Page 44 of Bonds of Hate

“I said…Omegas are supposed to be people.”

Note for the future, her tongue gets significantly looser when she has no clothes on. I need to remember that.

“You, Omega, will be whatever the fuck you’re told to be.”

A crestfallen look briefly flashes across her face. For a second, I almost feel a moment of remorse. This girl doesn’t deserve the hell that Logan plans to put her through.

In the next moment, she has wiped any emotion from her face. She raises her shoulders and arches her back, forcing her tits forward so they look like two perfect dollops of cream topped with dark cherries.

It’s a classic submissive pose. One that was probably drilled into her at the Enclave with the tip of a cane strike for any part of her body that fell out of perfect alignment while being assessed.

Any sympathy I might have for her evaporates. This girl has been trained to manipulate, and she knew what she was getting into when she signed that contract. My first and only true duty is to protect Logan, and I need to remember that. The sooner we can chase her away, the better.

“Let’s go,” I bite out, not hiding my annoyance.

A white robe hangs in the closet. I make a warning noise when she reaches for it and her hand pulls back as if she’s been burned.

I wish I could take a picture of the look of shock on her face when she realizes I want her to follow me out of the room naked.

There will be so many more opportunities to humiliate her.

Chapter Ten

MAYA

Hours later, I huddle in the entryway of Logan’s royal apartment, shivering in a thin robe. The double doors slam shut behind Cillian as he leaves me here, without another word.

Although I am happy to finally get away from him, the abruptness of his exit and the sudden quiet are more than a little unsettling.

“Hello?”

My voice echoes back at me off the high ceiling, sounding so forlorn that it makes me wince. Nobody answers, which I should have expected. Leaving me to my own devices on the first day is just another insult to heap on the pile. Pack Logan wants to make absolutely sure I know that my presence here is not a priority for them.

The apartment is massive. Cool air blows across my skin, making me shiver, and I wrap my arms around myself to ward off a sudden chill. I’ve never wanted a hug more than I do now and I’ve never been less likely to get one.

The thin robe I’d finally been allowed is little comfortagainst the humiliation I’d just experienced. Apparently, the harem has its own waxer on staff. Cillian had instructed the poor woman to remove every follicle of hair on my body below the eyebrows, save for enough to form a small purple heart between my thighs.

Trust Pack Logan to appreciate a landing strip.

Cillian had watched the entire affair from over her shoulder, his lips twitching every time I made a sound of pain.

The asshole.

I’m already kicking myself for assuming he would be the easy one, just because he’s a beta. If anything, he seems to make up for Alpha posturing with a more debonair strain of cruelty.

But I’m going to keep playing my role here, no matter what it takes.

I wander into the living room and trace my fingers along the smooth back of a leather sofa. The stiff fabric and my skin still aching from being waxed prevent me from feeling any temptation to sit down.

Every piece of furniture is expensive, all leather and carved wood, and feels about as welcoming as a museum display. Dark mahogany tables gleam under crystal chandeliers, while stiff-backed leather chairs sit pristinely arranged, practically begging me not to touch them. Even the ornate throw pillows on the couch look more like artwork than something meant for comfort.

Between the oppressive silence and the fact that I’m alone, I wonder if the prince even lives here himself. At any moment, I expect a wall to come down to reveal that I’m trapped in a dollhouse and on display for the masses.

The space is too large and I’m too alone in it. My gaze automatically moves to the shadowed corners behind overly large furniture, the many closed doors leading to mysterious spaces where danger could easily lurk.

The palace is supposed to keep me safe, but I’ve never felt like I was in more peril.

“This apartment is bigger than the entire rooming house.” The conversational words echo back at me, as I talk to myself in a bid to fight my rising hysteria. “I wonder if Logan has ever considered renting it out for parties.”

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