Page 3 of Alpha Fate
I’ve suspected it for some time. The lethargy that takes me within minutes of eating or drinking anything – it’s not natural. Though maybe it’s a blessing. At least I’m unaware of the nightmare I’ve been locked into.
It’s just as I’m about to curl up against the wall that someone shouts from beyond the door. I raise my head slightly, although it feels like a lead weight.
“Get his arms!” someone yells. There’s a grunted curse, and then something thumps. “Jesus, the fucker broke my nose!” The voice is garbled. “You’re gonna pay for that, you—”
“Leave it, Tank. We got better things to do. Get the damn door.”
There’s more crashing and thumping. Another string of curses. “Goddammit! Will you hold him still already? If I don’t get the fucking silver in him, he’ll shift again, and then we’re all fucked.”
“Why don’t you hold him, you dick?”
There’s a muffled snarl, and then someone yells in pain. I try to make out what’s going on, but it’s getting too hard for me to hold my head up any longer. I don’t fight it when I slump to the floor. The last thing I hear before unconsciousness takes me is the sound of raised voices. A sharp crack. And then something being dragged across the floor.
I close my eyes.
Chapter 2
Gage
Everything is still spinning as the rogue wolves drag me down the dim hallway. I struggle against their grip, but I’m still disoriented from the blows to my head. Blood drips into my eyes, obscuring my vision.
“Move it!” the big shifter behind me snarls.
“Screw you.” I deliberately slow my steps. They can push me around all they like, but that doesn’t mean I’ll go down without a fight. I’m rewarded by another cuff to the back of my skull that leaves my head ringing. But it doesn’t dampen the swirl of satisfaction of knowing that I’m pissing the bastard off.
Do your worst, fucker!
When my footsteps slow further, I’m jabbed in the back with something that feels like the muzzle of a gun. That gives me pause for thought. Wolves who carry weapons? We seldom need to. Instinctively, I spin away from the pressure, slamming an elbow into the guy’s windpipe. He makes a choking, gagging sound before a hand closes around my wrist and twists.
“Get his arms!”
I shove hard and jam my knee into the nearest guy’s gut.
“Fuck!” he grunts, doubling over and dropping to his knees. As he lands, I swipe out a foot, not bothering to hide my grin when it connects with his face.
“Jesus, the fucker broke my nose! You’re gonna pay for that, you—”
I’m chuckling at this point, and I’m sure that drives the bastard mad, but he doesn’t get a chance to react because the other one is spitting out instructions as they struggle to shove me through a small metal door. I fight like a berserker, doling out kicks and head butts even though I know I’m fighting a losing battle. The fuckers may have caught me, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to make their job an easy one.
“…Get the damn door!” the one behind me is saying. He’s managed to twist my arms behind my back – which wouldn’t have been possible if they hadn’t injected me with something just after they caught me. Colloidal silver, maybe? Who knows what new fuckery has been dreamed up to control my type these days.
Whatever it is, my wolf is dazed. Doesn’t matter. I’ve still pack a mean headbutt…and I can use my boots since I can’t free my arms right now. There’s a crack as I kick out again and connect with someone’s chest. I’m certain I just crushed his sternum.
Good.
The one behind me is spitting out instructions again. “If I don’t get the fucking silver in him, he’ll shift again, and then we’re all fucked.”
Perfect…Not. They’re about to jab me with more of that shit. I fling my head back, smacking into the face of the guy behind me. There’s a sickening crunch and a shout of pain. It’s not a fatal injury, but they’ll remember me for a bit. Except this guy bears a grudge because the next thing I know, I’m smacked in the side of the head with the butt of a gun, and he rings my bell properly. My eyes roll back in my head, and my knees buckle.
A sharp stabbing pain in my neck is followed by blinding heat that surges through me. Motherfuckers stuck me with a needle again. I fight down a groan, feeling myself being dragged along the rough concrete. And then I’m unceremoniously dumped on the floor. A kick to my ribs has my breath hissing out. Something thick and heavy is clamped around my wrists. A solid door clangs shut, leaving me in musty darkness.
“Don’t go anywhere, wolf,” one of the assholes smirks because, obviously, I’m well and truly trapped. “We’ll figure out what to do with you when the boss is back.”
“I know exactly what we’re gonna do with him,” one of the others mutters. “And I’m first in line.” From his muffled voice, I figure he’s one of the assholes whose nose I broke. There’s more muttering and cursing, and then their voices fade into nothing as they move away.
Slowly, I drag myself into a sitting position, leaning against the cold cinderblock wall. I take stock of my injuries – definitely some cracked ribs, and my right eye is swollen shut. I spit a glob of blood onto the floor and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. Cold metal cuffs around my wrists make the movement difficult – and from the prickle against my skin that has my weakened wolf retracting, the steel is infused with silver. I won’t get out of them in a hurry, especially not weakened as I am. A weight on the cuffs has me tugging against them; there’s a chain attached, and it’s connected to the wall.
Great.