“I’m sorry,” Lilac said. “I did the best I could. She’s healthy, and she’s so sweet.”
“I wanted her back more than anything.” Sidian brushed this thumb over her tiny knuckles. “I wanted her so much I got myself caught. They have my fucking alpha.”
Lilac bit the corner of his mouth. “He’s probably out in the woods with Puppy.”
“What?” Sidian’s head jerked up.Puppy?But that was Kitten’s missing sister. So the Kincaids had her after all, which meant the leak in the Mambas was far worse than they likely already imagined. “What’s going to happen to him? Is he going to be okay?”
“I don’t know.” Lilac shook his head as Amey shifted in her sleep, letting out a tiny coo. “Puppy’s feral most of the time. Sometimes I’d sneak out to check on her, but I don’t think she’s been herself for a long time. She’s only an alpha, but other alphas rile her up.”
Feral.Sidian could have laughed. “How do we get out of here, Lilac?”
“I don’t know,” Lilac responded. “If I had known how, I would have left with your baby.”
That wasn’t good enough; they had to get out. If it were possible to leave without Pack Kincaid catching up, then Sidian would, but he knew better. So if escape was impossible, then what he needed to do was anything it took to make it happen.
“Well, well, well,” Dax purred from behind them, “I see we’re having a family reunion.”
Sidian’s heart leaped into his throat as he looked over his shoulder, not sure what to say or what to do. He watched as Dax’s eyes skimmed him up and down, a familiar hunger flickering through his gaze for just a moment before he collected himself. It showed up in his scent, though, a salty tang that made Sidian flinch. There had never been an alpha he wanted less than he wanted Dax, and there would be no way to hide that no matter what he tried.
Lilac tried to smile at him. “Hi, alpha. He said he wanted to see the baby. Is it all right?”
“I didn’t give you the express commandnotto let him see her, I suppose.” Dax sauntered into the room, right up to both of them. “How nice to have both of my bitches in the same room together.”
An arm slid around Sidian’s waist and pulled him back, and he shuddered as Dax’s hand smoothed over the nightie to settle on his stomach. The knowledge that Daxknew,that there was no hiding the pregnancy from him, was terrifying. He knew Sidian’s body too well, and if he got his teeth into Sidian’s neck, there would never be a way to hide from him ever again.
“You see, Lilac,” Dax said conversationally, “Sidian’s made for breeding. You’ll help raise every child he births, and that will be your role alongside satisfying us during our ruts.”
Lilac dipped his head, the picture of submission. “Yes, alpha.”
“And that seems to be where the real trouble lies, doesn’t it?” Dax tipped his head back, his expression thoughtful before he wrapped a hand around Lilac’s neck. “Come. We’ll put on a demonstration. Sidian is very disobedient. You’ll assist me in teaching him what it means to be a good, submissive bitch.”
Sidian’s mouth dried when Lilac only nodded, resignation settling on his features as they were led out of the room, Dax pushing both of them out into the hallway before closing the door. Outside, a sudden rumble of thunder made Sidian jump, his eyes darting toward the wall that faced the forest.
Roman…
“Oh, Puppy loves thunderstorms,” Dax mused before his hand closed around Lilac’s throat once again. “Let’s go to bed, omegas. I’ve been expecting this night for a long time.”
Sidian didn’t know where the other alphas were, but as he followed obediently behind Dax, he realized his opening was right in front of him.
He could only hope that Roman was holding his own.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Sharp teeth dug into Roman’s bicep as he squashed Puppy against his chest, the two of them rolling through the leaf litter until his back slammed into the wide trunk of another tree.
The impact pushed the air from his lungs, but he refused to weaken his hold on her, crushing her into his chest as he rolled on top of her. Her teeth dug deeper into his skin as she all but screamed against him, kicking her legs as hard as she could in an effort to get away. Her hands scrabbled at his sides, nails digging into his shirt and trying to slice through the flesh beneath. The noises that spilled from her throat were purely animal, completely alien to him. She didn’t sound like a human.
She reeled back to slam her forehead into his chin, and his vision shone with stars before she darted forward to try to take a bite out of his throat that forced him to dodge, her teeth cutting into his shoulder.
Her scent was rot and ruin and sickness, and he wanted to help her, wanted to get her back to herself. The pain was nothing; her sharp little canines hurt, but Roman had been hurt worse before.By Sidian’s hands, Sidian’s blades, Sidian being ripped from his life, Sidian saying hehatedhim—
He doesn’t have to love me,Roman thought, getting a hand in Puppy’s hair so he could drag her off of him.I love him. I’ve always loved him. That’s what matters most to me.
She let out an indignant wail as Roman pinned her head to the earth, her mouth open against the grass as she hissed and snarled and drooled, blood smeared across her teeth. Her wild eyes met his, her pupils glossy and black, irises flaring crimson against her sickly white skin.
What had they done to her? Why do this to a person? What was it about Pack Kincaid that made them turn others into shells of their former selves? What kind of fucking monsters had their parents raised? What kind of demons were they, protected by a system designed to benefit them?
She arched her back off of the ground, sheer power overwhelming him slightly despite her small stature. She wiggled a leg between them and kicked him in the chest, shoving him off of her as she scrabbled to her feet. Her dress had torn up the side all the way to her hip, and a nasty cut oozed blood along her thigh. As he watched, she wiped at her messy face, but she never took her eyes off of him. Instead, she coiled herself, every lean muscle in her body preparing to launch her at him again. He knew her, had met her in the past, but she didn’t remember him.
