SEVEN
It’s beenthirty minutes since Aarick and his father went to the hospital, and I’ve done nothing. I sit in silence. No noise, no phone, just me at the kitchen table with the past few days a roller coaster in my mind. Aarick’s injury, the unbearable heat, our four-day-long sexfest, being attacked by his jealous stalker. I mean, it’s been one thing after another. I know I have to make a choice—to stand by his side or to reject our bond. That’s the term he used. What happens if I reject the bond, though? I never feel whole? He’ll take a mate of some sort—he’d have to as alpha—but it wouldn’t be destiny. She wouldn’t fill all of his crevices the way I supposedly will.
What kind of bullshit is that? That one person can complete you? I know in my bones that it’s true, and my life with him would be perfect. But I also despise the secrecy, the hiding and spying. Realizing I’ve been being watched my whole life, whether for my own safety or not, is a lot. My phone buzzes and I grab it from its facedown position, then swipe open the notification. Renee wants me to come over.
With a sigh, I reply that I’ll be right there, then slip on my sandals and head out. Should I be afraid of someone from Addision’s pack coming after me? Probably but I don’t even givea fuck anymore. I traipse across the apartment complex rather than driving, deciding the fresh air will be good for me. And I don’t see anyone messing with me right now; it’s midday and plenty of people are out walking their dogs or letting their kids run around. Why did I never make friends with any of these people? That would have been the right thing to do, rather than always being shy and hiding away.
Then I might have caught on about the shifter thing sooner, before my heat started.
Renee’s door is wide open, of course. What will I ever do with that woman? I step inside, glancing around carefully. My skin prickles uneasily as I step through the house, but then a pain shoots through the bottom of my sandal.
“Oh shit.” I wince, reaching down to grab the glass from my foot. But then something hard lands a blow on the back of my head, and everything goes woozy, my vision blurring before me as I try to make out shapes and shadows.
Then a soft familiar voice in my ear hisses, “Nighty night, runty bitch.”
When I come to,my eyes are still bleary, and my head feels like a rock thrown into a pond. I can’t hold it up, but I keep trying to. I move to rub my eyes but can’t. My wrists are chained together behind me, and no matter how much I struggle, they won’t come free. Finally, my vision clears and the room comes into view. The musty scent of the room makes me think of the earth. My chains are attached to a giant metal hook in the floor, and my gaze follows the metal to a second set of chains. Renee is still unconscious, lying on her side on the dank floor.
My head is pounding. I know they’ve drugged me with something. Renee too, no doubt. They must have trapped me by texting me from her phone.
That’s not important right now, though. Right now, I have to get out of here. I don’t even know wherehereis, or how long I was asleep.
“Renee,” I hiss, trying to wake her without alerting our captors. Her head stirs but she doesn’t open her eyes.
Struggling with the chains, I pull and yank but to no avail. I’m locked in.
“God, why are my wrists not smaller?” I drop my head onto my hands, the cold of the floor soaking through my shorts.
And then it hits me. If I shift, I’d slide right out of these chains.
But is that too easy? Are they wanting me to shift?
After a moment’s hesitation, my decision is made and I close my eyes, focusing on my muscles like Aarick taught me. The stretching of muscles, the light under my skin hitting each joint, and that feeling of turning to jelly hits. The clanking of the metal as the chains fall off my paws echoes around the room, and I open my eyes, freshly shifted. My paws move soundlessly across the floor to Renee, passing a cracked mirror propped against the wall. I stop, staring at my reflection. My glorious panther, black as coal and almost as large as Aarick. A perfect match for him.
Renee’s breathing is even. If I can wake her, she can shift too. Then we can get the hell out of here and they’ll never know.
Nuzzling my face against hers does no good; she just turns away from me. I press my paws into her shoulder, barely extending my claws, and hiss in her ear. She finally stirs, her eyes opening slowly, then widening in understanding as she takes in her situation.
I growl a low warning to be quiet. She shifts immediately into a cute striped tabby, slipping out of her own chains, and we both begin searching for a way out of the room. The place is sealed tight and full of random junk, as if someone routinely chucks things they don’t need down here. The scent around the door is familiar, and my hair stands on end when I hear the voice of a woman.
“They’re not going to come for them, Dad. I told you, it’s over.” Addison’s tired tone surprises me. She seemed so feisty when we met before.
“We’re not giving up on a decades-old deal, Addy,” the gruff male voice answers. “Our two packs will become one, and you’ll be the first omega of the unified group. Our line will live on as royalty forever.”
“He doesn’t want me, and I don’t want him.” A crashing sound follows—glass shattering on tile—and a small feminine whimper.
“Get out of my sight,” he growls, and the footsteps come pounding toward the door.
I rush out of the way as it creaks open and Addison slips inside. Tears are streaming down her cheeks, and she wrings her hands together, her shoulders shaking. When she turns to survey the room, she stops suddenly at the sight of our empty chains.
Oh no. Oh no. No, no…” she whispers hoarsely. Her nose wrinkles as she inhales deeply, and I do the same. So that wasthe familiar scent. She darts around the room on light feet, as if hoping to find us in a corner.
Then Renee shifts into her human form out of nowhere, grabbing Addison from behind and covering her mouth. She’s holding a jagged piece of wood to the girl’s throat. “You better not scream,” Renee hisses. “I won’t hesitate.”
I pad over to the two women, dreading transforming in front of them and being naked. I’m definitely going to start tying something to my leg even if I have no plans to shift.
There’s a wooden door propped against the wall nearby, so I squeeze behind it before shifting, then peek my head out at Renee and Addison.
“Quit fighting,” I growl, and they both freeze. “Let us go. We won’t hurt you.”
