Page 10 of Alpha Fate
“Gonna sleep. Just a little,” I murmur. I cushion my cheek with my hand.
“Goddammit,” he mutters. “Okay, sunshine. But don’t worry. I’m going to fix this.”
Did he call me “sunshine”? Funny…because that’s what he feels like to me. The sun just lit up my dark hell of a world. He brought it with him.
“Mmhmm…” I sigh before sleep takes me again.
Chapter 4
Gage
I thump my fist against the cold concrete wall in frustration as she drifts off yet again. I’m angry, but not at her. How could I be? She’s just trying to survive in this godforsaken place.
No, my anger is directed solely at the rogue wolves who had put her in this position. Rack and his motherfuckers have forced her into a drug-induced haze, keeping her locked in a cell, telling her she belonged to them. It’s fucked up. She doesn’t deserve any of this.
I take a deep breath, trying to calm my simmering rage. I have to keep a level head if I’m going to get us out of this mess. Even through the haze of drugs, she had seemed comforted when I told her I was going to free us. I can’t let her down.
My mind races as I run through my options. As I’ve been sitting here, I’ve realized I can feel my strength returning. Whatever concoction they injected me with must be wearing off. I can sense my wolf stirring close to the surface. The silver chains binding my wrists are strong but perhaps not strong enough to contain me at full strength.
I might just be able to break free.
Pulling the battered metal water bowl closer, I run through a series of plans in my head as I work on freeing myself from the chains around my wrists. It doesn’t take long; I’m already almost completely recovered. Then, I wait patiently, conserving my energy. Biding my time.
Before long, I hear footsteps approaching. The fuckers are coming to check on us. I slump against the wall, setting the bowl near me. When the cell door swings open, I make sure to look totally out of it, sprawling across the floor.
“Well, well, look who helped himself to the little lady’s rations,” one of them sneers.
“Now he won’t be needing any of our special cocktail to keep him docile,” a second one replies.
Through slightly cracked eyelids, I make out their shapes. Three of them. Two of them are pretty big males. The third is younger, smaller but looks to be the most cocksure of them.
They laugh as they take in my slumped form. “There’s enough drugs in what she’s been given to knock out an elephant. He’ll be flying high in dreamland for a good long while.”
“Yeah, well, we’d better get more of that silver into him anyhow. Boss said to take no chances.” The smaller one peers through the door.
Come on…that’s it…closer…
“I’m not going in there alone,” one of the others mutters. “We go in together. Hold him down while I stick him.”
As they unlock my cell and step inside, I hold my breath, willing them to come near enough. And then I erupt into action. With a burst of strength, I snap the chains and shift into my wolf in one fluid motion. Before they know what hit them, I’m upon them.
Bad move, fuckers!
I lunge at the closest one, sinking my teeth into his throat and tearing out his jugular in one swift motion. Blood sprays in an arc as he collapses to the floor with a wet gurgle. Before the others can respond, I whip around and slam my full weight into the second rogue’s chest, knocking him to the ground. I tear into him viciously, shredding his torso with my claws as he screams and struggles beneath me.
In seconds, he, too, lies lifeless in a growing pool of blood. The young rogue is backing away, eyes wide with fear – for all of his bravado, he doesn’t have the presence of mind to find his wolf.
Big mistake.
I bare my teeth and advance on him with a low, rumbling growl. He turns to run, but I pounce, pinning him down easily. I clamp my jaws around his neck; it’s only then that he starts to shift. Too late. With a savage twist, I snap his spine even as his fur starts to sprout. Fatal for a human…for a wolf – he’ll be out for hours. And that’s all I need.
Shifting quickly, I grab a set of keys from one of the fallen shifters and make my way to the cell next to mine. She’s still unconscious, slumped against the back wall. I fumble with the keys until I find the right one and unlock her door.
“Hey, wake up,” I say urgently, kneeling beside her. I take her face in my hands. “Come on, sunshine. You need to snap out of it.” Through the lingering effects of the drugs, she blinks groggily up at me.
“Tired…” she slurs, her eyes rolling back in her head.
Shit!