Page 46

Chapter 46

Ava

My mind is consumed by fear as I lie in the back of the van.

Marcus immediately wraps a gag around me so I can’t scream or yell anymore, and then after a few minutes the van pulls off to the side of the road. Marcus exits, closing the door behind him, but I can hear him walk around to the driver’s door. It opens, and I hear quiet talking.

“Help!” I scream at the driver. “You can’t do this! Please! Please help me, please you can’t do this, please!”

My words come out muffled and garbled. I’m not even sure the man can hear me.

There’s the sound of something like paper shuffling, and my blood goes cold as I realize it’s someone counting out cash. Marcus has paid this man to be the getaway driver.

I scream again, sobbing, trying to get this man to hear me and invoke some kind of sympathy or mercy in his heart. But if my pleas are heard, he ignores them. I can hear his footstep going around the side of the van, and then the sound of Marcus getting into the driver’s seat.

The car door slams shut, and the van lurches as it pulls out onto the road again.

I cry, curling in on myself as best I can with my hands zip-tied behind my back.

This is the thing that I feared would happen to me when I presented as an Omega. This is the nightmare scenario. This is what I lay awake in bed at night imagining if I’d had presented as Omega while still in the clutches of my relationship with Marcus.

However much he controlled me then, however much he scared me and intimidated me, it’s so much worse now. Then, I was a Beta to him. Now… well, I know what he thinks about Omegas. He would tell me plenty of times while we were together.

He’s going to treat me like a prisoner, and use me however he wants.

I can’t let him take me to wherever his end destination is. I’m not sure where he’ll bring me. Back when we were together, we were in college, so he had an apartment just off campus. I’m sure he has an entirely different place now. But wherever it is, it’ll be a place where he can easily control me and keep me under lock and key.

There’s no way I can let that happen. I have to find a way out of here before then, if that’s even possible.

My stomach is so sick with fear, and between that and the jostling of the van as it races down a highway, I think that I might throw up. I breathe slowly and carefully through my nose. Throwing up with a gag in my mouth sounds like the worst possible experience.

Marcus’s horrible, sick scent fills my nose, and I close my eyes. I can’t focus on that. I have to think of something else, and clear my mind of fear. I have to overcome this.

I just wish my Alphas could save me.

My Alphas.

I picture in my head their scents, the smells that I know so well at this point they feel like they’re a part of me, like they’re in my blood and my bones, intertwined with my DNA.

Dante, the first Alpha that I smelled, the way that spicy clover and warm bourbon with honey made me feel a way I never had before. He makes me feel on fire in a slow, sensual way, his scent making me feel safe and sexy at the same time.

Ethan, whose scent comforted me even when I was in the middle of the club and terrified out of my mind. He was a stranger, and I was unsure if I could trust him, but his scent called to me. The cinnamon, freshly baked cookies, and hint of toasted marshmallows reminds me of being a kid around a campfire, taking me back to a simpler time, full of laughter and playfulness, just like how Ethan is. It makes me feel relaxed and a little flirtatious.

Caleb, who immediately understands me. His scent makes me think of home and comfort, with its rich dark chocolate, smooth caramel, and toasted hazelnut notes. If Ethan’s a summer campfire then Caleb is a winter fire in the fireplace, when it’s snowing outside and you can curl up with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate. I’m always safe with Caleb.

And finally, Garrett. His scent is like that of a classic lumberjack, all male but also gentle and protective, not aggressive or overbearing. He smells to me like a freshly baked pie, a wood-burning fireplace, and sweet apple cider. It’s like the home-cooked meal that your man makes for you, the firewood he chopped for you, the wine he mulled for you. Alpha male as service and care, not posturing or anger.

I hold those scents in my mind and picture my four Alphas. They think I’m brave. They think I’m strong. And for them, I want to be.

I’m not just fighting for myself, after all. I’m fighting to come home to them. I know they’ll be devastated if they lose me. They love me and they care about me. If they’ll fight for me, then I need to fight for them. I need to come home to them.

Maybe it’s just my imagination, or maybe our bond is already stronger than I think, even without the claiming bite, because I swear I can smell their scents in my nose. I breathe in and out deeply, taking those scents into me, and keep myself calm.

