Against The Grain (THIRDS 5)

Fuller headed for the door with Shultzon and the rest of the men in tow. Shultzon paused and pointed a finger at Ash.

“You behave yourself. Those steel bars are Therian strength. So are the straps secured around Sloane. I’ll be back in a moment.” He shook his head as he joined Fuller. “We’re going to have to sedate him. He’s always been temperamental.”

The moment they left the room, Ash hurried to the door of his cage. “Sloane,” Ash hissed. He swiftly went about removing his belt. “Sloane!”

Sloane groaned and moved his head, his eyes blinking open. He looked confused and dazed. When he realized something wasn’t right, he tried to sit up but found himself unable to.

“Sloane!”

“Ash?” Sloane pulled against the straps. “What the fuck?” He gritted his teeth and jerked at his restraints. “Ash, what’s going on? Where are we?”

“We’re in Shultzon’s lab. Motherfucker was behind this shit all along. We need to get the fuck out of here before he comes back. I think the control drug is back in the building. Shultzon’s going to inject us with it for some fucking program. I don’t know. What I do know is Shultzon was the one working on the drug, and that asshole Fuller is here.”

“Sloane?”

Sloane stilled. “Hobbs?” He cursed under his breath. “It’s okay, buddy. We’re here with you. We’ll find a way out of this.”

“Sloane, you have to shift,” Ash said, taking apart his belt buckle.

“I can’t.”

“You have to.”

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to control him. What if I can’t, and I end up hurting you or Hobbs?”

“Fuck that,” Ash spat out. “You can control him. Look at me.”

Sloane turned his head, his eyes filled with worry and fear. Ash understood. He was right there with his friend, but the alternative was worse. So much worse.

“Shultzon said the drug was here. Who do you think brought it? Who would be the first person to give everything in order to save you?”

Sloane’s eyes widened.

“Your mate is out there. He needs you to get your shit together. Are you going to lie there and let those assholes get their hands on Dex? Do you know what Fuller will do to him for the sheer fuck of it? Dex helped put him in jail. Fuller will make him suffer. If you don’t get your ass out of that chair right fucking now, the next screams you’re going to hear will be coming from your boyfriend as Fuller tears him apart.”

“No….” Sloane shook his head. He stared up at the ceiling, his teeth gritted. Sweat beaded Sloane’s brow, and he flexed his fingers at his sides.

Ash hated what he was doing to his best friend, but it was the only way either of them had a chance of getting through this in time.

“Another Alpha is going to put his hands on your mate. Right now Fuller’s probably already smelled you on Dex. We both know how ugly these things can get, and with no one there to stop him….”

Sloane pulled at the restraints, his canines elongating as he let out a feral roar. His back arched up off the chair as he bucked and convulsed, his claws piercing through his skin as he shifted. His black fur grew in as he screamed and roared, twisting his body in a frenzy to free himself. His mass shifted, and he was able to pull his paws free before rolling onto his stomach in his Therian form. Sloane hissed, massive fangs bare, before he let out a roar that echoed through the facility.

Ash turned to look at Hobbs. “You too.”

Hobbs shook his head, his arms wrapping around himself as he backed into the farthest corner of the cage.

“Hobbs, look at me, pal. You need to shift and get the hell out of that cage. Your teammates—your friends need you. You can do this. Fuck that asshole. He doesn’t know shit about you. You’re not broken. So you take meds. Who the fuck doesn’t these days? Don’t let that judgmental prick make you feel like shit for it. Does Calvin think you’re broken?”

Hobbs shook his head.

“No, he doesn’t. He thinks you’re the coolest fucking guy to walk this earth. He’s crazy about you, man.”

Hobbs’s head shot up to look at him, his eyes wide.

“Come on, bro. You can’t hide that kind of shit. He’s probably in a hospital somewhere terrified, wondering where the fuck his best friend is.” Ash snapped the last piece of metal in his buckle, his fingers bleeding, but he didn’t care. He had the pin. He wiped his hands on his pants, reached an arm through the bars, and stuck the pin in the lock to the sound of Hobbs screaming and shifting. Ash concentrated on trying to get the lock picked, his gaze landing on Sloane, who was pacing the floor in front of his cage. Ash had no idea if it was his friend pacing before him or the feral Therian inside Sloane, but right now he had to believe Sloane was stronger than that.

The lock on Ash’s cage door clicked open, and he hurried out, coming to a halt when Sloane appeared in front of him. He sniffed the air and Ash before letting out a low mewl and sitting on his haunches. Relief washed through Ash, and he quickly went to work on the lock of Hobbs’s cage. Hobbs hissed and paced back and forth.