Chapter 1

Jade tossed me a piece of cloth, staring pointedly where the blood of the Alpha who'd been guarding the door had spilled over my knuckles. It was still warm as I wiped it from my skin. Jade wasn't worried about the gore—her black gear was similarly decorated—but since I'd be moving from knives to a gun, she didn't want to risk anything like slick hands inhibiting my aim as we entered the warehouse.

Five days. They'd had Shae for five days. That Alpha I'd just ended hadn't suffered enough. I loved Shae. It wasn't the same romantic love that I felt with Jade, my Alpha, or Ethan, my Omega. It was closer to what I felt for Trevor or Miles because of the bonds within the pack, but still different. The world told us that packs needed an Omega to tie them together—to make them whole—and Ethan did that for us. But Shae did it too, and they'd done it first. Without Shae, there wouldn't be a pack and I wanted them back. I wanted the people who dared to hurt them to pay. The blood I'd just spilled hadn't done enough to appease the beast within me and I knew I wasn't alone in that feeling.

These last five days had been hell for my pack. Ethan had barely slept while breaking down the trail and directing the techies. They'd followed endless leads, eyes glued to screens and fingers flying over keys, finding clues, and searching code that just looked like gibberish to me. With each dead end, though, Jade and Miles had pulled further into themselves. Then, finally, the team had found the warehouse that the Jackals were using to hold the people they'd been abducting. At the moment, my best friend, Bodhi, and three of Drake House Securities' most trusted operatives were working their way around to the other entrance. Every piece of information we'd recovered, though, showed that the door Jade and I had just moved through was the most direct route to those who'd been taken.

The guards at the door had been a joke. And the one Alpha, who'd thought he could use his bark to stop us? Stupid. Slitting his throat had felt good, and not just in retribution for all the times assholes like him had underestimated me simply because of my designation. More than that, it was the fact that the bloodletting that Jade and I had been desperate to dole out, ever since Shae had been taken, was finally happening. My girl was fully embodying those mythical Valkyries that Trevor always compared her to. The bandolier strapped to her chest was fully stocked with weapons, except for the two blood-stained blades that she held in her fists as she stalked through the poorly lit hall, looking for her next victim.

We'd been instructed to move down the main hall until it branched into two. Jade stepped behind me while I raised my gun and made sure both corridors were clear. Over the com channel linked to our earpieces, Bodhi indicated that they had cleared the rear entrance and were holding it. Jade inclined her head to the hallway on the right, where our intel told us the people in charge were most likely to be, then she silently strode away from me. We'd decided it wasn't likely that the Alphas would be with the captives, and Jade was better suited to combat any Alpha bullshit than anyone else on the team. That meant I would be going left; toward the area we suspected all the holding cells were.

I moved cautiously down the passage. The dim fluorescent lights buzzing overhead added to the ominous feel of the space, but it was the multitude of scents that really made my gut churn. So many blended together and almost all of them had soured with fear. After we got Shae, Cat, and any others out, there was nothing I wanted to do more than burn this fucking place to the ground, but we were going to have to turn it over to the authorities. Fucking red tape. Continuing down the hall, I saw an open door on the right. When I heard voices coming from inside the room, I raised my gun. Before I could move any closer, a man in a white lab coat was shoved through the doorway and into the hall.

Stumbling against the wall, he curled in on himself like he was expecting a blow to follow. I recognized the shock of red hair from the description I'd read of one of the missing Betas. Dayton something, he'd worked in the Omega Foundation labs under the Alpha who'd drugged and kidnapped Ethan, kicking off this whole chain of events. As Dayton moved to cover his head, he saw me standing there. His eyes widened and he dropped to the floor. A cold grin stretched across my face as another Beta, all in black, followed Dayton into the hall and made to kick him while he was down.

"The fuck are you doing on the floor? I told you to go check the fucking merchandise."

I cleared my throat and the new arrival's head snapped in my direction. He went to reach for his gun, and I put him down. There was a shout from inside the room and the guy in the lab coat scrambled backward, away from both me and the doorway, pointing to the room he'd been thrown out of.

"Everyone in there is a guard."

