was so tired of all this shit. Tired of knowing he was going to feel like hell the next two days, tired of this place.
“You okay?”
Sloan jerked to a sitting position. There, standing at his door, was Colin. Concern filled the cerulean eyes. Behind him stood the three Omegas and Knox. Knox shook his head.
“Ugh, huh?” Wow, his first words to Colin, and he sounded like he needed to reenter the first grade.
“Come here.” Colin reached through the bars, beckoning him.
Standing slowly, Sloan walked toward Colin as if in a daze. There was something so strange about this.
Gripping the bars, Sloan stared down at Colin. So many emotions swirled within. Excitement, desire and a beautiful soothing calm that made it seem like maybe tonight could be okay for once. Sloan watched as Colin slowly reached up and touched a tender spot on his cheek.
“You’re bleeding,” Colin whispered.
Sloan leaned into the touch. Colin’s hand was so soft to his sensitive flesh. “I’ll be all right.” Sloan mumbled.
He felt like turning his head and kissing that soft palm. Slowly, he leaned back, troubled that a thought like that would even pass through his mind. What in the hell was happening to me? Maybe I’m going feral. Who knew, but I don’t want Colin to see and hear the things that are going to transpire tonight. Walking back to his floor vault, he opened it up, retrieving his iPod. Sloan went back to face Colin whose brow was furrowed in confusion as he handed it to him.
“What’s this for?” Colin asked, staring up at him.
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Sloan answered, “So you don’t have to hear me and the others scream tonight.”
* * * *
Colin couldn’t believe the words that had just passed Sloan’s lips, and for the remainder of the day, they haunted him, much like everything else had haunted him the last two days.
The rest of the day was a blur. So many damn fights broke out, and each time, Dalton, Oren and Brendan were there to move him out of the way or just stand next to him as he had to watch the violence that was now going to be a part of his life.
After dinner, the guards finally gave up and sent them all in for lockdown. For whatever reason, this month was worse than usual.
Glancing to his side, he saw the iPod that Sloan had given him. Is it really going to be that awful? He had seen his pack shift so many times, and it seemed so second nature, he couldn’t possibly fathom how it could be bad enough to shield his hearing. Then, he had been told numerous times by the pack how painful it was in the beginning and how those talks had grown into a great fear.
He stared out the small window; the sun was showing its last rays. Soon. Getting up, he walked to the steel doors. Colin noticed that many of the Alphas were pacing in their rooms. He couldn’t see the Omegas, because like him, they were on the west side of the hall. Some of the Alphas were rolling their necks while others aggressively rubbed different body parts.
“You need to go back inside.”
Colin’s head whipped around to see that Sloan was death gripping his bars. Staring at him. His hazel eyes shone bright, reflecting something more to them than earlier. Is his wolf already surfacing?
“Colin!”
Colin jerked. “Sorry.”
“For what? There’s nothing to be sorry for. Go inside and put the headphones on now.” Sloan’s voice was turning guttural toward the end.
“Sloan,” Colin whispered.
Sloan was taking great heaving breaths now. “Go, please.”
“Good luck. I’ll see you in the morning.” Colin reached through the bars, holding out his hand before tucking it back inside.
Sitting on the bed, Colin started to hear the moans. He should put on the headphones and tune this out, but curiosity was getting to him. Colin wanted some heads up as to what he was going to go through in the next couple years, wanted to know just how bad it was going to be for him.
Five minutes later, the groans were growing