Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

CASEY

T hey wasted no time getting straight to business. It felt like it was only a couple minutes until they dragged Ronan out of here kicking and fighting. Time is a weird thing in here. Logically, I can see that the sun has set three times since we've been here, but emotionally and physically, it feels like it's been weeks.

It makes me wonder how long it will take for me to stop counting the sun rises.

How long did it take Beckett and Nick to stop keeping track of the days? How long did they last until they lost all hope?

I have so many goddamn questions for these guys, but every time I open my mouth, nothing comes out . Is it insensitive for me to drill them with my curiosity about how their bonds work?

Fuck, I really want to know what it's like for them to be separated from their bonded mate. If I knew, and if these scientists are really going to force the guys to do the same thing, then I want to be prepared for what they are about to suffer through.

Internally, I flinch at the thought. Mating, biting, bonding; those are never things of suffering. What these people are doing to us is inhumane in the worst sense.

This will be different for me. A beta can't bond an omega on their own. Freya will be able to mark me, but without my own alpha bite connecting us, our bond would be muted. Once Elliott bonds me and her, we will be tethered almost as closely as an omega to their alpha.

God, this just isn't what I imagined.

Tears burn my dry eyes while I rest my head against the dirty wall behind me. My thin sweatshirt I had pulled on when we were ready to run does nothing to block the chill seeping into my bones, and my jeans provide little comfort.

I hate that while I know this could be so much worse for me, all I want is my alpha to hold me. I feel lonely and absolutely terrified. Though, I think we all are. Lucas has hardly stopped pacing and I think Elliott is trying to glare a hole through the basement door.

All I've pictured for so long is Elliott and me with our omega shopping for a home, and ensuring she or he has the perfect nest. Safety, comfort, love... family. A life! This isn't that.

I don't even know if there is a life after this. As far as I can tell, we are fucked.

I wanted to continue my education after this academy. Oh my god, has everything I've learned here been utter bullshit? Do I need to redo my designation education?!

I don't even know what I want to study after this place, but that was exciting. I have so many ideas and paths I was looking forward to researching and looking into, but has that all been taken away from me?

And my family! Will I ever see them again? The other guys might not be as worried about that part, but thoughts of my little sister tumble through my brain. Oh fuck ! She's an omega... they better not send her here. Will I get out in time to warn them?!

"Calm down, Beta," Beckett grumbles, disrupting my downward spiral. Shit, was I rambling out loud? "Your parents won't send your sister here."

"How do you know?" I still can't quite catch my breath, but I push the question out anyway.

Beckett sighs like all I do is bother him. "Because they only take throwaway omegas."

"What does that mean?" Lucas asks, looking affronted.

"It means the admission fuckwads will only accept omegas into their program who aren't wanted. This is where omegas go to disappear and for their asshole parents to earn a hefty check for their silence and donation ," the blonde alpha mumbles like he's bored.

"I-What?!" I gasp . What the fuck?! I don't fucking care if I annoy the asshole. I need some goddamn answers.

"If your parents love your little sister, they won't sell her to the academy, man. Cherished omegas with people waiting for them to come home won't be allowed admission. Comprende?" Beckett lifts a brow, but the fire in his gaze shows more emotion than his voice.

"But," Lucas interjects. "The Premium Designation Academy is for the elite. It's where our parents send us because it's the best of the best and most expensive. It looks good for their social circles, unless you're like Casey and your parents think they are giving you the best education out of love."

I huff, but Beckett's snort of laughter overpowers my noise of protest. "Right. My adoptive parents sent me here for the image. Oh, they were thrilled to showcase their budding alpha child to their friends, but when they heard of this place, it was like diamonds and gold flashed through their brains."

I frown, filing away some of the mystery alpha's information.

"Anyway." Beckett clears his throat and shifts uncomfortably. "It's a great front for conditioning betas and alphas from wealthy families. Ideally, the more influence once you graduate, the better. You know, to spread whatever bullshit they taught you. And what better way to get people to ignore the fact that omegas are being sold for science experiments than to flash the word premium around and cut off all contact in the name of the best education available?"

"How do you know this?" Elliott snaps, finally joining the conversation. He's one grind of his jaw from breaking a tooth.

Beckett rolls his eyes, but before he can come up with a retort, Nick murmurs, "They like to brag. Especially since it gets a rise out of us and ultimately affects Kate."

At that, we descend into silence. My mind is a jumbled mess of what the fuck , and rising worry for Ronan.

I don't know how long I've been swirling in scary thoughts, but I'm jolted out of them by the sound of the door slamming open. I'm immediately on my feet when Ronan is dragged through the door, snarling and foaming at the mouth like a rabid beast.

Ice surpasses the chill of the basement, freezing me in place when I catch sight of the purple and red bruising around teeth gouges in his neck.

Mated. They mated.

"Alright!" The grating voice of the asshole in charge booms through the room, only serving to make Ronan fling himself at the bars once he's locked away.

Feral. Ronan's feral.

Then the beta smirks. " Who's next?!"