Dayton's statement was all I needed to know before clearing the room, taking out two guards who sloppily attempted to return fire. I turned to the pallid, red-haired Beta, still sitting on the floor, hugging his knees to his chest, and looking like he was trying very hard to become invisible. All of our information indicated he'd been taken against his will, and, based on the way that goon had been treating him, I was fairly confident that he wouldn't produce a gun from his lab coat to shoot me.

"Do those cells need keys?"

His face was still drained of blood, and he carefully kept his gaze away from the dead men as he looked up and answered me.

"No. They open when you slide the bar out of the way."

His scent was continuing to sour with terror so I forced as much gentleness into my voice as I could.

"How many people are being held here?"

"Only five. They moved three Betas out last night." His eyes shifted to the dead men, briefly, then back to me, wincing. "They weren't doing well… after the injection."

Fuck, fuck, fuck!I tried to keep the spike of panic from my bond with Jade so she wouldn't assume the worst and consequently get herself hurt.

"I'm looking for two Betas, Shae, and Cat. They are paramedics and were taken together."

He nodded furiously, like he understood his cooperation would keep a bullet out of his body.

"They're here. The cells are further down this hallway. Shae is in the third one on the right. But Cat was put in with the Betas who are showing signs of transitioning—they're all together in the last cell."

My brain tried to latch on to what he was saying about Cat, but my feet were already moving toward the door he'd said Shae was in. Dayton scrambled to his feet and followed me, hesitantly, as though he wasn't sure whether he was better off with me or staying with the dead men. Distantly, I knew that I was taking unnecessary risks by not being more alert, but I couldn't make myself care. Not when Shae was so close. The sliding bar that locked the cell scraped loudly across the metal as I moved it so I could get the door open.

The room was dark. At first, I could only make out what was illuminated by the light from the hall: one corner of the room, with a prison style toilet. As I stepped in, a range of scents assaulted me. There was the odor of unwashed bodies, and then I picked up Shae's scent, a strange chemical layer intertwined with the rotten berry scent of their fear. My nose wrinkled involuntarily at the wrongness of it.

"Theo?"

At the sound of that shaky voice, my head whipped to the right of the door where I could make out a cowering figure, sitting in the corner, curling in on themselves. A growl built in my chest at the sight of Shae crouched in fear, but I held it in as I lowered my gun and held out my arms.

"Hi, Sunshine. Time to go home."

Shae wobbled toward me and collapsed against my chest, silent sobs wracking their body. I tightened my arms around them and pressed my face into their matted hair, trying to ignore how wrong their scent was. I motioned for Dayton to come inside the cell, and he slowly moved in.

"Give Shae your coat and go stand in that corner."

Shae half-heartedly swatted my chest and leaned back enough that I could hear their words.

"Don't be a dick to Dayton, Tough Guy. He didn't ask to be here either."

The red-haired Beta hung his head as he took off his lab coat and handed it over to Shae.

"I had a choice: I could have refused to help them. But I?—"

"A choice between doing what your captors tell you to do at gunpoint or being killed isn't much of a choice at all." They looked up to me as they settled their arms into the coat. "Where's Cat?"

"I came here first. Are you up to coming with me to get the others out?"

Shae took a breath, and I could see their expression shifting into one of calm determination before nodding to me. I used the com in my ear to instruct Bodhi to move to my location and aid with the other captives and then I indicated that I had Shae. The tidal wave of relief and love that came from Jade before she dampened the bond again caused Shae to momentarily melt back into my arms. I took the precious seconds to hold them tightly, knowing that if our bonded Alpha had been with us, she'd have Shae wrapped in her embrace.

We pulled away from each other and I pushed them behind me, raising my gun again as we moved back into the hallway. Bodhi signaled that they were almost at our location, leaving two men behind to secure the exit, so we waited outside the cell where Dayton said Cat was being kept. I didn't need any of these people running out of the room and into a bullet because they surprised my team. Bodhi and Michaels, the other Drake House operative I worked with most often, rounded the corner and lowered their weapons upon seeing us. Shae moved around me and gave Bodhi a quick hug before stepping back, and the three of us moved toward the cell door.

