Page 129 of A Second Chance for the Beta

The instant I’m done, I hurry back to the corner of the cell with the boys soon following me. We sit next to each other in complete silence, none of us saying anything. There is just this crippling fear around us, our nerves stretched thin.

I don’t know where I am.

Or why I’m here.

Who are these men?

What do they want from me?

My heartbeat rises when I think about how they looked at me when they knew I needed to change, bile rising in my throat. Their alpha said he still needs me, but what for? The possibilities are endless, and every time I think of something new, it’s worse than my previous thought.

Are Dante and Ella searching for me? Tears sting my eyes when I think of never seeing them again. My stomach clenches. It’s like a black hole opening up and trying to swallow me. Night seems endless here and time is just a concept, as there is no light coming through any of the windows.

Against my intention, I feel a draining and numbing exhaustion settling in, pulling me into slumber while I curl up on the stone-hard ground. The sounds around me seem to become dull, that is, until the door opens again. I just hear it screeching, not sure what’s going on. Then Dario yells something, making my eyes snap open.

“What…”

Dario’s body is being slammed against the wall, blood dripping from his nose and face. “What are you doing with him!?”

My foggy mind finally makes sense of what’s going on. One of the men has grabbed Felix, dragging him along and out of our cell. I chase after them, but the man closes the door before I can run through it.

“You stay here,” he sneers. “And behave.”

Dario and I remain frozen; neither of us move. We both keep standing there, unable to say or do anything. I don’t know how long it takes, but eventually, one of the guards returns with Felix, tossing him into the cell. His left eye is swollen, and there is blood dripping out of his nose. He doesn’t say anything, just curls up on the floor and groans.

“What did they do!?” Dario blurts out, hurrying towards his brother.

I follow him, kneeling down at Felix’s other side. He is clearly hurt. My heart clenches when I think about what could have happened there. “What happened?” I whisper.

Felix opens his eyes, exchanging a gaze with Dario I don’t quite understand. “It’s not too bad,” he mutters, sounding strained. “They just want to intimidate me.”

Not too bad my ass!

Also, their intimidation is clearly working because I’m fucking terrified.

I don’t know how much time passes; an hour, maybe two, and they are back. This time they drag Dario along with them.

“We just need to stall,” Felix says. He tries to sound calm, but the way his eyes are clouded in worry for his brother gives it all away. “They need you. They want something.” He pauses. “They want something,” he repeats.

“We need to buy time,” I agree, more to reassure him. Dread is settling inside me, though. Felix said they need me, and the alpha said that too, but to them, Dario and Felix are disposable.

*DANTE*

It doesn’t even take Levi an hour to return with Charlie’s friends and their parents. Ty’s father is one of our best warriors, a calm and diligent guy. Now he looks pretty stern. Austen’s mom looks similarly worried, whereas Gisela’s is her usual self. She is a single mom and a bit of a free spirit. Her being here at least lightens the atmosphere a bit.

Liam doesn’t waste many words. He explains quickly what’s happened today. He doesn’t give too many details but hints that his brothers and Charlie are probably in grave danger. He also makes it clear that the kidnappers snuck to the pack grounds because they knew the routes the kids took.

He stands up to lean against his desk. “Do you know anything about that?” he asks the three kids directly.

Austen’s arm is still in his cast, but he takes a brave step forward. “We did sneak out occasionally,” he admits.

Gisela nods. “We do it sometimes. It’s a bit of a thing here…”

“Fantastic.” Liam sighs. “So, it’s not just the three of you?” He looks serious yet tries to remain level-headed and understand them. It’s obvious they are scared of him and his reaction, but at the same time they aren’t downright terrified.

He is really good with kids. Maybe it’s because he is the oldest brother of six. Even Alpha Jace’s twins saw him as their big brother.

“Why?” Liam wants to know right at the moment Annie comes into the room. It’s good that she is here. As the luna, it’s easier for her to smooth things over. “What’s so interesting out there? The pack is so big. What is out there that caught your interest?”