Page 5 of Alpha Fate

The stranger on the other side of the bars seems shocked.

“Yes. Me.” I croak out the words because my voice won’t come to me freely. I strain to pick out his features. He’s a shifter; I can tell that much. But he doesn’t carry the unwashed odor that the others do. My nostrils flare at the scent of fresh grass and sunshine. After so long in the clammy darkness, it’s a comforting smell. Warm and clean. I inhale deeply. “Me,” I say again because I’m groggy and fighting confusion.

“When did they bring you here?” There’s a movement as he shakes his head. “Fuck. Jagger must be going out of his mind.” Metal clinks when he rubs a hand over his face.

I don’t know what he’s talking about, but I try to answer. “Dunno,” I mumble. “Long…long…” God, why can’t I stop slurring? “Dunno…how…long.”

He shakes his head again, muttering under his breath. “Must have been after I left. Bastards.”

“Who… Who…?” I fight to keep my eyes open and fixed on him. Through the darkness, his face fades in and out of focus.

“It’s me. Gage.” He pats his chest.

“Gage,” I repeat, watching him. His hands have been manacled. Both of them, not just one wrist like me. But then again, he’s not collared. I run a finger beneath the band around my throat. It takes a couple of tries for me to get my hand there as I fumble, my fingers refusing to cooperate.

I realize he’s watching me when I hear him spit out a curse. “Those fuckers. Chained you like a slave.” His feet scuff the floor as he tries to rise and then sinks abruptly. They’ve done something to him.

“Drugged…” I exhale.

“Yes. They stuck me with something.” He raises a hand to his neck. I think I can see him scowling. I get the impression of strong brows and a broad forehead that furrows now. “And from the looks of it, you, too.” The stranger’s voice fades, then strengthens, then fades again as I struggle to concentrate. He’s speaking urgently, but the words blur together.

“Mmmm…” I say.

“Don’t worry…we’ll get out of this. Just hold on…”

Get out?

My foggy mind latches onto that phrase. Is there a way out of this place? I try to shake my head to clear it but only manage to roll it limply to the side.

“Hey, stay with me.” His voice sharpens. “Look at me.”

I force my eyes open again. Yet again, I struggle to get a good look at his features. Strong jaw, intense eyes. They seem to glow as they fix on me.

“There you are,” he says in a softer tone. “That’s it. Stay with me, Sierra.”

Sierra? I frown. Who’s Sierra? For some reason, I feel like I should know, but the memories keep slipping away like mist.

He keeps talking, the words running together again. “Jagger will move heaven and earth to find you. We just need to hold on until I find a way to get word to him. If I can’t get out, that’s our best option.”

Jagger. The name means nothing. I lick my dry lips, trying to speak. “Don’t…know…Jagger.”

He stills. I hear the rasp of his breath. “What do you mean? Jagger’s your mate.”

Mate?

I shake my head again, but it’s barely more than a twitch. “My mate.” My mind spins as I go back to that horrible day when they took me. The man on the ground. The bikes spinning around us. Was he my mate? Jagger? Maybe they didn’t kill him. I know I should feel relief, but everything is numb.

His voice hardens. “Did they do something to you? Take your memories?”

I just look at him helplessly. I have no answers, barely any memory beyond this cell.

He curses, the sound echoing off the damp walls. Then he drags in a breath, visibly calming himself. “Okay. It’s okay. We’ll figure this out.” He shifts closer to the bars separating us. “What do you remember? Did they get into Steel Lakes?”

“Steel Lakes?” I grasp for something concrete, but there’s nothing. Only a void where my identity should be. Panic flutters in my chest. “I don’t…” My tongue feels thick, useless. “I don’t know.”

“Shit. This is a fuck-up!” He scrubs a hand over his face once more.

“I’m so sorry.” I feel so damn useless.

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