Gunner glanced at the surrounding alphas. “Lockthedoor.”
My eyes widened. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an alpha go to the front of the warehouse. A loudclickfollowed. He quickly returned back to hisposition.
“When I remove this collar,” Gunner spoke quietly to me. “The process will begin. Out of instinct, your wolf might decide to run, but let me tell you now that there is nowhere for you to go. And if your wolf fights back, I’ll have no choice but to restrain youagain.”
A bead of cold sweat rolled down mytemple.
“After this is over, we will take you to the edge of the border. Scouts will take you as close as we can go without being noticed, but after that you’re on your own,” Gunner continued casually. “Find the doctor, then find the top alpha. Gain their trust, report to me with your findings, and destroy them. Is thatclear?”
My throat felt thick as I tried to swallow. “Yes,sir.”
“Good.” Gunner took one last glance around at the alphas surrounding me, then nodded towards me. He produced a key from his pocket and undid my collar. My neck suddenly felt cold as the collar clattered across the concretefloor.
Gunner turned to his alphas. “Doit.”
Clothing ripped into shreds as every alpha in the warehouse shifted at the same time. My heart leapt into my throat. All around me were huge wolves, hackles raised and growling. Only Gunner and I remained in human form. Gunner’s expression went blank and he stepped back onto his makeshiftthrone.
I barely had time to look back and forth between them in confusion before a wolf slammed into me. I went sprawling onto the ground, knocking my head against the concrete. I instinctively raised my hands to protect my face. The room turned to chaos. All around me were alpha wolves snapping their jaws. Wolf spittle flew across my face as the wolf on top of mesnarled.
Panic and fear coursed through my veins. I tried to get up, but the wolf pinning me down was heavy and much more powerful than me. I pushed and kicked, but my limbs wereuseless.
The wolf pinning me suddenly lunged at my shoulder. Its fangs sunk into my flesh, and I lay there in shock until I felt the blood spilling from the wound. Then the pain hit. Hot, white agony seared my muscles. I cried out and flailed underneath themassivewolf.
I had a moment of relief when another wolf pushed it out of the way, but it didn’t last long. The new one was on me in an instant too, clawing at my chest and ripping my shirt into shreds. The wolf’s claws tore through my skin like it waspaper.
I screamed. I couldn’t breathe. The wolf was crushing my chest, and soon the air in my lungs was sparse. Only when another wolf knocked that one out of the way was I able to gasp for breath. Bloodlust had consumed them. All they wanted was to push the other wolves out of the way to get a chance at me. I could do nothing but lay there, helpless and weak, as the alphas ganged uponme.
These were mypackmates. A pack was supposed to be family. But right now, it sure didn’t feellikeit.
Tears rolled freely down my cheeks now as the alphas continued to tear into me. My shoulders and chest were bleeding, and the muscles were bound to bruise. I was covered in sweat, blood and wolf saliva. Aside from the wolves fighting over me and the sound of my own cries, I could hear the blood pounding inmyears.
I didn’t know how much longer I could do this. My body was weak and it was breaking under the abuse. I didn’t even have the strength tofightback.
Suddenly I felt my body being lifted off the ground. One of the huge alphas had picked me up in its jaws. My heart raced in anticipation. The wolf then shook me like a rag doll before throwing me against the concrete. I tried to brace myself for the fall, but I was too weak. My elbow hit the ground hard, and I cried out before collapsing in a patheticmiserableheap.
A scratch on my forehead bled out and got in my eyes, obscuring my vision as I tried to blink. I could only moan and wait for whatever other torture I’d be put through. I’d never felt so pathetic and helpless in myentirelife.
A huge paw curled around my bruised shoulder and rolled me so I was face up. I could only gasp and blink the sweat and blood out of my eyes. My chest ached with every breath as I stared up at the barren warehouse ceiling, and the cluster of bloodstained canine jaws breathingaboveme.
“Enough,” Gunnercalled.
The wolves instantly backed off, although the bloodlust still glittered in their hungry eyes. I looked away from them, letting my battered cheek rest on the concrete. I didn’t want toseethem.
From my angle, I could only see Gunner’s boots as he approached me. He didn’t bother to kneel down. He gently moved my body with the tip of his boot. I grimaced and clenched my eyes shut as pain shot through me, but I didn’t dare cry out in front of him now. I could only whimper as heexaminedme.
“This will do,” he finally said. With a slight smile, he added, “I’m surprised you didn’t try tofightback.”
I couldn’t speak. My body hurt too much. I could only look up helplessly at Gunner in pain andconfusion.
“You were the right omega for the job after all,” he said. His smile fell, and he growled to his alphas. “Take him to the border. Make sure he gets there alive. If I found out he died because one of you hurt him too much, I’ll have yourheads.”
Returning to human form, two of the alphas leaned down and picked up my battered body. I groaned as their hands pressed into my bruises and cuts. Tears rolled down my eyes, but I was too exhausted to make any more noise. My head spun as they carried me out of the warehouse into the coldnightair.
I don’t remember what happened after that. From the shock and pain and horror, Ipassedout.
* * *
“Just leave himthere.”
