Page 2 of Bound By Pain
He is unfazed by my attempts to break free from my temporary prison, too focused on washing his hands and laying out his tools. This asshole has killed Omegas on his operatingtable before, so why is the breeding ring letting him operate on them?
“Let us begin.” He sets a voice recorder on the tray and pushes it closer. Words fly from my lips, pleading for him to leave me alone, but he doesn’t hear me. My head jerks back and forth, sobs filling the room when he picks up a scalpel.
Why is this happening to me? Does he know who I am? My connection to Omen?
Not that I would blame her if he did. She didn’t ask to be targeted by her father and this jackass.
A strap lowers over the top of my head, locking me in place. I feel the bite of the blade as it cuts into the skin below my ear, where my scent gland is. Screams fill the room, splintering with the pain coursing through my body.
Black fades across my vision as I pass out, unable to handle the agony of what is being done to my body. My last thoughts are of my mates, the comfort I should have been experiencing in their arms. If only Fate had led us down a different path.
CHAPTER 2
Months have flownby since I last saw my Omega, and I’m fucking done. DAU and FCDA agents move around me in the temporary headquarters set up outside of Silverstone, Alabama. After the raid, we brought the criminals from the black market here, hoping to gather intel on the suspected connection between the city’s police force and the breeding ring.
These assholes don’t know shit. They’re corrupt as hell, but being corrupt doesn’t mean you’re anything more than a foot soldier for whoever is pulling the real strings.
Weeks of searching have left us empty-handed. Why have I wasted so much time chasing ghosts when I could have been with my mate?
“I’m going home.” Eyes turn to me from around the large table where Porter, Lex, and other upper-level agents are reviewing everything we’ve found.
Lex just rolls his eyes and continues flipping through papers. He probably assumes I will cave again, but I’m serious this time. They can find someone else to replace me. Things have calmed down in New Hampshire since the conviction of Grant Montgomerey and his son, Ben.
“Peterson, you’re driving back to New York tonight? Can I catch a ride with you?”
My question makes Lex pause, his gray eyes narrowing on me. “You’re seriously going to walk away when this madman is still unaccounted for?”
“Look around, Lex!” I throw my arms wide. “We aren’t the only people chasing the Doctor! Even if we were, I can’t do this anymore! Months of work have gotten us nowhere. I need our Omega. I’m losing my fucking mind, stuck here without her!”
“Returning would put her in danger!” he roars, slamming his hands on the table.
I shake my head, dropping my arms and clenching my fists at my side. “You’re scared. Terrified of letting her in to see all your broken pieces. Keep running. Chase ghosts until your legs give out. But you’ll be doing it without me. I can protect Bea a hundred times better at her side than I can from thousands of miles away.”
His jaw tightens, teeth grinding as he fights back an argument. “Fine. Go back. I’m not giving up until I eliminate the threat against our Omega.”
Peterson claps a hand on my shoulder, head shaking lightly when I open my mouth to call Lex on his bullshit attempt to guilt me into staying. Let him be miserable. I’m ready to have Bea in my arms and my mark on her throat, like I should have done months ago.
“Grab your bags. We’re heading out in twenty.”
I nod as I head toward the parking lot. Grabbing my stuff from the van is easy, since we haven’t unpacked after leaving our hotel. I dig to the bottom of my bag and grab Bea’s blanket. Her scent is faded from the material, but he’ll still know who it belongs to. Tossing it on his bag, I throw the strap of mine over my shoulder and head back inside.
The sooner I’m back in New York, the better.
What kind of gift says ‘I’m sorry’ without looking like I’m trying to buy her forgiveness? Tapping my phone against my thigh, I stare out the window, hoping Fate will help me find my answer. We pass a woman jogging, led by two panting dogs, and it strikes me. The perfect gift!
Bea said she had always wanted a pet. I’ll show up on her doorstep with a fluffy critter in my arms; then, we can finally start building our pack!
It’s easy to scroll through the local shelters, as many of them have websites where they upload information about the animals up for adoption. A puppy would be a lot more work than an older dog, and with her work schedule and potential tours, I don’t want to put too much pressure on us.
Hours have passed when I finally find the perfect match. A several-year-old basset hound mixed breed with the fluffiest, floppiest ears! His rich brown and black coat will grow out to keep him warm in the winter, and we can find a groomer to trim it down in the summer so he doesn’t overheat.
“What’s got you grinning like a fool?” Peterson asks from the driver’s seat.
“Just making plans to woo my girl.”
“She finally respond to your messages?”
Frowning, I switch screens, but she hasn’t read the text yet. I also tried to call, but she didn’t pick up. It’s late, but she might still be working. If Orbital Somatic had a show, she wouldn’t look at her phone until after they’d returned home for the night. “Not yet.”
