The scents were different here, and my brain twisted in confusion as my nose started working overtime, trying to discern exactly what it was I was smelling.

There was still the designer cologne, the cigar smoke and the booze, and I could smell at least ten alphas – but there was something else, behind it all, that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

But then I heard something that brought it all home for me, and my soul went cold.

A child’s cry.

The sound shocked me like an unexpected gunshot, and my body reacted. A cold sweat broke out across my skin and I felt a wave of heat radiate from my feet to my chin, settling in my face.

Every instinct in my body was screaming at me to do something, to act, to rescue the child whose cry I’d just heard, but I forced myself to stay calm. I was in a room with at least ten strange alphas, criminals, scum of the Earth, and to make things worse, I was in the back room of a house that was on total lockdown.

One wrong move now and it could all be over.

Just leave, I told myself. Come back with others.

But as I turned to go back out the door I had just come through, I saw the knob turn. Quickly, I twisted back around and moved into the shadows as whoever it was came into the room.

“The prices are a little higher in here,” a man whispered as he stepped into the room. I could smell both of them.

“I’d expected that,” his companion replied.

“But trust me – it’s worth it.”

“It’s a shame Marcellus wasn’t around to see this,” the man chuckled. “He’d be in love.”

I crept into the shadows, letting the man pass, then headed off in the opposite direction through the room. A half wall lay in front of me, and I could hear hushed voices behind it as I moved closer. Once I rounded the corner, I finally saw the horrifying scene.

A baby omega, not even a year old yet, lay in a jet black basket with a steel handle. Around him, were three men, two in dark blue suits, and one in a black tux.

“Comes from spectacular stock,” the man in the tux whispered. “Fantastic genes. He’ll grow up to be gorgeous and fertile.”

I felt like I was going to throw up.

Covering my mouth, I staggered forward, passing more half walls, my eyes barely able to even gaze across the horror of what was happening around me.

They were selling children! Stolen children. I didn’t even want to think about what these men wanted them for, but I had a few guesses, none of them noble.

The half walls moved past me, or I moved past them – the world was an incomprehensible haze and my body was threatening to give out. But then I saw something that froze me in my tracks

A group of men were clustered around a basket. There were at least five of them, and they were all intent on what lay beneath them. Their scents disgusted me, and I started mouth breathing as I stepped forward to investigate.

“No…” I said out loud to myself as I saw what they were all looking at.

A child lay in the basket – a toddler. He was aware enough to understand that something was going on, and he looked afraid, but I could see the confusion on his face.

He had a head of brown curls, flawless pale skin….and his eyes…

One blue and one green.

“What’d you say it was called?” One of the men whispered.

“Heterochromia,” another replied.

His words hit me like a wrecking ball to the sternum and I gasped. Quickly, I clamped a hand over my mouth, but it was too late. All the men turned to look.

“What’s your problem?” One of them asked as I fought to compose myself, stuffing my hands in my pockets.

I kept my mouth closed as I felt my wolf cry out and my fangs begin to grow. I was ready to run. I was ready to pounce. I was ready to kill them all.

“Yeah, what are you looking at!?” Another asked.

But my eyes were on the child. The tiny alpha with the different colored eyes. I was locked on his face, and there was no doubt about it – this was Nate’s baby boy.

I couldn’t control my wolf any longer.

With a snarl, I shifted, blowing my suit to pieces and leapt at the first man. He wasn’t expecting it, and I tore his throat out with one bite. He was dead before he hit the floor. The second man cried out but was silent as I buried my fangs in his jugular and tore. He sputtered blood, staggered back and hit the floor.

The last three men shifted, but I was on the closest one, my teeth in his hip, tearing at the muscle and flesh. I felt sinew and tendons snap and he howled in pain.

Shit! I thought as I heard the sound of concerned voices throughout the rest of the room. I had no time to spare.

One of the alphas leapt at me, but I caught him in midair and clenched my jaws against his chest. He hit me hard and took me down, but I wasn’t letting go. He thrashed wildly, but all that did was cause him to bleed more. I tasted the blood against my tongue as the last alpha slammed into us.

My jaw broke free as I was sent crashing into the half wall. It toppled and I heard curses on the other side. But I was on my feet in an instant. The alpha snarled at me, his fangs clenched, crouched and ready to strike. But he didn’t attack.

What are you waiting for!?

But then I heard the commotion in the room and I understood.

He’s waiting for backup.

I had to get out of there. But Nate’s child was right there!

With a snarl, I leapt forward at the alpha and brought my jaws down for a strike. But he was fast. He darted sideways as I soared through the air at him, and I felt his teeth snap against my left leg.

Howling in pain, I spun around and nipped him in the shoulder. He leapt back, but I persisted, snapping at his ear. I pulled flesh and tore. I was in a frenzy.

