Page 13 of Verses and Blooms
Our aversion to claiming bites had been our downfall.
A key clicked in the lock before a man pushed inside. His pudgy form, worn clothes, and ugly mug were uncomfortably familiar.
The scent of stale coffee and cigars wafted in with him, my stomach churning. He took a deep breath and grinned, his eyes wide and what teeth he had left on display as he grinned.
“Welcome home, omega,” he chuckled, rubbing his hands together. “Things have changed in your absence, eh?”
“Stay the fuck away from me,” I gritted out, body tensing, ready to fight back if I needed to.
His grin only widened.
“I heard you had more fight. Nearly killed that man on your way in. We have quite a few alphas who love a little fight, don’t we? You’ve met a few.”
He licked his lips, my stomach churning but I had nothing left in it. It was a miracle I was still standing after expelling everything I ate however long ago and having nothing since.
“Your heat is kicking in,” he told me. “You have one day before I’d say you’re begging for knots.”
“Never,” I spit out. “I’ll bite off any knots that dare to get near me.”
He snorted and shrugged. “I think our alphas will be safe. You’ll fall in line soon enough.”
“Never,” I growled again. “I have a pack now and they won’t leave a single one of you bastards alive.”
“We’ve heard that before,” he said, not the least bit afraid. “So many times. Funny thing is, no one ever finds you.”
His crude chuckle echoed out as he started walking out, taking one final whiff. “Maybe I’ll come back first, have a taste myself now that you’re finally a real omega.”
My omega and I recoiled at his threat. There was no way we were letting that happen.
I’d rather die in this cell than let a single alpha touch me. I had my pack and I would accept no one less than the men fate gave me.
I bared my teeth when he took a step forward. His laughter was loud, echoing off the walls.
“Watch out, boys, we have a feral one in here,” he called out. A few random laughs sounded off in response, but he was more right than he realized.
My omega was ready to stay present this time, to fight to keep us safe. Everyone wanted to underestimate omegas. We were territorial over our pack, and that meant ensuring no one else could touch us but them.
We’d kill anyone that thought otherwise.
Chapter Six
Ansel
Staying out of my head was the hardest thing I’d ever done. All I could do was picture Audrey suffering again. I swear I felt her fear spike at one point. It was faint but sharp at the same time, indescribable.
I’d never felt anything like it, but then again, I’d never had a bond form like this. We may not have bitten each other, but we were bonded in our own way. Something that ran soul-deep.
We’d just made it to the door heading outside when something had me turning around. A feeling of urgency I couldn’t ignore.
“What is it?” Ledger questioned, stopping with me. He’d been almost attuned to me since she’d been gone, as if he’d taken it upon himself to keep me safe, too. Then again, maybe it had been like that for a long time. I’d felt safe with them for longer than I could admit to myself.
We watched as Rydell, Caspian, Kane, Vance, and Cooke rushed out of the clinic. I started to follow, but hesitated.
“Go,” Ledger said. “I’ll stick with Ares. Stay with them.”
With a nod, I was running after them, catching up to Kane. He glanced my way, his face grim. I didn’t even have to question for him to catch me up on what they’d found.
“We found the room, but it’s locked. They think it’s triggered by some kind of remote control. Malik wasn’t about subtlety, he was flashy and smug. He would do something foolproof like this.”
