Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

HECTOR

The pulsing beat of the music thrums through my body as I watch the omegas take their positions on the stage, bathed in neon lights that cast harsh shadows across their scantily clad forms. The air is thick with the stench of alpha arousal, a dizzying mix of sweat, alcohol, and pheromones that threatens to overwhelm my senses.

I glance over at Silas, seeing his jaw clench with barely restrained fury as his golden eyes fix on the stage. Dante's nostrils flare, a low growl rumbling in his throat.

As the omegas begin to move to the thumping rhythm, their hips undulating and hands roaming over their own curves, the rowdy alphas that crowd around the stage hoot and jeer, waving crumpled bills. It turns my stomach to witness such blatant objectification, knowing these omegas have no choice, that they've been drugged and broken until they're little more than empty shells.

And then I see her. Rosa.

Bella's sister looks like a ghost of her former vibrant self, her midnight black hair hanging limp and dull around her too-thin face, her once bright eyes now glassy and vacant.

She sways listlessly to the pulsing beat, her movements mechanical and devoid of passion. It's like watching a marionette dance, her limbs jerking to the pull of invisible strings. The sight of her once vibrant spirit so utterly shattered sends a surge of rage and despair through my veins.

I can feel the tension radiating off Silas and Dante beside me, their alpha instincts screaming to tear apart the bastards who did this to her. But we hold ourselves in check, knowing that causing a scene now would only jeopardize our plan to get Bella out of her alive, and now her sister too.

I spot a familiar face across the room, and his eyes are locked on our table. My whole body tenses up as Nic and I make eye contact. I don't like the fucker. I can smell the way he lusts after what is mine. He wants Bella for himself. We know they used to fuck, but that was years ago. Still, just the thought of his hands on her soft skin makes me want to rip him to shreds.

But on the bright side, I genuinely don't think he wants anything bad to happen to Bella.

Ignoring Nic, I turn my attention back to the omegas on stage. To Rosa De Luca in particular. According to Bella, her sister has been trapped in shitty strip clubs like this one for a decade. Bella went her whole adult life thinking that Rosa had been mated off, when in reality, she was a prisoner.

The music builds to a feverish crescendo as Rosa's movements become more frantic, her body twisting and contorting in a desperate attempt to please the leering alphas. I can see the pain etched into every line of her face, the hopelessness that weighs down her once graceful limbs.

Bile rises in my throat as I watch one particularly bold alpha reach out to grab at Rosa, his meaty hand closing around her slender wrist and yanking her towards him. She stumbles, nearly falling off the stage, and the alpha lets out a bellowing laugh that turns my blood to ice.

I'm on my feet before I can stop myself, a snarl tearing from my throat as I start to push through the crowd towards the stage. Dante's hand clamps down on my shoulder, holding me back with an iron grip.

"Not yet," he growls in my ear, his voice low and dangerous. "We stick to the plan."

I glance back at him, seeing my own fury reflected in his intense gaze. Silas is still seated, but every muscle in his body is coiled tight, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.

I force myself to take a deep breath, the acrid stench of alpha pheromones burning my nostrils. Dante's right. We can't afford to lose control, not when Bella and Rosa's lives hang in the balance.

I turn my attention back to the stage just in time to see Rosa wrench her arm free from the alpha's grasp, stumbling back with a look of pure terror in her haunted eyes. She wraps her arms around herself, as if trying to hold the broken pieces of her soul together, and I feel my heart shatter at the sight.

The alpha snarls, his face contorting with rage as he lunges for her again, but this time, one of the bouncers intervenes. The burly beta grabs the alpha by the collar, hauling him back and slamming him against the stage with a sickening thud.

"Hands off the merchandise," the bouncer growls, his voice dripping with menace. "You wanna touch, you gotta pay."

The alpha spits out a string of curses, but he slinks back into the crowd, his tail tucked between his legs. I feel a small flicker of satisfaction at the sight, but it's quickly extinguished by the realization that this is just a temporary reprieve. Rosa is still trapped, still at the mercy of these monsters.

I can't wait to watch them all choke.