Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

RONAN

E verything fucking hurts. My ribs are for sure bruising and my jaw aches like a bitch. I can even feel the cuts on the soles of my feet. If nothing else makes these people assholes, it's the fact that they took our socks and shoes for no goddamn reason.

But nothing stings worse than watching Freya completely shut down.

What I don't think anyone else realizes is how pissed she is. I've stared into my woman's eyes for months and have done my best to learn every little tick about her. While she may be sitting back with her shoulders hunched, her eyes scream in rage.

"Now!" the beta smirking at my mate shouts joyfully with a clap. "I'm Doctor Ken, those are my enforcers, and you two"—he waves between me and Freya on our knees—"are my little test subjects."

I see something flare in Freya's eyes at whatever Ken just said, but it's gone before I can figure out what it was. I want to say it looked like humor or something bratty, but I can't be sure. Fuck, I want to know what's going on inside her deviant little brain right now.

"So here's what's going to happen..." Ken drawls, leaning back in his chair. "You are going to get everything you've ever wanted shortly. And I am going to study you."

My gut sinks. Nothing about what he says sounds good. I want nothing from this abusive asshole, especially when the one fucking thing I want is my mate.

He cackles like a true villain. "Our little cum bucket is going into heat and as soon as I inject her with my handy little concoction, she's, well how can I say this? She's gonna need your cock."

My gut fucking sinks; my entire world flips upside down. There is no way I am taking advantage of my mate when she's drugged !

"I see your distress, little alpha, but I assure you the omega will be in horrific pain without you. Honestly, without help from any stimulation, she might not make it through the next two days," Ken says with a smirk.

"No," I whisper, trying to fight my way back to standing, but with the heavy hands keeping me in my submissive stance, I hardly make it an inch. "You can't do this! I won't do it!"

Ken snickers and looks at Freya with mock pity. "I guess your scent match wants you to die."

She doesn't even fucking flinch, but the clench of her bare thighs tells me she's not unaffected. As we've been talking, her scent has slowly made its way to me like she actually is going into heat.

"You will bond."

"WHAT?!" I howl. My blood roars in my ears as I shove myself forward instead of up. The move takes the enforcers by surprise, allowing me to tumble my way into Freya's space. I gather her bare body in my arms, ignoring her most intimate parts.

"Hey baby," I coo, gently swiping her gnarled white hair away from her reddening cheeks. "Shh, I'm here now." My voice trembles, but I'll be strong for her.

I barely register Ken's sigh before he's hovering over us in his dark suit. "Lovely. We'll see how long you can control yourself, pup."

All I can do is watch my mate's eyes widen in shock and pain as Ken plunges the needle into her bicep. "No, no, no! What did you do?!" I shout, pulling her arm to me and inspecting the little droplet of blood rolling down her arm.

"Tick tock, young alpha. Your mate needs you. Will you deny and kill her, or finally bond your one true mate and save her life?" Then the door slams behind Ken and the other betas, leaving us alone. Well, as alone as we can be with cameras in every corner of the room.

The way he words the ultimatum makes it sound like an obvious choice. And as the almond bark notes of Freya's chocolatey scent rise, I'm finding it harder and harder to understand why I shouldn't be touching her.

"Ronan," Freya whispers, but I barely hear her. "Alpha!"

Not only do I snap to attention, but my alpha side does too which scares the ever-loving shit out of me. Guilt builds and builds as blood rushes to my cock.

"Ronan! Look at me!"

Freya's tone shocks me out of whatever trance her scent put me under. Christ, this isn't how this is supposed to go.

"No it's not, Ro. But I haven't expected my first time to be magical in years," my mate says softly, stroking my cheek. Oh, I said that out loud. I can't tell if it's my face that's sweaty or her little palm. "Alpha, I need you to listen to me before we're both swept away in the fog. Can you do that for me?"

I frown. "I would do anything for you, Freya, you have to believe me. God, I'm so so sorry this is happening. Please, you have to stay away from me. I won't do anything you don't want. Fuck, I'm so sorry! I should have realized who you were to me sooner. But you have to know I fell for you long before I knew you were my match. It's not just your scent and the fact that fate made me yours and you mine, but it's you. Please believe me, my love!"

A soft puff of air tickles my face right before my mate shuts me up with a soft caress of her lips, but she's gone before I can kiss her back properly.

"Thank you, Ronan," she whispers, placing her forehead on mine. "It's not just about how delicious you smell to me either."

Something inside of me uncoils at her admission and loving touch.

"I'm scared too," she admits, but when I open my mouth, she rushes on . "But they aren't going to let you out of here until you settle my first wave. I need you to hear me when I say this. You have my consent. I will be lucid for only a few more minutes, and you need to know it's me saying it and not my omega."

"But—"

She shushes me. "It's my choice and I choose you. If your choice is not me, then yes, you need to move away because I won't be able to stop myself from having you body and soul."

"I will always choose you," I growl, forcing the words out through our combined pheromones and scents.

It's like a fucking aphrodisiac being this close to her. If it wasn't obvious she was my mate by her scent alone, then our scents swirling together just confirms it. My toffee and whiskey with her vanilla chocolate.

Freya gives me a soft smile and breathes out a sigh of relief. "Then I'm going to need you, Alpha. I don't know what he gave me, but this already feels different. Just remember, I choose you lucid and horny. Knot, bond... all of you."

My chest heats with warmth at the same time a bead of sweat rolls into her eyebrow. I wipe it away as gently as possible, knowing from all my education that her skin must be so sensitive right now.

Less than a few millimeters away from me, I see the moment Freya shivers and her eyes droop in a lusty haze that has my alpha perking up.

"I'm so sorry I brought you into this," she whispers, but before I can tell her she has nothing to apologize for, her lips are on mine and all thoughts of the outside world blur as her heat and consent roll around in my head.

Freya needs me. Wants me. Chooses me.

I will take care of her even if it's not how I imagined this would happen.