Chapter Twenty-Four
The crowd around him roared as Beau lifted the shifter bodily in his hands and threw him across the ring. His opponent made no attempt to get up, unconscious and insensible to the world around him. Beau stalked after him, shifting as he walked, knowing the crowd was baying for blood. But before he reached the other side, someone else dropped down into the pit. Another fighter. He shifted too, into a lion. Beau turned his attention to this new threat, stalking back toward it, when a third fighter landed a few feet from him. The unconscious shifter stirred, beginning to wake. In a matter of moments, it would be three against one.
He bear called to him, roaring for blood, roaring for control. He had to survive this, he had to win to find Griffin. So, he gave in, let go, surrendered his control. Standing on his back paws, he roared aloud, feeling the ground shake beneath him as the crowd cheered.
After that, there was blood and the heat of the fight. He lost himself in it, going for everything that moved until nothing moved. Then there was a sharp pain in his flank and the world faded. When he woke, he was a man, washed and changed. His chains were back on, and Mark was standing in the corner, watching him.
“You won,” he said simply.
The door burst open, and Beau sat up, growling.
“And there he is, my favorite fighter of all time. There is no better than the Beast,” the alpha announced. “You remember me, don’t you, Beast?”
Beau struggled to pick the name out of a hundred others. “Marshall.”
“That’s exactly right. You were the star out there this evening. What a comeback. And I have a treat for you.” He glanced at Mark. “I reward all my guest fighters when they win big like Beast here.” He looked back to Beau. “You’ve earned it.”
Minutes later, Beau was in an elevator heading upstairs.
The elevator doors opened, and there was an omega waiting for him. He had light, sandy-colored hair, and green eyes.
“Hi, I’m Emerald. You must be the Beast. I saw you fight today. Watching you made me feel amazing. I’d like to return the favor.”
There was fear lurking in those green eyes and just the slightest tremor in the omega’s voice. Beau did his best to put him at ease.
“Thank you, Emerald. You’re very beautiful,” he replied, stepping off the elevator. The two guards made as if to step off with him, but the omega stopped them.
“We’re fine from here. Thank you, guys. Isn’t that right, Beast?”
“That’s right,” Beau said, throwing a smile their way. “Thanks for the escort.”
The guards looked at each other and shrugged. Clearly, Beau didn’t look like the half-rabid bear they’d been warned about.
“Sounds good to us,” one of them said, letting the elevator doors close.
“Come on, this way,” Emerald said, leading Beau along the corridor.
As they walked, he searched for Griffin’s scent and listened for his heartbeat. He felt certain he’d know it anywhere.
When they reached a turn in the corridor, he came to a stop.
“Is something wrong?” The omega seemed puzzled but not worried. Beau, on the other hand, could scent Griffin and could also, in the distance, hear him pleading with someone.
“I think someone’s in trouble,” he said, pointing. “This way.”
The omega wrapped a hand around his arm. “Oh, don’t you worry about that, handsome. Probably just an alpha having a good time and getting a little carried away.”
Beau shook the omega’s hand off as he heard Griffin cry out. Turning, he started to run down the corridor.
“Wait, you can’t go down there,” the omega called after him.
Beau ignored him, following the sounds he could hear and letting his instincts take over.
He got to a door, Griffin’s heartbeat strong on the other side of it. Kicking it open, he rushed inside. What he saw sent him into a frenzy; Griffin tied naked to a bed, his face bloody, while an alpha lorded over him, his hand poised to strike again. With a roar, Beau went for the kill.
Griffin had tried everything he could think of to free himself, but the cuffs were secure at every point. Even using his teeth to rip at them did nothing but make his jaws ache. Nathan started to stir after an hour and mumble after ninety minutes. At two hours, he was waking, his hand patting Griffin’s ankle.
When he did wake properly, groggy and tired, he sat up on the bed for a long time, staring into space. Finally, he shook that off and realized Griffin was there. It took him a few minutes to recall the evening, but Griffin saw the moment he did, anger in his eyes as he turned on the omega.
“What the fuck did you do to me?”
Griffin played dumb.
“I don’t understand, sir. You were taking pictures, and then you just collapsed on the bed. I tried to wake you. I tried calling for help, but no one came.”
“You little lying bitch. You drugged me.”
Griffins shook his head, showing the alpha wide, frightened eyes. “No, alpha. I would never do that. Please, untie me. I’ve been like this for hours. My arms hurt, and I’m so cold.”
Eyes glinting with fury, the alpha climbed onto the bed, straddling him.
“You think I’m gonna let you get away with that? Did you think it would be funny, switching our glasses like that? I’ll show you funny.”
“Alpha, please, I didn’t…” Griffin’s head rocked to the side as the alpha struck him across the face.
“By the time I’m done with you, no one will think you’re pretty, ever again.”
Another blow rocked him, and he let himself cry out, still acting the part of innocent, helpless omega while he tugged at his bonds, struggling to get free.
“No, sir. Please…”
The door burst open, and Beau stood there. Griffin was so shocked, he could do nothing but stare as the alpha saw red, going for Nathan and tossing the alpha across the room like he was a rag doll. Nathan, still weak from the sedatives, barely put up a fight, crawling toward the door. Beau dragged him back, punching him hard in the face and sending his head snapping back. Shit, he was going to kill him.
“Beau,” Griffin called. “He’s out, he’s no threat now. Leave him be.”
The alpha ignored his voice.
Griffin tried again, changing tact. “Beau, please. Help me.”
That worked, the bear letting Nathan go, the alpha’s barely conscious body slumping to the floor. Then Beau was by his side, ripping off the cuffs.
“We need to get out of here,” Griffin said, scrambling to his feet. But not without what he came for. He went to the drawer of Nathan’s desk and searched through it, pulling out a small black notebook. Then he pulled on his clothes, tucking the notebook into his waistband. He turned to Beau, the alpha unnaturally still.
“Let’s go,” he told him.
Beau glanced at him then back at Nathan. Griffin started walking toward the door when he caught sight of Nathan’s camera on the floor. Picking it up, he pulled out the storage card and tucked it inside the notebook. Beau took the camera from him, turning it over in his hands, before throwing it against the wall, smashing it into pieces that rained down on the carpet.
“Time to get out of here,” Griffin said. “Where are the others?”
“Downstairs. Side entrance.”
They stepped out of the door to find three security guards approaching.
“We were just leaving,” Griffin said as the guards took in the blood on Beau’s hands and Griffin’s face.
“I think our alpha will have something to say about that,” one of them commented.
“I would worry more about my alpha,” Griffin replied, nodding to Beau.
Beau pushed past him, stalking down the corridor toward the three. Two of them held their ground while the third started to retreat. Beau shoved one of them against a wall and kicked the other one square in the stomach, sending him flying backward and knocking the retreating guard over in the process. All three were down, and Griffin hurried forward. One tried to grab him as he passed, but Beau was there a second later, growling and pinning him to the floor.
“Beau, leave him,” Griffin called, intent on escape, only to look back and find the alpha poised to kill the guard, fury all over his face.
“Beau!” he yelled, running back toward him. It was only his hand on Beau’s shoulder that got the alpha’s attention. Griffin could feel the trembling of Beau’s muscles and could see how lost his gaze looked. He was on the precipice, about to turn feral once more.
He caught Beau around the neck, pulling their foreheads together.
“I don’t want to lose you,” he whispered. “Stay with me, please.”
Sounds in the distance told him there were more guards coming. If he didn’t get them both out of there now, they might never escape.