Page 56 of Omega Shattered
"The number of burns on her body . . . this must have happened every day she was there," River choked out.
"So, you still want to leave her there?" I challenged.
He raised stricken eyes to mine. "No."
"Good, then we're going to get her first thing in the morning. You're going to call Laura and let her know."
Chapter 30
Heat Dens
Ijerked upright at the sound of footsteps outside my cell. Finally! It had been a long night and when the lights came back on, no one had showed up, so I'd been sitting here for hours on my own.
Fingers tapped on the keypad and the door swung open, revealing two beta guards. One of them tossed me a uniform and I was never so glad to have the stiff fabric in my hands.
Dressing rapidly, I did up the last button and looked up at the guards, but I knew better than to speak. They were just itching to use their prods on me.
"Come on, the director wants to see you."
I padded silently after the first beta, with the other following me in case I tried anything. Being back in this place had already taken the fight out of me, though.
"Get in there." The guard behind me shoved me through an open door and stepped through after me, closing it.
"Ah, our troublesome omega." A tall, lean woman with greying hair and a stern face sat behind the massive oak desk that dominated the room. "Please, come closer."
I stepped toward the desk, plush carpet soft under my toes. The room was ridiculously overdecorated, with wood panels, lighting, and millions of knick knacks to make it look rich . . . but all that only succeeded in making it look like someone was trying too hard.
"You've been quite the handful," she said with a raised eyebrow.
Her scent hit me then and my eyes widened. A female alpha? She smelled like charred seafood, a bitter, unpleasant scent that made my head spin.
"Do you know what we do with omegas that cause this much trouble?"
I shook my head, though I had my suspicions.
"Well, normally, we'd pair you with a more difficult pack, one that could keep you in line. But after the heatshock, not even a fourth-tier pack would want you." She shook her head. "Do you know why heatshock is so rare?"
I shrugged. Honestly, it didn't matter much to me.
"Because most omegas are perfectly capable of attracting an alpha to knot them. I'm not sure how you ended up in a house with what . . . four alphas . . . and couldn't get a single one to knot you. That's pretty indicative of your worth out there and it's the main reason no one wants a heatshock omega. So you're going to the heat dens. And there will be no escaping this time," she warned.
"Wait, please, you can't . . ." the guard jammed his prod into my ribs, sending me to the ground with a jolt of electricity.
"That's exactly the sort of attitude no one wants from you. Take her to the transport." The director waved her hand like she was telling the guard to take out the trash.
One of them pulled me up, wrenching my arm in the process. I winced, but there was no reprieve. The guards herded me down the hall and through a small door into a dark, narrow passageway that ended in the same waiting room I'd sat in during my fake heat.
"No getting away this time," one of them sneered. "We've got orders to sit with you the whole way."
There was no waiting this time. They marched me out the door and into the waiting van. Another beta was driving, so my two guards flanked me in the back row.
My head was pounding from everything that had happened. The cold seeped into my bones, though one of the guards called for the driver to turn up the heat.
This was it. My worst nightmare. The only good thing I could think was that at least I'd had a good first experience with Kade and the others. Even if I had to spend the rest of my life on my back, I had those memories to keep. I just wish the men had kept me.
It took a long time to reach the heat den. When the van pulled up in front of the dull gray building, I frowned. It wasn't the same place we'd been when I escaped. How far from the center had we gone?
"Get out." I was jostled by the guards until I stood in front of the metal door, my feet freezing on the snowy concrete.
