Bangs and pops sound behind us and I scream when Madden swerves the car.

“Fucking hell, of course Chase doesn’t have any in his precious car,” Madden curses.

“What—what do we do?” My heart is pounding so hard I’m afraid I’m going to have a heart attack.

Madden floors it, the car’s engine roaring to life.

“We get the fuck out of here.”

The gate is also blown to bits, so we have no trouble turning onto the main road.

“Where are we going?” I feel so useless. All I can do is ask stupid questions. I don’t even know if I could shoot a gun at the cars chasing us, I’d just be wasting Madden’s limited ammo.

“The Omega Center. They’ll have their own guards, and they’ll have people to take a look at you. You’ll be safe there.”

“I—I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Your beautiful home. Your?—”

“Stop it, Luna. You were the most important thing in that house.” Madden swallows hard. “I—I love you.”

Tears fill my eyes. This is both horrible and perfect timing. His words wrap themselves around my soul, making something click into place.

“I love you too?—”

Pain blinds me as the sound of crunching metal fills my ears. The glass on the driver’s side door shatters as another car rams into our side, sending us spinning out and into the ditch on the side of the road. My body is thrown around like a rag doll.

When we finally come to a standstill, my head is spinning and my arm is screaming out in pain.

“Madden?” I whimper.

He’s slumped over the steering wheel, bleeding from a wound on his head. He’s not moving.

“Madden!” I struggle to unbuckle my seat belt with my good hand, reaching towards him.

I feel his neck for his pulse. Or at least I try to. I don’t know what I’m doing, I’ve only seen this in the movies.

“Madden, please, you can’t die on me.” Tears are flowing freely down my face and my chest hiccups with sobs. “Please, you’ve gotta wake up, we’ve gotta get out of here.”

He lets out a soft groan and I blow out a huge sigh of relief. He’s alive. Oh thank god, he’s alive.

“Come on, wake up, we’re sitting ducks out here. We?—”

The passenger side door is wrenched open. I let out a scream as I’m dragged out of the car.

Another alpha in tactical gear stares down at me. He reaches up to a radio attached to his vest.

“I got her.”

I fight against his hold as much as I possibly can, but even if I weren’t already shot and disoriented, I’d have no chance.

Another mercenary steps forward with a needle in his hand. He grips my hair to keep me still and injects me in the neck.

I feel the cold of whatever was in that syringe flowing through my veins, and the world starts to go hazy.

The last words I hear before the world goes black are from the soldier holding me.

“Been working for the boss for a long time. God damn does this girl look like her mother.”

CHAPTER 40