Suddenly, pain explodes through the backs of my knees as one of the guards kicks them out from under me. I crash to the floor with a cry I can’t quite swallow, the impact jarring up through my bones.
“You sadistic asshole,” I gasp out, blinking back tears. “If you actually gave a shit about me, you wouldn’t?—”
“Language, precious.” Julian leans forward, elbows on his knees. In the striped shadows, his smile looks painted on, like a psychotic clown who used a knife to have it carved on. “We’ve discussed this, Casey. Proper Omegas don’t use such vulgar terms.”
“Good thing I’m not yourproperdamn anything then,” I spit back, still on my knees and hating it, knowing he will hurt me to keep me down. “And newsflash… it’s not the 1950s anymore. The wholesubmissive Omegathing is seriously played out.”
His nostrils flare as he inhales deeply, and my stomach turns.
“Your body disagrees. I can smell your scent—sweet and ripe, ready for fucking.” He runs his tongue over his teeth, and it covers me in shivers. “Your heat is near, isn’t it? Your body knows who you belong to, even if your mind remains... rebellious. You’re going to beg for me, spreading those legs, aren’t you?”
He’s right about one thing—my heat is coming, my traitorous body betraying me with every passing moment. The ache is building deep inside, crying out for Alpha touch, Alpha comfort. But not from him. Never him. The mere thought of Julian touching me makes my skin want to crawl right off my bones.
I should have seen the warning signs sooner. The way he tried to isolate me from my brother and always had some reasonwhy I should move out. The expensive gifts that felt more like marking his territory. How he’d grip my arm just a little too tight in public, laughing it off as protective instincts when people noticed. The first time he pulled a knife, calling it foreplay while I lay there frozen in terror...
“You’re completely delusional.” My mind races through escape scenarios. The window seems impossibly far away, and the guards are between me and any exit. God, I wish I had Logan’s blade right now. I can almost feel its weight in my hand and hear his calm voice during training.Here, just below the ribs. Angle up for maximum damage.
Julian rises in one fluid motion and crosses to me. He towers over me, and I loathe that I’m face level with his fucking groin. I try not to shrink back as he lingers over me, but my body remembers all too well the pain those elegant hands can inflict.
“Delusional?” He muses, reaching down to stroke my cheek. I jerk away, and his fingers turn to claws, digging into my jaw. “After everything I’ve invested in you? All those gifts, all that time, preparing you to be perfect?”
I try to twist free, but he just tightens his grip until I feel my teeth grinding together.
“The only true thing about this is how perfectly fucked up you are,” I manage to spit out.
“Such a mouth on you.” His eyes glitter dangerously. “But we both know the truth, don’t we? You saved yourself for me. Refused to let me fuck you until your heat came.” He leans in closer, inhaling deeply. “The way you said no, how you made me wait... such a perfect, traditional Omega. Saving yourself for marriage, for your true Alpha...”
“You’re insane,” I choke out, my stomach turning, my knees smarting from kneeling on them. “I didn’t let you fuck me because you’re a psychopath.”
His grip tightens, that shark smile returning. “Lie to yourself all you want, precious. But we’ll have time to discuss all that later. Right now...”
He inhales deeply near my neck, and I have to fight not to gag. “Right now, you smell divine. Nearly ready. Tell me, precious… have you let any of those other fucking Alphas touch you? Did they finger you or lick your pussy? The ones you’ve been hiding with? If they did, I’ll rip their heads off.”
“Fuck you!” I grit out, but my speeding pulse betrays me.
His smile widens.
“Still saving yourself, aren’t you? Your body knows who you belong to, and I’m going to coat my cock in your virgin blood.” His free hand strokes my hair, and I try not to vomit. Idiot still believes I’m a virgin, a lie I told him when he started getting crazy obsessed and kept pushing me to have sex. “You’re mine. The other Omegas I was with were just practice, but you... you’re the one I’ve been waiting for.”
A chill runs down my arms. “Others?” How many has he hurt?
“Ssh.” He presses a finger to my lips, and it takes everything in me not to bite it off. “Don’t worry about them. They served their purpose, helped me perfect my techniques. But you’ll understand soon enough. Pain and pleasure, punishment and reward—it’s all part of the training process.”
“You’re insane,” I whisper, real fear starting to slide up my throat. “Whatever fantasy you’ve built up in your head about us, it’s not real. It never was. I was just some dumb Omega you manipulated?—”
“Still so defiant.” He laughs, and the sound raises every hair on my body. “That fire in you… it’s what drew me in. Breaking it will be...” He licks his lips. “Exquisite.”
“I won’t let you hurt me again.” The words come out steady, despite my racing heart.
“Let me?” His eyes glitter with something that looks an awful lot like madness. “Oh, my precious Omega, still thinking you have any say in this?” He releases my jaw and runs a finger down my cheek.
I jerk away.
“You know what happens to disobedient pets, don’t you? Remember that night with the knife? How prettily you cried?”
“Go to hell.” I spit on his shoes, but my voice shakes. That night still haunts my nightmares.
He chuckles darkly, crouching down to my level. His perfectly pressed suit crinkles as he reaches out to grasp my chin. "Such fire. Just like your parents had – before their unfortunate... accident." His lips curl into a cruel smile.