Alpha Lost

Signal

The tactical radio he had dropped into the center console of his car came to life at the same time as the one on Telia's belt so that a strange echo reverberated in the car.

"- Omega." Came the tail end of a sentence. The digital units always had a few seconds delay. Just another reason the defective pieces of crap were getting replaced at the end of the year. Nothing like being in an emergency and having to wait a few extra seconds to call for backup. In those moments, a few moments felt like a lifetime and could be the difference between mission success and FUBAR.

"Please, Tobias -" Selah's voice on the radio caused Malcolm's breath to seize in his lungs and joy to bloom in his heart that she was safe with one of his unit, but the next transmission dashed those hopes.

"It's Alpha to you, Omega slut."

"Alpha Tobias, please let us go. Ash and I won't tell. You and Christoph can just disappear -"

"You won't have the chance to tell anyone. Dead Omegas tell no tales," a pause and shift of something that could be fabric. "Excuse me, Cousin. I'm going to go see a little redhead I have my eye on."

The older radio unit on Malcolm's console came to life and James' voice filled the silence in the car. His years of training with OSF taking over, Malcolm turned the wheel of the car so it glided to a stop next to the curb. A brief glance at Telia and Malcolm could see that while her eyes had dilated and her chest rose and fell rapidly, the fellow Alpha was already reaching for the radio.

"We heard, Commander," she responded, "Tobias is working with Christoph."

"Can we track his signal?" Malcolm interjected.

"We're working on it. It takes about ten minutes to get an accurate location."

"Fuck!" Malcolm growled out.

A clinking sound came from the comm unit and then Tobias' voice, "Here, Cousin. You hang on to this. There's pepper spray on there if you need it," a laugh made Malcolm's teeth grind together. "I wouldn't recommend the stunner though if you want her awake. Passed out can be fun, but then there's no crying or begging. I love when they beg."

Footsteps sounded through the small digital device and then Telia flinched when muffled screams filtered through the speaker on the small piece of black plastic.

"Alpha... please, make him stop. Please!" Selah's begging voice sounded close to tears.

"It's better to just let him have his playtime. Tobias never really understood the greater purpose. He loves violence and Omega pussy. It's one reason he chose Sara." more shuffling and a change in volume from the comm unit indicated movement, "Her father believes in our cause and is a friend of Tobias' father. He raised Sara to know her place beneath an Alpha, but she's not Tobias' true mate, and he didn't want a bond. Tobias used a knife to make those scars on her neck. He enjoys having to recreate them every few weeks."

Malcolm clenched his fist tighter around the steering wheel, "She's at my house with the other Omegas."

"Commander," Telia clicked on the radio, "we need to get Tobias' Omega secured at Malcolm's house."

"Being out among other Omegas as started to corrupt her though. It's like a disease once an Omega starts to think above her station. She'll be a loose end to tie up before we leave."

"Acknowledged. Sending in Alpha Flora."

"It sounds like Sara wasn't entirely willing, Commander," Telia added.

"Understood. We'll secure the situation at Malcolm's house. Seven minutes until location confirmation."

"In the end, it doesn't really matter if Tobias wants to help your Omega friend see her true place, or if he just wants to rip her ass apart with his knot. He's an Alpha so he can do whatever he wants."

A muffled groan sounded in the background of the comm unit's transmission, "Worried about what's going on back there, little Omega bitch? You should worry about yourself now that we've got some time to ourselves." Malcolm could hear a shift in Christoph's tone, "Stand."

Malcolm and Telia glanced at each other in surprise at the Alpha tone of command in Christoph's voice. It wouldn't work on either Selah or Ashlyn since they were both bonded Omegas, but Christoph's voice sounded full of confidence.

"Walk over to the desk and kneel in front of it." echoing footsteps and then a scraping sound like metal on metal, "No, don't look over there. You may only look at me or the book in front of you. We'll work on your re-education. After we've covered the basics, we'll let the whip work its magic. It has a way of breaking through to stubborn Omegas."

"Five minutes," James' continued countdown was both a blessing and a curse. In five minutes, they'd have the location where these bastards were holding Selah and Ashlyn, but then they'd have to drive there which could add another thirty minutes or more depending on how far away they were. Listening to Ashlyn's muffled wails was driving Telia to a breaking point. The Alpha's white-knuckled grip on the radio handset threatened to crack the small speaker.

Hearing Christoph threaten his mate with a whip made a growl vibrate deep in his own chest. He wanted to crush the little device into dust, but they would be strong for their Omegas. If they were living through it, Malcolm and Telia could listen and give witness to their strength.

"My father always said that one sign of an Alpha's dominance over Omegas was the ability to command an Omega with nothing more than the power of his voice," footsteps drifted away and then drew closer, "It's why I can have you kneel at my feet without a single chain."

"She's playing along, Malcolm. There's no way that he's got her under his control," Telia continued through gritted teeth, "She must have some plan in mind. This is taking for-fucking-ever!" the Alpha female growled her frustration at being powerless as her mate's pained whines sounded in the background.

"Alpha," Selah's timid voice stabbed at Malcolm's heart, "Is this your father's book?" He could hear the fear in her tone, and his primal protective side wanted to wrap her up in safety and rip apart any threat to her.

"It is. I've added to it over the years."

"The writing on the walls? Is that your father's writing too? Maybe Malcolm just didn't understand what Alpha Marc was trying to accomplish the last time?"

"The last time?" Malcolm latched on to Selah's words with desperate hope.

"She's telling us where they are! They're at the warehouse where we found Marc the last time!"

Not waiting for confirmation from command or agreement from Telia, Malcolm threw the car in gear and peeled away from the curb. Horns from other vehicles blared, but Malcolm ignored them all. They were only five minutes away from the warehouse where Malcolm had killed Christoph's dad fourteen years ago.

"Trying to distract me won't work, Omega. I've already got plans for you." A smacking sound and a cut-off scream that sounded much closer to the comm unit than the muted noises from the background made Malcolm's foot push the accelerator to the floor.

"How do you know, Mal? Maybe they're at the scene of an old abduction?" Telia grabbed onto the handle at the top of the door frame as Malcolm took the corner at speed.

"Unlike a certain Alpha female who avoided teaching some classes," he didn't bother to look at his friend and fellow Alpha, "I spent several cycles teaching self-defense to the OSF Omegas including Selah. Some lessons included what to do if they were taken.  Stay alive. Don't fight back if the odds are against you. Delay them with conversation. If possible, communicate and give clues about where you are. Know that your Alpha is coming."

Wheels screaming, Malcolm paused trying to focus on keeping the car on the road, "Sel knew about the tricky comm units. Somehow she turned the fucking thing on, and she's been trying to let us know where they are. My brave, smart Omega."

He couldn't send actual words through the bond that blazed white-hot in his chest, so he tried to push his love and a simple impression, I'm coming, baby girl. Hold on.