Page 16 of Alpha Fate
My head pounds as I stand and pace to the end of the chains that bind me, and then turn and pace back, my bare feet silent on the cold stone. I keep pacing until the band around my throat begins to chafe. I don’t pay attention to the pain. I’m too consumed by my thoughts.
How long has it been now since Gage was here? A day? More? Time blurs together in this windowless underground dungeon. And right now, it’s dragging, each second seeming to draw me to a fate I don’t want to think about if he doesn’t come.
Still, I can’t stop thinking about what the guards said. Something has happened to Rack, their Alpha. Is that why Gage hasn’t come back for me yet? Is he waiting for the right opportunity? Did he change his mind?
He wouldn’t!
I cling to the image of Gage in my mind – piercing green eyes, the deep tone of his voice as he tried to reassure me. Something tells me that I can trust him implicitly. He was so certain that I’m not meant to be here. Although a lot of it didn’t make sense. He kept calling me Sierra and talking about my mate Jagger.
Sierra. That name tugs at something in my memory, but the details evade me. If only I could grasp who I am, where I came from. Gage seemed to know me. He said I don’t belong here. But the forced drugs and abuse have fractured my mind, shattered my identity.
I’m left with only wisps of memory – a flash of dark hair like my own, a feminine laugh. Echoes of running wild under a full moon. The scent of pine trees after rain. Were those my memories? Or just figments of my imagination, cobbling together an identity that doesn’t exist?
Frustrated, I sink down against the wall, dropping my head into my hands. I shouldn’t have eaten the food they gave me when I first got here. I knew it would only muddle my thoughts more, but the gnawing hunger became too much to bear. Now, my memories are all messed up.
You have to stay strong. Gage is coming back for you. He will.
I repeat the words in my head until they feel like they’re wired into my neurons. He promised…
But did he? Or was that just a dream I’ve clung to in order to survive this place? Doubt creeps in, threatening to extinguish the fragile flame of hope I’ve been nurturing.
I can’t let that happen. I force myself to relive every moment Gage was here – the deep cadence of his voice, his unwavering confidence that he would get me out. It was real. It had to be.
Exhausted and weary – but this time from the mental gymnastics and not the drugs – I settle back into my regular spot and let sleep drag me down again.
Chapter 6
Gage
It feels strange to be back in Greyson Titer’s office without him in it. The familiar space still seems to hold an echo of him, even though Jagger now occupies it. He’s resting a hip against the wide oak desk now, his pose casual, but it doesn’t hide the tension beneath it.
The new Alpha. It’s almost hard to believe, but then again, he was always ambitious.
“Can you remember how to get back in there?” He’s looking at me expectantly. “Would you be able to lead a team inside?”
“Absolutely.” I’m confident. The place had been a maze, but I know I’d be able to get through there.
“We need to move fast.” It’s Callum now. “They’ll still be smarting after that last attack. We left a lot of them injured…if not dead.”
There’s a murmur of approval from some of the others. “There’ll be more dead when we’re done,” growls Barrett. His knuckles whiten on the back of the chair he’s been leaning against. Rack’s recent attack on our compound was unexpected, but we fended it off…Barrett has a strong sense of vengeance.
“Whatever we do, we need to make sure she’s not hurt in the crossfire. And we have to bear in mind that she might be drugged again. At least one of us needs to shift from wolf to be able to carry her.” I’m remembering how frustrated I’d been when I couldn’t get her out.
“It’ll be a risk. We fight better when we’re wolves. I’ll handle it.” Jagger looks around at us. Sierra, who’s been standing beside him, looks stricken.
“Please, Jagger. I need her safe, but I can’t lose you too.” She’s gazing at him with eyes darkened with anxiety, and I’m struck by the similarities between her and the woman I’d seen in the cell. The same delicate features – high cheekbones, fine nose, arched brows – but with a strong jawline, firm and determined. Except her sister’s eyes had been green where Sierra’s are hazel. I should have noticed the difference, but I’d been so bowled over by that face. A face I’ve seen in my dreams. Not to mention that I’d been stunned at the thought that somehow Rack had managed to get his hands on Sierra.
“I’ll do it.” I lock eyes with Jagger. “I failed her before. I owe it to her now.”
“You’d better not fuck it up, Heller.” His eyebrows draw together. “My female is counting on us to get this right.”
“I won’t fuck it up.” There’s no way I’ll let her down again. I made a promise to save her, and I’ll keep my word, come hell or high water. Even if she didn’t have eyes like the emerald depths of the ocean, I’d go back there for her.
Jagger nods, then looks at the others. “Get yourselves ready. We leave at dawn.” Barrett, Tarkin, and the others make sounds of assent and then start to move off. Only Callum stays behind.
“Dawn?” Sierra whimpers beside Jagger, and he straightens, pulls her close, and brushes his lips over the top of her head.
“It can’t be sooner, my love. After the battle with the Leadmills pack, we have wounded to tend to. We have to gather ourselves, make sure we’re prepared. If we go in when we’re weak, we have less chance of taking them out.”