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"And I give a fuck why?"
"Iggy, you and Phe go look for Imogen upstairs. Phe needs to get into the office anyway, let's just get this shit done. Red and I will look down here," Cass delegates.
"I trust you'll keep my mate safe." It's not a question, but I nod at Sully. Phe's like a sister, she's safe with me. "Red, Cass, stay in here. My brothers and I will look through the party again. Try to stay out of trouble," he adds sarcastically before kissing Phe and disappearing back through the kitchen doors.
Without wasting another second, I follow Phe. She taps my shoulder and nods toward a long hall right after we slip out of the kitchen. Big houses like these always have multiple exits and meandering hallways. Enzo tags along, and we follow her down a long corridor, passing several doors, finding a staircase at the end.
"You know this was here?" I ask.
"Nah. Rich people always have extra hallways and staircases," she muses.
"I was just thinking the same thing."
Phe rushes up the stairs, and we pause, opening random doors along the way. "This is taking forever," she complains. Some doors are locked, but I don't want to waste time breaking into every one. We listen closely, and when we hear nothing, we keep going.
At the end of the long hall on the second floor, I catch it. It's faint, but my mate is nearby—dark, sweet cherries filter around me.
"She's close," I tell them. We keep trying doors, but all the remaining ones at the end of the hall are locked. I try each one, rattling the doors, but nothing budges. No longer giving a shit if someone hears me, I yell for Imogen, but there's no response.
"Her scent. Maybe it's coming from a vent or something."
I look around, feeling anxious and frustrated. Worried for Imogen. Nodding, I agree. "Okay, let's go." Enzo and Imogen turn to hurry back down the hall, but my alpha won't budge.
"Iggy?"
I shake my head. Then look at the last door. I tried it already. It's locked, and I didn't hear anything. But my alpha won't move an inch unless it's toward that door. Gripping the door handle, I lean back, then shove my shoulder with all my might. The handle cracks, and I give it one more shove, then the door swings open.
And I'm hit with an overwhelming scent of cherries, sour and bitter like she's terrified and angry. And there's my mate, upside down with her leg in her mouth, eyes wide, tied to a bed.
"Iggy!" she shouts.
I rush over to her, taking her face in my hands. "Baby, what the fuck, are you okay?"
"Get me out of this, Iggy, please," she begs. I tear the ribbon she was trying to bite through. Phe helps me get through the rope, then we pull it off. Imogen collapses into my arms and she's shaking, her skin cold, energy vibrating with fear.
"You're safe, Im. Are you okay? What happened?" I kiss the top of her head, holding her tight, but she pushes out of my arms and shakes her head.
"I'm fine. We're not done yet. We need what we came here for."
"Imogen, we need to get you out of here. What did they do to you?" I ask, my blood boiling with fury at finding my mate tied to a bed.
"They didn't touch me, they just tied me up. I'm not ready to unpack that. But we can't let them get away with this, Iggy. We need to find proof of what monsters they are." Her voice quivers, eyes wide with anger, but she's also terrified I'll deny her, not let her finish this plan. This is important to her.
I'm by her side now. She's safe. So I nod.
"Okay, where to?" I look at Phe, but we just passed a bunch of locked doors. I don't know how the fuck we're going to find the right room.
"Follow me," Imogen says, then storms out of the room in her bare feet, heels abandoned. My omega is done giving any fucks. "They gave me a tour," she throws up air quotes. So that's how they got her alone.
Phe follows, with me and Enzo on their tail. Imogen walks right up to a door at the other end of the hall and tugs on the doorknob. She looks at me for help, and my alpha puffs his chest.
The same way I got into the nest, I grip the handle then shove my shoulder against the wood, hearing the crack within the door. It takes a third try this time, but I break it open. The girls follow me in and start frantically searching the room.
Imogen picks up random stacks of paper, rifling through, while Phe digs through drawers. She finds a couple of locked filing cabinets, digs a pin out of her hair, and shimmies the locks open.
"Why didn't you tell me you had a pin?" That would have been easier than breaking the door down.
Phe looks at me like I'm an idiot. "I'm a girl. With hair. Of course I have a pin."
