Once I was outside, I lifted the lid and tossed it in as quickly as I could to avoid the stench. When it was done, I leaned against the brick wall of the building, giving myself a moment to breathe.
It was the first time I’d gotten to truly breathe today. I've been so busy.
Footsteps had me standing straighter, turning around, expecting it to be Nikolai. My smile faltered as three large alphas came into view.
I turned, rushing back for the back door, but I wasn’t fast enough as they sprinted forward, closing in on me.
One of them snatched me, and I started screaming before a large hand slammed over my mouth.
“Don’t bother screaming, and don’t bother lying to us and telling us somebody’s coming. We heard you talking to that diner owner. It seems you’rejustthe kind of girl we’re looking for,” he rumbled in my ear, voice dripping with excitement.
My blood ran cold, the scream dying against his hand that was still locked over my mouth.
Desperation and fear had me fighting back, flailing my limbs and doing everything I could to escape. I couldn’t even feel the pain as I pushed back, though my vision was starting to blur.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “We’ll save you from the streets. This is a favor, really. A pretty, little omega like you would be a waste out here.”
I didn’t need saving. My alpha was already coming for me.
Who were these men?
Something sharp pricked into my neck before those questions could surface. Though, they wouldn’t have let me speak anyway.
Darkness quickly started closing in, my fight dying quickly as they held me tighter, finally letting go of my mouth. I sucked in a breath to scream but it died on my tongue.
They had won.
My last thought was of Nikolai before my mind gave into whatever they’d injected into my veins.
Chapter
Three
Nikolai
She was gone. Aries was gone.
The only sign that she’d been here was her shattered phone scattered in pieces on the pavement, like someone crushed it.
The same phone I’d given her.
There were no footsteps to follow, no clues. She’d been here one moment, and the next she vanished.
David thought I’d already picked her up, and she had slipped out quietly.
When the police arrived, they barely made a show of looking for her. They did a half-ass sweep, asked a few questions, then turned to give me that sympathetic look that meant they were about to blow smoke up my ass instead of actually searching properly for my missing omega.
“She just turned eighteen. According to her mother, she also just designated. You sure she didn’t run off with a more… established alpha?” It was said in a condescending voice that made anger burn through my chest and fists curl at my side.
“No,” I said. “She’smyomega. We were leaving tonight. Her mom beat the shit out of her, the same mom you refused to protect her from.”
“I don’t need your hostility,” the chief said, crossing his arms and glaring at me. “We’ll look for your girl, but as far as I’m concerned, she’s an omega on the run. She’s old enough to take care of herself.”
“She’s fuckingmissing,” I growled. “Someonetookher.”
“Look, sometimes omegas just don’t like to be kept. Maybe you weren’t as close to her as you thought. Maybe an alpha came along with a better offer.” The smirk he gave me was disgusting. Like omegas just threw themselves, legs open, at any douche bag with money.
Fuck alphas like him.
