She wasn't covered in dirt like others we'd rescued; her deep gold skin shone like it had been scrubbed clean, and her black hair hung like a sleek waterfall over her shoulders. Like she was a pretty, pampered pet.
"Hey, you wanna get out of here?" I asked, trying to ignore the scents coming from that bed.
The girl might have been clean but the sheets werefarfrom sweet-smelling, and when I crossed the rug, getting a sick joy from grinding dirt into its cream nylon, I realisedwhythe bed was filthy. The second I got within two feet from her, she growled so viciously, her voice throaty and rough, that I took a step back.
"I'm not with that pompous prick who keeps you locked up; me and my friends came to get you out."
I reached out to her—and staggered back with a grunt, staring at my hand for a moment in shock at the bright red blood welling from my thumb. She fuckingbitme.
"Can you hear me?" I asked, taking a step back, my heart drumming fast. "You're getting out of this place. Unless you'd rather stay in your cesspit…?"
She lifted her head for the first time and bared her teeth, my blood dripping from her canines. Fuck, she was practically feral. I'd never seen a beta this vicious before; the ones we rescued were normally quiet and broken. This girl was anything but broken. She couldn't have been more than nineteen, but she looked prepared to tear me limb from limb if I got too close.
A roar came from downstairs, taking me off guard, and the beta flinched, her rich brown eyes snapping to the door.
"That's probably my brothers beating the shit out of the guy who locked you up," I told her, watching her closely in case she bit me again. "You don't … love him, do you?"
Stockholm Syndrome was very fucking real. Panic and fear tended to ignore logic, and prioritise survival. I'd never judge anyone for that, even if it fucking baffled me.
"Fuck you," she spat, shocking the hell out of me. I pretended I didn’t jump in surprise at the sultry rasp of her voice.
"So, you can talk," I murmured, trying to catch her gaze; she avoided eye contact like a pro. "Good, it'll make this easier. You ever heard of the Alpha Knights MC?"
"No," she muttered, her eyes narrowed near my chest. Maybe at the emblem on my jacket. "Should I have?"
"We beat the shit out of people like that guy squealing downstairs." I could have sworn her lip twitched. No, this girl was definitelynotbroken. But how? I didn't believe for one second she was any less scarred just because her room was pretty and clean. The scents spoke loudly enough; there had been multiple men in here, and recently. They hadn't let her out to use the bathroom while they … used her. "And we get people like you to a safe space," I added, trying to be soft.
She gave me a flat stare, something like hatred in her eyes. The curl of her lips was vicious, mocking. "I think I'd rather stay here. At least Decker paid good money for me.Youthink you can have me for free."
Shit. She'd been auctioned?
"We won'thave you,"I bit out, my skin crawling at the accusation. This was why I didn't handle getting victims to safety; this was Guardian's job. But Guard was throwing up with the same stomach bug that had wiped out half our numbers thisweek, so here I was, trying not to be the coarse bastard that came naturally to me.
I was doing a shit job of it, wasn't I?
She scoffed; yep, it was official. I was a bullshit rescuer.
"You'll see," I insisted, flexing my throbbing hand. I still couldn’t believe she bit me. "We're gonna put you in a car—in a seat, not the boot—and drive you to our compound where you'll be safe. No one's gonna rape you, no one will growl or purr oranyof that shit. And there's no gilded fucking doorknobs, either. Who even needs so much gold?"
She snorted. Tilted her head. "You really expect me to believe that. Do Ilooklike an idiot to you?"
"Youlooklike you're sitting in a piss- and cum-covered bed, and could use a room of your own with none of this—" I flapped a hand at the crusty sheets. "There are other betas at our compound, omegas too."
"Aww," she said in a sweet rasp, "and you want me to join your harem?"
I growled out a sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. How the fuck did Guardian even do this? Just walk into a room and magically convince them we were safe to leave with?
"Would seeing your abuser beaten bloody help convince you?" I asked, because I was out of options.
"Would seeing violence convince me you're not going to be violent to me? Gee, let me think."
Alright, fuck this.
"Sorry in advance," I grunted. "But you'll thank me later."
I reached across the bed, grabbed her waist, and hauled her kicking and screaming up over my shoulder. She bit me. Four times. Tried to scratch me through my jacket, too.
"I'm going to rip every limb from your body," she snarled as I carried her out of the room. "If you eventhinkabout taking me with your vile, herpes-infested cock, I'll find a cheese grater andshred the fucker. By the time I'm finished, you won't be able to get hard without being in excruciating pain."