Filed to story: Uncategorized
There was blood on my trembling hand when I pulled away. I bit my lip and swallowed the ball of tears rising in my throat.
Cutting me there did more than just cause me pain. It felt wrong. Intimate for some reason. The little bump was much more sensitive than I’d realized, and evidently full of nerves.
I couldn’t help but feel violated.
What horrified me even more was that I got the sense that they knew that too. Mr.
Callahan had called it my “mating gland” after all. Mating, as in something romantic or even sexual.
He knew it would cause me a great deal of pain to be cut there, but more importantly, he knew it would make me feel exposed and vulnerable. I think he even enjoyed it in some sadistic way.
I pressed my trembling body into the corner and curled my knees to my chest, making myself look as small as possible in an effort to escape the men’s leering eyes.
I wished I were wearing something other than my tiny pajama shorts and nearly see-through white T-shirt.
Robert and Mr. Callahan hadn’t tried to touch in a sexual way yet, but I wouldn’t put it past them. The more time I spent in this basement, the more they looked at me as if I were a piece of meat.
I wasn’t human to them anymore. I was an object for them to use in whatever way benefited them the most.
Mr. Callahan rolled his eyes as if he thought I was being melodramatic. With a heavy sigh, he sat back on his haunches, his blade falling to his side.
“I think she’s telling the truth,” he said to Robert. “No omega can withstand getting her mating gland cut open.”
Robert’s eyebrow started to twitch. “You told me she knew about werewolves.”
“Without a wolf, I’m not a true member of the pack. I’m not privy to the same knowledge as everyone else. I only heard that they were a couple, and I thought that meant she knew about werewolves.”
“But you didn’t get confirmation?” Robert bit out. “We did all of this based on your word!”
“Humans go to our school. We can’t talk about werewolves or the pack on school property.
“I told Mitchell this”—Mr. Callahan thrusted a finger at my birth father—“when he asked me to help you all get on to pack land to take Dorothy.
“He was the one who insisted his daughter knew all about the werewolf world and would be willing to give up information.”
Robert narrowed his eyes at Mitchell across the room. “So, you lied to us.”
My birth father shook his head, his eyes going wide. “She does know about werewolves. She’s known about them ever since she was little.
“I tried to save her when she was fifteen by putting a lock on her mind, but Ace Stoll figured out a way to remove it. He told her everything. I saw him shift in front of her. She knows.”
I had no idea what he was talking about. I most definitely did not know about werewolves. There were signs—huge, ~monumental~ signs—but I’d somehow missed all of them.
Even in that basement, I couldn’t quite wrap my head around the information. I mean, who just accepts people saying their boyfriend is a werewolf? Things like that don’t happen in real life.
I could’ve screamed. Screamed and cried and pulled my hair out.
What the absolute living fuck is even going on anymore?
It felt like my life was an escalating, disastrous clusterfuck of confusion and paranoia that had all been leading to this moment. This explosion.
This was the result of all the secrets and all the lies kept from me. Something I had played absolutely no part in, knew nothing about, but was somehow getting blamed for.
I shouldn’t be here. This isn’t my mess.
But I have no way of proving it.
“Then why is she fucking lying?” Robert spat.
Resentment bubbled up in my chest. “I’m not—”
“She’s scared,” Mitchell cut in. “Those wolves have been controlling her all her life.
She’s terrified of what they’ll do to her if she tells the truth.”
I shook my head. “That’s not true,” I croaked. My voice was hoarse from screaming.
“I love Ace. Ace loves me.
“He may have kept things from me, but he would never hurt me intentionally. He would never even threaten to hurt me.”
“I knew he had some big secret in his life, but he said I couldn’t know what it was until I was eighteen or something bad would happen. Something about him losing me or being taken away.
“I swear, that’s all I know. That’s all he would tell me.”
My birth father looked over me as if he were seeing me clearly for the first time. A deep line appeared between his brow as he processed my words. Was he finally realizing I was telling the truth?
“Well?” Mr. Callahan asked Robert. “What do you want to do?”
Robert regarded me silently for several seconds. “She’s still an omega, correct? We know this for certain?”
It would have been really helpful if I knew what that word meant. What the hell was an “omega” and why did it matter so much that I was one?
Mr. Callahan nodded. “Yes.” His gaze traveled down my body in a way that made me squirm and hug my legs tighter. “She is most definitely an omega.”
“Then it doesn’t matter what she knows. There are still ways she can be of use to us.” Robert stood and casually wiped his hands against his pants.
“It isn’t ideal, of course. If she really is innocent, I’d hate to put her through any trauma.” His eyes landed on me. “Anything to further the cause, though.”
Dread blanketed my skin.
“What does that mean?” Mitchell demanded, asking the same question I was thinking. “You said I could take her home after you talked to her! You gave me your word!”
Robert turned to face him. His jaw was clenched tight. “You should have never trusted my word, Cooper.”
Mitchell’s face drained of color. He opened his mouth to respond, but the basement door suddenly slammed open. Elias appeared at the top of the stairs, breathing heavily.
“Waylen Marshall is here,” Elias rushed out.
“Waylen Marshall? Which Waylen Marshall?” Mr. Callahan looked at Robert. “The Waylen Marshall?”
Robert ignored him, keeping his attention on his son. “He’s early. Tell him he’s going to have to wait. I need to prepare her for what’s going to happen next.”
At the sound of breaking glass, Elias winced behind him, his expression turning even more panicked.
“I don’t think that’s an option. I’m pretty sure he can hear her or smell her or something because he’s demanding to be let in.
“We locked him out, but I get the feeling that’s not going to work for long. Tobias and the others are handling him, but he seems pissed.”
A loud growl sounded from somewhere upstairs, followed by a bang and multiple people yelling. It made my spine straighten and my heart gallop.
“Shit,” Mr. Callahan said. “Shit!”
“What?” Robert asked.
Mr. Callahan used his shirt to wipe my blood off his knife before shoving it into his pocket.
“You invited a fucking alpha here when you have her”—he jutted a finger at me—