Page 33 of Owning His Mate

Without knowing fully what’s on the other side, I twist the handle, and, to my surprise, the door pops open.

My breath hitches, clogging my throat as my anxiety skyrockets. They didn’t even lock me in… Why?

This is a trap…

It has to be.

I glance at the camera in the corner of the room expecting to be swarmed by the enemy, but when nothing happens, I gulp in air. Then I gently pull the door toward me and carefully peer around the edge into the corridor beyond. The walls are pale green, almost inviting and calm, but there’s no one waiting to drag me back to the bed.

I sniff, relying on my wolf senses, and while there are multiple scents, there’s nothing fresh.

Fuck. I don’t want to just waltz into danger, but staying put isn’t an option.

Keeping close to the wall, I use the mating bond as a beacon to tell me which direction Kye is in, and I head that way. There are more cameras in the hallways, blinking red lights watching my every move. It’s creepy, but still there is no sign of life and no one tries to stop me.

As I approach the end of the corridor and a set of double doors, there is a wheelchair sitting abandoned against the wall. I snag it, certain that Kye will not be in a condition to walk out of here. He was shot and barely conscious the last time I saw him.

Backing through the doors, checking I’m not about to be attacked, I’m relieved to find the next corridor is also empty. The lack of people or anything keeping me from escaping doesn’t feel like a good thing. My sense of unease is growing by the minute.

As I move, an unfamiliar smell infuses my nose. It’s not wolf, which is a relief because there is no way I can mask my scentwithout my power, and any wolf with a nose will be able to smell me before they see me.

No, this scent is human.

And that stuns me. What the hell are humans doing involved in this? They don’t know about our world—or they’re not meant to—and yet there is no mistaking what I’m smelling.

It’s getting closer, and my frazzled brain remembers I’m not supposed to be here.

Hide, I have to hide.

I backtrack a couple of steps, dragging the wheelchair with me, and with no choice, I shove into one room off the hallway.

I expect to be wrestled to the ground immediately, but the space is dark other than the flood of light from the multiple screens on one wall.

I press against the door so I can close it without making a sound, and when I turn back into the room, my heart sinks into my gut. The wall of monitors shows what looks like a bunch of cells. There are beds in each one, a toilet, and a basin, but nothing else.

I scan each screen, my pulse fluttering even though they are all empty. Is this a prison? A holding place for tau?

There’s so much information in front of me that I almost miss the small figure sitting against the wall on one of the middle screens. I lean in closer for a better look and my stomach knots at the way her knees are drawn to her chest.

I don’t know who she is, but she’s so small she has to be a pup. Her long hair curtains her face, hiding her and making it difficult to guess anything, but it’s clear she’s a prisoner here.

Sweat beads on the back of my neck as I will her to move, but she doesn’t so much as flinch.

Is this a live feed?

A static picture?

Is she really here?

There is movement on other screens, soldiers armed with guns and people in lab coats. Yeah, it’s live. Fuck. I can’t leave without finding the girl, but how the fuck am I going to do that?

“Who are you, kid?” I murmur, noting the writing in the bottom left corner of the screen.

MAIN FLOOR ROOM 7.

I make a note of it before continuing to scan the screens, my eyes darting back and forth as I search for him. Eventually, I spot Kye.

The camera is angled in such a way that only a small section of the room is visible. I don’t care about any of that. My gaze is locked on the male who shares my consciousness. Kye’s lying on a narrow bed, sheets pulled up just barely over his hips, and his torso is exposed. Someone undressed him, and that makes me angry. If they used his body while he was unconscious, I’ll destroy them all.

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