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Shae half-heartedly swatted my chest and leaned back enough that I could hear their words.
“Don’t be a dick to Dayton, Tough Guy. He didn’t ask to be here either.”
The red-haired Beta hung his head as he took off his lab coat and handed it over to Shae.
“I had a choice: I could have refused to help them. But I?—”
“A choice between doing what your captors tell you to do at gunpoint or being killed isn’t much of a choice at all.” They looked up to me as they settled their arms into the coat. “Where’s Cat?”
“I came here first. Are you up to coming with me to get the others out?”
Shae took a breath, and I could see their expression shifting into one of calm determination before nodding to me. I used the com in my ear to instruct Bodhi to move to my location and aid with the other captives and then I indicated that I had Shae. The tidal wave of relief and love that came from Jade before she dampened the bond again caused Shae to momentarily melt back into my arms. I took the precious seconds to hold them tightly, knowing that if our bonded Alpha had been with us, she’d have Shae wrapped in her embrace.
We pulled away from each other and I pushed them behind me, raising my gun again as we moved back into the hallway. Bodhi signaled that they were almost at our location, leaving two men behind to secure the exit, so we waited outside the cell where Dayton said Cat was being kept. I didn’t need any of these people running out of the room and into a bullet because they surprised my team. Bodhi and Michaels, the other Drake House operative I worked with most often, rounded the corner and lowered their weapons upon seeing us. Shae moved around me and gave Bodhi a quick hug before stepping back, and the three of us moved toward the cell door.
“Wait!” Dayton spoke sharply, causing three guns to swing in his direction. He paled and swallowed hard, before slowly raising his shaking hands. “The Betas in there have been affected by the cocktail of drugs that every captive has been dosed with, and they are showing signs of actually transitioning into Omegas. You can’t let any Alphas in there.”
Shae shook their head, their voice full of shocked disbelief.
“Cat’s a Beta. A transition between designations? That’s impossible.”
Dayton looked at Shae, then at the rest of us, lingering a moment on the guns in our hands. The sour scent of his fear flared again before he spoke.
“It’s true though. This combination of drugs has a different effect on nearly each person. It forces a heat on an Omega, whereas with unbonded Betas it increases their pheromone production, and their natural scent becomes like a temporary perfume. We know from Shae’s case that a bonded Beta will produce an altered pheromone that will repulse Alphas?—”
Shae cut him off, their tone measured and reassuring.
“Dayton, no one is going to shoot you. And everyone here is a Beta. Can you please tell me what is happening to my friend?”
The terrified man took a deep breath. I admired Shae’s ability to pull on their paramedic persona and comfort others at a time like this. That being said, I knew I would absolutely shoot Dayton if it meant protecting my pack and my friends.
“There have been a few Betas where the effect of the drug cocktail didn’t just temporarily cause them to mimic a perfume. For some it was just that the faux perfume lasted longer but with one other Beta and the four in this room, the change in pheromones remained after the initial dose. I believe it has triggered some type of latent Omega gene.”
“You’re saying Cat’s an Omega now?”
There was an edge to Bodhi’s voice that told me there was something more happening with him than I’d realized. He’d volunteered to come as soon as he’d heard about Shae and Cat being taken, and I’d assumed it was because he was so close with our pack. He and I would have words when we got back to Drake House if he’d held back from giving me the heads up about anything going on between him and Cat.
“Potentially. These four have retained the drug induced perfume and it has gotten stronger as days passed rather than fading. However, there’s only been one who showed signs of going into heat before she—she was sold.”
I nodded to the Beta before telling him to step back and pushing Shae slightly behind me. Michaels pulled open the door and began to move into the room. Before we could move in behind him, there was a grunt and some muffled cursing then the sound of bodies hitting the floor.
Bodhi holstered his gun, then ignored protocol and rushed in. I could hear him speaking in soothing tones.
“Cat, it’s alright. It’s us. We’ve already got Shae. Now, how about letting Michaels up off the floor so we can all get the fuck out of here, okay?”
I slowly moved into the cell with Shae right on my heels, trying to get around me. I put an arm out to the side to stop their advance, then stepped in front of them when I saw Cat’s shaking hands holding Michaels’ gun and pointing it at my friend. Bodhi’s hands were raised, and he was being as non-threatening as a man in tactical gear with multiple weapons could be. Michaels was indeed on the ground with two women on top of him, clumsily trying to hold him down. I knew he could have easily thrown them off, but he was a good man and knew the score here. They must have had this plan in place for the next time a guard came in.
Tears welled up in Cat’s eyes and she let out a sob as she lowered the gun. Shae rushed around me to hug their friend as she started to shake. Bodhi stepped forward and gently took Michaels’ gun from her hands—his eyes fixed on Cat’s face; expression tortured. Something was definitely going on there, though it seemed that Bodhi was much more aware of Cat than she was of him. Once my pack was home and safe, I’d check in with him. I tapped the com to connect to Cole, Trevor’s right-hand Alpha and Ethan’s friend, in the BullPen.
“Cole?”
“Here, Theo.”
“We have Shae, Cat, and three others with us. We need medical transport. Betas only.”
“Understood. Hold for confirmation.”
It wasn’t long before Cole confirmed that a team of Omega-safe medical personnel were inbound, as well as law enforcement. Shortly after that message, Jade’s smooth voice came through the com.
