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It can’t end here.
It just can’t.
“Scarlett!” Chaz yells, barreling behind me. The quick thuds of his footsteps kick my heart into overdrive. “You can’t run from me! I’m one of your alphas. I bought you! You’re mine!”
“Scarlett, honey. Please stop. You’re being childish,” Mom calls, her voice laced with annoyance.
I scream in anger, using it to push me to move faster. There is nothing childish about taking control of my life. Or setting boundaries. Knowing what I want and doing whatever it takes. I will not bow to Chaz. I won’t let him break me.
“Scarlett!” Chaz hollers. “You’re going to regret this!”
“Fuck you!” I yell, my breath panting, my body aching. I’m almost at the end of the block. I just need to get out of sight.
A shadow stretches across the ground from the corner house as Chaz’s shadow shortens behind me, him closing the distance faster than I can put it between us. If it weren’t for this dress, I’d manage.
So I cut across the street between cars and yank the side zipper enough to free myself. The gown falls to the ground, leaving me in a slip. Chaz growls and yells my name again. He thinks he can scare me into submission, but he can’t. All it does is ignite my will to fight.
I come to another corner, now too focused on getting away that I don’t see the car until it honks and skids to a stop, sending smoke through the air. A man thrusts open the door, his face twisted in anger.
“Help!” I scream, rushing toward him. “Please, help! I’ve been kidnapped. I just escaped!”
I clutch onto the man’s T-shirt, getting into his face. He frowns, his eyes looking behind me. I pray to the universe that he helps me. I know not many people would, but I don’t know what else to do. I can’t keep running.
“Get in,” he says, motioning to the passenger seat. “Tell me where you’re from. I’ll take you to the—”
Blood splatters across my face, and I scream, shoving against the man as he falls to the ground. What the actual fuck? I spin, catching sight of Rip still in his van as if he’s been following me this whole time. He winks at me with a smile, and I don’t even have a chance to react as Chaz hooks his arm around my throat and squeezes.
I gasp for breath, my body trembling in shock.
This is it. Maybe I’m not worth his trouble.
Maybe this is his revenge for rejecting him.
The world goes dark.
“You didn’t have to do that, Chaz. You could’ve killed her.” Mom’s voice rings through the air, the same anger directed at me now focused on Chaz. “You know she could be pregnant. There were better ways to handle her.”
Chaz growls. “Shut the fuck up and sit down. You’re lucky I even let you come with me. You said you would get her to see things clearly, and you’ve done nothing but annoy me.”
Mom huffs. “You didn’t give me—”
“I said shut the fuck up and sit down!” Something crashes, and I peek through my eyelashes to see a figure stride past me before a door slams.
Another voice captures my attention, and someone mumbles under their breath.
“Miss Broderik, can you hear me? I would like to hurry and finish this examination so I can get out of here. Your alphas are a bit irritated, and I didn’t sign up to be put in danger.” A silhouette stands over me, and a woman shines a light in my eyes. “I’ve already bandaged up your scrapes, but I need you to take this pregnancy test. I don’t have access to a lab, or else I would’ve drawn your blood.”
I don’t move. I’m not going to make it easy for her.
“Please, Ms. Broderik. I don’t want to have to put in a catheter because you want to resist. Let’s get this over with so we know, and then we can move on. Your alphas are outside, waiting in anticipation.” The woman touches my hand, pulling me up, knowing that I’m aware.
“You have to help me. They are not my alphas,” I say, hissing.
“Scarlett, she knows the situation. Stop trying to use people’s compassion to get what you want. Just do what she asks so I can get the rest of our money. Your sisters would be so upset if they knew that you were purposely trying to hurt their futures.” Mom speaks up from a folding chair in the corner of the dirty bedroom with clothes piled on the floor, trash and dishes on every possible surface, and a blanket tacked over the window instead of curtains. “I’d also like to get out of here. The sooner you stop trying to resist and accept these men as your alphas, the sooner you can go to a far nicer place. You don’t want to spend the rest of your life in this shithole, do you?”
I blink a few times, trying to process everything she says.
“They are only fugitives because of you. You’ve caused so much trouble. I don’t understand why you couldn’t just do as I asked.” Mom gets up and places her hands on her hips. “They also wouldn’t have had to hurt you if you had just complied. I hope you remember that. It’s as if you never graduated from Omega Prep. What a disappointment. Your fathers would be ashamed.”
