Page 25 of Racing the Storm

I heard the Wolf shuffle out of the room, and when I had the strength to look up again, my claws were gone, and I was able to fold my hands in my lap.

“Scared?” Alexei asked.

Yes, in fact, I was. I was petrified because I knew it wasn’t a matter of strength that kept us from breaking. We were mortal—we could only stand against so much pain, and Kasher had found those tender spots to exploit and torture.

I would be no different from this one. Or from Zane. Or countless others.

“You’re lucky you’re an Omega,” Alexei said after a beat. “Fucking pointless, horny little animals who don’t serve a purpose.”

I met his gaze, then looked over at Kasher who seemed inches away from falling asleep where he sat. “Am I dismissed.”

Kasher startled upright, then glanced at his son before looking at me. “Tomorrow I want progress, or the bitch gets beaten.”

I stood up to leave, the echo of Alexei’s laugher on my heels as I followed the guard back to my room. The moment the door shut and I was alone, my feet carried me into the bathroom, and I was on my knees before I was even aware I had moved. There was so little in my stomach, the bile that came up seared the back of my throat like acid, but I couldn’t stop heaving.

Every time the feral Wolf’s image appeared behind my eyelids, my stomach heaved, and I couldn’t bring myself to stop until I heard the door open and close behind me.

I just managed to get ahold of myself, aware that Kasher was probably watching. Aware he was probably pleased that he’d managed to break me this far. I was at the end of my tolerance, and I wasn’t sure what I was going to do.

The scent behind me was human—vaguely familiar but freshly showered so I couldn’t get a read on them. I pushed to my feet, then rinsed my mouth and scrubbed my face with the cloth at the edge of the sink before turning to face whoever was in my space.

I came to a skidding halt when I saw Ivan there, and before I could stop myself, I was across the room with a hand around his throat. This was likely a death sentence—or worse—but I didn’t care. My rage was palpable. Humans had kept their heels on the throats of our species for so long, reducing us to so little. And when we rose up, their cruelty only grew until they showed us how monstrous they truly were.

“Give me a single reason why I shouldn’t rip your throat out right here,” I growled through fangs.

He didn’t tense. He didn’t fight. “I don’t have one. At least, not one for my life. But you won’t save yourself or Mari if you take me out like this. My father might not be watching now, but they’ll find my body, and you won’t get far. Not without help.”

I let out a trembling breath, then my eyes narrowed. “Are you going to get me out of here?”

Ivan swallowed thickly, then nodded. “Yes. I know you saw my father’s research. He’s getting closer to the truth, and when he finds it…” Ivan trailed off, and I wasn’t sure if it was because we were being listened to or if he was just afraid to tell me what he already knew.

“Does he know you’re going to turncoat?” I asked him.

Ivan bowed his head and swallowed, the movement pressing against my hand that kept him pinned to the wall. “Yes. He’s just hoping he can hold the leash a little tighter so he’ll have time to figure out what he wants to know.”

“Why Mari can carry this baby?”

“Where the rest of her family is,” Ivan said, his voice soft. He dropped it even lower—to a point there wasn’t much noise at all—and I knew why. I would be able to pick it up, but a recording wouldn’t. “He doesn’t want you to unlock genetic code, Danyal. He wants to get you to the point you’ll be willing to break her.”

I took a step back, dropping my hand. I didn’t know what to do or what was safe to say, but Ivan jerked his head toward the door. “Have dinner in my quarters. They won’t bother us. My father’s likely hoping you really will rip my throat out.”

I breathed out a long, trembling sigh. “Where’s Mari?”

“Being examined again,” he said. There was something dark in his tone, and I wanted to rip the walls down and find her. “She’ll be returned here soon. Unharmed,” he added.

I almost laughed, because that wasn’t true. Perhaps physically, they’d have kept their hands off her, but she was already battered to the point of breaking. Still, I had nothing to do but trust this human. Even if he planned on betraying me, I could at least take him out before they got to me.

And if my fate was that of the other Wolves…well.

So be it.

Following Ivan to his quarters felt like a march to my demise, but instead, his doors opened up to a small, round table laden with food, and not a single guard to be found. He was in another wing from where I was being kept, and I wondered if there was a way to use it to my advantage.

Of course, being that he was on his father’s shit-list probably higher than I was, there was no chance it wasn’t guarded, so it was unlikely I’d be able to run without being seen.

Hell, I wasn’t even sure if I was being tracked.

I rubbed my thumb along the back of my neck and over the tops of my shoulder, trying to find a place they would have cut open.

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