And I was still in that fucking basement. Still tied up and locked away.

This time, I was alone, and there was only one little light on. It was a small desk lamp, sitting on top of a small set of drawers that wasn’t there before. Nothing else had changed in the room, no… wait… There was a camera on the wall, overlooking the entire room. Great…

“Could you at least feed me?” I asked in annoyance, though I wasn’t sure if the camera was picking up sounds since it looked cheap as fuck.

“So you finally woke up?”

“Wow, it speaks,” I muttered. “So. Food? I’m fucking starving.”

“I can bring you food, yes, but the quality will be based on your attitude,” the omega replied.

I sneered at the camera, but held back my growl. “I get a little grumpy when I get shot in the stomach and kept as a prisoner in a cold fucking basement for days with no fucking food or water, all right?”

“I have fed you. You were just too drugged to remember,” he said in annoyance.

I frowned at his words. His words triggered something in my memories, and I suddenly saw a flashback of him hovering over me, my head resting on his lap, and he held a bottle of water for me… I’d stared up at him, his delicate features, and hazel eyes…

I shook the image out of my head.

“Well I’m hungry again,” I growled at him.

“Attitude…” he said in a warning tone.

I gritted my teeth together, swearing I’d rip this guy’s throat out once I escaped. “Could I have something to eat? Please.”

“Of course,” he said, his tone smug.

For a second, I considered trying to escape. He would have to open the door to bring me food, so if I hid behind it… But the chains didn’t look long enough… And there was another problem… I tried to lift my hand, but I was still so incredibly weak I couldn’t hold it up for long with the heavy shackles weighing it down.

I let out a sigh and rested back down to stare at the ceiling. I was actually really fucking hungry and thirsty, but the bitch kept me waiting. I refused to ask what was taking him so long. I would never give him that satisfaction of making me beg. But fuck, I was almost feeling sick from hunger…

Finally, I heard noises behind the door. I kind of expected him to bring me one piece of charred toast, so I was surprised to see him carrying a tray. I couldn’t see what was on it, but again, I forced myself to stay still and act calm.

“Should I leave this here or will you stay down if I bring this to you?” he asked, his voice cold.

“I’ll stay right here,” I said, keeping my tone neutral.

There was no way I could walk to the door and back without falling… I hated to admit it, but right now, I was better off acting nice. But maybe acting nice wasn’t a bad thing. That would lull him into a false sense of security. He’d be stupid enough to get too comfortable and start making mistakes that would help me escape.

Yes… Now I had a plan.

The omega approached me carefully, his eyes sharp as he watched me closely. I stayed perfectly still, keeping myself relaxed. My stomach growled at the scent of food, and my mouth watered. If only it was something better than one slice of bread…

The omega put the tray down next to my bed and retreated. I honestly couldn’t care less about him at that moment. There was so much food on the tray… Sandwiches, apples, a can of yogurt and a whole carton of orange juice. I couldn’t stop myself from grabbing the closest apple. I was so fucking hungry…

“Your body needs a lot of fuel now,” the omega spoke as he sat on the floor right by the door. “You’re healing quite well.”

I didn’t fucking care. I pushed myself to sit up and pulled the tray closer so I could keep eating, my hunger only growing, while he just sat there and watched me. Fucking creep…

“So… What was the reason behind your suicide attack against The Boss?” he asked.

“None of your fucking business,” I grunted at him.

“The only reason I could think of is revenge. Rumor has it he exterminated a new group of terrorists in a nightclub a few weeks before your failed attack,” he continued.

“Fuck off with your questions,” I told him. “I’m not telling you shit.”

“Sorry. Old habit,” he said, his eyes smiling at me.

I squinted mine at him. “What do you mean? You’re a fucking nurse, right?”

“Yes,” he said quietly, pulling something out of his pocket. “But I used to be a medic.”

I froze to stare at the small leathery thing he held in his hands. He opened it and showed me the silver badge on it. I could see the letters, SOU, very clearly.

I nearly choked on my food.

Oh. Fuck.

“Kieran Page, Tactical Team Zero-Five, Special Operations Unit,” he said, enjoying my horrified expression a little too much. “I used to hunt terrorists like you for a living. And now one stumbled right into my home.”

“You’re a fucking army dog,” I breathed out.