Slowly, my heart rate slows, and I feel less like I’m about to have a heart attack from panic.

Okay. Think, Ava. What can you do here to escape?

I look around me as the van rolls along the highway. There’s nothing in here, it’s entirely bare. I test my zip ties. They’re tight, and unlike rope I don’t think I can find a way to wriggle out of them, or easily cut them on something.

I close my eyes again and pay attention to the road we’re driving on. Just on the bare floor of the van like this I can feel every bump and dip in it. The road seems well-maintained. That’s good. It means that he’s not taking me out completely in the middle of nowhere, where it’s only dirt roads. There’s a possibility I can find someone and get help.

There aren’t a lot of stops or sounds of traffic, so he’s not heading into the city. Okay, where else would he take me?

Marcus has family money. I don’t think his parents are alive anymore. If they are, he never mentioned them to me, and I never met them. But he probably has some kind of old-money house around the area. A lot of rich kids do.

That’s probably where he’s taking me. It’s not too far away, and it’s probably still near anything he might have to go and get stuff from like a grocery store, but it’s still not in the heart of everything like a city.

There will be neighbors nearby, though. And possibly some large backyards, or gardens, or even some woods that I can try to lose him in. I just need to time it carefully.

If he gets me inside the house, or wherever he’s taking me, it’ll be too late. My chances of getting out will drop to near zero. I need to make a break for it when he parks but before he gets me inside.

I can’t get out of these zip ties, so I’ll just have to make do and run for it anyway. If I can find someone to help me, then they can get the zip ties off me. Or, possibly, I can find a sharp enough rock or something similar to cut them off, although I’m not hoping too hard on that one.

The possibility of this failing has me frozen in fear, but I breathe through it. As I remember how happy I am with my Alphas, and how much I want to get back at them, something else takes hold in my stomach.

Anger.

Because you know what? I’m actually sick of being scared.

I was so scared of Marcus that I dropped all of my friends and ran away. I was so scared of an Alpha like him finding me that I used blockers and suppressants for years, keeping my distance from everyone. I had no friends, no one to care about me, until my Alphas came along.

And now, Marcus wants to take this happiness away from me? Now that I’ve finally found people that I love and I’m building a life for myself? Not just any life, but the life I’ve always dreamed about, the life I’ve wanted for years?

Hell no.

I’m not going to let him.

I’m angry at how scared he’s made me feel and at how his shadow has controlled my life and my thoughts for so long. And I’m angry that he’s coming after me and my pack. My mates. Nobody comes after my mates.

I may be an Omega, not an Alpha, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t be protective and angry too. That doesn’t mean that I can’t fight in my own way.

And you know what, my fear is what he wants. He wants me to be scared. He wants that power over me. That’s why people like him behave the way that they do.

It’s kind of sad, actually. Marcus is an Alpha, looked at with respect by society. He comes from money and owns a company. He’s handsome, and he knows how to be charming. He should be set for life.

And yet there’s something inside him that’s so insecure that he has to abuse and manipulate people in order to feel happy. He has to amass even more power.

Well, that’s not my damn problem. And I’m not going to give him any power over me anymore. He doesn’t get my fear.

I keep that anger burning in my stomach as I’m driven off the highway and onto paved roads. They seem to be empty, from how few stops Marcus has to make. I try to sit up and get my back to the door so I can open the door handle with my bound hands and roll out while he’s at a stop, but I can’t quite manage to get my balance.

I have to wait until he brings the van to a full stop and opens the door himself.

Finally, after what feels like hours, I feel him slow down and make a turn, then another, rolling to a stop.

This must be some kind of driveway.

My heart is pounding, but it’s no longer from fear. It’s from adrenaline and anticipation.

The van stays stopped for a few moments, then I hear him kill the engine. He opens the door, his footsteps echoing in my ears as he walks around to me.

The van door opens.

Now’s my moment.

“All right,” Marcus says, grabbing me by the arm and hauling me up onto my knees. “Time—”

I headbutt him as hard as I can, right in his sternum, throwing all of my weight forward. I nearly topple over onto my face, but luckily manage to keep my balance as he stumbles back, wheezing, stunned.

