A thought strikes me, and I glance toward the door. Stone’s hand abruptly grips my chin, his fingers digging in.
“Dr. Morgan will not be accompanying us,” he says icily. “He is here for me, not for you, 864.”
I close my eyes at the reminder. Max isn’t here for me. He’s here to get them what they want.
A functioning omega, still breathing, able to carry the male heir Stone desperately wants.
Stone’s fingers tighten painfully. “Don’t forget what you are, 864,” he hisses.
A thread of anger pushes through the empty spaces in my mind.
I slide my eyes to his purposefully. There’s only so much he can do with his precious heir inside my stomach. “I know what I am,” I croak. “I know what you are, too.”
I hold his gaze for a moment longer before my eyes drop, my body physically unable to battle for dominance with an alpha. He drops my chin abruptly, his hand moving to my thigh and gripping it tightly, nails digging in as I inhale sharply at the burning sensation. He squeezes and twists until tears spring in my eyes.
“Useless omega,” he snaps as he leaves. “Just like your fucking mother.”
I press my lips hard together at his parting shot, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of seeing it land.
* * *
Max’s face pales as he stares at me. I stare at the ceiling, continuing to count the endless whorls in the plaster. It passes the time.
“They’re taking me back,” I tell him. My voice echoes slightly in the room, the emptiness in my chest making my words sound monotone, even if they’re anything but.
“When?” he asks, his voice hoarse as he sits forward. His tone sounds urgent. “When, Ava?”
“Tomorrow,” I breathe. “So, you see, Doc, you’re wasting your time. You may as well put me back under now and save yourself the clean-up.”
I turn to look at him, noting his pale face and his hands tight on the chair. He seems angry.
At least one of us is.
I turn back to the ceiling and lose myself in my counting.
ChapterThirteen
Max
“When were you going to tell me?”
Stone barely looks up, his tone cutting as he inspects paperwork in the office he’s taken over. “Please, do come in, Dr. Morgan.”
I ignore his words. “She’s not safe to be moved, Stone.”
He lets out an aggravated sigh and places the paperwork back down on the desk. “You will be pleased to know that we have completed the recruitment of a specialist team to take over 864’s care.”
His words hit my chest like a dagger, and aggression rises in my chest. “Youwhat?”
He watches me, those gunmetal eyes almost as empty as his daughters.
“You’re too close to her,” he says plainly. “I don’t like it. I appreciate the services you have provided, Dr. Morgan, but they will no longer be needed from midday tomorrow. The new team will take over and my daughter will be transported to my estate, where the children will be delivered as soon as it is safe to do so.”
His words burn like acid in my veins.
“And after that?” I challenge.
His mouth turns up at the corner in a cruel smirk.
