Her hand curls around my upper arm, and squeezes far too tightly, lashing herself to me like I’m a flotation device keeping her from being pulled under by a rising tide. I don’t let myself flinch. Any outward sign of pain will send my Pack into a frenzy.
I grit my teeth and pat her hand reassuringly.
“Hey, it’s fine. You don’t have to deal with Alphas while you’re here. I’ll speak to the Prime Alpha in charge, get you processed quickly, and by Betas only. You’ll be heading to your new life in Blackreach before you know it.”
Before I can request his presence, Prime Alpha Zero appears, looking as cold and emotionless as ever.
Maddie makes a choking sound beside me.
"Mission complete, sir," I say.
"Omega Specialist Sparks, well done. I'll take it from here."
I’m about to make the request for Beta-only supervision when a sharp pain bites into me.
I yelp.
Maddie’s nails have dug painfully into my skin, and I’ve finally noticed the abrupt shift in the atmosphere.
Dust kicks up as the terrified survivors behind us scramble, their cries of alarm escalating.
“What’s wrong? Maddie, what’s happening? Why are they reacting?”
She stiffens, her spine straight, and her hand vibrating with a tremor. Except, it’s not from fear. Rather, the sharp, acrid scent of hatred and rage stings my nostrils.
“It’shim,” she hisses below her breath, not for my benefit, but for her own.
“Who is—”
The cold barrel of a gun presses against my temple.
Chapter Fifty
Halley
"Maddie?" I squeak. "What are you doing?"
“You lied.”
A wave of suffocating fear from the Pack hits me like a brick wall. They surge towards us.
‘No, don’t! You’ll spook her,’I shout internally.
They halt.
If threatened, Maddie might pull the trigger. They’re trained to be fast, but they’re not faster than a bullet.
Knox stands frozen, a snarl fixed on his face as he stares at my attacker, his fists balled. His jaw clenches and chest heaves.
Shade is a statue, his eyes taking in the scene with abject horror, his tablet clatters to the ground and the soft glow of the screen illuminates his boots.
“Liar.” Another voice hisses from behind me, and a new pressure appears at my lower back. A knife. Another Beta survivor has pulled a knife.
"I... What did I lie about?"
It must be some kind of misunderstanding. I can fix this. They listened to me before, so I can get them to listen to reason again.
‘Halley, get out of there,’Viper’s voice is abrupt, but I can barely hear him over the crowd.
