Page 7 of Bound By Pain
The small stack grows alongside my frustration. It could take us weeks to explore these, and my mate doesn’t have that kind of time!
“Here. Those are the connections we can’t get close to.” He holds the stack out, gripping it tight when I try to grab it. “Be careful, Ferguson. Hale. Your Omega is going to need you, so don’t get yourselves killed.”
Meeting his eyes, I let him see my resolve to do whatever it takes to rescue Bea. Even at the cost of my life. Any Alpha would do the same for their Fate-matched Omega, so there isn’t much he can say to stop me.
Crumpling the pages in my hand, I bump against Ridley and head to the door. We’re going to need more boots on the ground if we are going to find our girl, and I know just who to call.
CHAPTER 6
Blood coatsthe inside of my mouth, my teeth clenched hard enough to pierce my cheek as I watch Marcus’ men drag my Omega away. Every instinct in my body riots, demanding I break free from this cage and tear them apart before they can lay their hands on her.
But there isn’t anything I can do to save her.
I’ve tried to escape. To break the door open or strain the joints of the cage to their breaking point, but being underfed and injured, I don’t have the strength to accomplish more than surviving.
Minutes. That’s how long I’ve known my Omega, and already I am failing her.
Pain pierces my ankle, sharp and stabbing, as the sounds of her fighting carry back into the room. A small spark of prideswells in my chest knowing she isn’t going to let them take her easily, though it diminishes quickly when I remember what they are going to do in retaliation.
Seconds feel like hours as I brace myself to feel all of her torment. I will memorize every second of her agony, and when I find a way out of this cage, I will destroy every single jackass who dares to put a hand on her.
My breath catches, bile rising in my throat when her pain starts. What the fuck is happening in there? Did they fuckingstab her?!
“Creed?”
Shit. I hold my breath, closing my eyes and focusing on slow, shallow breaths. Marcus and his men cannot realize I am connected to the pretty Omega with the stunning blue eyes. What they are doing to her now will be nothing compared to what he will subject her to if he finds out.
A deluge of pain batters against my soul, piercing to the deepest parts of me and trying to lure my Alpha to the surface. When my head gets light from the sheer overwhelming amount of agony, I lean against the bars at the back of the cage and allow unconsciousness to claim me.
Whatever they are doing to her, I don’t think it’s the same thing the other Omegas experienced here. This is much, much worse.
Something jabs me in the side, startling me awake. The Omega in the cell next to mine, Lia, tilts her head toward the door where two men drag my clearly unconscious mate into theroom. Lingering remnants of her distress fill the air, tainted by the metallic scent of blood.
The already quiet room seems to freeze, all eyes glued to her as they drop her roughly into her cage.
Horror clogs my throat when Lia leans back, giving me an unhindered view of my mate. Wounds cover her body, hastily stitched incisions that remain uncovered and at risk of infection.
“Creed…” Lia says, barely a whisper in the room’s silence. “That’s… They took her scent glands, didn’t they?” Her voice shakes, betraying the fear I can feel rippling through the cages as we all realize what fresh hell we’ve found ourselves in.
I focus on my mate’s face, too afraid I will lose control if I search her naked form and find other wounds beyond those on her neck and wrist. A voice niggles at the back of my mind, drowned out by the anger and grief threatening my barely maintained self-control.
When the door creaks open again, Lia shifts forward, blocking my view and pulling my attention away from my mate.
Silently thanking her for stepping in to help hide my Fated connection, I watch with narrowed eyes as they pull a terrified Omega from a cage on the opposite side of the room. Her sobs echo down the hall as they drag her out of the room.
Swallowing against the bile threatening to spill from my lips, I try to focus on what my instincts are telling me. Aside from the innate need to protect my mate, there is something I am missing. Why would Marcus and his men take an Omega’s scent glands? They don’t have any use outside of-
Motherfucker!Rage races through my veins as I put the pieces together. Doctor Harrison, the scientist behind the Montgomery cult in New Hampshire, was illegally harvesting scent glands and using them to create a weaponized anti-bark drug. When the cult was raided by a joint FCDA and DAU task force, the Doctor escaped. Lex and his roommate Ridley havebeen assisting with tracking him down, but their efforts have been largely unsuccessful.
Because that madman ishere. Hiding behind the breeding ring and using the people they’ve abducted to restart his drug experiments.
I really need to get out of here and contact Porter. The FCDA should have sent someone to check on me after they benched me during the raid in Alabama. The investigation into my disappearance should already be underway, and my relation to Marcus should lead them here.
If my boss at the FCDA has realized I’m missing. If he hasn’t… we’re doomed.
“What are we going to do?” Lia asks. My eyes crack open, and I see her hugging her arms tighter around herself, staring vacantly at the empty doorway.
I get it. The Doctor’s arrival changes everything. What was already a dangerous situation has now gone nuclear.
