Chapter 38

**Elise**


I'm not really sure where to start. Maybe it would have been best to think this through a little more. I saw a chance to do this and took it without much of a plan. When I went in to see Archer I saw a grainy photo of Kane, but not where he was. So where do I start? Part of me thinks about going back to the mall, but would he go back there?

That doesn't seem like a smart idea, but I have never known Kane to have a smart idea. The little I was able to learn about him, he was impulsive. Even some of the other men would warn him not to take things too far. They knew that pushing us too far would mean they would be the ones put down. Still, Kane pushed and pushed. Then seeing an opening he tried to take me, but hadn't planned a single second of it.

Now though...he's had time to plan better. I just can't figure out what his plan could be. A bonded Omega is never alone, and my Alphas all travel with me if we go to a large public place. So where would he go to get me alone?

"Where can I drop you, sweetheart?" The driver asks me.

I look at him through the rearview mirror and don't see any hint of danger with him. He's a Beta as far as I can tell, and he must be able to pick up the scents of my Alphas.

"Um..." Shoot I don't know.

My mind runs through places I can remember but there isn't much. Then I have an idea.

"Can you take me to the nearest Haven?" I ask him.

"Of course." He says and I hear a hint of empathy in his voice.

He must think I am trying to find safety. Even though that's furthest from the truth, there is no point in explaining that to him.

We are silent for a while but about twenty minutes into the drive I notice the driver looking in his mirror several times. He looks...nervous.

"Is something wrong?" I ask him.

"I'm not sure, but it looks like we're being followed." He says and my heart immediately starts racing.

I turn in my seat to look out the back window. The car behind us has almost completely blacked-out windows making it almost impossible to see whos driving.

"What makes you think it's following-" My words are cut off when the car jerks forward violently.

"Shit!" The driver yells.

He turns the wheel hard to the left to try and get out of the way. When I glance back again the car has changed lanes as well.

Crap, could it be Kane? Unless this driver has some side hustle going on that makes him a target then my guess would be this person is here for me.

"Just pull over and let me out! If they are after me I don't want to get you hurt!" I call out to the driver.

"Are you kidding? I can't do that!" he yells back and curses when the car behind us slams into us again.

"I gotta lose him!" The driver says.

Once again he pulls the wheel hard sending me tumbling to the other side of the car. I throw my arm out to brace myself but we are being hit again and I lose my balance. My shoulder lands hard against the door and I cry out from the sudden pain, but I don't think it's too bad.

This hit sends our car sliding sideways but the driver recovers well and then we are going faster. There is more to this driver. He seems good at handling this sort of dangerous situation, and thank god for it.

An exit ramp from the highway comes into view and I expect him to take it but the driver moves over to only give the illusion that he is getting off and then at the last second pulls back into traffic. It seems to work because I see the car turn off. My breaths are still shaky but I drop back into my seat and close my eyes.

"Fuck. That was close." The driver says.

I let out a weak laugh. "Yeah."

"At least they're gone." He says and I nod.

Honestly, I'm not sure what to say or even think. Is it really over at that one attempt?

"We are nearly there." The driver says and it doesn't escape my notice how on edge he is now.

I guess I'm not the only one.

When we finally pull off the highway and start taking the streets we both start to relax when the car doesn't reappear. There hasn't been another sight of the car that had been following us. We continue until we start moving through a residential street and soon I spot Haven. I haven't been to any other location than the one I was from but this one looks almost identical. Are they in on the trafficking of Omegas too?

That's going to have to wait.

"Here we are. Are you sure you'll be okay here?" The driver asks twisting in his seat to give me a worried look.

"I think so. Thank you so much." He gives me a tight smile and I climb out.

After he drives away I stand in front of the gate blocking me from what should be considered a sanctuary to all Omegas, but it feels fake now.

I'm not sure what to do now. I don't need to go inside since I have a pack, so what do I do? I hear footsteps and quickly move to hide behind a tree. A security guard comes into view and glances through the gate, but soon moves on. I wait another minute and then step away from the tree. There is a bench nearby so I decide to sit there for a little while and try to think of my next steps.

Once I'm seated I look around. The neighborhood is nice and pretty quiet. It's perfect for keeping Omegas in a calming environment without much outside noise. Some of us can be sensitive to outside stimuli, so this area is sort of perfect. I decide to explore the surrounding area instead of just sitting here in hopes Kane will find me. Was that him in that car or was it someone else looking for me?

I walk along the wall outside of the Haven compound and soon come to the end where a large wooded area appears. It looks a little wild so it must not be a park. There isn't a clear path, and flashbacks hit me hard. Me running away from Kane. Falling...

"Well well...it looks like I've caught a little wolf." My blood runs cold at the sound of his familiar voice.

I quickly turn to face the man who has haunted all my dreams.

"Kane." My voice comes out weak and shaky which only makes him smile.

He looks different now.

There are scars on his face that weren't there before and he looks bulkier.

"Hey there. I knew I would find you eventually. I missed you." He steps closer to me and reaches out to brush a finger down the side of my face.

I flinch back but I don't move or run. This is why I left. I needed to draw him out.

"It's time to come home with me." Kane's voice is rough and even though he's trying to make it sound soft it only makes it sound menacing.

My body recoils from him but he reaches out and grabs me by my neck.

"Now don't go making this harder than it needs to be." He moves even closer so that we are only about a foot apart. "You know how hard it was to track you down? I even went back to the big guys and tried to get them to help me find you. We didn't exactly see eye to eye on who you belong to, so I had to educate them. I'm not a lowly Beta taking orders anymore. I found myself some like-minded friends and we started a little club. See, I liked the idea of selling off Omegas. It's a good business but I don't like competition."

His hand tightens a little and I gasp.

"So I had to eliminate the completion." My eyes widen.

Is he saying...

"W-what do you mean?" I am barely able to get the words out with his grip on my throat but I need to know.

He lets out a dark laugh. "I mean that I took care of them. I couldn't let them get in the way of me finding you. I guess they had been looking too. Apparently, that little drug they pumped you guys with didn't work so well on the others. They died. All except you. So they have been looking for you, but I couldn't have that. You're mine. Besides think of all the fun we can have with your new...upgrades."

His hand slides from my neck along my collarbone and then stops suddenly. The face that had been smiling at me turns dark. He pulls hard on my shirt to reveal my bond mark.

"What the fuck is this?" He growls.

"I..."

"Did those assholes put their hands on you?" He yells in my face.

The reminder of my pack helps melt my fear away and I narrow my eyes at him.

"Yes, they did. They're my pack now." I hiss at him.

His chest starts to rise and fall faster and his face turns red with anger. He almost looks like the devil himself.

Then it's gone. His face goes blank and somehow that look is far more terrifying.