[A/N - POV changes partway through]

TW: violence, blood, drug abuse

"I tried to scream, but my head was underwater. They called me weak, like I'm not just somebody's daughter."
~Billie Eilish, 'everything i wanted'

~~~

*Easton's POV*

The screaming pain in my skull intensifies as I try to open my eyes. A blinding light shines in my face, stoking the flames of the fire in my head.

Fuck, it's not just my head that hurts. My entire body groans with pain, feeling incredibly heavy to the point where I can barely move.

"Oh, goodie. You're awake," a chipper voice sings, juxtaposing the malice laced in his tone.

"Where... where am I?" I rasp, my throat painfully dry. "How... dare you attack an Alpha?"

With great effort, I sit up on the dirty ground, squinting my eyes and look around. Wherever we are, it's large and dark. Almost like a barn or a warehouse. We're definitely no where near my pack, and the bone-thin man circling around me is definitely not a friend, but a foe.

The nameless man laughs lightly. "Do you really think I'd be stupid enough to tell you where we are? What— so you can try and contact your pack? Actually, you're welcome to try that. I'm curious to see if we've weakened you enough to keep you from using your mind link."

Squeezing my eyes shut, I try to reach out to the first person who comes to mind. I faintly feel my connection to Landon, and relief floods me. Unfortunately, my relief probably shows on my face because within a second, my head snaps to the side after the man backhands me.

"Shit," he curses while blood trickles over my split lip. "You're still not weak enough. How is that possible, after three days of being unconscious?"

Three days... three days?!

"You're lying," I whisper, daring to look up at him.

My captor is lanky with tattoos covering every inch of his arms, leading up to his scarred neck. His white blonde hair falls just above his shoulders, framing the sharp angles of his face.

His thin lips pull into a smile. "And what exactly do you think I'm lying about?"

"I haven't been unconscious for three days," I shake my head in denial. "That's not possible. My pack would've found me by now. You're lying."

"Oh, it's very possible," he chuckles as he crouches in front of me. "You see, we've gotten quite skilled at keeping our little Alphas subdued. Although you seem to be stronger than the others. We'll need to increase your dosage."

"Dosage?" My eyes widen in alarm. "Who the hell are you?! What the fuck do you want with me?!"

He tsks, reaching forward to stroke my cheek. My muscles flex as I try to smack his hand away, but my arms are restrained behind me. I thrash against the restraints, but my body quickly becomes worn out. Dizziness settles in, making my head swirl.

"What... did you... do to me?" I question while breathing heavily.

"Just a small experiment of mine," he tilts his head to the side as he observes me. "The serum seems to be taking its affect now."

"You drugged me?! Who the fuck do you think you are that you can be so bold as to kidnap and drug an Alpha?!"

The blonde hums with a small smile. "You still have some fight in you. Very interesting. The others were much more easily subdued."

"Others? Who else have you taken?!"

His smile morphs into a disgusted sneer. "Don't tell me the strongest one is also our stupidest one. Come on, little Alpha. Use that weakened brain of yours to search for the answer."

I blink slowly, trying to push through the fog that's begun to settle in my brain. It takes a few seconds but when the realization hits me, my eyes widen.

"The missing Alphas," I whisper as a sickening feelings twists in my gut. "You're the reason why those Alphas have gone missing. Wait— Alpha Kaden! Where is he, what did you do with him?"

"Alpha number two is... preoccupied at the moment," he chuckles darkly. "He played his part well in luring you out. It took a few beatings, but he eventually let out a howl loud enough to draw you from the pack. Unfortunately, he also tried to warn you to run, so he's receiving his punishment."

"Punishment?" I repeat in horror.

The man nods his head once. "You'll do well to remember that things will be a lot easier if you cooperate. Misbehaving leads to punishments, and you don't want that, right? So be a good little Alpha and play nice."

Anger flares up from my stomach to my chest, causing a menacing growl to erupt. My eyes burn bright green as Elias attempts to gather enough strength. I struggle violently against the restraints, thrashing on the filthy ground. I hear my captor shouting before two more men rush in. Pain shoots up my arm, and I look down to see a needle shoved in a few inches below my shoulder. The opaque liquid in the syringe is emptied inside of my blood stream, weakening my entire body. The veins in my neck strain as I try to scream, but no sound comes out.

"I told you to play nice, little Alpha," the blonde sings tauntingly.

"Go fuck yourself," I spit at him as my eyelids grow heavy.

He says something else, but I can't make it out as my hearing becomes muffled. My eyelids drop, and the last thing I see is the blurry outline of his thin lips stretched into a smile.

***

When I come to, the first thing I notice is the disgusting taste in my mouth. It's been days since my capture, and I haven't been able wash or brush my teeth. Fucking hell, I stink.

The second thing I notice is the dull ache in my shoulders. I crane my neck, trying to get a look at my new position. Although my back is flat on the dirt-covered floor, my arms are pulled above my head and chained to the wall. Shackles are clamped around my ankles, pinning me to the ground.

"A-Alpha Easton?"

As my eyes adjust to the darkness of the room, I'm able to make out three figures, chained in a similar fashion. Both horror and relief fills my chest when I recognize the three Alphas who went missing before me: Harrison Shepard, Onyx Nightingale, and Kaden Davidson. The one who spoke was Alpha Harrison, the first of the Alphas to go missing.

"Thank Goddess you're all alive," I breathe out, my voice hoarse and cracking.

"Kaden said they captured you," Onyx murmurs. Her dark green hair is damp, with clumps of dirt tangled in the strands. "I didn't want to believe it."

