Determined not to show any weakness, I squared my shoulders and moved my feet along the frozen airstrip. I had fought hard for the position I now held.
Prime. Alpha of alphas.
The other men filed out of the cage behind me. All alphas, and all now sworn to me.
Needles of ice whipped through the air, stinging my exposed skin and burning my lungs.
“Fuck me,” wheezed Owen.
“Not today, man. I need to recover from kicking their arses first.”
While we moved, I scanned our surroundings, looking through the night for any weakness in the security.
There was none.
Guards watched us from the platforms of observation towers, their weapons and spotlights trained directly on us. Shifters circled us. They were predators; their eyes honed in on us, their need for blood evident. Snarls and challenging growls sounded as they prowled closer. I curled my upper lip and snarled back, but held back the power that crackled through my veins.
I discovered something on the plane that I needed time to process. When I killed with my bare hands, I absorbed the power of that shifter’s spirit. Why was a mystery to me. But for now it didn’t matter why. Only the fact that killing made me stronger mattered.
I had no idea where we were or what was going on, but I did know we were being tested. The fight in the cage had been to see who would survive and emerge the strongest. I hadn’t decided yet if it was good to be at the top, or bad. Whoever ran this operation only wanted the strongest shifters, and I had no doubt there were more people involved than Doherty. He was a weasel; a bastard of the first degree, sure, but he wasn’t powerful enough to arrange all this.
All the prisoners who were incarcerated with me were strong, vicious and bloodthirsty. Even Walker had displayed his own brand of power. I wondered again why he had thrown me and the others to the wolves. I doubted he was working with the SBI, but it was clear he hadn’t wanted me to escape either.
I shelved my thoughts about Walker’s betrayal and grinned at a yellow-eyed tiger who prowled too close. I cracked my knuckles and rolled my head, ready to take it on. I’d rip its heart out if it attacked, even if I died doing it.
Footsteps and cursing came from behind as the other shifters were forced to move out of the plane and into the wind and snow. If they stumbled or resisted, they got a cattle prod as an incentive. The red eyed guard marched out. He didn’t even need to speak, just point. Snarling, the tiger dropped back, its gaze fixed on me like I was its next meal. Once I was sure it wasn’t going to pounce, my attention shifted to Red.
He stared directly at me. My eyeballs burned looking into those orbs of flame, but the fucker could go to hell; I’d not look away first. My wolf rumbled in agreement.
Red huffed and shook his head. “In there.” He pointed toward the building.
I planted my feet and crossed my arms over my chest. I was prepared for some pain, and I wanted to see what happened if I pushed.
Red exhaled heavily through his nose. “Fine.” He nodded to one of the guards.
Without hesitation, the guard turned to me. I tensed, prepared to take a hit from his weapon, which I’d already seen was set to stun. It would hurt like a bitch, but wouldn’t kill me. He lifted it—and changed the setting. “What’re you doing?” I asked, my eyes narrowed. Before I could blink, he turned the gun on Owen and pulled the trigger. Red’s other guards simultaneously fired into the group of shifters who now saw me as their Prime. Bodies fell to the ground. I released a bellow, my heart pounding. I knew what they’d done. The little bullets were now wedged under my pack’s flesh.
“Fry them,” ordered Red.
They all started twitching and shaking, their cries of agony inciting my wolf’s anger.
“You are their alpha. You behave, they stay safe. You disobey, your pack suffers.”
I growled unable to hold my wolf back. He wanted blood. My neck swelled, my body straining, my wolf trying to push through. The silver collar burned away my skin. I hissed and forced him back, taking control of him, pushing him down away from the silver. He snarled and paced inside me, his need to rip apart the men who tortured his pack hard to deny.
I’d been played. These bastards needed an alpha to control a pack, but the pack would give them leverage against the alpha himself. It was inherent in an alpha to protect those who were his responsibility. And by fighting, winning and dominating these other trapped shifters, I’d put myself in the position of their Prime. I hadn’t wanted it, but it was necessary to stop more bloodshed on the plane. I cursed. They had me exactly where they wanted me.
