“Fuck off,” Grayson growled before tugging Lilah onto his lap, holding her close.
Amirah sighed, looking as exhausted as I felt. Her alpha, Adam, who had been quiet through the meeting, ran his hand down her arm in one of the few displays of affection I’d seen from the pack. I wondered if Amirah preferred less touch or if she’d learned to go without public displays of affection because of her position at the Designation Center. I wondered how much of her omega she’d had to suppress to stay alive in such a hostile environment.
“Let’s get some food and regroup later this evening,” Nico suggested gently.
Jackson clapped. “Excellent idea. Donovan is going to make his famous pumpkin chili, so come hungry.”
I slumped in my seat as everyone started getting up. The emotional and physical toll of the past week was hitting me hard.
“Why don’t you take a nap?” Gerald suggested gently. “We’ll make sure to wake you for dinner.”
I nodded, using the table to pull myself up. As I headed upstairs, I knew I wouldn’t sleep. In the quiet, all I could think about was my alphas, sitting alone in jail, waiting for their trial to start. For the millionth time, I wish I had bonded them before we went to the DC. At least then, I could send them all my love and care through the bond. Now all I felt inside myself was cold silence.
I curled up in a tiny ball in my bed, hating how large it was. I needed my alphas to fill it. I closed my eyes and imagined them here. They would curl their bodies around me, pressing their bare skin against mine so I could drown in their scents. I could almost feel Theo trailing his fingers across the palm of my hand, Ben grabbing my butt, and Cam pressing a kiss to my forehead. A tear trickled down my cheek as I burrowed deeper under the blankets.
ChapterForty-One
Cam
Ispun around, disoriented. I was standing at the mouth of an alleyway, the damp evening air carrying the scent of mold and mildew. Something about this place felt familiar, as if I’d been here before. Darkness was falling, and long shadows stretched their fingers over me, sending chills up my spine with their dark caress.
I squinted into the dimness, somehow knowing that I had to walk deeper into the alley and that nothing good would greet me there. I gritted my teeth, pushing back my fear even as a sick feeling grew in my stomach. Whatever it was, I would face it head-on.
As if sensing my movement, the air thickened, pushing back against me as I pressed further into the alley.My legs grew heavier, my muscles straining with each small step like I was walking through concrete. I forced myself to breathe steadily, counting in and out for eight counts—a trick I’d learned to stay centered on military missions.
A shrill scream pierced the night, breaking my calm facade. My body seized and my heart pounded so fast I was sure my chest would explode.
I knew that voice.
I tried to run towards her, but now I could barely lift my feet off the ground.
And then Ellie was in front of me. Her face was littered with bruises, her arm hung limply at her side, and her clothes were torn and disheveled. I cried her name, reaching out to her.
“Why didn’t you protect me?” she sobbed. Blood seeped through a wound on her stomach and I tried to get to her. But as I lurched towards her, I found my legs were frozen. I roared with rage, desperately trying to rip my feet off the ground, but it was hopeless.
My sister’s eyes grew unfocused and she collapsed on the ground. Blood pooled in a sinister circle around her, edging closer to my feet, which refused to budge. It grew large enough that it eventually touched the tips of my boots.
Agony ripped through my very soul.If only I could get to her, I could stop the bleeding. I was so close, just a few steps away. The more I struggled, the more trapped I felt. I couldn’t get to her. I would lose her again.
“Ellie, please, stay with me,” I begged.
“Why weren’t you there?” she whispered as her eyes fluttered shut.
My vision blurred with tears. My legs gave out underneath me, the weight on my chest too heavy to bear. Ellie whimpered and the sound spurred me on. I gritted my teeth and crawled to her, bloodying my fingernails as I gripped the ground with every painstaking move.
Finally, I reached out and turned her face towards mine. I jolted, falling back.
The face was Josie’s.
My mate stared back at me with empty eyes.
She was dead. And I had done nothing to save her.
I was ripped from my nightmare by a metallic clang—the only warning someone was about to enter my cell. My heart raced and my prison uniform was drenched with sweat. I struggled to get my feet underneath me, unable to shake the stark terror of the nightmare.
The door opened and I looked up from my crouched position to see Glen fucking Jacoby walk into my cell. Without thinking, I lunged at him. The manacles on my wrist tightened as I strained against the chains holding me to the wall.
Glen tilted his head, giving me a coy look before cackling, his laugh so maniacal and so sudden it shook me out of my blind rage.
