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“Excuse me,” I murmur, trying to edge past her toward the door. Something about her makes my skin prickle, and my instincts scream danger.

“No need to rush off,” she says, her voice surprisingly melodic despite the cold undertone. “It’s not often I meet another omega in the wild.”

I freeze, my heart suddenly pounding against my ribs.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say automatically. She’s an omega.What the hell is going on?I’ve never met another omega before, but it makes sense because of her strong scent. Scents that we can’t control as omegas.

“Of course, you know what I’m talking about,” she sneers. She leans closer, inhaling deeply near my neck. “I can smell it on you. Honey, isn’t it? Sweet little thing. And pregnant, too. How... traditional.”

My hand moves protectively to my stomach before I can stop it.

“I need to get back to my table,” I say, edging toward the door. “My... my boyfriends are waiting.”

“Boyfriends. Plural,” she laughs. “Let me guess. A pack of alphas? How quaint and very perfect.”

The implications of her words send ice through my veins. This isn’t a random encounter.

I abandon all pretense of politeness and bolt for the door, yanking it open and practically running into the hallway that leads back to the main dining room. My heart pounds in my ears, drowning out the ambient noise of the restaurant. I need to get back to Kane, to Finn, to Jace.

I need to tell them about the woman, about her warnings and veiled threats.

I’m so focused on getting back to the safety of my alphasthat I don’t notice the figure lurking in the shadowed alcove near the bathrooms. Not until it’s too late.

Suddenly, strong hands grab me from behind, one arm snaking around my waist while the other clamps over my mouth, stifling the scream that instinctively rises in my throat.

He yanks me backward into the darkness, my back colliding with a hard chest as I’m dragged away from the main restaurant.

Terror floods my system, my body thrashing against the iron grip that holds me. The hand over my mouth is large and calloused, smelling of cigarettes and something metallic. Blood, I realize with mounting horror. The arm around my waist tightens, lifting me slightly off the ground.

“Stop struggling,” a male voice hisses in my ear, his breath hot against my skin. “You’ll only make this worse for yourself.”

I bite down on his hand as hard as I can, tasting blood as my teeth break skin.

“Fuck you,” he swears, adjusting his grip to push my head forward painfully, cutting off my airway for a terrifying moment. “Do that again, and I’ll knock you out.”

My mind races as I’m dragged through a service door into what appears to be a back hallway of the restaurant. No one is around to see us, to help me. I try to scream again, the sound pathetically muffled by his hand.

The man’s grip shifts again as he kicks open another door, and in that moment of adjustment, I drive my elbow back as hard as I can into his solar plexus. He grunts in pain, his hold loosening just enough for me to twist in his arms and rake my nails down his face, aiming for his eyes.

“Fuck!” he shouts, one hand going to his bleeding cheek. I open my mouth to scream, but before the sound can fully form, his fist connects with my temple, sending me crashing against the wall. Stars explode behind my eyes,pain blooming across my skull. I slide down to my knees, disoriented and nauseous.

Through the ringing in my ears, I hear him cursing feel his hands grabbing at my arms, pulling me upright. My vision swims, but I can make out his features now—a square jaw, cold eyes, and a fresh set of bleeding scratches down his left cheek. Not someone I recognize.

This has something to do with what I am now. With being an omega.

“Kane,” I whisper, my voice weak and raspy. “Finn. Jace.”

The man laughs, a harsh sound with no humor in it. “They can’t hear you, sweetheart. And by the time they figure out you’re gone, you’ll be halfway across the state.”

No!

The thought of being separated from my alphas is more terrifying than anything this man might do to me. The bond between us, newly healed and stronger than ever, pulses with my fear.

They’ll find me. They always do.

Continue on reading to Book 2!Mating Mia