Red gave me an evil smile. “I see you’ve worked it out. Now, move.”
As soon as I took my first few steps the others were released from the grip of the internal taser. I kept walking. They'd be safe—for now—so long as I complied.
Inside the building I was shoved off to one side.
“Take the rest to gen pop,” Red said.
I was shackled and led down an empty corridor. Aluminium shone around me, fluorescent lights bright above. There were very few doors, and all of them had keypad locks at the side. Some had retinal scanners, and others blood locks. The inside of this building was a far cry from the ancient brick and metal structure on the outside, which was camouflage for what lay beneath it.
Red led the way down the corridor and into a lift. Four men piled in after us and I stood in the middle looking for any way out of this situation. For some reason, Miss X came to mind. I brushed off the memory of her body falling into ash and disappearing into the vents. Perhaps it was the clinical and impersonal nature of this lift? It was very like the room she’d been killed in. The lift pinged and there was no time to mull further on the nature of the woman’s death. I glanced at the buttons. There were only four and none were marked.
I glanced at Red. “Don’t tell me, you reserved the penthouse for me, only it’s underground.”
“Something like that.”
I was shoved between my shoulder blades and had no option but to step out of the lift. The guards waited, their weapons trained on me, while Red took the lead. We marched down yet another sterile corridor, all the time monitored by cameras, and past more locked doors.
Red halted outside one and placed his hand on it. Then turned and looked up. I inhaled sharply as a drone floated silently down. Panels opened on its curved sides and guns dropped and locked in place. Another panel opened underneath and it spat out two mini drones.
Jesus! What the fuck is this place?
The momma ‘bot scanned Red’s face and body, then it scanned me. All the while the baby drones scanned the other guards. There was no doubt, if momma ‘bot was unhappy with what it found, we were all dead.
Seemingly satisfied, the ‘bot recalled its baby bots and returned to its place up near the ceiling. There was a metallic click, and the door in front of us opened. Red entered. I followed, still mind-fucked over what was going on here.
“Sit.” Red indicated a metal chair in front of an aluminium topped table. There was nothing else in the room other than another momma ‘bot. Its red light blinked like a tiny all seeing eye. I stared steadily at the lense, wondering if whoever was watching would be visiting me soon. It was time to find out what my role as Prime was in this place.
I sat with my hands shackled in my lap, my skin blistering from the silver. It burned like a son of a bitch, but I’d be damned if I’d let Red and his guys know how painful it was. I blinked and compartmentalised the agony, separating it from my mind. Something dark stirred inside me and took that pain, relishing its presence.
We sat and waited for what seemed like hours. This was a game I was used to, but these bastards didn’t realise I could play this game for longer than them. After all, I had nothing but time now. I closed my eyes, though I didn't really doze off. My whole body tensed when the door behind me opened. Inhaling, I jolted upright. I knew that scent.
Doherty’s footsteps were unhurried. He stopped in front of me,
the table between us, and cocked his head. His dark blue suit was immaculate, his shoes polished, and despite the weather outside, he looked like he’d just stepped from the pages of a GQ magazine. His salt and pepper hair was slicked back and he was clean shaven. He smiled, baring his perfect, white teeth.
It was like coming face to face with a shark, one who had hidden his nature, but now had no problem showing its true self. Just to piss him off, I ignored him and turned my attention to the man by his side.
Red stiffened, his arms unfolding from his chest and his fingers curling slowly into fists as the man glanced at him before studying me.
Interesting.
Red’s reaction was soon understandable. I wasn’t scared of much, but this guy made me want to run for the hills. Pain and death swirled in his dark gaze, an air of utter coldness surrounding him.
My wolf snarled, unwilling to be cowed by this evil fuck, but I kept that snarl off my own lips, instinct telling me if I wanted to live through the next few minutes, I needed to be compliant.
“Hello, Agent Maxwell, it’s so good to see you like this.” He gestured at my shackles. “Especially after you ruined my holding cell and killed my men. How did you set my man on fire, when you and the other males were all behind bars?”
