Her hope dies as soon as her phone stops working.
Itâs completely disabled, only seconds after she sends the text to Doctor Porter.
She knows Erikâs behind it. He has to be.
And he might even be behind the reason Lita wasnât able to come.
Did he hurt someone else?
She doubles over in the bed, clutching her stomach, breathing through the painful cramps.
Sheâs a mess. Slick drips down her, sticky and wet. Her body is so flushed that her hair sticks to her forehead.
And sheâs aroused.
So. Fucking. Aroused.
Her clit throbs painfully, begging to be touched. Her nipples are hard as diamonds, and entirely too painful as they rub against the rough fabric of her shirt.
She has only one chance left.
And she hopes beyond hope that Doctor Porter is still in the building and can give her a ride out of this hellhole.
And maybe itâs her fever, or her delirium that has her walking an hour later towards the facility, in a trance-like state. Maybe itâs the Heat sheâs put off for so long that carries her legs easily, the cold air not affecting her.
Or maybe itâs something deeper.
But by the time sheâs past the trees and near the parking lot, she realizes something is wrong.
The powerâs blown out there, again.
But sirens fill the air, and the blades of a helicopter overhead snap her back to reality.
And she can smell him, suddenly, his scent entirely too strong for this far outside the building.
Heâs escaped.
She turns around, the spell broken, and runs.
* * *
PRESENT DAY
Her head throbs. Itâs beyond pain; itâs a blade of fire, and even in the darkness of the dusty basement itâs still too bright.
Sheâs soaked herself through, her pants a sopping mess, slick everywhere.
She sets the knife down next to her as quietly as she can.
Would she even use it on him? Could she?
Donât hurt Alpha!
But she doesnât have a lot of options as the wind howls and his scent grows stronger.
She either overpowers him or he takes her.
Itâs as simple as that.
But that decision may have already been made for her, because she falls to her side, clutching her stomach, willing herself to breathe as quietly as possible.
She spent her last Heat in isolation, away from any Alphas.
But now her body screams for him, her heart aches for himâ¦
But her mind says no.
She canât. They canât.
Thereâs a thud as objects slam against the wall upstairs. Eyes closed, she prays itâs not the table and chairs she used as barricades.
Please, she thinks. Please go away.
Heavy footsteps walk overhead, and she crawls into the furthest corner of the basement, away from the door.
âSweetheart.â His voice is low and silky behind the wall. âAre you in here?â
Alpha!
Help me Alpha!
But she bites her tongue, willing herself to stay quiet.
The pain is excruciating, and she huddles into a ball, willing this night to be over.
âBaby. Do I really have to break this door down?â
Heâs so calm, his voice so gentle, that she almost gives herself away.
Alpha would make it better.
Alpha could help me.
She screams into the crook of her elbow, desperation and need slicing through her body, her cunt spasming.
Her head pounds in time with her rapidly beating heart.
She barely registers the kicks at the door, instead staring straight ahead into the darkness, his delicious scent growing closer.
She hears him curse, then his powerful arms are around her, hoisting her up. âSweetheart,â he whispers. âIâm here. You donât need to be scared anymore.â
âHurts,â she whimpers, angry at herself for being so weak.
âI know, baby. But Iâm going to make it better, okay?â
She loses her balance, falling face first into his chest, but his massive hands reach out, holding her in place. Heâs no longer in his prison scrubs, instead heâs wearing a soft sweater and denim jeans.
She drifts in and out of awareness as he leads her back towards the stairs, but he stops to pick something up. âReally? A knife, Ellie?â He chides her. âYou should know that wouldnât be enough to stop me.â
She groans, desperate to stay lucid. âDid you hurt Doctor Porter?â
âAbsolutely not,â he says, scooping her into his arms. Her limbs are made of lead and she has no strength to fight him anymore. âHeâs a good man. I promise you, heâs unharmed.â
âBut what about Litaâ¦â
âA few phone calls. No one is hurt,â he assures her. âYou also already told her not to bother, youâre coming back at the end of the week. Honestly, you act like Iâm a murderer.â
He chuckles at his joke as he carries her back up the stairs and into the front room. âI canât ever forgive you for this,â she murmurs.
Laying her gently on the worn couch, he places his lips to her forehead. âYouâre burning up. Itâs not safe for you to go through your Heat by yourself. Any Alpha could take advantage of. Iâm protecting you, sweetheart.â
She could kill him at that moment.
The audacity.
âTheyâre going to come for you,â she tries again, and she hears him scoff in the darkness.
âActually, they all think Iâm an hour away by now,â he calls, rummaging through the bedroom. âWhich gives me ample time to prepare.â
The power switches back on, and the tiny overhead light shines down on her. She tries to move, but her limbs donât cooperate.
âTime to prepare for what?â She croaks out.
âYour Heat, sweetheart. Are these all the blankets you have?â He walks back into her view and her heart stutters.
Heâs disturbingly handsome in the black v-neck sweater that shows off the definition of his muscles. The dark blue denim of his pants is perfectly tailored to his hips and thighs, giving him a polished look. With his dark hair styled, he looks like a model.
Itâs not fair.
He repeats his question, but she closes her eyes, refusing to face reality anymore. He takes her hand, his palm engulfing hers, and she sighs against his touch.
No matter how much she hates it, her body calls to him.
She needs him.
Their fingers intertwine, and she hears a soft rumbling sound.
Heâs purring for her.
âIâm going to make it better,â he vows, smoothing his hand over her clammy forehead. âI promise.â
âThe only thing that would make this better is your disappearing from my life,â she grits out, even as she grips his hand tighter.
He leans over her, his purr growing louder, and scoops her into his arms. âToo late for that,â he sighs. âIâm all in now. I donât break out of prison for just anyone.â
âOh, God,â she groans, as he carries her, along with the blankets, back to the bedroom. âHow can you make jokes at a time like this?â
His grip on her hardens, his fingers holding on deep enough to bruise. âItâs either that, or I lose control and fuck you senseless. You tell me which way weâre doing this, baby.â
She canât stop the moan that escapes her, because she wants him. She wants him inside her so badly she might die.
Alpha Alpha Alpha
Itâs his cock or perishing in anguish from need.
âAfter this,â she croaks out, grabbing at his sweater and pulling him down. âWeâre done.â
He growls, pressing her deeper against the mattress. âWeâll see, baby.â