Page 10 of These Bonds that Unite Us
He sighs, running a hand through his dark blonde hair. “Fuck. Fine. But I’m on the team to extract you. I’m not going to risk being castrated if Bea finds out I let you walk into his trap and wasn’t there to pull you out before he could kill you.”
I nod in agreement only because I know he won’t back down. No matter what I say, he’ll be one of the men waiting outside of the church to take down my father.
“Okay,” Lukas says as he walks back into the room. He’s ditched his fancy suit jacket but still manages to look like he belongs in a board room instead of a realty office. “We have confirmation one of Pastor Montgomery’s teams is stationed outside of your apartment building. So all you need to do, Miss Powell, is go home.”
Stepping outside of the realty office, my anxiety starts to build. This may be my plan, but that doesn’t make executing it any easier. I take a deep, steadying breath and pull out my phone. Lukas had given it back as soon as we arrived. If they were tracking my phone, he wanted them to be able to watch my location and realize I was returning to my apartment.
I have a few notifications from Bea, silly things like shared links to Candy Courage merch announcements and interviews. Nothing from Pack Graves, though I’m not surprised since all four of them blocked me as soon as they learned I was born as Sarah Montgomery.
Ignoring the persistent ache in my heart, I order a ride-share to take me home. They don’t think my father’s men will target the beta driver, but I still feel bad for putting him in danger, so I make sure to tip him extra well for the risk.
Staring up at the tan, stone building feels bittersweet. This was supposed to be Bea and I’s first taste of freedom. We should have been staying up late binge-watching TV shows and talking about work. Instead, I’ve spent the past three weeks in hiding. Alone.
Footsteps pound down the sidewalk behind me and I know my time is up. I can’t stay. I murmur a soft farewell to the dreams I’m leaving behind as strong arms wrap around my waist. A hand covers my mouth, muffling my scream. I bite down, using my limited energy to put up a decent enough fight to make my capture seem real.
I’m tossed into the dark interior of a metal van. I lunge for the doors but they slam closed before I can reach them. Exertion makes my chest heave, and I sink to the ground, unable to hold myself up any longer. Fuck, this isn’t good. I’m so tired already, but I can’t afford to fall asleep here. Crawling across the floor, I manage to sit myself upright in the corner.
My mind drifts as I cling to the side paneling, trying to force my body to stay upright and alert. Memories flicker around me. Cuddle piles on the massive bed at the back of Pack Graves bus. Sitting side by side with Nexus while we both put on our makeup for a trip into town. Nebula and Titan wedging me between them on their couch while they played video games.
The scents and sounds are so realistic I catch myself reaching out to touch them. But they aren’t here. They’ll never be here again. I’ll spend the rest of my short life alone with only my broken heart and the incessant pain radiating through my body to keep me company.
It’s okay. I know I deserve this. To be lost in the misery I created by lying to my pack. I’ll bear the weight of my failure as an omega and guarantee my sister and nieces are safe by destroying our father.
Maybe then Fate will relieve me of this burden.
Doors slam and I jerk awake. Shit, I didn’t mean to fall asleep. How much time has passed since they grabbed me outside of the apartment? Have we already made it to Whitlan? Panic threatens to consume me, my breaths turning ragged, butI shove the feeling aside. I need to save what little strength my rest has brought me.
Patting my chest, I sigh in relief when I feel the small one-inch square body camera Lukas and the other DAU agents had hidden in my jeans overalls. Unless he is specifically looking for it, my father shouldn’t be able to tell the device is there.
Hopefully. My entire plan hinges on capturing his confession on video.
The double doors at the back of the van swing open and blinding light filters into the dark space. I shield my eyes so I can see who awaits me on the other side, only for my heart to stop when I come face to face with my worst nightmare.
Doctor Harrison. New Hampshire’s Mad Scientist.
“Patient #1396. Sarah Montgomery. Omega.” He sneers my designation, his terrifying amber eyes dragging across my body with a cold calculation that ignites my instinctive urge to flee.
Not that I could escape now. The van is surrounded by my father’s followers, so there isn’t anywhere for me to run. Nausea churns violently in my stomach realizing exactly how dangerous of a position I’ve put myself in. I was prepared to face my father’s wrath, not to undergo whatever torture this mad man has designed.
One of the men, an older, pudgy beta, steps inside and grabs my upper arm. I’m dragged beneath a cloudy, starless sky. With the light from their flashlights focused away from me, I see my father’s church looming ahead. White siding covers its exterior with rich brown shutters to give the building a comforting feel, and a cross-bearing steeple towers above us, reaching toward Heaven. From the outside, it looks like any other place of worship. Peaceful and welcoming. Inside though…
My father may claim to speak for God, but this house is where the devil resides.
I can barely keep my feet from scraping across the ground as my captor forces me toward the door. My body isn’t cooperating the way it should. Heaviness weighs down my limbs and chest.Please just hang on for a little bit longer, I beg. I can’t let go now. Not when I’m so close to saving everyone.
The interior of the church has been rearranged, the pews pushed aside to make room for—I struggle against the men carrying me, my fight renewed when I see a medical table and an array of tools set up at the center of the room.
Fuck, I need to get out of here.
“The Lord has spoken. Whispered into my ears the list of your sins and deemed me responsible for deciding your punishment.”
My lungs seize when my father’s voice rings through the room. His men push me forward so suddenly I start to lose my balance. Thankfully, I manage to catch myself on the edge of one of the closer pews.
“You have strayed far from the pathHecreated for you.” His footsteps grow louder as he gets closer to where I’m leaning. “Giving in to the blasphemous instincts your sins have created in your body. Fornicating outside of marriage, and with multiple partners. Slandering the name of his chosen servants. These are only the most grievous of your immoral actions. What a disappointment you’ve turned out to be.” He stalks from the shadowed pulpit to stand before me. Hatred burns in his eyes, his lips twisted into a sneer.
“Guard the entrance and ensure whatever pack she’s been lying with hasn’t tracked her down,” Father demands. His men are quick to follow his orders.
“So she returns. The abomination my wife birthed. A walking embodiment of sin.”