At the mention of his name, I use what little strength I have to make my eyes glow enough to see the Alpha. His body is crumpled on the ground; deep gashes trailing up his bare sides and torso. I can't see his back, but I'm guessing it looks the same. His eyes remain closed with dark bruises surrounding the sockets.

"What did they do to him?" I demand.

"They w-whipped him with barred wire," Harrison stammers. His tanned skin is covered in dark bruises, especially where there's prominent swelling over one cheek. "As punishment for trying to help you."

Gritting my teeth, I look between the two conscious Alphas.

"I'm going to get you all out of here," I vow. "I swear it on my life."

***

*Third Person POV*

Landon paces in Easton's office, tears streaming down his face.

It's been three days since he last saw his mate, three days since anyone has seen their missing Alpha.

Missing. The word causes Landon's stomach to twist until he feels like throwing up. Easton is missing. The papers in Landon's hands are crumpled and stained with his tears. Papers that outline the details of three other Alphas who have gone missing recently.

Why hadn't Easton told Landon about the missing Alphas? Doesn't Easton trust him? They're a team! They're supposed to handle these things together. The weight of the world doesn't need to reside solely on Easton's shoulders, which Landon has tried to tell him, but it only upset the Alpha.

Landon doesn't understand why Easton never confides in him. The only thing Landon has really helped Easton with since becoming Luna is the new school. He wants to help Easton more, but he's constantly shut out of things.

And now, Easton is missing and Landon is at a complete loss for what to do. Silas took Mateo and the warriors out in search of Easton the night he disappeared, and have been gone ever since.

That night, after Easton stormed out of the pack house, Landon stayed up crying in their room. He didn't know why Easton got so mad at him. The Alpha had shouted at him, saying he didn't need help, but that left Landon more confused than ever. Since when is it bad for someone to comfort their mate? That's all Landon had been trying to do; comfort his mate when Easton was clearly troubled. And it lead to an awful fight that made Easton storm out and broke Landon's heart. Wanting to apologize for whatever happened, Landon stayed up for hours and hours, waiting for Easton to return.

His ears twitched when he heard a scream. The scream didn't sound like it belonged to Easton, but it still alarmed Landon nevertheless, especially since the Alpha had been out so late. Landon ran out of their room and alerted Silas and Celeste. When none of them could reach Easton through their pack mind link, panic ensued and the search began.

Now, Landon feels like his nerves are fried from how worried he's been these past three days. Leo has been in constant torment from not being able to sense Elias. There was a brief moment where Landon thought he felt his connection to Easton, but it was snuffed out quickly.

A soft knock on the office door makes Landon stop pacing, and he turns his head to see Celeste standing in the doorway. Her skin is pale, with dark circles under her eyes. Her red hair has been pulled into a messy bun, seeming unwashed for several days.

"Any word?" Landon asks, his voice hoarse from sobbing all night.

"Nothing good. Silas thought he picked up a whiff of Landon's scent, although..." Celeste stops herself, biting her bottom lip.

"What is it?" Landon questions. His heart rate picks up, although unsure whether it's from hope or fear.

"Mateo also picked up the scent of unknown wolves near our pack borders, and then again that same scent further into unclaimed territory."

"Unclaimed territory," Landon repeats before gasping and covering his mouth. "Rogues?"

Celeste lips settle in a grim, thin line. "It would seem so. Silas was able to track small traces of Easton's scent, but it disappeared among the scent of the rogues."

"Rogues have him," Landon realizes in horror. "Dear Goddess, what are we going to do? I can't just sit here, waiting and waiting, knowing rogues have my mate! I need to go look for him!"

Landon rushes for the door, but Celeste grips his arm tightly with both hands to stop him.

"You can't!" Celeste protests. "The pack needs their Luna here! Without their Alpha, the wolves look to you for guidance! You must stay here!"

"I can't!" Landon shouts, yanking away from her grasp. "I can't stay here and do nothing when it's my fault that he's gone!"

Celeste blinks, taking a step back. "What? Why would you say something like that?"

"We had a fight," Landon sniffles, wiping away his falling tears. "The night Easton left, we had a fight. I don't understand why we fought, but I do know that Easton wouldn't have left so late at night if I hadn't upset him. It's all my fault. It's my fault that my mate is gone. It's my fault that he got taken my rogues. It's my fault..." Landon's shoulders shudder as he breaks down into sobs. He sinks to the floor, wrapping his arms around himself and he cries for his mate.

Celeste looks at the crouching Luna, deeply troubled and conflicted. Her motherly instincts tell her to comfort her son's mate, but another part of her holds back. She sees Landon, the one her eldest son has loved, who has been a part of their family for the past two years. And now, that same blue-eyed boy has admitted to being the reason why her beloved son is missing, and is suffering at the hands of rogues.

Conflicted feelings begin to twist into anger. Resentment.
Blame.
Celeste finds herself wanting to scream at Landon for letting Easton leave that night; for not stopping him and keeping him home, where he would have been safe.

Celeste's fingers curl into fists, shaking with unbridled anger. Anger that she didn't realize had been building since the moment Easton went missing. And now, her anger has found a direction; someone to point fingers at.

Biting her tongue until she tastes blood, Celeste wordlessly turns away, leaving the Luna to sob on the floor of her son's office alone.

~~~

EDIT: this chapter was revised from its original version to add the third person POV at the end