“One of the bloodhounds, yes,” he said. “Lucky for you, I’m a little rusty. It’s been a while since I left the army.”

Out of all the fucking people, I ran into a fucking terrorist hunter! Fuck!

“That’s a fucking fake badge,” I hissed at him. “There’s no way a stupid bitch like you is one of the elite soldiers.”

“Want to test your theory?” he asked. “Now that I don’t have to worry about my baby, I’m free to give you a small demonstration.”

“Yeah, against a guy who can barely sit up,” I snorted. “There’s no fucking way I could’ve surprised a fucking SOU elite, especially with a bullet in my guts. You’re lying.”

“I was shocked as well, I must admit,” he said slowly, his eyes studying me carefully. “But my omega couldn’t detect your alpha. And funny thing, it still can’t.”

I glared at him, refusing to say a word.

“You don’t have pheromones, and your alpha scent is barely there. I couldn’t even find your glands, so…” he trailed off, smiling. “Your alpha has shut down.”

I bared my teeth at him, but forced myself to stay silent.

“It’s a common thing for terrorists,” he continued, speaking in a taunting manner. “Your alphas can’t stand the idea of you killing innocent omegas. They refuse to exist and be part of it. Most of your kind will never get their alphas back. You’ll live the rest of your life alone, without your true spirit.”

“Just fucking shut up already!” I yelled at him, ignoring the pain in my stomach. “I don’t fucking care! I don’t need a weak spirit like that!”

“Uh-huh,” he said so calmly it pissed me off even more. Then he stood up. “You’re still so young you may have a chance to get yours back.”

“I don’t fucking want it,” I hissed at him.

“Right,” he said quietly, and left.

I stared at the door after he closed it, still seething. I didn’t want a weak fucking alpha spirit. I didn’t need a spirit that couldn’t see we were superior to these pathetic omegas. And this fucking omega bitch? A fucking SOU soldier? No fucking way…

I refused to believe it.

While I finished eating, I glared at the door, still annoyed. Physically, I was feeling better now that I had food and water in me, but the wound was getting even more agitated. Once I was done eating, I lay back down and tried not to move to let the wound calm down.

That fucking bitch who shot me… Why did no one tell us he knew how to fucking shoot, huh? Fucking hell… The whole gig went to complete shit so fast… Right from the get go, too. It was supposed to be an easy job, especially with so many people, guns, bombs, and preparations. We’d stalked the guy for days to get a good reading of him, and still the whole fucking group failed! How many of us died? And how many got captured by the army? And how many of them would rat out…?

Fuck this fucking shit…

And fucking Glen…

If he was still alive, I’d make sure he’d pay for leaving me behind. We were supposed to be friends, and he just left me the second the army arrived! What a fucking coward. A goddamn pussy… I wished the army had caught him. It would’ve been better for him because I was so going to make sure I’d get the fuck out of here and fucking neuter him and everyone who stood in my way. Losing his balls was fitting for such a fucking pathetic coward…

I closed my eyes and tried to take a deeper breath to calm down. I couldn’t remember if I’d ever been this angry before, but anger didn’t help me right now. I needed to stay smart and alert or I’d end up as the mafia’s bitch.

I glanced at the camera. Why was he still keeping me here…? If he really used to be an army dog, why wasn’t he turning me in to his army buddies? Why would he threaten me with Mercer instead? Maybe because he was a lying bastard…

But how long did he say he’d kept me here? Four days? Five? Did someone else know I was here? Was he bragging around about a captured terrorist in his basement, or acting like he wasn’t a complete fucking psychopath in front of his visitors? And that baby… I’d not noticed an alpha’s scent on him, so where was the baby’s sire? Chained up in the attic, most likely…

My fucking luck, huh…

I tried to rest, but I’d rested enough already. The only thing keeping me in bed was the fucking wound, but I was slowly growing frustrated with absolutely nothing to do.

“So. Does your baby daddy know you have a young stud in chains in your basement?” I asked.

There was no reply. I couldn’t tell if the omega chose to ignore me, or was I muted, but since I had nothing else to do…

“If I was him or her, I’d take one look at me and get the wrong idea. I am handsome, can’t deny that, and you seem like the kind of sicko who’d drug alphas and take them for a ride every heat you get.”

