Chapter Forty-Three

F L O R E N C E

The moment I feel the coldness of the blade against my skin, everything in my mind vanishes; all the thoughts of anger and action just disappear. From that point onward, the only thing in my body is panic.

"Yeah, you know what will happen if you struggle." Alpha Isaac slowly presses the blade against my neck until I feel a short stab of pain and the telltale trickle of warm blood flowing. "I will not hesitate to cut you open and make you bleed dry right here and now. You will become nothing but fertilizer for this soil."

Despite the dread blocking my throat, I manage to ask, "What do you want from me? From us?"

"Simple." He chuckles against my ear. "I want you. I want what he gets from you."

With that, he moves his body and pins me against the wall. There's a lump in his crotch that he tries to rub on me, and I whimper in pure repulsion. Tears stream down my cheeks. I know I can fight him and I should do that right now, but the disgust I feel is rooting me to my spot and making me feel absolutely helpless.

The shudders that invade my body are unreal; it's like my skin is turning inside out and my intestines are coiling in protest.

As though that's not enough, Alpha Isaac brings his face dangerously close to mine before grinning right in front of me and gently sniffing my neck.

That's when something snaps in my head and breaks the spell of fear.

Before I know it, I'm pushing his hand away from me, causing him to drop the knife. Before he can make a dive for it, I kick it away from his grasp.

In one fluid motion, I also elbow him right in the face and kick him in the groin. Alpha Isaac screams in pain, but I don't have the time or the luxury to appreciate the harm I've caused him.

As soon as I see him sinking into his knees and clutching his sore spot, I make a break for it.

Adrenaline is pumping in my veins, but it's immediately combatted by nerves. I open my mouth to scream for Niccolo, but my voice is shot for some reason, stuck in my chest like a useless lump.

I just run, stumbling all the way because of my weak knees, but before I can get away, I feel Alpha Isaac's hand grasping the back of my head and grabbing a handful of my hair.

I let out a strangled scream as pain rips through my scalp, feeling him uproot locks of my hair as he yanks me back. I try to struggle against him, but for some reason he has this strength that I never knew before and he's using its full force against me.

Alpha Isaac manages to drag me back to my spot from before. Instead of slamming me back against the wall, he shoves me onto the ground. My forehead hits a rock, and immediately my vision starts to blur. Black spots dance before my eyes. I try to crawl and get upright, but he just kicks my arms and steps on my back.

"You fucking bitch," he whispers, then he smacks my head against the rock until consciousness almost leaves my body.

The next events happen in a blur. I seriously have no idea what's happening anymore. All I get are brief flashes of sounds and sensations...

Alpha Isaac lifting me from the ground, my feet dragging along the rough concrete. Him saying things that I can't make out. His malicious laugh. The sight of the pack house looming over me, the bright red interior blinding me.

Then, I feel a shift in the temperature and the mood. I sense this dampness in the air as he takes me down a stairway that leads below the packhouse.

That's new. Either I've never seen the basement before, which is highly unlikely, or maybe this lower level is a new installation to the packhouse and it came with all the renovations.

And the new basement just so happens to be a big tunnel full of rows and rows of cells with thick metal bars.

Empty. I think most of them are empty. My mind is not functioning as clearly as I would like, and the only thing I'm fully aware of is the pain on my head and the trickle of blood all over my face. As he drags me along, I can't see anyone occupying the cells—but there's no mistaking that sharp tang of blood in the air.

People have been in here, they just didn't survive.

Suddenly, the clang of metal pierces the air as Alpha Isaac opens one of the cells in the corner. Unceremoniously, he throws me in, watching me land on the floor. With that, he smiles at me and leaves, locking me in alone.

Or so I thought.

When I turn around in my spot, I see another person in the corner. A familiar face I never expected to see here.

It's Alpha Isaac's wife, Luna Vera.

N I C C O L O

I don't feel good about splitting with Florence and trying to achieve two things at once, but I know that it must be done so I agreed.

As I make my way toward the tool shed where the supplies are supposed to be, I can't help but feel nervous about the whole plan. At first I was completely on board, and I still am, but the closer I am to the shed, the louder this creeping sensation gets.

Something is wrong, my instincts seem to tell me. Something is going awfully wrong.

I shake my head, drowning the thoughts so as not to spook myself and deviate from what Florence has set. I just head to the tool shed and use my night vision to navigate the whole area and see where the supplies are.

Over in the corner, there are two backpacks that look filled to the brim with things. Sighing in relief and knowing that Alpha Amos didn't fuck us over, I make a beeline towards the bags. I'm about to pop one open and see what's inside when I hear a small movement behind me.

Before I can wheel around to check what or who it is, a hand closes over my mouth. With surprising strength, the one behind me pulls me to a corner and pins me there.

I'm ready to fight back. All my instincts are ready.

I'm ready to throw the first punch when the person whispers in my ear, "Stay still and don't say a word. Don't move, or you'll make a lot of noise."

I freeze in my spot. It's Alpha Amos.

He breathes heavily behind me, holding on to my mouth with great strength that I have never encountered from anyone before.

His strength isn't what makes me hesitate, though—it's the meaning and the implied weight of his words. There's a certain emotion there that I can't place, and it's making me anxious. My stomach rolls in panic and for a whole moment it feels like everything is unreal.

Still, I push him back gently and whisper, "Where is Florence and what happened to her?"

"She's captured by Alpha Isaac," he says, his voice cracking with emotion. "And you... you must find your way home without her and bring back an army to take her back and end all of this for good."