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“I said that is enough, Omega!” Nico barks out again, this time louder, his alpha tone making even me stiffen as he glares down at our feisty omega.
River tries his hardest to fight it, gritting his teeth against the command. Nico stares him down, a growl pulling free from his throat and River whimpers, the fight draining out of him as he collapses and Nico catches him, hugging him tight.
“Where is Ripley?” River whimpers again, clenching his hands in Nico’s shirt.
I finally feel okay enough to get off of the floor and stand to go to my omega and comfort him. I wrap my front around his back and whisper, “I’m sorry, baby. This is all my fault. I didn’t protect her.”
Fuck, the self-loathing I feel right now on top of my fear for my omega’s life and anger that someone would do this is all-consuming. I knew it was shady that someone sent drinks to our table, but I still let my guard down. There had to be something in all of our drinks, including my fully sealed water bottle, that made all of us pass out for no reason. We were drugged so that whoever it was could get Ripley out of here without interference. And they’ve succeeded. With the help of a fucking omega.
“This is nobody’s fault except whoever did this. Blaming ourselves and each other won’t do us any good. We need to keep calm and not completely lose our shit. We’ll find her, I promise,” Knight says, looking at each of us to make sure we understand.
“I’m going to rip their heads clear from their bodies and gift them to her on a silver fucking platter when it’s all said and done,” Nico growls, a glare firmly in place.
“Not if I get to them first,” Syn growls, nostrils flaring, gray eyes like steel.
“Get in line,” River mumbles against Nico’s chest, breathing his scent in deeply to attempt to calm the rage that’s still simmering inside of him.
“Hunt, can you tell us anything?” Knight asks, jumping straight into detective mode.
Huntleigh looks at Knight with trembling lips and tears in her eyes.
“I-I-I... Um. E-everything is fuzzy. Ripley said she n-needed to go to the bathroom, so we went. I remember f-feeling funny when I s-stumbled into one of the stalls. W-when I s-sat on the toilet, everything got h-hazy, and my eyes felt weighted down a-and then everything went dark. T-the next thing I r-remember is someone finding me in the s-stall and w-waking me u-up,” she stutters out, her face blotchy and tear stained.
“Do you know if she was feeling strange like you? Was she stumbling or anything?”
“N-no. I don’t think so. She was just tipsy. Oh, Gods, I’m s-so s-sorry you guys. I n-never should have asked her to come out,” Huntleigh wails, turning into one of her alpha’s arms.
“It’s not your fault, baby,” Sage tells her softly.
“Your alpha is right, Huntleigh. Nobody could have predicted tonight would go this way. Ripley wanted to come out with you tonight. None of us could have stopped her, and she wouldn’t want you to blame yourself,” I choke out, wanting to help Ripley’s friend with her guilt.
“We’ll help you in any way we can to find her. Ripley is family,” Gabriel’s alpha, Sasha, tells Syn.
We’re all terrified, worried sick about what could happen to Ripley. I can’t feel her in our bond, which scares me even more.
“Can any of you feel her?” I whisper, looking at each of my packmates as I clutch my chest.
They each wear a grim look and shake their heads, confirming that they can’t feel her in their bonds either. This isn’t good. My mind is whirling, unable to comprehend that not only have we lost her, but we can’t feel if she’s okay, if she’s hurt.
We spend hours with the cops, giving them every detail about Ripley that we can. Syn tells them about Vick at the ceremony and also about the alpha Ripley saw at the grocery store and again at the carnival River took her to. We give them everything we know, and then I’m stuck answering questions over and over about our night tonight.
I tell them about the drinks that were brought to us, noting the glasses and my empty water bottle are still on the table. I run through everything, telling them that there was never any sign that she was in danger at any point during the night. Once they bag the cups and bottle, telling us they’ll run some tests and they’ll be in touch if they hear anything, we’re told we can leave.
None of us want to go home without our girl, and River gets agitated again, fighting us as we drag him from Le Refuge. Nico ends up having to subdue him, holding him tight as he growls against River’s throat until he’s pliant in his arms. The drive home is somber, all of us lost in our thoughts. River whimpers and whines for Ripley, no matter how much the alphas try to soothe him, and it breaks our hearts.
If we don’t find her and get her home soon, River will never be the same. None of us will.
Thirty-Three
Ripley
My head is pounding, my mouth dry and tasting like ash. Everything hurts, and my limbs feel stiff. I feel strange, like I’m in a haze, disconnected from my body as my eyes blink open and then immediately shut again with a wince when a bright light scorches my retinas. I go to grab my throbbing head, only to realize my hands are tied behind my back. This makes my eyes pop open in alarm. My chest heaves as I try to suck in some air, but anxiety floods my system, making it hard to breathe.
Where the hell am I?
A whimper crawls its way up my throat as my eyes flick in every direction of the room I’m in. It’s not overly big, devoid of anything but the chair I’m strapped to and... fuck, is that a cage?
Thick iron bars hold a figure behind them, curled in the corner and cloaked in shadows. A familiar scent envelops my nostrils, but I can’t put my finger on why it’s familiar. I can’t recollect what happened. The harder I try to recall the events that led to me being taken and tied up, the more my head throbs, beating to the rhythm of my thrashing heartbeat. I know I went out with my friends and my mates. We danced, had some drinks, and then... I don’t know.
