Page 129 of Unhinged Omega

"Still got it," he says with a wink.

I roll my eyes, but I can't quite suppress my own smirk. "You always were good at manipulating alphas' protective instincts. Though I seem to remember you being more subtle about it."

"Subtlety takes too long," he says with a dismissive wave. "And time isn't exactly on our side, is it?"

My amusement fades as reality crashes back in. He's right. Every minute we waste in here is another minute Cosima is out there alone—and with that beast hunting her.

"You really think she's still alive?" I ask before I can stop myself.

Something flickers in Raven's eyes. Pain, maybe, or fear. But his voice is steady when he answers. "I know she is. I can feel it."

"Right," I scoff. "Your mystical mate bond."

"Mock all you want," he says, lifting his chin defiantly. "But I know what I felt when I saw her. And apparently, you felt it, too."

I bare my teeth at him in a snarl. "You don't know shit about what I felt."

"Don't I?" He tilts his head, studying me with those too-perceptive eyes. "Because the old you would have been gone the moment that monster escaped. You would've cut your losses and your men and bailed, but you didn't. You stood and you fought something you couldn't possibly win against. For her."

"Don't act like you know me," I snap. "Not anymore."

Not when you're the one who left.

Before he can respond, footsteps echo from above. Raven's eyes widen and he presses a finger to his lips. "Follow my lead," he whispers. "I was just pretending you threw me into pseudoheat, by the way, so don't get flattered."

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, I got that part already. And trust me, I wouldn't be flattered."

"Shut up. I'm going to take the doctor down and get the keys."

My chains rattle as I shift position, trying to find a more comfortable way to sit with two bullet holes in my back. "You'd better not leave me here."

The look he gives me is genuinely offended. "Who the fuck do you think convinced Geo not to finish you off?"

The words hit me like a truck. Before I can process their implications, the door slides open upstairs. Raven immediately slumps against the cot on the far side of his cell, one handdrifting down to palm himself through his pants as he lets out a breathy moan.

The sight stirs something in me I thought I'd buried years ago. I tell myself it's just the drugs Ryefield's been pumping into me, combined with the blue balls from being interrupted with Cosima. Nothing more.

The doctor appears at the bottom of the stairs, his face flushed and flustered as he mutters something decidedly obscene under his breath. He pauses outside Raven's cell, keys clutched in his white-knuckled grip.

"I'll help you," he says, his voice strained. "But only if you agree to let me use a command to ensure your compliance. And Geo can't know about this. Deal?"

Fuck.

My muscles tense instinctively. Raven won't be able to resist an alpha command. Not with his condition. This is going to blow up in our faces.

But to my surprise, Raven nods eagerly. "Fine, whatever. I won't tell. Just hurry."

The doctor's voice drops into that resonant tone that bypasses all rational thought for an omega. And the one alpha across the room. "Kneel and stay."

I watch in helpless rage as the command takes hold. Raven's eyes glaze over as he sinks to his knees on the floor, waiting obediently for whatever comes next. My bound hands clench into fists, nails digging into my palms until I feel blood trickle between my fingers.

The sight of another alpha commanding him like this... it sets something primal and violent churning in my gut. An old protective instinct I thought I'd burned out of myself years ago.

The doctor enters Raven's cell, medical bag in hand, completely oblivious to the murderous thoughts racing through my mind. If these chains weren't holding me back...

But they are.

And all I can do is watch.

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