Chapter 3

LAINEY My eyes open to slits. The fluorescent light burns my eyes and I shut them again.

I roll my head, weakly, to the side. It hurts, but not enough to be a problem.

My biggest problem? My stomach. The pain hits me and I curl up in the fetal position on the bed. I'm so hungry. My blood lust screams out. I need to feed now.

I roll off the bed to my knees on the floor. My arms wrapped around my head on the cot. My hearing listens to the buzz of the overhead light. I try to hear any voices.

I turn my head and lift my eye over my arm. I see a glass wall with a door.

I raise my head and look around. I’m in a room with concrete walls, floor and ceiling painted white.

I stand up and my stomach pains me. I hug myself and wince until it passes. I walk to the glass wall and put a hand on it.

I look out to the wide, dimly lit hallway. On the other side are other glass cells, some with people in them wearing white t shirts and some sort of blue jumpsuit.

I look up and down the hall.

“Hello?” I say loud.

“I need help!” I shout. I wince again as my stomach starts to really hurt.

“Please!” I beg. “I’m hungry!”

I wait for any response. No one comes.

I turn and lean my back on the glass. I hit the back of my head on the glass as my eyes well with tears.

My stomach hurts so much, if I could sweat, I would be.

I slide down the glass and crawl to my knees. I stop and lay on the floor.

I look at my wrist as my head lays on my other outstretched arm.

I need to put something in my stomach. I need it now.

I sit up on the side of my but and run my hand up my arm.

I slam it into my fangs and bite. I feverishly drink my own blood. I feel my stomach fill.

I pull my arm away and rest my bleeding arm in my lap.

I felt a sense of relief from my pain then I felt something else.

An awful deathly, sick feeling. Like my mouth was full of dead ashes. My stomach violently pushed up.

“Oh God.” I crawl fast to the toilet and puke everything I had into the bowl. My stomach hurt even more with every heave. My mouth burned as the blood came up.

When it was done, I flopped my arms and head on the side of the bowl and cried. The pain was back even worse than before. I'm staving to death in here. I know it.

I lift my head and look down at the blood trickle down my arm. I heat the drop hit and splash on the floor.

A tear slips down my cheek as I lick my lip. I start to think that maybe it was just because my stomachs not used to it. My eyes focus on the next line of blood flowing. My finger of my other hand breaks the river and I lift it to my eyes. My eyes glow green and I place the drop on my tongue. Instantly, my mouth fills with the taste of dead ashes. My stomach turns as I spit it out into the toilet.

“It’s started.”

My head whips to the glass wall. The King of Wolves stood with his hands behind his back.

“What?” I say, not moving from my spot.

“The hunger. It’s starting. You tried to eat yourself?” He points to my arm then puts his arm back behind him.

I look down at my bleeding arm and nod.

“Didn’t end well did it?” He says in a hard, but quiet voice.

I hesitate then shake my head no.

“I can fix that.”

I slowly turn my head. My eye finding him from behind my hair.

He pulls a jar from behind his back. It’s filled with blood. I can smell it from here.

I turn on my but to him quick. “I’m so hungry.” I lean forward on my hands. “Please. It hurts so much.”

He looks at the jar and hides it again. “Tell me what I want to know.”

I crawl for a bit then scramble to my feet. I take big steps to the glass. I have to look up at him to see his eyes. “Anything. Please. I can’t bare it.” Small tears fall as I shake my head.

“What’s your name?” He starts.

“Lainey. Lainey Spencer. Though it’s been a long time since my name mattered to anyone.” I look down.

“You’re Omega?” He asks.

I nod yes.

“You’re Master. What’s he planning?”

I look up at him. His brow is arched and his face is serious “I…I don’t know.” I blink at him.

He leans to the glass. “Don’t…lie to me…You were with him. You must know something.”

My face falls. My brows stitch together and rise. “I don’t. I promise. I…I was just a slave…”

“No!” He snaps.

It made me jump.

“You know something. Tell me!” He growls.

“I don’t. I swear to you, I don’t. I was only there with them for…for a few months…I don’t know what they’re planning.”

I place my hands on the glass. One covered in blood and it slides a bit as the blood smears. “I’m telling the truth. Please…I’m so hungry.” I hitch and beg.

He looks at me and nods. He walks over to the food drawer.

I quickly walk over to it and place my fingers on the drawer.

“Hands off!” He growls.

I throw my hands up and back off.

He opens the drawer and places the jar into it and leaves.

I quickly go to the drawer and pull it into my middle. I lift the jar. The smell of the fresh blood is so overwhelming, I practically devour the jar as I throw it to my mouth. I drink it all down so fast, lines of blood flow from the corners of my mouth to my chin.

I remove it and cough out the slight choke I gave myself. It tasted weird, but it’s staying down. I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. I place the jar back and push the drawer back.

“Thank you.” I say quietly. I keep my head down, but my eyes flick to his like I was guilty for even existing.

“There’s more for any information you give me.” He eyes me.

“Please. Let me go. I don’t know what they’re planning. I was just trying to survive! I don’t know them!” I go hand over hand to his position on the glass.

“So they just took you in. Just like that.” He narrows his eyes.

I nod. “The Master fed off me and I was his.” I wrapped my arms around myself.

“Where’s your original hive?” He questions. He crosses his arms.

