But what pushes through the haze dazes me. I feel the vibration of life. I hear it; seven hearts are beating in this room.
What the hell? My pulse skyrockets as shock and disbelief tear through me.
Scanning the space with my phone, I manage to locate a light switch on the wall.
I flip it, and the room fills with dim fluorescent light.
"Holy fuck," I breathe, my head spinning.
Cages… damn. This is all too familiar. Seven big cages in the room, all of them covered with dark fabric.
And I know, I just know, that there are living people inside.
Where’s Ennio? I immediately try to make a call, but nothing happens. There is no signal down here.
"Damn!"
The room is silent. Whoever is in there does not speak, does not move, does not make a sound.
I know that my first priority should be finding an exit. I quickly spot a pale square of the door behind me, probably the one Tanner uses. But I cannot leave without first checking what’s under the blankets.
My heart is pounding as I approach the first cage.
Whoever is inside hears my footsteps, and their heart rate spikes violently. That reaction is not a good sign.
I grab the fabric and rip it away in one hard pull.
"Oh fuck," I blurt out.
On the filthy floor, a small omega is curled into himself, his body covered in blood, bruises, and grime. His hair is matted, impossibly dirty. From beneath the tangled strands falling over his face, eyes stare back at me like a wild animal’s.
I turn away, fighting the urge to vomit as shock rolls through my body in heavy waves.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, what the fuck is this…"
Like I’m moving in a trance, I step up to the next cages and rip the fabric covers off them one by one.
Everywhere it is the same. Naked, filthy, bruised omegas.
Having seen enough, I spin around and sprint toward the door. To my shock, it is open. Beyond it, there is a staircase.
Wooden, of all things! I guess I finally found it.
To the right, I notice a panel. I touch it, and I hear it. Beep, beep, beep. The same sound I heard back then.
I rush up the stairs and see a metal surface in front of me, slowly sliding away.
It moves forward on four rails, extending outward.
A second later, I understand exactly where I am.
Behind the giant refrigerator.
It slides fully forward, and suddenly I am standing in the kitchen.
But something is immediately wrong. I hear muffled sounds.
I bolt into the studio and skid to a stop when I see an alpha lying on the floor, his hands cuffed behind his back.
