Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

ELLIOTT

T he first feeling that floods my senses when the dank scent of mold and dirt invades my nostrils is fear. Not for myself, but for Casey. Worry for my pack brothers is right behind thoughts of my beta.

While I really don't want to face whatever the fuck is happening around my aching body, I have to check on my pack. Immediately after blinking my dry eyes open, dirt slips past my lashes and stings my eyeballs.

I grit my teeth as I force my body into a sitting position. With dirt still stinging my eyes I can't see much, and my attempt at wiping away the dust in my vision does nothing except add more. I growl and push through the irritating pain to find my beta mate.

"Casey?" My voice comes out rocky like the ground digging into my ass and thighs. I try again, "Case?"

A groan surrounds me on all sides, confusing me and making me even more fucking eager to find the guys. It's dark in here, wherever the hell here is, but as I continue blinking the dust out of my eyes, my sight starts adapting.

A few barred, small windows show either a brightening sky or a darkening one, giving me just a hint of natural light. A strip of bright white light shines against the ground from what must be a door. Following the light on the other side of the room to where I'm sitting, I fight the urge to lose my shit when I finally see the bars a few feet from my bare toes.

My neck spasms in pain from whipping my head around to check the rest of my surroundings. Three sides from floor to ceiling have me locked in with steel bars, and the fourth is a concrete wall with fucking water dripping down the cracks.

But worst of all, I'm alone in my cell.

"CASEY!" I roar. Stumbling to my feet, I careen forward, bashing my shoulder into the bars closest to the doors. "CASEY!"

"Dude, shut the fuck up, would ya?"

Shock stuns me for a beat before I'm whirling toward the unfamiliar voice. I squint and force my body to the bars that cage me in on the right. "Who's there?"

"Just give it another minute. The sun is rising."

The voice is so nonchalant that it's putting me on edge. My bones vibrate with the need to rip whoever is speaking to shreds. If this guy is this fucking careless about my predicament, then he must be in on whatever this is.

Like the man said, my eyesight slowly but surely adjusts and relaxes as the sun rises, allowing me to see past a few feet in front of me.

A wry chuckle draws my attention. "Ah, there. Much better, huh?"

A few yards in front of me and to the right of my cage is another one that looks identical. The man finally comes into view, and it's nothing like I expected from someone who seemed so unfazed.

Slumped against the bars closest to me, a boy, or maybe he's old enough to be a man, I can't tell with the shadows still surrounding his frame.

"Over there," the guy grunts, gesturing behind me.

I forgo studying him to look around the rest of the room. My heart falls out of my ass and my stomach revolts at the sight before me. It's my pack. My brothers and my beta are each separated in their own cells.

"Casey!" I shout brokenly, throwing myself across my minuscule space and reaching for him. He's in the far corner of the room, Ronan is beside mine on the left and Lucas is directly across from him, beside Casey.

I frantically look between all three, noting the rise and fall of their chests. It's only a mild relief to see they're still alive when I can't actually reach them to make sure they will stay that way. Crumpled on the hard ground, they're dirty and rumpled, not giving me a clear view of their actual state.

"They will be fine," the annoying guy mumbles behind me, but I don't give him attention, too focused on watching my pack.

"Casey!" I bark, hoping he will respond to my alpha's demand.

He doesn't stir, but Ronan does which wasn't my goal, but damn am I fucking thrilled to see his eyes pop open dirt immediately assault his vision too. I might actually laugh at the disgruntled alpha since he fails to remove the dust from his eyes, just like I did, if my fear didn't outweigh the insane urge to make fun of him.

A throaty growl starts deep in my pack alpha's chest and rises as he does. The hairs on my arms stand on end in response to his dominance as it fills the horrific space we're locked in.

I call his name cautiously. "Ronan. It's me, Eli." I understand the terror and uncertainty crawling up his throat, but if he snaps, he could hurt himself trying to get out of here. "Alpha, don't forget your control."

Ronan's wild eyes flick to me, and it's the first time I've seen his alpha so close to the surface. Just as I'm about to try to soothe him again, a cough sounds from Lucas.

"Ro?" Lucas croaks out, only our alpha hearing allowing us to hear his quiet plea. "RO!"

Mine and Ronan's attention snaps to Lucas as he brokenly calls out for his big brother. My friend lurches to his feet, not noticing the dirt caked around his eyes or the fact that he's swaying.

"Ronan?" Lucas chokes, fumbling for the bars to keep himself upright.

To my utter surprise, a low, rattling rumble sounds from our pack alpha. Normally a purr is reserved for a mate, or I guess, in this case, family. Family who is in complete distress.

Ronan walks forward slowly and reaches a hand through the bars to try to reach his brother. "Luke," he gasps. "I'm here, you're okay. Just calm down, don't hurt yourself."

Never in my life did I ever think I would see Freya's bully and class douchebag reduced to dirt covered cheeks with tear tracks beating away at the muck. I've seen many new sides of Lucas the past few months, but seeing him like this, I can't help but purr for him too. Our pack mate is struggling to calm down without us being there to settle him, so I allow my instincts to take over like Ronan's doing.

Just as Lucas starts to relax, the guy behind me decides to open his goddamn mouth again. "Interesting."

The three of us whirl on him and snarl. He ignores us like he doesn't have three dominant, protective alphas wanting to rip his spine from his back. "I wonder who the blonde will call out for when he wakes. Any bets, Nick?"

I follow the guy's gaze to the cage across from him and see another stranger. His skin is a similar color to mine, and I think if he didn't look malnourished, his muscles would rival my own. His buzzed head hangs between his shoulders and his arms are propped up on his bent knees.

"Leave them be, Beckett," the man, Nick, grumbles without looking up.

"I bet it won't be anyone here," the first guy continues to joke about us.

Now that the sun has lit the large room, I can finally make out Beckett's features. Shock steals my breath for just a moment when his bright white hair shines back at me.

Fuck, I miss Freya.

He's pale and his hair is messy like Casey's usually is, except I think if Beckett were to style it, it would slick back nicely. He's thinner than Nick, but maybe his normal build isn't as broad.

A throaty scream jolts me out of my perusal of the strange men. "FREYA!"

I barely register Beckett's murmured, "Called it."

"Freya!" Casey thrashes around before finally kneeling. He's as frantic as Lucas was when he woke up, but instead of shouting for someone here, he frantically searches the room for the one person we're still missing.

"Where is she? Is she here?" My beta mate asks, even as the hope drains from his blue eyes. Finally, his gaze lands on me and my heart breaks at the despair pouring off of him.

I shake my head silently and prepare myself to tell my boy I have no idea where she is.

Except, before I can shatter Casey's heart, Beckett speaks up. "If you're here because you found your omega mate, then they will keep her separate until you're needed."

"Needed?" Lucas growls.

The blonde man nods before looking to the ceiling. "For the experiments."

What the fuck?

If what he said is true, then maybe we have been brought to Freya... but just what the fuck is going on here?