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Tire tracks in the snow.

Mylah’s scent is here, pooled like she stopped for a moment, rather than moving through like she did in the woods. There’s also the lingering smell of fear. Of gasoline.

Of an alpha from the outskirts—a whole group of them.

She made it out here, and Gavyn got her.

Chapter 35 - Mylah

“Oh, what a prize!”

Someone dramatically pulls off the bag over my head, letting in a rush of cool air that makes me cough.

I blink against the bright lights, try to move my tongue, but find it immobilized by the gag in my mouth. When I try to swallow, it pushes against the back of my mouth and makes my nausea even worse.

When my eyes fully adjust, I make out where I am.

My house.

The grief hits me in the stomach as my eyes dart around, taking in how dilapidated it is. Nearly new carpet in the front entryway flattened and covered in mud. Light bulbs busted out in the kitchen and dining room. The drywall in the hallway is busted in, like someone went running at the wall full-speed and didn’t stop until their shoulder broke right through.

It smells like waste, like stale pee. When I look at the floor, I see cigarette butts put out on the hardwood floor. There’s graffiti on the walls, and needles scattered around the edges of the living room.

Weeks of being gone, and this house is no longer mine. Just over a month I’ve been away, and the other shifters on the outskirts moved in and destroyed the home I grew up in.

My father was never a sentimental man, but I do know he kept a photo of him and my mother on his nightstand. That photo is now laying on the ground, glass broken out and tiny red x’s over the eyes of my parents.

And then, once I’ve taken in all of that, a shadow passes in front of me. I look up into Gavyn’s eyes, find him standing before me with his hands clasped behind his back, a thin smile snaking over his pale face.

I don’t say anything. I can’t—so I won’t try. I’m not going to do the squirming around, screaming against the gag thing. He wants me to be a scared little omega terrified of what’s about to happen to her.

There are several other alphas scattered throughout the room, crunching over the glass and needles in their boots. They all jeer at me, clearly wanting me to play the damsel in distress.

Yes, they got me, but I’m not going to give them the satisfaction of seeing me afraid. At least, not more than what they can smell on me anyway. I’ll sit here quietly and not help them play out the fantasy they clearly have in their heads.

After a moment of sneering down at me, Gavyn seems to realize that I’m not about to panic and start yanking at my restraints. That I’m just going to sit still, quiet, watching him. It appears to be a huge disappointment.

Scowling deeply, he straightens up, turning to pace in front of me. He’s wearing that ridiculous trench coat, like a character from The Matrix or something. Almost like he wants to look the part of the evil villain.

The fact that he doesn’t realize that’s deeply embarrassing is almost funny to me. For a split second, I imagine Aurora here with me, rolling her eyes at the drama. Men—alphas, rather—like to act like they’re so straightforward and practical, but here they are, waiting like eager puppies for me to make them feel big and bad.

“She is a prize, boss,” one of the other alphas says, stepping in to give Gavyn the satisfaction he’s looking for. The guy is big and burly, also bald. His eyes bulge and his shirt is far too tight over his chest and stomach. “Biggest teddy hanging from a booth at the fair.”

I roll my eyes. None of them see it.

Gavyn glares at the guy, and he smacks his lips together like, sorry, I’ll be quiet.

Continuing his pacing, Gavyn lets the smirk slide back onto his face, tipping his head back and forth as he talks, “See, because at first, I thought it was impossible that you could mean anything to the alpha. A good lay? Maybe…” Gavyn darts a disgusted look in my direction that says he doesn’t think so. I refuse to move, to even bat my eyes.

“But after my last meeting with him, it became clear that he likes you, Mylah.”

The sound of my name rolling off his lips sends a shiver down my back. I hope he doesn’t see it—hope he doesn’t recognize that despite my will, I am afraid right now. The sight of Gavyn makes my skin crawl with discomfort.

“He likes you so much, even, that he went and got you pregnant!”

That gives me pause. I hold my breath, not wanting to show him that it’s affecting me. It can’t be true—I drank the tonic. I drank the tonic the morning that Augustus left. The one that he put on the nightstand for me to prevent this very thing from happening.

But maybe…maybe it didn’t work. Or maybe it was something else and I didn’t realize.