The Alpha novel Chapter 43

Scarlet's POV

"Argh..." I groan as I try to open my eyes. My head is throbbing and my wrists and ankles are sore. I feel tired and groggy and it takes me a moment before I realize that I'm staring at someone's jean-clad ass. Turning my head, I look around as I try to figure out where I am and what's going on. I'm certainly not in Crescent City anymore, I can't even see the tall skyscrapers against the early morning light. I'm hanging upside down, flung over someone's shoulder with my arms tied behind my back. My ankles seem to also be restrained, though I'm not sure what is being used. It is too strong for me to break, but it isn't burning me which means it's not silver.

The crunching of leaves fills the silence as I'm walked through the middle of nowhere. There are no distinguishing features, just a lot of tall grass, trees, and overgrowth. Breathing in, I try to see if I recognize the scent of my captor, but I don't smell anything except for the nature that surrounds us. I begin to squirm, wanting desperately to get a handle on what the hell is happening. Soon, I am unceremoniously dropped to the ground where I land with a thud and the air is knocked out of me. "Ugh..." I wince as I try to roll myself into a sitting position to look up at my kidnapper.

As soon as their faces come into my line of view, I let out a gasp. "Ryder?! Rowan?! What the hell do you think you guys are doing?! Untie me this instant!" I demand.

They both smirk at me evilly, making my blood run cold. I don't know what they are up to, but whatever it is will not be good for me. "I'm afraid I can't do that kitten," Rowan murmurs teasingly as Ryder drops a large pack to the ground and pulls out a bottle of water. He takes a sip before passing it to his brother who does the same. As they quench their thirst, I look around from my new vantage point. To the right I see an old ramp that heads directly towards what use to be a small town. There are buildings right along the rundown interstate that look like hotels and restaurants. They are now covered in vines and overgrowth, but the city sprawls out and seems mostly intact though long ago abandoned. The large sign next to the ramp says exit 52. Most small towns no longer exist. When the war started, it effected a lot of businesses, so people started moving to the cities that were planning to rebuild and had the supplies to do so. Now the little a bit of population that is left are much more condensed and no longer spread throughout the countries like they once were.

"Why can't I scent either of you?" I ask as I raise an eyebrow suspiciously at them, wanting to get as much information as I can.

"A special spray covers our scent. We sprayed you with it too. There's no way the notorious Alpha Ethan Kane will be able to track your scent now. So, we should have no problems with him finding you before we can get to our destination," Ryder answers with a cocksure expression that makes me want to smack him.

"And where is that? Our destination?"

He folds his arms across his chest and glares at me. "Not your concern kitten," Ryder hisses, with a teasing tone. I scowl at the nickname that both Ryder and Rowan seem to have adopted for me. I open my mouth to protest as Rowan holds the water bottle out to me. I glance over at it and debate on being stubborn or not. I allow him to approach and he slowly tips the bottle to my mouth. I take a few gulps before bringing one into my mouth and spitting it in his face. His look of shock is priceless, but his eyes quickly narrow at me angrily before he raises his arm. He backhands me so hard across the cheek that I find myself lying on the ground again. I let out another series of groans as I try to right myself and then I'm kicked in the gut. Two low chuckles sound from above me as the twins seem to enjoy my torment.

"Alright, that's enough," Ryder eventually chimes in. "We need to be on our way again. We still have a lot of ground to cover."

"A lot of ground? Where are you taking me? Where are we?" I question as Ryder bends down to get something else out of his bag. He opens a bottle and pours something onto a rag. The smell is familiar and suddenly I realize why. I instantly begin struggling against my restraints again as he strides toward me with a bone chilling smirk, the rag still in his hand. The scent of chloroform becomes stronger as he approaches me, grabbing a handful of my hair and pulling it back so that I'm forced to look at him. My legs swing and kick as I try to defend myself but unfortunately it is to no avail. With my ankles bound and my wrists cuffed behind my back there isn't much I can do. Ryder presses the soaked cloth over my nose and mouth before everything goes black again.