earlier grace, powerful hands gripping the bars of the cell. The acrid smell of burnt flesh fills the stagnant, coppery air as his skin connects with the poisonous silver, but he barely reacts, instead shouting at Andrea to hand him the keys.
It freaks me out, the feral intensity wafting off of him, and for a moment, I'm transported back to that night six months ago. His rage sends ice through my veins, while I stumble and try to crawl away from them all. But my omega keens, tries to inch me closer.
His movements are uncontrolled, jerky. Stance shifts from foot to foot behind the woman as if to run, but somehow, though they're standing behind him, Orion notices.
He turns to shoot them both a punishing glare.
"Do not fucking move or I swear to god, I'll tie you up by your entrails and leave you for the bears. "
Andrea's bravery cracks, and she protests, shoulders dropping. "She can't be an omega—"
"Shut your mouth. Do. Not. Speak." Orion finally gets the key in the lock and turns it, opening the creaking metal door.
"You will stand there, you will shut the fuck up and you will wait.
" There's power in his words. They weren't even directed at me, but I can feel his order reverberate through me.
He takes a step toward me and I try to crawl back, but it's the largest movement I've made since Andrea tossed me on the floor.
My ribs scream in protest, and my ankle collapses, eliciting a sharp hiss.
Orion's expression is furious. I don't know what is going on or why he's so pissed.
I mean, I didn't do anything except sneak into their office.
It's not like I stole something. I was just looking around.
Mate, my omega purrs.
Orion takes another step closer, and I scramble further back, causing me to cry out. He brings his palms up, then kneels on the ground so we're eye level. A pained sound leaves his throat. His chocolate hazelnut scent wafts toward me, comforting me, making my belly relaxed and warm.
"Are you okay, omega?"
I snort, but my naturally effortless sarcasm doesn't land, and he presses his lips together. He looks worried. I've no idea why.
With one palm up, he reaches the other into his pocket and pulls out a phone.
"Come to the holding cell. No, Eli followed the scent out to West Creek, but Andrea and Stance caught her on the grounds. She's… fuck. Just, come here."
There's pleading in his voice. The man on the other end of the line pauses. Then he asks a question, but I can't make out the words. I think my eardrum is busted. Orion lets out a fretful sound in response. The man swears, then they hang up.
Orion makes a second call. His voice feels like a warm down blanket on a cold day. I could listen to him read a takeout menu right now and it would be the best thing I'd ever heard. It warms me to my bones.
I should be trying to get away, not nuzzling closer.
But I'm drowning in him. I need his arms locked around me, his eyes burning into mine, tearing down every last scrap of defense I have until he sees the truth I've been running from for months—hell, years—that I can't keep fighting.
I need him to hold me, to look me in the eye and tell me I don't have to struggle anymore. That he's here, and he's got me.
This urgency scares me because I don't know this man. Beep, I think. What is this?
Mate, is all she says.
"Doc. Holding cell, bring your truck. Female wolf, broken bones, abrasions, contusions, collapsed lung. I can't tell what else. Hurry." He hangs up the phone and tries to ask me more questions. It hurts to talk, so I don't.
Beep paces within me. I want to ask her what's wrong, but she doesn't seem upset.
Mate. Mate! she keeps chanting, and my omega preens. I feel the word settle inside me, but I don't know what it means.
A few minutes pass, and then heavy footfalls and a growl emanate from the hallway, revealing a mountain of a man who carries himself unlike any other I've met.
The sheer force of his presence has everyone in the room wavering, though the other three self-correct faster than I do.
I'm still cowering over in my little corner, hoping, praying I'll get out of this alive.
I know so little about wolf pack hierarchy; all I know is that everyone plays dominance games. But these wolves are the strongest I have ever encountered. I check in with Beep. She should be freaking out with this newcomer, but like she was with Orion, she's completely at ease.
The scent of freshly baked cinnamon and a hint of smoky wood fire draws closer as he steps inside the room.
He's the wolf I smelled in the office. I can barely see him through my broken eye socket and swelling cheek, but I can smell him.
My heart hammers against my broken ribs. The scent of the two of them, together… It's like coming home.
I want to crawl inside this feeling and never leave—this wild, nonsensical devotion that makes my breath catch and my insides tremble.
My body recognizes what my mind can't comprehend as these two wolves shift their attention to me, and something primal awakens—I'm consumed by the absolute, impossible rightness of it. Of them.
Beep's pacing grows more agitated.
Mine!
Yes, Beep. Mine.
My omega curls up inside me, so happy, so elated, I want to laugh and cry.
But then the imposing man comes into view.
And I recognize that face.
His green eyes practically glow in the dark room. Memories flash, slowly at first, but precisely, over and over. They won't stop.
Teeth tearing into my flesh. Ripping off my pants, biting down my legs. Blood dripping out of his mouth. A look of regret.
It's all wrong. Terror washes over me, but before I can move away from him, he roars. I scramble so fast I fall back and hit my already busted head, and then everything goes black.