Chapter 31

Chapter

Thirty-One

IVY

C old. So fucking cold.

My eyelids feel like they're glued shut, but I force them open. Big mistake. Blinding red light stabs into my brain, and I squeeze them closed again with a groan. The pain is excruciating, like someone's taken a jackhammer to my skull.

Slowly, carefully, I try again. This time the world swims into focus, all harsh angles and gleaming metal. Surgical tables with leather straps. Trays of shiny instruments flashing in the strobing red light. Tanks of bubbling liquid that give off an acrid stench.

I'm in some kind of... lab? Torture chamber ?

Probably both.

How the fuck did I even get here?

I try to push myself up, but my arms collapse under me. Useless. The room spins, and I fight back a wave of nausea. Whatever they dosed me with is still running through my system, turning my muscles to jelly. My limbs feel like they're made of lead, and every movement sends sparks of pain shooting through my nerves.

"Fuck," I rasp, my voice barely above a whisper. My throat feels like I've been gargling glass, raw and burning. I can't smell a damn thing or breathe through my nose at all. I snort and taste blood, metallic and warm. I spit it out on the floor, watching as it splatters against the cold metal.

Laughter echoes from somewhere behind me, making me flinch. The sound grates against my ears, setting my teeth on edge.

"Looks like the feral omega's awake," a male voice says, dripping with amusement. "Think the monster will react to her scent?"

"Just kill it if it reacts too much."

Laughter.

I grit my teeth, fury burning through the lingering haze of sedatives. The rage is a welcome warmth, chasing away some of the bone-deep cold. I force my eyes open wider. The flashing light from some kind of security system illuminates restraints and hooks hanging from the walls before casting them back into shadow. My stomach churns at the strobing effect, bile rising in my throat. I swallow it back down.

I refuse to show any more weakness.

The floor beneath me is wet, so cold, it burns wherever it touches my skin. Condensation beads on the metal, turning it into a slick, treacherous surface. I look down at myself and realize they've stripped me of my clothes, leaving me in nothing but a thin hospital gown that might as well be tissue paper. The fabric clings to my skin, damp and clammy.

My teeth chatter violently as I curl into myself, desperate for any scrap of warmth. But there's none to be found. The air itself feels like ice, seeping into my bones. My breath comes out in visible puffs, and I wonder if they're trying to freeze me to death.

Then something catches my eye. A large, dark shape chained to the far wall. I squint, trying to make it out through my blurry vision, but it's too far away and the red light strobing off and on doesn't help. The shape seems to shift with each flash, like some kind of nightmarish optical illusion.

All I can tell is that it's big. Massive, even. The chains holding it look thick enough to anchor a ship. I strain my eyes, trying to make out details, but it's impossible in this hellish red light.

"Should we make her take a closer look?" a voice says from behind me, chuckling with condescending amusement.

"Wait," another voice cuts in. "What if the asset breaks free?"

More laughter. "You're joking, right? Those chains could hold back a freight train. Even if it wants to go after her, it can't break free."

"Spray her."

I freeze, memories of being hosed down like an animal until my skin was raw flashing through my mind.

"She's an omega. We can't just?—"

"Who cares? She's feral."

"Still, they're important. We can't just?—"

A blast of icy water hits me square in the chest from out of nowhere. The shock of it steals my breath away, leaving me gasping and sputtering. It's so cold it burns, like thousands of tiny needles stabbing into my skin .

I curl into myself, trying to escape the relentless spray. But there's nowhere to go. The water soaks through the thin gown, plastering it to my skin. My teeth chatter so hard I'm afraid they might crack.

"Like a drowned rat," one of them laughs.

The water stops as suddenly as it started, leaving me shivering violently on the floor. I cough, spitting out water that tastes of chemicals and metal.

"Aw, is the little omega cold?" the first voice taunts. "Maybe you should get closer to that monster over there. I'm sure it could warm you up real quick."

What monster? The figure chained to the wall?

I don't have time to process that before another blast of water hits me, this time from behind. The force of it sends me skidding across the floor, closer to the chained shape. I dig my fingers into the rough floor, trying to stop myself, but it's useless. I slide until I hit the wall with a dull thud that knocks the air from my lungs, my palms and knees raw and bleeding.

"That's enough," a new voice cuts in.

"Lame," the first voice grumbles. But the water stops, leaving only the sound of my ragged breathing and chattering teeth .

I push myself up onto my hands and knees, arms shaking with the effort. Water drips from my hair, running in icy rivulets down my face and neck. The gown clings to me like a second skin, offering no protection against the frigid air.

