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Mr. Vessnick appears,looking just as malicious as he does in my memories.
The man is easily recognizable as an alpha, his body large and muscular, his demeanor dripping with self-righteous superiority.#NotAllAlphasand all that, but the ones my father brings around seem to embody the worst of every cliché I’ve ever heard.
I do my best to disassociate, locking my mind away tight so I’m nothing more than a bot going through the motions. I endure the oily, spoiled scent that washes over me when Mr. Vessnick greets me with a leer and a hug that lingers nearly as long as his possessive gaze. I serve drinks, and then dinner, and then dessert, my composure unfailing aside from a slight trembling I just can’t shake off. I tune in and out of their conversation, dreading whatever comes next. No amount of dread will save me, of course, and in the blink of an eye my father is gripping my arm and forcing me up into my room.
Putting up a fight doesn’t help, I’ve learned. It just angers him—embarrasseshim, as he says—and whatever pain I’m in for gets worse.
Vessnick follows us into my room and takes up a deceptively casual stance against the wall. I close my eyes as I follow my father’s orders, stripping off my clothes down to my underwear as my mind locks down tight.
Sobrevivirás, I mentally chant.Será equal que antes.
I detach myself even further. The only thought in my head is of the knife I know is hidden in my nest. My hands are bound, as they always are, and soon my father’s belt is punishing in its relentless rhythm against my body. He’s come to favor the sides of my stomach, my hips, and my thighs, having found these places are the most painful. He’s speaking, as he always does. Telling me this is for my own good, that he’s helping me fulfill my Gods’-given duty as an omega. That I can end this pain, that Vessnick will end this pain, if only I accept him. He will protect me, and I only have my own stubbornness to blame for him putting me through this.
Blow after blow after blow. I block out his voice; it’s poison and nothing more. The bruises that never quite fade bloom once more across my skin, the ugly purple overlaid by an angry red that grows brighter with each strike. I’m not so tough that I don’t cry out, begging him to stop. My body trembles with the pain.
“Come closer,” my father says, and I know without opening my eyes he’s speaking to Vessnick. Even knowing this would happen, I’m not prepared for the vile scent, and I gag violently at the monster’s first stroke down my chest and stomach.
“I can save you,” he murmurs in my ear, the words sounding mocking and spiteful.
“Don’t touch me,” I spit, wrenching my head away as I gasp for fresh air.
His scent smothers me as my father continues his beating, and Vessnick’s hands resume their wandering. I feel dirty, broken, and desperate, but I know I can survive this. And eventually, as I knew it must, the torture ends and I’m left in a sobbing heap on the floor. I sigh out in relief, waiting to hear the men’s angry retreat as is their routine, but instead I feel a pair of arms tugging me up and dragging me over to my nest.
“No—stop!” I cry out, thrashing against the hold. Whatever this is, I know it can’t be good.
My words go unheeded, and suddenly I’m being pressed into the pillows and blankets and a heavy weight pins me against the mattress. I’m so frightened by this escalation that my mind blacks out. All I feel is terror as I struggle to get free. Could this be it? Did my body betray me and go into heat? Can I not tell in my damaged state? The only saving grace of my father’s experiments was his insistence that an omega remain pure for her mate or mates—which offered the tiny comfort I wouldn’t be raped by the men he brought over. But now, as I feel the hands upon me, I think maybe I’ve lost the battle against my own body. Maybe it’s given up and given in to the alpha on top of me and everything is over. My life is over, and I was too late, tooweak, to save myself.
There’s grunting, and my eyes fly open involuntarily to see what’s happening. I immediately wish they hadn’t.
Vessnick is just a dark shape on top of me, straddling my waist, but there’s enough light for me to see his pants are open and his hand is stroking the large appendage between his legs. I shriek and thrash, desperate to get away, but Vessnick just chuckles.
“Settle down, omega. I like ‘em feisty, but your yelling is giving me a headache.”
“Be careful,” I hear my father say from somewhere else. “I can’t have you pushing her over the edge and wasting all my hard work. Just get off and rub it into her.”
Get off?!?!Is my father telling this alpha to ... to ... fuckingmasturbateon me? The thought is so revolting I retch, turning my head as the bile spills out and over my pillows.
“Disgusting,” Vessnick sneers, and I groan in pain as his palm strikes my face. “You need more training, omega.”
I have an instant of relief as he moves off me, only to be crushed when I feel him flip me over and settle back down on my hips. Despite my bound hands I attempt to crawl forward, away from his assault, and it’s then that my hands brush against cold metal.
The knife!
My plan was to use it against my father when he was sleeping, and I don’t know if it can save me from a fully alert alphaandbeta, but I have to try. My fingers clutch the handle, and, taking a deep breath, I use all my strength to twist my body, swinging my hands wildly at Vessnick as I go.
I feel the knife hit, but against what I have no idea. I continue thrashing my hands, intent on doing as much damage as I possibly can in this one window I have. I hear cursing, and then there’s pain—sharp pain—against my arm and my side. Angry shouting fills the room as my brain struggles to process what happened, but before I can figure it out, I’m being yanked off the nest and thrown to the floor. My head hits the edge of my dresser, and despite my desperation to remain alert, everything fades to black.
3
Lincoln
“Are you sure this is the right way?” I ask, frowning over at my packmate.
“I’m sure,” Leo replies, his voice tight.
“I recall you saying that once before ...”
“Linc.” He cuts me off, a threatening growl escaping his chest.
