I paced back and forth in the small meeting room like a caged animal, clutching my hand to my throat to try and force air into my lungs. My vision was going spotty, and even the tall ceilings and wall-to-wall windows couldn’t stop the sensation that the room was closing in on me.
My watch told me I’d only been in here for three minutes, but it felt like an eternity. My brothers’ panic and rage radiated through the bond, amplifying my emotions until I practically drowned in them. We needed to keep it together long enough to avoid getting arrested, but I couldn’t find it in myself to send them reassurance or comfort down the bond. My fear for Josie was all-consuming, clawing at my chest. The guards posted outside the room were the only reason I wasn’t tearing the building apart to find her.
I stopped pacing, bending over to rest my hands on my knees and suck in a few stuttering breaths.
I hated being alone.
I was just a few doors down from the interview room where I’d met Josie, and I wished more than anything that she would walk through the door now. I’d known from the first second I laid eyes on her that I belonged completely to her. Her absence in our bond had never felt as agonizing as it did now. It had always been a void, but now it hurt like a wound. Like an idiot, I tried extending the bond towards her, as if I could somehow will it into existence telepathically. But, of course, there was nothing. Just cold, empty silence where my beautiful omega should be.
We shouldn’t have let them take her away. We should have fought harder, demanded they keep us together. The logical part of me knew that resisting wouldn’t have helped—they would have separated us, anyway. Maybe permanently. But I wasn’t sure I would ever get over the heartbreak of her resigned expression as they took her away. As if she had expected this would happen all along.
The click of the door opening interrupted my pacing, and I whirled to face the two alphas who entered. They wore gray uniforms with badges that identified them as Patrick and Tom, members of the Pack Cohesion Coalition.
“Where did you take Josie?” I asked as I gripped the corner of the heavy wood table, fighting the temptation to flip it over and crush them.
“She’s perfectly safe. This is all standard protocol,” Patrick said with a condescending sneer as he placed his tablet on the table with a soft click. If Josie were here, we would mock his overly large mustache. Pretty sure it would have been visible from space.
“We’ve found it’s hard for alphas to be honest in front of an omega. You know how manipulative they can be,” Patrick said with a chuckle as if we were in on some joke together. When I didn’t crack a smile, his expression faltered before he continued.
“We need to ensure that all pack alphas are fully satisfied by their omega before we can sign off on the pack. But not to worry, we won’t keep you long.”
The second alpha, Tom, was young and jittery as he peered at me with his overly long flamingo neck and ridiculous mullet. He gestured at me to take a seat. I remained unmoving, staring him down until he looked away, fidgeting with his collar. My alpha wanted to roar with satisfaction at our display of dominance, but I quickly crashed back to reality when Patrick cleared his throat and shifted his hand towards the radio at his hip. I needed to think of Josie. I couldn’t have them taking my lack of cooperation out on her.
I shook myself and sat down, pasting on a bland smile as I imagined destroying these two alphas.
Tom let out a sigh of relief before he slumped down in the chair across from me.
“Excellent,” Patrick said, sitting down and clicking through documents on his tablet. “We have a series of questions to ensure the omega is to your satisfaction.”
I held on to the chair to stop myself from leaping at him. They were talking about Josie like she was some sort of object with a buy-back guarantee.
“On a scale of one to ten, how satisfied would you say you are with the omega?” Tom asked, reading the question off his screen.
“Ten,” I responded.
A look of disbelief flashed over both alphas’ faces.
“Ten is completely satisfied,” Tom clarified.
“Yes,” I said.
Tom made a skeptical sound in the back of his throat and started typing.
“Using the same scale, how well has the omega satisfied you sexually?” Patrick asked.
What. The. Fuck.
I wondered if they were asking Josie how well we satisfied her. I doubted it.
“Not sure how that’s any of your business,” I snapped.
“Pack cohesion is absolutely our business,” Patrick said smugly. “Just remember, it’s just us alphas here. You can be completely honest.”
My leg shook, and I took a deep breath. “Ten.”
“No one is perfect,” Patrick said.
“She is.”
I looked out the window, trying to slow my breathing.