A low rumbling growl comes from above me, and I freeze. Slowly, I lift my head, following the sound to the figure chained to the wall. I'm close enough I could reach out and touch it now, but my foggy brain struggles to make sense of what I'm seeing. The red light plays tricks on my eyes, casting strange shadows that make it hard to distinguish any features.

But it's warm. Even from here, I can sense the heat radiating off it.

Before I can think better of it, I start crawling toward it, the rough floor scraping my already raw knees. My movements are clumsy, uncoordinated. Every inch is a battle against my own unresponsive limbs. But the promise of warmth drives me forward.

Wait. Not an it.

A him.

A man.

I pause, blinking hard. Scars crisscross over bulging muscles, creating a map of pain and suffering. Some look surgical, precise and deliberate. Others are jagged and brutal. A fresh wound blooms crimson on his side-muscled side. Damp black hair matted to his face obscures his eyes, hanging in lank strands.

All I can really see of his face is his straight nose and his mouth. Jaws might be a better word. Where there should be lips and cheeks, there's only scarred, mangled flesh and exposed sinew. His unnaturally sharp teeth are fully exposed in a permanent rictus grin, flashing in the red light. They look more like a monster's than a human's, designed for tearing and rending. My instincts tell me to run like hell. Every fiber of my being screams danger.

But this isn't a monster.

He's just another victim.

He's clearly an alpha, even if I can't catch his scent, but I'm still safer by his side than with any of the asshole scientists torturing him. And the warmth... God, the warmth. It calls to me like a siren song, promising relief from the relentless cold eating into my bones.

Before I can think better of it, I press myself against the massive form. A shaky sigh escapes me as blessed heat envelops me. It's like sinking into a hot bath after being out in a blizzard. I nuzzle closer, burying my face in the crook of his neck. His skin is fever-hot against mine, and I drink in the warmth greedily.

So warm.

Another low rumble vibrates through the massive chest I'm clinging to. The sound should terrify me, but instead, it wraps around me like a blanket, soothing the last of the bone-deep chill. I don't flinch even when his head turns slightly, the side of his jaws pressing against my forehead with a soft growl.

Maybe this brings him some comfort, too.

Then the rattling of chains cuts through the silence. I jerk back, suddenly acutely aware of our surroundings.

The massive form shifts, muscles bunching beneath scarred skin. A deafening crack echoes through the chamber as one of the thick metal links snap. Then another, and another. The sound reverberates off the walls, making my ears ring.

The alpha twists violently, muscles rippling under scarred skin as another chain snaps with a deafening crack. My heart pounds against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat drowning out everything else .

Was he… waiting for me to get closer?

"Holy shit!" a voice shrieks from somewhere behind me. "It's breaking free!"

Panic erupts in the lab. Alarms blare, their piercing wails cutting through the chaos. Red emergency lights flash faster now, casting grotesque shadows that dance across the walls. Scientists scramble in all directions, a flurry of white coats and terrified faces.

"Lock it down!" someone screams. "Fucking lock it down now!"

I should run. Every instinct screams at me to flee, to get as far away from this creature as possible. But my body won't cooperate. I'm frozen in place, pressed against his burning hot skin, unable to look away as the chains tear free like they're made of paper.

A scientist rushes past, fumbling with some kind of control panel on the wall. His fingers shake as he punches in a code, sweat beading on his forehead.

"Initiating emergency containment protocol," a robotic voice announces. "Warning. Lethal force authorized."

The words barely register before a hissing sound fills the air. I look up to see nozzles emerging from the ceiling, spewing the same thick, sickly yellow gas that flooded the Knight's cell. It billows down in choking clouds, filling the room with alarming speed.

My lungs burn as I inhale a mouthful of the acrid substance. I cough violently, eyes watering, vision blurring. Whatever this gas is, it's potent. My limbs grow heavy, and the edges of my vision start to darken.

A roar of pure fury drowns out even the blaring alarms. The huge alpha beside me surges to his feet, dragging me up with him. Now free of the chains, his massive arm wraps around my waist, crushing me against his chest as he lunges forward.

The world spins, my stomach lurching as we move faster than should be possible. Wind whips past my face, stinging my eyes. I catch flashes of terrified faces, of equipment crashing to the floor, of bodies being pulverized and tossed aside like ragdolls.

We burst through a set of heavy metal doors, the impact so forceful it tears them clean off their hinges. The gas is thinner out here, and I gulp in lungfuls of clearer air. My head starts to clear, adrenaline burning away the last of the sedative haze .

"For fuck's sake, kill it!" someone shouts from behind us.

The sound of gunfire erupts, bullets whizzing past us with deadly accuracy. I bury my face in the man's chest, squeezing my eyes shut. His grip on me tightens as he barrels down the hallway, each stride eating up impossible amounts of ground.