I settled back in my chair and stared right into his cold eyes. I ignored his question though my stomach clenched. Doherty couldn’t have told him about Ember, and I wasn’t going to enlighten anyone about her gift. Sliding my gaze back to Doherty, I studied him. “I knew you’d never really forgiven me for Ava’s death. Is she the reason for all this?” I was genuinely curious about the answer, but the question also deflected their attention from Ember.
“Ava? No. Ava died because she fell in love with a traitor. You were just my tool to get rid of them both.”
Somehow, I kept my face blank. He’d used me to kill his own daughter? My trust and belief in the SBI had been so unshakable I hadn’t even considered that might be the case. Lance’s face came to mind. He had pleaded with me to listen to him. I swallowed down the bile that hit my throat. How naive and blind I was.
“No, Connor, you’re the strongest and most vicious alpha I know. That’s why you’re here. I need you to control the shifters in this prison. I don’t know why you did it, but killing that bureau woman just gave me the excuse I needed to arrest you in front of the other guards. They all believe you stood trial and are serving a life sentence for murder. They are all sworn to secrecy. No one has questioned the circumstances of your ‘death’; other than Rawson, who has been nothing but a pain in my arse, delving into things that aren’t his concern.” A vicious smile curled his lips. “But that’s been dealt with.”
I clenched my teeth and tried not to show my worry for Rawson. Doherty appeared to honestly believe I had killed Miss X. Instinct told me to keep my mouth shut even though I’d had absolutely nothing to do with her death. The murderer had materialised from a portal as quickly as Walker had disappeared through one when he’d shot me full of tranquilisers. I still had no idea why he had done it, or what the fae had to do with any of this, but I needed to live to find out. He had also only shot me, not Ember, for which I was eternally grateful. The only thing keeping me sane in all of this, was the thought that she had escaped.
“Why did you take Ember?” It was impossible to hide the anger in my voice. “She had nothing to do with Ava or Lance.”
A shadow passed over Doherty’s face, but he hid it quickly. He shrugged and glanced at Red. “I needed her to control you, but since you helped her escape I guess I’ll have to use someone else. Your pack will be useful, but you do not have loyalties there...yet. Time will tell.”
I had no intention of being around long enough to form strong pack bonds.
The door clicked open. Grunts and the sounds of a scuffle ensued from behind me. A familiar scent hit my nostrils and my whole body stiffened. Rawson!
I gripped my thighs, my knuckles turning white, my wolf baying for freedom. My brother was bloodied and beaten, his previous injuries compounded by fresh marks. His face was so swollen he could barely see through the slit of his eyes. One eye socket had been crushed and his cheekbone was misshapen. His torso was naked, deep slash marks on his skin. His blood dripped to the floor and he swayed.
Lifting his nose, he caught my scent. “Connor…?”
The female at his back shoved him hard and he fell to his knees, revealing the bag she clutched in her hands. It was heavy plastic and waterproof, but the smell coming from it…
I gagged, fisting my fingers so hard my nails cut my palms. Oh god, no, no, no…! My wolf howled and tried to break free. I shoved up from my chair and, head down, charged the female. She snarled and snatched the bag away. She needn't have bothered. With a flick of his fingers, the man behind Doherty froze me in mid air.
Doherty took two steps, which brought him right in front of me. “I always detested you, Maxwell. You are just a crazy son of a bitch, who has somehow landed more power than any shifter I know. By all accounts, you should have been exterminated. Do you know I sent Rawson to kill you all those years ago? But instead of ending you as the unstable killer that you are, he took pity on you. He saved you. Well, now he’s paying for disobeying me, not just once but twice. He should have stayed out of your missing person’s file, but he didn’t. Now, neither of you will taste freedom ever again.”
I thrashed against the invisible bonds that held me immobile. The female watched me, a slight smirk on her mouth. Her eyes flashed yellow.
The tiger. I’d kill her.
