Page 40 of Betrayed Auctioned Mate

I step out and cross the lot as everyone files out, movements slow and muted, weighed down by what we’ve just experienced.

Keira is rushed inside—in the glow of the motion-activated lights of the pack center’s entrance, I see her stumbling between Maisie and Veronica, their faces tight with concern as they help her out of the van and into the med bay. I watch her go, feeling the distance between us grow with every step she takes away from me.

I have learned remarkably quickly in the last couple of hours that I can no longer close my eyes. Whenever I do, when I even blink, I see Keira on that stage, her eyes wide with terror, trembling like a leaf. I could almost hear the rabbit-fast patter of her heart.

Rosa’s van pulls up, followed by the other two exotic sports cars. The women make their way tiredly inside while Percy and Rafael linger awkwardly near me, clearly not sure what to say to me or each other.

Beneath the night sky, nobody knows how to approach what happened. Aris calls us to the debriefing room.

I follow him silently, barely registering the conversations around me. Percy and Rafael are soon deep in discussion, their voices low and serious as they go over the details of what they learned during the infiltration. Byron walks at the back, scrolling through the data on his tablet. Bigby lowered his head to hear something Aris was saying ahead of me, listening intently.

We file into the meeting room. The lights are turned up too high. I sit down at the table, but I can’t focus.

Everyone begins speaking at once, but voices fade into the background, nothing more than a dull hum in my ears. All I can think about is Keira. Is she okay? What are they saying to her in the med bay? Is she hurt worse than she let on?

“…Ado?”

Aris’s voice cuts through the fog in my mind, bringing me back to the present. I blink, realizing that everyone’s looking at me, waiting for something.

“What?” I say, my voice rougher than I intend.

Aris frowns, concern flickering across his face. “You zoned out. I was asking if you had anything to add about the buyers. Did you get a good look at any of them?”

I take a deep breath, forcing myself to focus. He expects me to stay professional because I always do. He’ll allow me to reel, to mourn, but only once the debrief is finished.

The mission isn’t over until it’s over. We all learned that in the military.

“Yeah,” I say slowly, trying to recall the details I should have been cataloging. “A few. The Frenchmen in the back corner… in the few snippets of English I heard, they were talking about moving shipments up the coast. Seemed like they were into weapons. And the guy in the red suit in the row in front of me, the one who left early, was definitely with the cartel and is a shifter. Southwest.”

Aris nods, jotting down notes as Percy and Rafael continue to fill in the blanks. But I can’t shake the feeling that I’m not really here.

Percy finishes his final report, and there’s a heavy silence in the room. Aris leans back in his chair, running a hand through his hair.

“There will be more to analyze and report on tomorrow,” he warns. “We need to review all footage, audio, and Ado… well.” He clears his throat. “Anyway. Good work, everyone. We gathered enough intel to keep us busy for a while. We’ll start sorting through it all in the morning.”

Everyone disperses. Percy, Byron, and Bigby all stand up to go find their mates, while Rafael stretches, yawning exaggeratedly, and pads like a cat toward his room, probably preferring to sleep on all this new information than to process it now.

Aris’ hands are still spread on the table before him. Before me. I look up and he’s staring me in the face.

“Ado, are you—”

“I’m fine,” I cut him off, standing up too quickly. “I need to check on Keira.”

Aris nods slowly. “We’ll talk about it another time,” he says.

I make for the door, but his voice stops me again, and I turn over my shoulder.

“Give her some time,” he intones.

I leave the room without another word. The hallways are quiet, and the soft hum of the overhead lights is the only sound. Someone must have cleaned recently, because the tiled floors shine like brand new.

My footsteps echo in the silence, each one bringing me closer to Keira.

When I reach the med bay, I hesitate outside the door. My hand hovers over the doorknob.

I hear soft footsteps approaching from inside. The door creaks open before I can turn the handle, and Olivia stands in the doorway, her eyes piercing yet kind, pink hair raked back into a messy knot. She closes the door behind her quietly, slipping into the hallway.

“Ado,” she says, her voice gentle but firm. “Keira needs some time.”

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