I’d rather die before putting that in me. I start screaming, spitting, cursing at Jason. He casually pulls a rag from the tray and stuffs it into my mouth as furious tears stream down my face. The dirty material nudges the back of my throat and I fight not to throw up.
“Now, now,” he says chidingly. “That’s not the sort of language our buyers want to hear.”
His words sink in. Buyers.
He’ssellingme.
“There we go,” he says soothingly, as I run out of energy and my body collapses back onto the metal.
He wraps a cuff around my arm and it squeezes tightly, making my veins pop out. He casually traces his finger down one, humming to himself, and pins my arm as he inserts the needle in. He covers it with tape to keep it in place and hooks a bag of liquid up next to me. I feel numb, and we both watch as the first drops roll down and into my arm.
“Alright, then,” he says. He cups me down there and I moan through my gag, my distress scenting the air with burnt cinnamon.
“You’ll soon be begging for it,” he murmurs as he rubs his hand back and forth. I try in vain to push my legs closed, the feel of his hands on me curdling my stomach.
“The auction will begin soon, but we’ll give them a little taste, shall we?”
He flicks a switch on the camera and a red light flickers on. My skin crawls, bile shooting up my throat at the idea of random alphas watching me, greedy eyes staring at my body.
It takes a few minutes before I feel anything, and I keep twisting, trying to break free. I don’t know what I’ll be able to do even if I manage it, but maybe I could keep Jason at bay long enough for my pack to find me. I whine at the thought of them, and a sudden wave ofneedclenches in my belly. It’s much stronger than last night and I instinctively try to curl up, shuddering as it licks down my spine and makes my toes curl. The table holds me, though, and I stay where I am, my body locked into place.
Jason reappears, a mask over his face as he laughs.
“Here it comes, 792. Hope you’re ready to be fucked. I’ve had averygenerous offer, and he’ll be here shortly. He’s going to remove your collar, too. Then we’ll run the auction for what’s left of you.”
A groan slides out of me. I lick feverishly at my lips, which suddenly feel dry. Need is starting to claw at my insides now, as the artificial heat begins to take over. Heat flushes over me, waves of warmth pulsing from my stomach to my clit and making me cry out. It grows until it starts to burn and I keen as the pain overwhelms me, rocking up in waves that never seem to end. I glance feverishly at the bag and it’s only a third of the way in. I can feel slick seeping out of me and my core clenches around nothing, searching for a knot as my hips twist.
The pain grows, a mindless scream pulled from my lips as my back arches.Thisis why they sedate omegas during artificial heats.
When the bag is empty… I’ll beg for their knots. If the pain doesn’t kill me first.
Jason steps up next to my face, staring down at me with pleasure dancing in his eyes.
He pushes my hair back and I turn my face away.
“Oh, and by the way,” he whispers. “Your little pack won’t be coming, I’m afraid. They’re dead.”
My eyes flash to his, triumphant and glittering with excitement.
A howl tears from my throat, terror, need, lust and horror mixed into a horrific concoction.Dead.
I feel the moment that my soul rips. Irreversible, incomparable pain fills me from my fingers to my toes, a knife stabbing straight through my heart.They’re dead. Because of me.
And then the heat serum pulls me under.
ChapterForty-Five
Gabe
We’re about ten minutes away from the warehouse we’ve tracked Harper’s collar to, and I’m battling back the waves of fear threatening to overwhelm me. It’s been hours. She’s been gone for fuckinghours.
Focus, I tell myself.You need to focus.
Beside me, Ace studies the blueprints he’s managed to get hold of. The warehouse is relatively small, tucked away between taller buildings used for storage. The collar is still transmitting, meaning that they haven’t broken it off her.
I never thought I’d be so grateful for that fucking piece of plastic around her neck.
I run my finger over the knives in my holster, soothing myself with the cool metal.
