He scoffs. “They fucking almost killed you! You’re lucky I got here when I did, or you’d be mincemeat.”
The guards lock me back into handcuffs, and a moment later two more men arrive with a stretcher.
“I’m fucking going with him,” Al tells a guard. “For one, I can understand him, and for two, I need stitches as well. Look.”
I force one swollen eye open.
Al leans closer to the guard and jabs two fingers at a gash in his eyebrow that leaks blood down his face. I guess those challengers put up a fight when he shooed them off. But he must be strong to deal with over five alphas so quickly.
Al catches me watching and glares at me. “And why the fuck didn’t you protect yourself, huh?”
I slump back, his words fading in an odd, hollow kind of way. “No more black room.”
“You fucking dumbass.” He groans, the sound mixing with footsteps. Pressure pounds in my ears, followed by a swishing noise, and then silence. Darkness swallows me whole.
I wake with a jerk, battle fury flooding me in an instant. When I roll away, expecting another attack, a handcuff yanks me back. It rattles as I tug on my right hand, now linked to the side ofa bed. Repeated beeps mutter near my ear, and a white snake disappears into my inner elbow. I stare at it in confusion.
“You awake?”
I flop my head over on the pillow and discover Al sitting up on another bed beside me, also handcuffed. A black bruise spreads around his eye.
He grins. “Two broken ribs, broken nose, and a sprained wrist. Three handfuls of bruises and a split lip. You came out better than I thought.”
I sniff, my nose still mostly blocked by swelling. “Where?” I mutter, my lips stinging as I form the word.
“In the hospital. A place for sick people. You’ll stay here for a few weeks until you heal.” He slides the round part of the cuff along the bed rail until he’s more comfortable and leans forward, elbows on his crossed legs. “Do you know who ordered the hit?”
I stare at him, clueless about what he’s saying.
Al rolls his eyes. “The fight, the challenge. Why?” He groans and drops his head. “Fuck, now I’m talking like a moron too.”
I test the handcuffs once more. I could break it if danger appears, but for now I seem safe enough. “Ray. Alpha in white shirt. Tell them.”
Al stares at me. “Fuck me sideways. He’s Ray Fibba-whatsit?” He groans and collapses back onto his bed. “Counselor Wren, you owe me big time. As if I wasn’t in enough shit already.”
He seems upset, but I ignore his fussing. Instead, I lift my arm and point to the tube sticking out of my arm. “What this?”
“It’s feeding you. Leave it alone.” Al clicks his tongue, his alpha scent spreading. “You aren’t even aware of the level of fucked up you’re on, are you? Oblivious fool.” He blows out a noisy breath.
I wriggle on the bed, but it’s impossible to get comfortable with the sharp stabbing pain in my side. I lift the blankets but find nothing out of place except for some bandages on my faceand arms. None of the hard ones, thankfully. But it is hard to breathe through the swelling in my nose.
“Where Cal-ee?” I grumble.
Al scoffs. “I’m sure he’ll be here soon. When an inmate gets injured this bad, they have to notify your contacts.” He swears under his breath, hands clenched, then laughs bitterly. “Since we have nothing else to do, how about learning some new words so you can tell Cal-ee you trust me?”
“What trust?”
The alpha ignores my question as he rolls up on one elbow. “Fuck me. If you threw him out of a pack, I bet he doesn’t even want you free. How am I supposed to make a deal now?” He’s really getting worked up now, his tone growing harsher with every word.
“I keep deal,” I tell him.
“Not our deal, stupid. I mean my deal with Callisto.”
I stare at him. “What deal?”
He sneers at me. “You wouldn’t understand, but it’s to keep both of us alive.” He growls under his breath and drops back onto his pillows. “The way things are going, you and I are both gonna wind up dead. It’s just a matter of time.”
I hiss in his direction, hands clenching on the bedcover. “No dead.”
