Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

BECKETT

T hese guys are idiots. How could they let their mate suffer this fate?

I judge them because they should know better. They know us because we were in the same year, which, according to them, means three and a half years have passed since the greatest and worst day of my life.

We didn't know better because we had just stepped foot onto campus. Literally twenty fucking steps in and everything went sideways.

I remember the nervous, excited energy pulsing through my veins at the idea of a fresh start. It wasn't until the explosion of short brown hair in a bite sized package came tumbling from the line of omegas and staff members that everything changed.

"MATE!"

I notice nothing but the wild look in the girl's eyes as she rushes forward. My heart lurches, then my senses flood with raspberry bubble gum. I only have a moment to process the fact that I just found my scent-matched mate before my alpha rushes to the surface and forces my feet forward.

Like my mate, I break from the line of my freshmen peers and run to her only for someone to touch what's mine. I charge, furious and afraid for my beautiful fated.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY MATE!"

Everything inside of me is screaming to get to my mate. My alpha nature sees the aggressive hands band around my omega and roars. I hardly feel the fist crack me in the face or hear the other alpha fighting beside me. All I can focus on is the utter failure that is me.

My mate cries and screams for me, but I can't help her. I'm fucking useless, and I can't help but wonder if she sees the same thing when she looks at me with those big brown eyes.

I crash to the ground beside who I assume is supposed to be my pack brother, except I don't think we'll ever get the chance to form the family that we were meant to be.

Family. I was separated from my first one, dragged through many, forced into another, and now my future family is being ripped apart before my eyes.

Another omega I have failed. And as I watch the needle plunge into my mate's neck, I can't believe I failed the two most important people in my life.

"What's going to happen to him?"

I can't help but wonder when these idiots will stop being annoying. It's been so long, I don't remember if I was the same way at first. Constantly pacing my cage, asking dumb questions, voicing stupid escape plans. It's getting on my nerves.

"If I tell you what's going to happen, will you shut the fuck up?" I snap, but don't bother to look at them. I've worn the perfect groove into the moist wall for the crown of my head. It's the only comfortable spot to sit. Plus, my ass has its own little divot in the ground too.

It's silent for a few seconds, then the blonde beta at the far end of the basement rushes out, "Yes, please!"

The dark-skinned alpha next to me growls a little, but I do what I do best and ignore it. I've had a lot of practice with Nick, but he's stopped scolding me for my shitty ways a long time ago.

I take a deep breath to prepare myself for their incoming shock and probably loud response. But hopefully once they know what to expect, they can sit and quiet down.

"Well, they seem to have come to a strong theory using us, so I'll assume they are going to use your pack to test it."

"Who's they?" the dark-haired guy asks, who I believe is Lucas.

I roll my head until I'm looking at him and raise a brow. "I thought it was obvious. The doctors, scientists, sadists... whatever you wanna call them."

"Scientists?" Lucas' eyes widen comically.

I tilt my head, wondering how fucking brainwashed they are and what happened at the academy. "Surely you knew about the experiments, right? How the omegas are dragged here for every heat so they can study them and figure out the best ways to control them? A submissive, docile, brainwashed omega is the best kind of omega, haven't you heard?"

I'm not surprised that my taunting words make the new alphas growl at me, but the beta's roar of outrage does shock me. I wave them off. "Yeah, yeah. The longer you're here, the more you'll overhear. Anyway, now you're a part of the misery she's been going through for, what did you say, over three years?"

I'm an asshole, but if I'm a failure, then they are too. I just don't know who's worse. There is no satisfaction in watching their stricken faces pale even more at my insinuation of what they have clearly been ignorant of.

My empty stomach swirls uncomfortably, but I push forward. Ignore it. Ignore the guilt that festers in my gut at the devastation that is sure to come because I have lost all shred of humanity. Only for my omega.

"They are going to force you to help your omega through her heat and will make you bond her."

"WHAT?!"

"THE FUCK?!"

My ears ring at the shouts of the alphas and I decide right then and there that the beta is my favorite. Casey, I think his name is, just gapes at me. I bet if I were closer, I would see tears shimmering in his eyes.

Nick sighs and surprises me by adding his own information. "They will make you bond her 'cus they figured out the surest way to control an omega is through their pack. Control the pack, control the omega. Make them the perfect little dolls," he adds bitterly.

Flashes of our mate tumble through my mind. At the beginning, she was quite the spitfire, and I fucking loved it. It brought forth my own fight, but it's rare we see the fire in her anymore. I hate to fucking think it, but Kate is becoming exactly what they hoped for.

I see the assholes in lab coats eyeing me and Nick more and more lately, like they are trying to figure out what else they can do with our pack. They have been so focused on creating the perfect submissive omega and teaching alphas to be dickwads at the school, from what I've heard, but what if they decide to control alphas through their omegas next?

What happens if they make an army of alphas who would do anything to save their mates? I would do anything if it was guaranteed I could get Kate out of here.

I just really fucking hope they don't realize the extent of what an alpha would do for their omega. I want to be on the right side of all this. The outside world is filled with a society working toward equality, and I want to be a part of that. But if I had to choose between my mate and everyone else? I choose Kate.

My shitty, nonchalant attitude over the past few years and Nick's quiet depression has kept them from thinking much of us. Un-fucking-fortunately, as I watch the newbies rage and throw themselves at the bars, screaming for someone named Freya and their pack alpha, I think our time is up.

If they don't get their shit together soon, we're all fucked.