He yelped as I went for his neck, but my teeth bit down on nothing but air. The alpha’s eyes were filled with terror and excitement, and I heard the sounds of the others bearing down on us.

Fuck!

I leapt at him again, snapping at his cheek. I tasted blood, and the alpha leapt back, cowering into the shadows, waiting for the rest of his reinforcements. I saw my chance and took it.

Leaping back, I shifted into human form and snatched Nate’s child in my arms. Keeping to the shadows, I sprinted across the room in the other direction, crouched and moving as quickly as I could without drawing too much attention.

I heard voices, howls and snarls and the sounds of men shifting behind me. But I was already at the door. The warmth of the child in my arms was all I could focus on as I pulled the door open and stepped into the next room.

It was dark and quiet. The commotion from the other room hadn’t reached them yet, which meant I had time. I walked as fast as I could, sheltering the child in my arms, trying not to draw any attention. After all, I was a completely naked man in a room filled with well-dressed alphas.

The sick conversations spilled over my ears like harmless waves as I focused on the door at the far end of the room. Half walls whizzed past as I moved, ducking from shadow to shadow, the priceless package in my arms.

But then, I heard it.

The door behind me exploded open, crashing against its hinges, and a voice rang out.

“Stop him!”

Throwing caution to the wind, I broke out into a full sprint. I heard the rumble of footsteps behind me. Someone shouted.

My left leg was killing me. Blood dripped as I reached the door.

“Don’t let him out that door!”

But I had a lead on them. I tugged the door open and barged outside.

“Hello, sir—” Terrence began to say as I spilled out into the foyer, crashing into his oiled, naked body.

My foot slipped and I was sent crashing to the floor.

The baby! I thought as I fell. Somehow, I managed to twist as I went down, landing on my shoulder instead of my chest, cradling Nate’s child in my arms. Pain shot through my body as I hit, and I saw the door burst open behind me as more men spilled out like an angry swarm of bees.

“Get that son of a bitch!” One of them shouted, pointing a finger at me.

I leapt to my feet and raced across the marble floor toward the door to the outside. I was in a fury. My blood was boiling acid in my veins. My heart was a nuclear reactor, pumping more energy than I knew what to do with. My soul was nothing but determination.

Bracing myself, I skidded to a halt at the front door, reached the knob and tore it open. I was outside.

Kicking the doorman out of the way, I leapt down the stairs and into the street. I was bleeding and about to have a heart attack, but it didn’t matter. Nate’s child was safe in my arms.

I did it! I thought, but then something hit me.

My back bloomed with a dull pain as an alpha slammed into my spine, knocking me forward. I snatched the baby in my arms as I went down, sheltering him from the fall. I hit hard, felt my skull slam into the cobblestones. Seeing stars, I fought to get to my feet, but it was useless.

Three alphas pinned me down, pressing my limbs against the cold street as someone tore the baby from my arms.

“No!” I roared, spitting and foaming at the mouth. “Give him back, you bastard!”

A fist buried itself in my belly, knocking the wind out of me. I gasped, trying to get my breath, as someone leaned down over me and a face came into view.

“Well, well, well,” he mused. My vision was blurry, but I could still make out the stony gaze, hollow cheeks and pale skin of an alpha, wrapped in a snakeskin suit, his head completely bare, and a set of gold brass knuckles on his right fist. “Who are you and how did you cause such a ruckus?”

He wasn’t looking for an answer, and I didn’t give him one.

“Is the merchandise damaged?” he asked one of his men, never taking his eyes off me.

“Intact, sir,” the man replied.

“Good,” the alpha nodded, slipping a hand into his suit pocket. I reached out, clutching his pant leg with my fist. He tried to shake me off, but I gripped hard, tearing a piece of fabric from just below the knee.

He kicked me hard, splitting my lip. I tasted blood and saw stars. I heard something click and looked up to see him holding a gold switchblade an inch from my face.

“I don’t really care actually,” he told me. “I don’t care who you are or how you found us. But now, you have to die.”

I tensed, braced myself for the strike, but nothing could have prepared me for the pain. The blade tore through the skin of my stomach like a rod of hot fire. Blood sprayed from my abdomen as he pulled the knife back, and I howled as I felt my life spilling out of me.

“Shit!” Someone shouted, and I heard panicked footsteps as men spilled off in every direction. I turned my head just as a police cruiser skidded around the corner, its lights on and siren blaring.

“Let’s get out of here!” Someone shouted. I heard the click of the blade being pocketed above me and looked up to see the bald alpha walk quickly away from me.

I let myself relax slightly as the cop car pulled up beside me, but the world was spinning and my vision was closing in.

“Ambulance!” Someone shouted from somewhere. “We need an ambulance! Now!”

My head collapsed against the cobblestones as more blood poured out of my stomach onto the cold ground. The last thing in my mind before the world went black was an apology…I’m sorry, Nate. I failed you.