I’ve fallen hard onto my back before, and I remember what it was like to have the wind that badly knocked out of me, and how much it made my ribs hurt. I felt almost paralyzed, in too much pain and shock to move.

This is my only chance.

I lean back and swing my legs around so that I’m sitting with my feet dangling in front of me. Then I jump out of the van, landing on my feet. My hands are bound, so my balance isn’t nearly as good as it should be, but I can’t take any more time.

I have just a few seconds to get an impression of where I am. It’s a large house, something like a manor, but old-fashioned, the kind of house that was built a few generations ago and maintained by the family.

There’s a massive driveway, which is where we currently are, and then the front lawn, and a side path around to presumably the back of the house—and most importantly, there’s a thickly wooded area to the right.

I can’t see any other houses around. As I suspected, this is one of those places where they build the houses far enough apart each obscenely rich person can pretend that they’re the only house in the area, unable to see any neighbors—or have their loud parties overheard.

The woods are my best chance. I have no idea where the other houses are, and I’ll be too exposed on the road. It’s too quiet, I have no idea if any other car will come along and see me and stop to help.

I have to hide.

I take off running as fast as I can while Marcus is still stunned. I’m panting around the gag, sucking in ragged breaths around the fabric, and it’s difficult to stay upright while going at top speed with my hands behind my back.

The zip ties cut into my wrists, and the gag hurts the edges of my mouth. I feel like a moron, like anyone would laugh if they saw me trying to sprint like this. But I don’t stop. I don’t care. I have to keep going.

I don’t look back as I sprint through the trees. I have to stay focused, and if I look back I could trip and fall and all will be lost. I’m not sure I could get back up again if I fell, or if I’d even have time before Marcus got to me first.

“You fucking bitch!” Marcus’s voice carries and I shiver.

I remember that angry tone so well from all those years ago, when I would do something he decided was disrespectful. It wasn’t just the few times I stood up to him, either. It could be for not laughing hard enough at his joke, or laughing too hard and having him decide that I was faking it and mocking him.

Marcus could find any excuse to scream at me. Any reason to tell me I wasn’t good enough, and that I had to fix myself.

That familiar, furious tone cuts through my pounding heart like a knife, but the remembered terror just spurs me onward. I can’t let him catch me. I won’t let him catch me. He’s never going to hurt me again. I don’t care what it takes to earn my freedom, I’m going to do it.

What I told Ethan in the car when we first met still holds. He asked me what I wanted, and I told him.

Freedom .

I still mean that.

But now I understand what true freedom means. What I had before… sure, I was technically free in the sense that I wasn’t registered, and I wasn’t bound to any Alpha. But I was living in terror and hiding myself.

Now, I’m truly free. I get to be the best version of myself, supported and protected by my Alphas.

I refuse to give that up. I’m not letting Marcus take my happiness from me. I don’t care what it takes or what I have to do.

My mind is clouded with adrenaline as I dash through the trees. I have no idea where I am, or if I’m moving toward safety or away from it. I just know that I have to put as much distance as possible between Marcus and me.

Behind me, distantly, I can hear him coming after me. I can hope to lose him, but I also know that my scent is strong, and he’s going to try to track it down. He’s not bonded to me the way my mates are, even without their bite on me, so he won’t be able to track me quite as well. But I still can’t take the chance. I have to get far enough away that he can’t trace my scent.

I have no idea how long I’ve been running for when I realize I can’t hear his footsteps anymore, but I don’t stop. I have to keep going. I’m not safe yet.

He could be moving stealthily to sneak up on me, or he could be circling around. If I stop, rest, for even a minute, I could give him the chance to catch up with me.

My body aches, and my breaths start to come in short, sharp gasps. Breathing through the gag is hard, and I feel like I must be disgusting, constantly trying to swallow down drool and breathe hard at the same time.

But I don’t stop.

The idea of Marcus getting his hands on me again is too much to bear. I will literally die before I let that happen. If that means my damn heart gives out from pushing my body too far as I run, then so be it.

That fear and anger keep my mind focused on my goal. My single objective.

Escape Marcus .