I had the feeling that if I’d not been muted already, now I definitely was. But I kept going anyway.

“That’s how you got knocked up last time, right? Ran into a nice hot stud, drugged him, and brought him here? Is that why you got a basement like this? Am I the next baby daddy?”

“Do you want to get poisoned or what?” he suddenly asked in an annoyed tone. “Because I can arrange that.”

“You don’t got the balls to kill me,” I said, snorting, knowing I was being awfully confident, but I was too angry at him and this whole fucking situation to keep my mouth shut. “You couldn’t let me die in the first place.”

“No one’s talking about killing. I know how to make you so sick you’d wish you could die without actually killing you. I am a medical professional. Don’t forget that.”

“Got on your nerves, huh?” I asked in amusement.

“Keep pushing my buttons and see what happens,” he said, his voice calm.

“Fine, I’ll be a good boy,” I told him just as calmly. “I am at your mercy, after all.”

“Indeed.”

“You could give me something to do while I wait.”

“Wait for what?”

“For you to decide what you do with me,” I said, testing if I could dig something out of him.

“I already told you. I’m giving you to Boss. He can decide what to do with you.”

“Then why haven’t you already done that?”

“Unless you happen to have his phone number, I can’t. You destroyed his house, and lucky for you, I have no other means of contacting him right now.”

“Just walk up to the closest drug dealer. They’re all his minions. I’m sure they’ll be glad to help,” I said.

“Well I can’t do that either. Haven’t found a single one yet. I heard you guys really pissed them off and now they’re all riled up and looking for blood.”

“Good fucking luck,” I said, laughing, then coughed in pain. “Those old fucks have nothing against us.”

“Really? So your group must be impressive. Maybe I’ve heard of them?” he asked, and fuck, I nearly stepped into his trap.

“I’m not telling you shit,” I only said.

“Hmm… I’m assuming you know Michael Mercer. There were a lot of you after his head, so you knew he’s not weak. No small-time newcomers would even dare to step foot in this city. You are in the big league. You guys had to know there’s some really big consequences for attacking him. In the fucking crown city, the governor’s home and the army’s backyard, of all places.”

“You can ramble on as long as you want. I’m not saying shit,” I told him.

“Well, I can come up with only one group who’d even consider trying to pull that off,” he said slowly, quietly.

“Yeah? And what’s that?” I asked, already knowing his answer.

“Jomica.”

I snorted and faked a smirk. “Now that would be an honor. But you think too highly of me.”

“Not at all,” he replied. “Everyone knows Jomica is still out there, healing and growing their balls. It’s only a matter of time before they try to make a comeback. But no matter how long they’re let to breed and gain strength, they’re still nothing but pathetic cockroaches. You’re a fine example of that. The army will just wipe them out again.”

I failed to keep my composure. It was the word cockroaches that always got me…

“The army? They’re all pussies, their ranks filled with weak little cunts like you. I will get out of here, you stupid bitch. A fucking omega can’t keep me here for long. And you know what? I won’t kill you. We’ll make you sell your pussy or harvest you for slick so we can buy more bombs. Then we’ll come back here and fucking level this entire place and make you watch your neighbors blow up.”

“So I was right,” he said, snorting in amusement and not at all affected by my words. “You are jomica.”

I snapped my mouth shut, cursing myself for letting him get under my skin. “Fuck off, bitch.”

He laughed at my words. “Oh, you little boy… You still have so much to grow.”

“And what the fuck does that mean?” I asked.

“At least the old jomicas had charm, but you? You are nothing but a little teenager throwing a tantrum. Too easy to manipulate with a few chosen words. You will not last long in this world. Maybe if you still had your alpha, but–”

“Just fucking shut up about my alpha!” I shouted.

“See?” he asked, laughing again. “Take a nap, little child. I’ll watch over you.”

I glared at the camera, too furious to find anything manly to say. “Just fucking leave me alone, you stupid bitch!”

“Fair enough. Sleep well.”

I heard him turn off his microphone, and I assumed he’d muted me as well, which was perfectly fine by me. I was so goddamn pissed. I was so fucking pissed I could hardly even breathe…! I was so pissed, in fact, that it took me a while to understand there was a complete opposite feeling in me as well. It was…

Amusement.

…But it was not my feeling.