“You know what happened with their omega.”
“No,” Lucien insists, his voice tight. “This is too much. We don’t know anything for certain, only what we saw on that video. Rogue Winter’s father is the director of the fucking OC! Have you lost the fucking plot completely?”
Luc first met Devlin Winter when they went through basic training to join the Government’s ranks. Devlin has his own pack, and Luc dropped out when we made the decision to help Nikolai and Em, but we suspected they may have their own omega sympathies thanks to a video that circulated the internet. The Winter pack, going into full rut over their omega at a Government-sponsored dinner made waves everywhere. The furore calmed down, but the Winter pack essentially disappeared from the public eye after that.
“Lucien,” I say, my throat dry. “I’m not leaving here without her.”
There are curses on the other end of the phone.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I’m so fucking sorry. But I will not leave her there. I’ll get the meds and put them somewhere safe, one of you can collect them. I’m going to try and get her out. And if I can’t…” my voice wavers.
“This is fucking suicide, Max! Nik, tell him,” Lucien pleads, devastation lacing his words.
There’s silence on the end of the phone.
“You want her,” Nikolai says softly. I close my eyes.
“I just need to make sure she’s safe, Nik.”
For the first time, I think I fully understand the terror in Nik’s voice when he told us that Emery had awakened as an omega. The fear ripping apart my insides tells me that I’ll do anything, give anything, to give this omega a future that doesn’t include pain, or fear, or fucking torture.
Even my own life.
“Max,” Luc chokes. His harsh breathing echoes over the line before he curses.
“Bastien,” he says in a low tone. “Call Devlin. Don’t tell him anything unless it’s absolutely essential. Use a secure line so you can’t be tracked if things go south. Sound him out, and let’s go from there. Max, you need to stay contactable.”
I blow out a breath, plans running through my mind as a hint of hope flickers in my chest.
“Luc,” I say gratefully. “Thank you.”
He swears at me. “We’re a damned pack, Max. That means we stick together. Nik, talk to Leah and get everything together in case we need to relocate.”
I close my eyes, taking a deep breath, thinking of the bleak acceptance on Ava’s face.
One way or another, we’re getting you out of there.
ChapterFourteen
Ava
Max sits quietly at the side of my bed. He’s staring at the clock on the wall. My wires have been swapped to smaller, transferable machines attached to my bed. I ignore the regular beeps, my eyes focused once more on the whirls decorating the ceiling.
“A watched clock doesn’t move, Doc,” I say quietly.
“If only that were true.”
I turn away from my counting to look at him. Carefully, I take in his tired face, his messy hair, those brown eyes that watch me so carefully.
This… this is a kind man. A kind alpha.
I force myself to think the words, even though they’re conflicting for me. A kind alpha is something I have never encountered.
“How long?” I ask. I don’t look at the clock.
“Thirty minutes.”
I swallow. A small amount of fear manages to break past the walls I’ve built up.
