Shit. My scent.
What if they’re tracking it?
Just as the thought crosses my mind, there’s a shuffling sound. I stay completely still, praying that the mud and my small hole is enough to hide me. I bite my lip until I taste blood, forcing the fear down.
Don’t find me. Please don’t find me.
I fight to keep my breathing even.
The sounds move away, and I close my eyes in relief.
A snout pushes into the hole, scrabbling paws trying to squeeze through. Outside, a chorus of howls rise up into the air.
They’ve found me.
I press myself back against the wood. There’s no way I can get out of here. The dogs will track me if they don’t go for me first.
I frantically look around, but I’m trapped.
The minutes tick by, the dogs circling outside with excited yips, occasionally trying to wrestle their way in.
I have no weapons. No alphas. No shoes.
When a hand eventually reaches in, I sink my teeth into it. The man pulls it back with a shout of anger and I fling myself out of the small space, muscles aching from being folded in for too long.
I don’t make it three steps before I’m tackled, my chin smashing into the ground as I cry out in pain. A familiar scent buries through my brain, and my terror shoots up.
Bitter, bitter lemon.
“Hello, 792,” Jason whispers, nuzzling my neck. “You’ve beensucha bad girl.”
My body thrashes frantically as I try to get away, but one bark from him and I relax, my bones unclenching as I sink into the dirt.
He pulls me up, grabbing my collar.
“Just like old times,” he smirks. He’s still wearing the clothes he wore to the gala last night.
I rear back and spit as hard as I can. My saliva hits his cheek. The smirk slides off his face.
“Stupid bitch,” he hisses. “Stupid little omega.”
I hiss at him. “Don’t fucking call me that.”
He drags me back towards the house as I wrap my hands around his fingers on my collar, trying to pry them loose as I call him every name under the sun, turning the air blue as I curse him out.
It’s no use, though. I can’t get away from him, and the guard whose hand I bit is following behind us, shooting me filthy looks. I have no choice but to keep up, stones and sticks embedding themselves into my battered feet. If I fall, he’ll only carry on and drag me by my neck.
The house comes back into sight, a black SUV parked up next to our truck. I cry out as I see my pack scattered, lifeless, on the ground. Exactly where I left them.
“Ace! Gabe!” I shriek their names, yanking my neck against Jason’s punishing grip.
I need to go to them. When Jason tries to pull me away, I snarl at him, ripping my neck out of his hands. I run, landing beside Devlin and dropping to my knees as I check frantically for a pulse.
“Please, please…” I beg, my heartbeat thundering in my ears. He’s breathing, but he doesn’t respond to me at all, and Jason catches up with me, yanking me back by the hair as I scream for them.
Jason and I tussle as he drags me over the ground, stones cutting open my skin. I fight like a banshee to try to reach them.
Devlin, Gabe, Ace, Rogue. All of them still, all of them silent.