"Wait!" Dayton spoke sharply, causing three guns to swing in his direction. He paled and swallowed hard, before slowly raising his shaking hands. "The Betas in there have been affected by the cocktail of drugs that every captive has been dosed with, and they are showing signs of actually transitioning into Omegas. You can't let any Alphas in there."

Shae shook their head, their voice full of shocked disbelief.

"Cat's a Beta. A transition between designations? That's impossible."

Dayton looked at Shae, then at the rest of us, lingering a moment on the guns in our hands. The sour scent of his fear flared again before he spoke.

"It's true though. This combination of drugs has a different effect on nearly each person. It forces a heat on an Omega, whereas with unbonded Betas it increases their pheromone production, and their natural scent becomes like a temporary perfume. We know from Shae's case that a bonded Beta will produce an altered pheromone that will repulse Alphas?—"

Shae cut him off, their tone measured and reassuring.

"Dayton, no one is going to shoot you. And everyone here is a Beta. Can you please tell me what is happening to my friend?"

The terrified man took a deep breath. I admired Shae's ability to pull on their paramedic persona and comfort others at a time like this. That being said, I knew I would absolutely shoot Dayton if it meant protecting my pack and my friends.

"There have been a few Betas where the effect of the drug cocktail didn't just temporarily cause them to mimic a perfume. For some it was just that the faux perfume lasted longer but with one other Beta and the four in this room, the change in pheromones remained after the initial dose. I believe it has triggered some type of latent Omega gene."

"You're saying Cat's an Omega now?"

There was an edge to Bodhi's voice that told me there was something more happening with him than I'd realized. He'd volunteered to come as soon as he'd heard about Shae and Cat being taken, and I'd assumed it was because he was so close with our pack. He and I would have words when we got back to Drake House if he'd held back from giving me the heads up about anything going on between him and Cat.

"Potentially. These four have retained the drug induced perfume and it has gotten stronger as days passed rather than fading. However, there's only been one who showed signs of going into heat before she—she was sold."

I nodded to the Beta before telling him to step back and pushing Shae slightly behind me. Michaels pulled open the door and began to move into the room. Before we could move in behind him, there was a grunt and some muffled cursing then the sound of bodies hitting the floor.

Bodhi holstered his gun, then ignored protocol and rushed in. I could hear him speaking in soothing tones.

"Cat, it's alright. It's us. We've already got Shae. Now, how about letting Michaels up off the floor so we can all get the fuck out of here, okay?"

I slowly moved into the cell with Shae right on my heels, trying to get around me. I put an arm out to the side to stop their advance, then stepped in front of them when I saw Cat's shaking hands holding Michaels' gun and pointing it at my friend. Bodhi's hands were raised, and he was being as non-threatening as a man in tactical gear with multiple weapons could be. Michaels was indeed on the ground with two women on top of him, clumsily trying to hold him down. I knew he could have easily thrown them off, but he was a good man and knew the score here. They must have had this plan in place for the next time a guard came in.

Tears welled up in Cat's eyes and she let out a sob as she lowered the gun. Shae rushed around me to hug their friend as she started to shake. Bodhi stepped forward and gently took Michaels' gun from her hands—his eyes fixed on Cat's face; expression tortured. Something was definitely going on there, though it seemed that Bodhi was much more aware of Cat than she was of him. Once my pack was home and safe, I'd check in with him. I tapped the com to connect to Cole, Trevor's right-hand Alpha and Ethan's friend, in the BullPen.

"Cole?"

"Here, Theo."

"We have Shae, Cat, and three others with us. We need medical transport. Betas only."

"Understood. Hold for confirmation."

It wasn't long before Cole confirmed that a team of Omega-safe medical personnel were inbound, as well as law enforcement. Shortly after that message, Jade's smooth voice came through the com.

"Theo, make your way to me. Leave those who've been recovered with the rest of the team."

The vague terms and lack of names in Jade's statements, and the fact that she wanted only me to move position, told me she had left someone alive.

"On my way."

I could feel Jade's rage and need warring down the bond. The need to hold Shae in order to reassure herself that her bondmate was safe. Then there was the rage. The other side of my girl, the one that called to my own dark side. She needed to punish the people who'd dared to touch what was hers. She trusted me to contain whoever she was holding so she could go to Shae.

