Page 13 of And Omega Makes Four
Looking out the window, my chest tightens as we pass through the familiar landscape. The woods and fields surrounding the compound are so different from the city. Everything is so much bigger and wilder out here. At one time, these woods had been a source of endless fear for me. I never would've dreamed of venturing beyond the boundary lines.
But things changed.
The fear of the unknown was suddenly much more appealing than the certain future that awaited me if I stayed.
"I don't know what you were thinking." My father still won’t look at me, expressing his disgust and disappointment in more than words. "We're lucky the humans didn't catch wind of your little stunt. Do you have any idea what would've happened if they'd discovered us? We would've been exposed, River. Exterminated."
My nostrils flare as I hear the story that's been repeated to me over and over since I was young. The story that's been used to control us. No one ever bothered to explain how the humans would know what I am or why they'd try to exterminate us when we've never been a threat to them. But that’s the story I was raised on.
"And your fiancé...” He shakes his head as if that’s the most important aspect of my escape and retrieval. “Thank the moon his pack decided to give us time to find you. I don't know what we would've done if they'd called off the wedding."
I clench my jaw and glare out the window. I don't want to think about the wedding. I don't want to think about my fiancé.
"I'm sure he's worried sick about you," my father says. "You should've seen him when he found out you were missing. He's a good man, River. He'll take good care of you."
I don't respond, not trusting myself to speak. If I open my mouth, I'll say something I'll regret.
But when I picture the wolf I'm sworn to marry—the man whose eyes glitter with a cruelty that puts my father's to shame—I can clearly imagine his reaction when he learned I was missing. I just hope that whoever he chose to unleash his anger on wasn't beaten too badly.
I close my eyes and try to block out the images filling my mind. I can't think about that right now. I have to focus on the present and figure out a way to escape again.
I don't know how I’ll do it, but I can't let myself be trapped in this marriage. I can't spend the rest of my life with that monster.
There has to be a way out.
The car slows as we approach the gate to the compound. The driver rolls down the window and speaks to the guard on duty. We're waved through without question as soon as the guard confirms my father's presence in the vehicle.
The compound is a sprawling complex of buildings and grounds that has been in my family for generations. It's the ancestral home of our pack, and it's been the source of much of our power and influence.
I hate it.
When we finally pull up in front of the main house, my father climbs out. Then my two guards follow him out, untying my feet from the concrete block before dragging me out into the midafternoon sunshine.
"Take him to his room." My father waves a dismissive hand in my direction. "I'll deal with him later."
"Yes, sir." One of the guards grips my arm tightly, and I hold in a gasp.
"Don't worry, sir," the other guard says. "We'll make sure he doesn't cause any more trouble."
I'm led into the house and up the stairs to my room. It's the same as it was when I left, save for the fact that my window has been boarded over both inside and out. They probably think that's how I got out last time. It's a fair guess...even if it's not quite right. I'm not gonna be able to reuse my old escape route anyway.
"Get comfortable." The guard pushes me into the room and stands in the doorway. "You're not going anywhere for a while."
I stumble and fall to my knees as the door is slammed shut behind me. As the lock clicks into place, my heart sinks. For the first time in ages, despair settles over me and my eyes blur with tears.
I'm trapped.
A prisoner in my own home.
And the freedom I'd tasted is now just a bitter memory.
10
FRANKIE
Shit. I check my phone for the hundredth time. No messages. No missed calls. Nothing.
It hasn't been that long since Devon texted me about the situation with River, but I'm worried sick. I've got no way of helping any of them, and I'm stuck working at the diner all day.