“Ah, ah. No, you won’t,” said the dark eyed man. Could he read my mind? “You belong to me now. If you harm any of my guards, or do anything that displeases me...” He looked at Rawson; for a split second the man’s gaze was consumed with fire. Rawson began to choke, his face turning purple as if someone were strangling him. “He will suffer. Not die, unless I will it. But you must understand, there are worse things than death, and I am very adept at elongating someone's suffering—I can prolong it for an eternity if I wish.”
My eyes were the only thing I could move. I blinked rapidly, my heart squeezing like a vice. My wolf snarled and growled inside me, tearing at my insides, fighting to escape the confines of my body.
The power that held me hostage shoved me back into my chair. My chest was bound by invisible ropes so that I could only just breathe, but Rawson was released. He slumped over his knees, gasping for air, blood gurgling in his airway. I wanted to help him, but knew I couldn’t. My gaze went back to the bag. I knew what was inside. Pain cleaved my heart and I couldn’t bear to look at it. My wolf howled, echoing in my mind until all other sounds were drowned out. His grief only amplified my own.
The female tiger slammed the heavy bag on the table in front of me.
I refused to lift my attention from the floor. I couldn’t.
“Look at it, or your friend will suffer,” the man’s cold voice instructed.
I tried to distance myself, to pretend this wasn’t real. It was a nightmare that I would wake up from. It had to be.
I raised my gaze.
Doherty reached for the bag.
I’ll kill him! I’ll kill them all!
Doherty smirked, his eyes glacial. All I wanted right then, was to rip his head off. “That’s right, Maxwell. You have no reason to go back out into the world.” He undid the ties and reached into the bag. “This is your world now. Carry out your responsibilities as Prime and you get to see Rawson alive, but every time you defy us, he will suffer, and so will your pack…”
My wolf snapped, his claws ripping through my chest, the silver collar burning me. I couldn’t fight him, my attention was fixed on that bag, the scent of Ember’s wolf filling my nostrils. And all my fight left me.
Doherty lifted the head of Ember’s grey and white wolf from the bag. Her beautiful eyes, once full of fire, were dead and stared at me accusingly. Her mouth was agape and crusted in the blood of another. I didn’t recognise that scent, b
ut I would never forget it. Ember’s killer.
My heart shattered, and I couldn’t force air in or out of my lungs. The room started to spin. I slumped, blood running from the injuries my wolf had inflicted. He’d clawed from the inside of my body and lacerated the skin on my stomach. I watched my dark red blood trickle down between my legs and pool on the chair.
Maybe, if I died, the pain in my heart and soul would go away but I doubted it. This sorrow would follow me to hell and beyond. The roaring in my head became so loud, I could no longer think. Maybe the bastards in this room spoke, I didn’t care, I was sucked into the empty void of my heart.
The female tiger yanked my head back and punched my jaw. I felt nothing. I just stared at the wolf’s head, hoping my beautiful mate hadn’t suffered. It didn’t matter what they did to me now. Ember was gone. My stomach spasmed. She had died alone and frightened. Vomit rushed up my throat and, unable to move my head in the tiger’s grasp, I spewed bile and saliva down my chin and chest, not bothered about spitting it away.
“Oh no, Connor, you do not get to give up on life, or I will take his soul and torture him. I will bring him back as an abomination...” said the man. Rawson was yanked up and slammed onto the table in front of me. “And all those you have just assumed responsibility for? They will suffer every hour of every day until you comply.”
“This…” Doherty said, replacing the tiger’s hand with his own and lifting my head to make me look at the wolf. “...is your doing. She could have been here with you. You could have had her, mated and fucked her as many times as you liked, but instead you chose to oppose me, and she died. Now we have both lost her…”
I frowned. Those words were wrong. He’d lost her…What the hell did that mean?
“You can save Rawson. He’s your only family, the one who saved you. Now’s the time to return the favour. Comply, and he and your pack will not pay for your weakness. You couldn’t protect her, but what are you willing to do to protect him?”
Shadow Sentinels: Beginnings (A Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Wolf Shifter Romance) Page 14