A bullet grazes my arm, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. I bite back a scream, tasting blood as I sink my teeth into my lip. The alpha carrying me snarls, a sound so deep and menacing it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

He skids around a corner, nearly smashing us into the wall. I hear shouts and pounding footsteps behind us, growing fainter as we put more distance between us and our pursuers.

Another set of doors looms ahead, even more fortified than the last. Warning signs plastered across their surface scream "DANGER" and "AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY" in bold red letters.

The alpha doesn't slow down. If anything, he speeds up, lowering his shoulder as he charges straight for the obstacle.

"Wait—" I start to say, but it's too late.

We hit the doors with earth-shattering force, his huge arm shielding me against his chest. Metal shrieks and buckles, giving way under his tremendous strength. Chunks of concrete rain down as the ceiling collapses above us and the world caves in.

For a heart-stopping moment, we're airborne, sailing through the ruined doorway. The alpha's momentum carries us forward, smashing through equipment and scattering terrified personnel in our wake. Sparks fly as severed electrical cables whip through the air.

Then we're falling.

The world tilts crazily as we plummet. Wind rushes past us, whipping my wet hair into my face. My stomach lurches into my throat, and I can't tell up from down anymore. The sound of collapsing infrastructure echoes around us. Metal groaning, concrete and glass exploding.

I want to scream, but no sound comes out. All I can do is cling to the alpha's massive form as we hurtle through open air, leaving a trail of destruction behind us.

We hit water with a thunderous splash. Icy water closes over my head, shocking my system. Panic claws at my chest as I thrash wildly, desperate for air. Strong arms wrap around me, pulling me up. We break the surface, and I gasp greedily, coughing and sputtering.

The alpha treads water effortlessly, holding me above the surface with one arm, keeping my face buried in the crook of his neck to shield me from the falling debris crashing into the water. When I try to glance up at him, he holds me closer, forcing me to look away.

We're in some kind of underground cavern deep beneath the lab. Phosphorescent algae and mushrooms cling to the rock walls, casting an eerie blue-green glow over everything. The water stretches out in all directions, disappearing into shadowy tunnels. Pieces of the destroyed facility continue to fall, splashing and echoing off the cavern walls.

Shouts echo from above, growing closer. I crane my neck to see figures silhouetted against the jagged hole we made in the ceiling, far above us. The opening is massive, a testament to the alpha's raw power and the devastation left in our wake.

"There!" one of them yells, pointing down at us. "In the water!"

The alpha snarls. Without warning, he dives, dragging me back under the frigid water. I barely have time to take a breath before we're submerged again. The sound of falling debris becomes muffled, but I can still feel the vibrations of the collapsing facility above us.

We slice through the water with impossible speed, the alpha's powerful strokes propelling us forward. I cling to him desperately, my lungs burning as we swim deeper and deeper into the darkness. Behind us, I catch glimpses of search lights piercing the water, growing fainter as we put more distance between us and our pursuers.

Just when I think my lungs will burst, we surface again in a small air pocket. I gulp in oxygen greedily, my chest heaving. The space is tiny, barely big enough for both of us. Our bodies press together in the confined area, and I'm acutely aware of every point of contact between us.

His breath is hot against my neck as he holds us both up, treading water silently. I can feel the tension in his massive frame, muscles ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. Even here, the rumble of the collapsing facility reaches us, a constant reminder of the chaos we've left behind.

We stay like this for what feels like hours, hardly daring to breathe. Muffled shouts and splashes reach us from time to time, but they grow fainter and more distant as the minutes tick by. Gradually, the sounds of destruction fade away, replaced by the gentle lapping of water against rock.

Finally, when the only sound is our own quiet breathing, the alpha moves. He pulls back slightly, but keeps his face turned away, refusing to meet my gaze. His scarred jaw clenches, and I can sense the shame and self-loathing radiating off him in waves.

A nagging feeling tugs at the back of my mind. There's something familiar about him, about the way he holds himself, the gentleness of his touch despite everything. My heart races as I start to piece it together.

I reach up, gently cupping the side of his jaw, trying to turn his face toward me. He resists with a low, soft growl, but there's no threat behind it. His eyes dart to mine for just a second before quickly looking away, as if the sight of me pains him.

But in that brief moment, I catch a glimpse of bright blue.

A shade I know all too well.

"Please," I whisper, my voice trembling with hope and disbelief.

Slowly, reluctantly, he allows me to guide his face back to mine. His eyes finally lock onto mine, filled with a mixture of fear, resignation, and desperate longing.

Those eyes. Soft and gentle, despite his scarred grin full of razor-sharp teeth. I'd know them anywhere. Relief floods through me, so intense it makes me dizzy.

All I can breathe is his name.

"Wraith."