Page 8 of Alpha Fate
Relief floods me when I see that neither of them is the alpha who claims to own me. But the bigger of the two is a dominant male – an unblooded alpha, from what I can tell. He’s been down here before, tossing scraps of food at me. The other, I don’t recognize. He’s big, but younger, cocky. I can tell by the swagger in his step.
They stop outside Gage’s cell. The alpha folds his arms, lips curling into a sneer.
“Comfortable?” he growls.
Gage doesn’t respond. He remains seated, leaning against the back wall. The picture of ease – if not for the tension evident in his posture.
The younger male unlocks the cell door. “Let’s have some fun with this one. He still owes me for that crack to my nose.”
“Don’t do that, you ass.” The alpha keeps walking in my direction.
The cocky one doesn’t listen. Shoving open the door, he takes one step inside, and Gage explodes into motion. In a blur, he’s at the end of his chain, arm shooting out to grab the other wolf. Grasping his wrist, Gage spins him around with astonishing speed. There’s a sickening crack, and the younger male howls in pain, clutching his arm.
“Fuck!” He stumbles back out of the cell.
Gage grins, an expression filled with dark promise. “Whoops. Watch that first step. It’s a doozy.”
The alpha drags his companion out by the back of his shirt. “You idiot. I told you not to go in there.”
He slams the cell door shut again, locking it securely. The younger male whimpers, cradling his broken arm.
“Serves you right for being stupid,” the alpha snarls. He cuffs the younger male upside the head. “Let’s get you to the Doc before you make things worse.”
They start to leave when Gage calls out, “Hey, don’t leave yet. We were just starting to bond.”
The alpha pauses, then turns back with a humorless smile. “Still making jokes? We’ll beat that out of you soon enough.”
“Promises, promises.” Gage stretches his arms above his head languidly. It should look awkward with his wrists cuffed, but he manages to keep the move effortless. “Hate to break it to you, but my grandma used to hit harder than your boy here.”
The alpha’s face darkens. He takes a menacing step toward the cell before stopping himself. “Save your breath. You’ll need it for screaming later.” He turns and stalks out, the younger male in tow, still clutching his arm. The door slams shut behind them with an echoing finality.
Silence falls. I’m shaking, adrenaline flooding my system; every time these males come close, my system goes on high alert. After a while, I hear Gage let out a long breath.
“Bastards,” he mutters. There’s silence for a while, punctuated only by the incessant dripping. Until my stomach chooses that moment to rumble loudly. I wrap my arms around it, willing the hunger pangs to stop. I can’t remember the last time I had a meal.
At the noise, Gage looks over, brow furrowing. “That’s you?”
“Um. Yeah.” I’m glad it’s too dark for him to see my cheeks are flaming.
“When’s the last time they fed you?”
I shake my head helplessly. “I don’t know.” My voice comes out cracked and dry.
He swears under his breath. “Animals. Don’t worry, we’ll get you taken care of as soon as we’re out of here.”
The hallway door opens again, and a third male enters, carrying a tray. He swings the door to my cell open and shoves the tray across the floor in my direction, leering at me. Again, it’s only just within reach.
I eye the food hungrily – some kind of mush and a bowl of water. My stomach growls again.
“Ah, room service.” Gage chuckles.
“Not for you, fucker. The boss don’t plan on keeping you alive much longer.”
Gage arches an eyebrow. “Big talk from Fido here. If I had a treat, I’d toss you one.”
The male growls, slamming his fist against the bars. “Laugh while you can, dead man.”
He stalks out, and the heavy door slams shut once more. We’re alone again. My nostrils flare.