Her scent enveloped me now, impossible to ignore. I was drawn to it, curious to see the creature who tempted me. I crouched lower and let my alpha bark roll out, low and deep.
"Come out now," I ordered. She didn’t move, rather sinkingfurther out of view. My brow furrowed.
"Alpha bark doesn’t work on her. I’m not sure why. Seems we’re going to have to get creative extracting answers from this one," Silas said, a smirk lining his lips.
Creative methods of interrogation were my brother’s specialty.
I tried to peer under her cot again, when I noticed several trays of food sitting on the floor just beyond the bars, completely untouched.
"When’s the last time she ate?" I asked Silas.
He shrugged. "Not sure. But she’s gonna need sustenance before we get started questioning her, or she won’t last long."
My brother stood, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a key. He twisted it in the lock, and the cell door slid open. We stepped inside, but she still didn’t stir from under the bed.
Silas smirked, leaning casually against the bars. "Aw, come on, little mute. Don’t hide. My brother just wants to meet you."
"Come out," I grunted. Then added, “I won’t hurt you. Just… show yourself,” trying to soften my rough tone.
I heard a faint shuffle, but still nothing.
Silas chuckled. "She’s stubborn. I like that."
I let out a low growl of frustration. "You can’t stay hidden forever. I know you’re curious too. You want to see me as well."
She didn't respond.
My patience was thinning rapidly, so I reached under the bed, trying to wrap my hand around one of her limbs to drag her out.
Before I could grab hold, tiny, sharp teeth punctured my hand. They sank deep. I jerked back, hissing more in surprisethan in pain.
"Well! Someone’s feisty,” Silas said with a laugh.
I gritted my teeth, holding back a growl. My hand throbbed, but I stayed crouched, keeping my presence steady.
"It’s okay… I know you’re scared. Just…” As my words distracted her, I suddenly reached back under her cot, grabbed her ankle and pulled her out.
She yelped, struggling wildly in my hold. Her feet kicked, nails clawed, and sharp teeth tried to sink in again. I banded my arms around her, holding tight until she realized resistance was futile and stilled in my grip.
"Just calm down. I’m not going to hurt you," I murmured against her ear, loosening my hold slightly so I wouldn’t accidentally crush her before we could interrogate her.
"Yet," Silas added, circling us, inspecting the omega I had just wrangled.
"See, little mute? We’re not so bad," Silas said with a wolfish smile. His head tilted as he studied her. Then he leaned forward, scenting her deeply. "You smell… amazing. Bet you taste just as sweet."
A small, defeated whine left her lips, but she still said nothing.
I looked down at the fragile creature in my arms. She was tiny, even for an omega. Her skin was mottled with bruises and scrapes, her palms crusted with dried blood. The neon orange intake uniform hung heavy on her frail frame. It was clear she hadn’t eaten or bathed since intake. I doubted anyone had been able to coax her out of her hiding spot.
Her body relaxed, nearly limp in my arms from exhaustion. Resisting me had drained the last reserves of her energy, and she had nothing left to give.
"I'm going to put you down on the bed," I said calmly. "If you go under it again, my brother will pull you out, and he will not be as nice as I am. Do you understand?"
I waited for her to nod, but when she remained completely still, I took it as an agreement and lowered her onto the thin plastic mattress. Her body collapsed under its own weight, curling in on itself. The only thing that moved were her cautious eyes, tracking us with unwavering attention.
Silas tilted his head, watching her for a moment before his lips parted. He began with a few simple questions to gauge her responsiveness. Standard interrogation protocol.
"What's your name, omega?"