Rounding the corner where we'd initially parted ways, it wasn't long before I saw the first of the bodies. I didn't bother slowing to take in any details; the police would handle that shit. Drake House would make it clear that everything we'd done was justified under the pack retribution laws: the legislation that allowed Alphas to do unspeakable things in the name of protecting their pack. I didn't give a fuck who these men were; they'd been as good as dead the moment they'd taken Shae from us. A pained sound came from a doorway ahead of me that told me exactly which room Jade was in. I raised my gun as I approached the door, just in case, but when I entered, I saw there was no need.

The scene before me was straight out of a slasher movie. A sterile-looking office space spoke to the hasty set up of this facility, but the blood-spattered desk in the center of the room was the only indication it was an office at all. On the desk were vials and syringes, papers, and a closed laptop. An Alpha—the one who must have been in charge of the operation—was strapped to a chair. His chest was covered in precise cuts, the tips of the fingers on his left hand were missing, and it looked like Jade had started on his right hand as well. She stood, knives in her hands, glaring down at him. When she turned her gaze to me, I saw that the beautiful, caring woman who held our hearts had been replaced by a vengeful Valkyrie wanting to bathe in the blood of her enemies. Fuck. Not the best time to get hard but my cock didn't care.

The bound man's ragged breathing transformed into a pained, manic laugh before he spoke in a halting voice.

"Another of your … Beta pets, little Alpha? Can't wait to… break this one, too…"

Before he could say another word, the blunt handle of one of Jade's blades cracked against his skull. His chin dropped to his chest as he lost consciousness.

Jade's eyes swung back to me and softened slightly.

"Shae?"

"No physical injuries that I could see. Go on, I'll take him outside before the police arrive. Maybe wash your hands before you go to them though?"

Jade looked down at her bloody hands, an adorable divot forming as she drew her brows together, then nodded her head once. She moved around the desk and walked to where I stood, leaning up for a kiss when she reached me. I pressed my mouth to hers briefly, fighting the urge to deepen the kiss, then brushed the tip of my nose against hers.

"Get those vials and the laptop. Ethan will want to go through that hard drive with a fine-tooth comb, and we can pull some strings with a lab for the rest of it."

"Understood."

She walked through the door, heading for where Shae and the others waited for the medical transport that was due to arrive any minute. I holstered my gun and grabbed a black bag from the side of the desk and carefully loaded it up with the vials and the laptop. Pulling out one of my blades and a zip tie, I proceeded to cut the prick loose. I'd need to get his unconscious ass carefully restrained again, and out of the building as quickly as I could. I cut the tie that anchored his left foot, then the one on his mutilated hand before moving to the other side of his body and crouching near his foot.

As I worked, I contemplated how I could easily get this guy out of here if he was still knocked out. Fireman's carry? Nah, he'd bleed all over me. I could drag him but then there would be a smeared, bloody trail to explain, and I'd still have to get him around the bodies. I had just cut the final tie when I noticed that his chin had lifted slightly and a twitch of his right hand betraying that he was awake again.

He moved faster than a man that fucked up should have been able to and reached for my gun. I pulled out of his reach and stabbed my blade into his calf. He roared in pain and slapped his less mutilated hand down on the desk, landing on one of the syringes there. I ripped the knife out and brought my arm up to block him from going for my eye or my neck, then hammered a fist into his side, hoping to crack a rib. The force of the blow caused him to double over, and I pressed my knife to his throat.

As I held it there, I remembered Shae's face when I'd found them. Thought of Cat and the other women waiting to be sold, and of the fate of the one who had been. Of all those other Betas we suspected to have died from being injected with earlier versions of that fucking drug. I decided I didn't give a fuck what this pathetic excuse for a man could tell us. He needed to die. Suddenly, a pinching sensation in my leg transformed into intense pain that radiated through my thigh. The distraction allowed him to slip from my hold. When I looked down, a spent syringe was sticking out of my leg and the Alpha was scrabbling away.

Struggling to stay conscious as waves of agony rolled through me, I collapsed onto my side. The Alpha used the doorframe to help pull himself up, dragging his injured leg along behind him. I gritted my teeth and managed to free my gun, firing once in the direction that he'd fled before darkness took me.