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“Ignore him,” I snap before Caelan can reply. I jog up the last few steps and squeeze between Riven and my packmate. “He’s been a little on edge recently. Got the scent of some Omega pussy he can’t stop thinking about.”

That gets exactly the reaction I’m looking for.

Caelan snarls low in his throat and takes a menacing step in my direction, before stopping himself.

Cute, really, how he thinks I have no idea how bad he wants that traitor’s Omega daughter. The lust he felt the other night was so visceral, I had to take care of myself in the shower.

If that was all because she was close to her heat, then I’m Batman. I choose to ignore his little outburst and face Riven.

“Come on, show me the glow-stick.”

Riven leads us down the hall until we come to a closed door near the end. Reaching into his breast pocket, he pulls out a key, but before turning the handle, he hesitates. “The Omega is about ten percent feral. She’s been mostly catatonic since we found her, except when she’s mumbling random shit no one can make heads or tails of. She spends most of her time lying there, staring at the wall.”

He turns to Caelan.

“We have her restrained for her own safety. Those brief periods of lucidity are, well, you’ll see. Just trust me that it’s better if she’s restrained both for herself and for us. No one is mistreating her.”

“We’re good, Riv. Caelan’s chill.” Vae smiles that dimpled smile and claps a hand to Riven’s shoulder, ignoring his wince. “He just realized he was an Alpha for the first time last week and we’re dealing with those pesky hormones, ya know?”

“Fuck off,” Caelan grunts, but there’s no real heat in his tone.

Riven opens the door and gestures for us to enter.

“Well, son of a bitch. You really do have an Omega tied to a bed.” Vae steps forward, but Gav throws an arm across his chest, holding him back with a glare.

I stay back so I can study the Omega.

She’s lying on a twin bed that’s pushed against the wall opposite the door. It’s not a large room, but it’s no cell, either. It’s carpeted with exposed brick walls and a TV sitting on a dresser facing the bed. Two large leather reading chairs and a small table take up residence across from the bed.

The bed that does, indeed, have a female tied to it. I don’t even want to know why Riven owns a bed equipped with restraints in his gym. Some knowledge really is better left unshared.

The girl is small, with the natural curves of her designation, though it looks like her still-damp clothes are hanging off of her, like she’s lost weight since she last put them on. She has deep olive skin and dark hair. Big dark brown eyes that are framed by long lashes. She’s beautiful.

A biological honey trap, just like every other Omega.

The longer I watch her, the more I realize that there’s something off about her. Something feels like it doesn’t quite belong. She’s barely blinked, just staring blankly at the wall and murmuring something I can’t understand over and over.

“What’s she saying?” I ask, taking a cautious step closer.

“No clue,” Riven answers, taking a seat in one of the leather chairs. “She’s been mumbling the same shit. Sometimes it varies, but I can’t work it out. I’ve even tried googling it. Thought maybe it was song lyrics or something. Some new Taylor Swift single.”

He throws an ankle over his knee and picks an imaginary piece of lint off his immaculately pressed slacks, looking thoroughly unimpressed by the whole situation. He always acts nonchalant, but his attitude is actually a well-constructed facade he’s honed over hundreds of years. Riven loves to lure people into a false sense of security so they’ll open up to him—underestimating him in the process.

I pin my friend with a flat stare, and he responds by rolling his eyes like I’m being dramatic.

“She repeats the same thing, like I told you. ‘Four became one, one became light. Light wakes the gate. She is the gate.’”

He recites the words in a bored tone, like he’s heard them so many times they mean nothing to him now.

“Who is the gate? The Omega?” Vae leans over and places his ear closer to the girl’s mouth, listening intently.

The Omega starts thrashing on the bed, startling Vae enough that he jumps back. Her eyes are closed tight, her teeth are clenched, and her lips are pulled back in a snarl. Veins stand out on her neck and forehead, and she’s fisting the sheets in white-knuckled hands, her body arching off the bed.

An Omega whine rings through the room, and the jarring noise pierces my eardrums, doing its best to manipulate my Alpha instincts into fixing whatever’s causing the female distress.

The restraints rattle harder and louder the more she struggles. It looks like she’s having a seizure. I move forward on instinct, but Riv’s fingers latch onto my wrist, and he shakes his head, pulling me back.

The shaking stops, and when she finally opens her eyes, they’re glassy and crazed.