The energy of an alpha watching an omega who’s dear to him suffer.
A desperate knock hammers at the door and Mai goes to it, frowning when she opens it and Simon bursts into the room.
His eyes track over the bloodied gauze and the bandages on my wrist and if he were an alpha, he’d be growling, his hackles up.
“Mr. Monroe, what is it?”
He ignores Ian entirely. His voice is breathless with despair when he tells me, “I found the container.”
* * *
We huddlearound Simon’s laptop as I quickly explain to Mai and Ian what I gleaned from Aspen.
There’s pride in Mai’s voice when she says, “I knew your affinity would be powerful.”
“And dangerous,” Ian mutters.
“There was another container, back before my father locked my magic. IthinkI read Aspen then, too. I uncovered the information but… but my father took my memories and magic before I could act on it. At least, that’s what I’ve been able to piece together. Willow said I could be their downfall if I remembered.”
“And they said they’d deal with you if they had to,” Ian growls.
I reach across the desk and stroke my fingers against the inside of his wrist, an aimless, automatic action that isn’t missed by Simon, who looks away, a muscle ticking in his jaw.
“Your family is so fu—freaking screwed up,” Simon says, color flushing across his cheeks beneath his freckles.
He’s not wrong. I nod to the laptop. “Well?”
“The container was dispatched from a facility somewhere in China, through Beijing.” He traces the route on the screen of his laptop.” It was meant to arrive in San Francisco within days. It took months.
“That’s not that uncommon, is it? Shipments get delayed all the time. My father has bemoaned getting drugs to market belatedly because of shipping issues dozens of times.”
“It’s not uncommon,” Simon hedges. “And often isn’t an issue aside from product delays, but the contents of this container were… were omegas. Dead omegas.”
Realization strikes me like a punch to the sternum, stealing my breath. “Wh-what?”
“Test subjects, most likely,” Mai says gravely. “My father helped drive any companies who did illegal human trials out of Vietnam, but these trials—and trafficking omegas to participate in them—remain rampant in countries with less stringent omega rights laws. Governmental officials turn the other way, dock masters sign off on shipments if their pockets are lined.”
Your daughter is our first human trial.
My heart races, hammering out a staccato beat in my chest, and I can’t seem to draw enough oxygen into my lungs. My vision shrinks, the edges fuzzing until all I see is my own shaking hands and saints—am I dying? I can’t hear the others over the blood rushing in my ears. My world careens off kilter, spinning so fast I fear I’ll fly off—
—and then I’m in Simon’s lap, my head tucked beneath his chin, my breathing slowing to match his.
My world settles after a few moments, and I look up at Ian, Mai, and Marcus, feeling my cheeks heat.
“First panic attack?” Simon asks softly.
I nod against him as frustrated, furious, fatigued tears course down my cheeks. “I was one of my father’s human trials. If he’ll conduct deadly experiments on his own daughter, saints, what would he do to omegas whose own government is helping traffic them?”
I go perfectly still in his arms and look up at Ian through my tears. “Affinities are popping up in Rose laboratories all around the world,” I say, echoing the numb words I uttered when telling Ian, Mai and Sienna about my wonky magic. I already know that any omega with an affinity would go to the greatest lengths to keep her abilities secret, to keep them from alphas who might wish to control her. So what is my family doing to reveal these rare abilities?
I squeeze my eyes shut, but it doesn’t stop my tears.
“Come on,” Marcus says softly. “Let’s get you home.” He turns to Ian. “I don’t think Miss Rose is up to the rest of her lesson tonight.”
My professor meets my eyes, a thousand thoughts left unsaid, looking for all the world like all he wants to do is reach out and take me in his arms. Like he would give anything to protect me, comfort me. But all he does is nod solemnly. “If you feel unable to attend your classes tomorrow, I’ll excuse you to Professor Hayes and Sienna. Get some rest.”
Simon helps me to my feet and collects my bag as Marcus wraps an arm around my waist, letting me lean on him and draw comfort from his stoic strength.