“Dead. A long time ago.” I answer.

“Where?” He pushes his chin out to me.

“In the mountains.” I say quietly.

He unfolds his arms and places his hands on his hips. His brows furrow. “You’re Damon’s.” He states.

That name makes me cringe. It will haunt me until a stake and a sword find me one day.

‘Willow run faster! Please!’

I hold my eyes shut and turn my head away from him. I fight the voice in my head. I hide it away for so many reasons.

He taps the glass and I turn my eyes to him. “You said you were only with them for a few months. Where have you been before then?”

I shrug. “Around. Hiding.”

“Hiding. Turning humans?” He arches a brow.

“What? No! You know I don’t have that skill. I wouldn’t!” I shake my head.

“Truthfully, I don’t know what skills you have because I’m not totally convinced you’re an Omega.” He looks at me suspiciously.

“I am. I’m not…right…” I lower my head again.

“What do you mean?” He asks.

“I’m different somehow. I don’t know how. I just am.” I say. Hoping he’ll just leave it at that. I look back up at him.

He places his hands on the glass and leans forward.

I get a curious look as I question his actions.

He stares at me for what feels like a good minute.

“You seem normal. I’m not reading anything different about you.” He leans back and removes his hands. “I do see you’re right though. The Master never talked around you.”

“That’s right. He never did. Now, please let me go.” I put my hands on the glass.

“No. We may need you later.” He says.

“Please! I can’t be locked up! I didn’t do anything!” I thump my fist off the glass and begin to cry again.

He leans to my face. “But you will. You vamps can’t be trusted. Just be glad I don’t take your head.” He looks at me up and down. “For now.” He snarls.

“No! I beg you! I won’t hurt anyone! I swear!” I choke.

“I’ll have some blood brought down tomorrow.” He says as he walks away.

“Come back! I’m sorry! Please let me go!” I place my head on the glass and sob. I slide down to my knees and place my back on the glass. I cry into my arms.

As I softly cry, my ears pick up heavy, cautious steps heading this way.

I raise my head, thinking the king came back, but I catch the scent of musk and forest trees.

He steps into my field of vision slowly. Each step echoed in my ear.

His tall, solid form seemed to be in a stalking stance. His blue eyes found mine and we locked.

I crawled away from the glass as if he could touch me through it.

His glare seems to invade my soulless body.

He runs his thick fingers through his thick, medium length hair. It was perfectly trimmed short on the sides. He ran his thumb across his soft looking bottom lip. His chest was huge and his heart pumped his blood through his wide muscular body faster than a normal heart rate. I could smell his wolf. It wasn’t full of fear. It was full of something else.

His demeanor was that of want. His eyes scan me and I back off more as he stalks to the door.

He looks up and pulls out a tablet. He starts to type on it. I pull my knees up to my chest and rest my chin on my arms.

I watch his stubble jaw tick. I see his puffed chest heave a bit. I see the muscles in his thick thighs flex in his jeans. He shoves his shirt sleeves up and continues to work.

I study him with fear, but also with a curiosity. When he came into view, I felt something stir inside. Like I wasn’t supposed to fear him, but after our first encounter, how can I not? He ripped me from my hive and threw me in a cage. This isn’t better than where I was.

Even still, a part me feels like there’s something about him that I’m drawn to. I just don’t know what that is.

He glances my way and I press my lips together. I force myself to turn away. After a moment, my eyes turn back. My eyes follow the lines of his back to his but to his legs and back up.

I get on my knees and slide myself closer. Immediately his eye flicks to mine and I quietly gasp. Stopping back on my but.

His eye narrows and returns to his work.

I slide on my but closer. When I’m close enough for comfort, I pull my knees up again and wrap my arms around them.

I watch him for a few more moments. “What’s your name?”

His eye met mine. He doesn’t say anything. He turns back.

I lean to try and get more of his face from where I am. I smell a heat coming off him. “Hello?”

He doesn’t look at me. “I’m ordered to not talk to you.” He mumbles.

I lower my head. “Oh.”

I chew on my lip and sit in silence.

“It’s Hunter.” He says quietly.

My head juts up. “Hunter?” Again, I lock with his eye.

His eye closes then opens again.

I tilt my head. “What are you doing?”

“Making sure you can’t escape.” He grumbles.

He looks like he’s fighting something internally. I smell the salt of his sweat.

“I’m Lainey.” I say softly.

His head turns slightly to me. “Lainey.” He repeats.

He turns to leave and I scramble to my feet and walk to the glass. “Please. Please don’t go.” I stop him.

He turns his head and I get a close up view of his face. I have to look up at him too. “I…I just want to know why?”

“Why what?” He asks darkly.

“Why save me?” I played with my fingers as I looked into his baby blue eyes.

“We needed Intel and you were the only one left alive.” He says.

I shake my head. “No. You said you were taking me out of there. Like you were saving me.”

“Do you feel saved?” He turned to me and crossed his thick arms.

“No.” I mumble.

He leans to the glass and tilts his head. “Then I didn’t save you.” He narrows his eyes.

He turns and leaves. I press my face to the glass and watch him walk away out of sight.

Even through the glass, I felt something. I saw it in his eyes.

If I’m ever getting out of here, Hunter is my way out. I’m sure of it.