Page 7 of Psycho Alphas: Part Two

There was a long moment, then the comms buzzed.

“What are you doing?” That was Callum, and he sounded unsure. “We’re supposed to be in lockdown.”

“They ran. Got a heat to manage downstairs. Can’t keep an eye on him, too.”

There was another long pause.

“We can’t.” I heard Tanisha hiss.

“I can take him,” I said. “But I figured he’d prefer to wake up here.”

Naturally, that was enough.

“What are you—?” Tanisha’s voice cut off.“Fuck!”

I heard the click of the door, and within seconds it was being hauled open. I was met with the barrel of a gun and a chalk-faced Callum. His eyes darted from me to Vance, who was still out cold in my arms, then he hauled the door open wider. “Get inside.”

Ducking my head under the low frame, I headed into the bunker Knox had installed a few years back.

Through a small doorway ahead, a TV played an old sitcom. Through another, I could see a stocked pantry. In the main space, a couch sat beside a desk, and beyond an open frame lay a slim room lined with narrow beds. There was enough space andfood to keep the six of them safe for a good while. I rarely saw them, but I was haunted by Knox’s dedication.

It hadn’t been long after we’d switched places that Knox had begun rescuing people from the Ring. The time and care he took, sometimes suffering sleepless night after sleepless night with traumatised victims… that had been the first time I’d felt a true change to my marrow.

Callum moved a book from the couch and pointed toward it with the gun.

I stepped in, lowering Vance onto the cushions. Tanisha, a fierce Omega with glossy, dark brown hair and deep sandstone skin, was glaring at me, her hand on a gun at her side.

I almost opened my mouth to tell them no one needed a weapon, but I thought better of it.

Waste of breath.

I knew what they thought of me. A perfect painting of everything they’d ever feared, and I couldn’t rightly argue against it.

I saw movement and glanced up to see Petal entering from the bedroom, her eyes wide. A notebook slipped from her fingers, sprawling on the floor as her gaze dropped to Vance. She took a step closer, then her eyes flicked back up to me.

I saw the flash of terror in them.

Petal was a female Alpha with long red hair and a lean, willowy frame. She was blind in her left eye, and there were old burns on the same side of her face and neck. Injuries from a past life—one that had given her the fear I saw in her eyes as she stared at me.

She was one of the Misfits who rarely left the quarters, and I could count on one hand how many times I’d seen her face to face.

Still, she looked torn. I took a step toward the door, almost backing into Callum.

“What’s wrong with him?” Callum asked as Petal finally slipped across the room, kneeling by Vance’s side and cupping his cheek. I watched as Tanisha entered the bedroom.

“He’s just knocked out,” I said.

“How do you know?” Callum asked.

“Because I did it.”

“You didwhat?” He spun back on me, gun up again as Tanisha arrived with a medical kit in her hands.

Oh, for fuck’s sake. “It was chaos. He was ready to run in and get himself killed. Knox would have my fucking neck if I?—”

“We’re supposed to believe?—?”

“Fine, I’m lying—check the footage. The tooth fairy put him in a chokehold. Make sure he’s got all his fucking canines?—”