I had to protect them this time.
Old wounds—ones that hadn’t surfaced before—were surging to the forefront. Memories of white rooms. Injections and experiments. Pack bonds my mind wanted so desperately to forget.
Poison that broke me. That turned me mad. That turned me on them.
I was weak…
I had been weak then, and they were looking for strength. They were looking for the alpha who wouldn’t break like I had. Who wouldn’t turn on his pack.
They lay around me with broken bones in a cell that was quiet at last. I stared down at my hands as they blurred in myvision. From the poison… or from the deep agony of a bond I’d just destroyed…
Them or me…
That’s what I’d thought at the time.
I’d been disposable, feral, a number in an experiment and too weak to make it to the other end.
Faintly, a knife broke skin again, but I wasn’there.
Breathless laughter wheezed from my chest as I pinned my side of the bond down, madness that had festered for years bleeding into the now.
Holden grabbed me by the neck, pressing his fist into my open wound, and twisting it. Another growl rose in my chest, but I fought it.
I wouldn’t fail them. This time the members of my pack had names, not numbers.
This time, I loved them.
46
SIN
It was too late.
There was no stopping her heat.
We only needed to survive a few more hours, but that seemed impossible now.
The only thing that gave us a shot was that her scent blockers were holding for the moment. Close to her as I was, I could tell. Her scent of roses and cocoa wasn't seeping down the hallway like I knew it would be soon enough.
“Sin…” She was clutching me, nails digging in deep enough to cut. “I'm scared.”
“Look at me, Firefly,” I nudged her chin up to face me. “We have to get somewhere safe.”
I did an analysis of the space, mapping out where we were in Anarchy. There were resident rooms down the next hallway, and... okay. Wakefield pack's cell wasn't far.
Unease twisted my stomach at the thought of it, but the Emerald pack cell was too far, and I still had my gun. And I knew the Wakefield pack was often out during the night.
We couldn’t stay here, that I knew.
We’d both taken scent blockers, and they were still active, but heat would blitz through them quickly—and I didn’t want tobe in this small space when they did. Any passing alpha would know.
Crescent's whimper cut off the thought instantly. We didn't have time. If I could get her to their cell, they could try to find the others.
I ran through the drugs we had back in the cell—none would stop her heat once it started…
This was going to be painful, but I didn't have another answer.
She was strong. Strong enough to hold out for now.