The interview continued with increasingly invasive questions. I stuck to our agreed-upon plan, even though it made me sick. I told them we followed the DC-specified meal plan and discipline, and that Josie was a good, obedient omega.
My jaw hurt from how hard I was clenching it.
“Alright,” Patrick said, looking at his watch. “That should do it. You’ll be brought back to the lobby, where you’ll wait for the rest of your pack.”
“Is Josie out there?” I asked, already making my way to the door.
“I’m not sure if they’re done with her interview,” Patrick said, rolling his eyes. “What a simp,” he muttered under his breath. Tom chuckled but cut off his laugh with a cough when he caught my glare.
I didn’t care what they thought of me. All I cared about was her.
I threw open the door and faced the two large security guards who had escorted me to the room. They led me back to the lobby.
The empty lobby.
Fuck fuck fuck.
I pushed my glasses up the bridge of my nose and paced.
I didn’t have to wait long before I heard footsteps echoing off the marble floors.
Four guards led Cam into the lobby. I couldn’t see any signs of a fight, but they obviously thought they needed more alphas around Cam in case he got violent. I wasn’t sure if four guards would be enough to subdue him with the white-hot fury I felt through the bond.
The moment the guards backed away, I threw my arms around him. I didn’t care if it made us look weak; I needed my pack brother’s reassurance.
Cam returned my embrace. “You okay?” he asked softly.
I forced myself to pull away and gave him a curt nod.
“Where is she?” I asked through gritted teeth.
“They wouldn’t tell me anything,” he responded, his eyes glinting with steel as he glanced back at the guards lining the room. “Fuck. I need her,” he muttered, clenching and unclenching his fists. “If they don’t bring her out in the next two minutes, I’m going to tear this place apart,” he continued. I placed my hand on his and gave it a squeeze.
I heard footsteps again, and we both turned. Theo emerged from the hallway, flanked by just one guard. That’s a mistake. Most people underestimated Theo, but I’d seen him best Cam in a fight.
Theo’s hair fell messily around his face, and my heart stuttered as I imagined Josie running her fingers through it. He met my gaze, and I saw my own despair and helplessness reflected back at me.
I pulled Theo into a hug and felt a spark of surprise as he returned it. He had gotten so much more comfortable with touch since Josie joined us. He leaned into me, his body trembling.
“Any news?” he asked. Cam and I shook our heads.
Just then, I scented an omega. My heart leapt in my chest even though I knew it wasn’t Josie—it was too much like caramel instead of our omega’s sweet vanilla. I searched the lobby, trying to find the source.
Amirah strode towards us, and relief washed through me. She would tell us what was going on. She was smiling, but as I watched her, I noticed the tightness of her eyes, the slight forced edge of the curve of her lips. Alarm bells rang in my chest.
“Good afternoon, Pack Ashwood,” Amirah said, stopping in front of us. The air conditioning wafted the acrid, burnt notes of her scent over me, and my panic intensified. “I wanted to be the first to congratulate you. You’ve been officially approved as a pack.”
“That’s good news,” I stuttered when it became apparent that Theo and Cam were too far gone to respond.
“Indeed,” she said, her eyes flitting side to side. “Josie should be out in just a few moments.”
The statement should have filled me with relief, but the feeling of wrongness grew in my chest.
Amirah pulled out her phone as if to look at the time before clumsily dropping it. I automatically went to pick it up, and she kneeled down at the same time. Our heads ended up close together, and I caught her hurried whisper.
“They’re coming to imprison me. Do not react when you see Josie. Take her and go home.”
Ice flooded my veins as I tried to process her words. My hand shook as I handed her back her phone.
“Thanks, Ben,” Amirah said as she stood up. “I’m off to lunch. Enjoy your time together as a pack.”
She walked towards the entrance at a measured pace. No one would have noticed the tense set of her neck without looking for it.
“Did you hear her?” I asked my brothers out of the side of my mouth.
“No,” Cam muttered.
I repeated her message, feeling the chaotic emotions in our bond amplify.
In another circumstance, I would be worried about Amirah’s safety. Right now, I couldn’t think of anything besides getting Josie back.
Footsteps echoed once more through the lobby, and I turned to see my worst nightmare come to life.
