Page 30 of Knot Your Damsel

“They brought me to a building that was full of life, full of people. I shared a room with lots of other kids my age. They gave us three meals a day and we were even taught reading and writing. The only thing we had to do was to run errands for them, usually small things, a note here, a letter there, nothing that would seem suspicious to a bunch of excited kids.”

I play with Vera and my hair, winding our long strands together, until she takes my hand and calms the nervous movements.

“As I cleaned up and finally put on a bit of weight, some people started to notice me in a different way.”

Caleb starts to growl again and I smile as Vera does the same, though hers is much softer. But I still feel it against my chest where I’m pressed against her back.

I want to stop talking now, let them think this is all there is to me. But I know that’s not enough. That’s not enough to start our bond strong. If I want this to last, I can’t keep secrets from them.

“I was brought to a different part of the building. They put me in flashy clothes and made me bring drinks to the people in the bar. I was allowed to save some of the tips I’d get every night and even had my own little safe in a new room. Now with kids older than me, others who worked at the bar or other parts of ‘this’ side of the building.”

I close my eyes, remembering being awoken by people screaming in their sleep, terror rolling off them in waves, how I didn’t get a single night of uninterrupted sleep in that room. And I’m sure I’ve woken up the others with similar nightmares plenty of times…

“Mathew?” Vera’s voice is soft and she runs her thumb over my hand, soothing. I kiss her shoulder, letting out a long breath.

She’s so precious, so lovely, I don’t want to ruin her by telling her about my past, but I have to.

“I quickly became a favourite among the regulars. Innocent interactions would become less innocent over time. Part of that was because they were sure I was an Alpha. I was tall, strong and protective of the other kids, especially those younger than me. People would tease me, tell me how good I had it to be surrounded by so many pretty Omegas. I just wanted them to keep their filthy hands off them. I knew what was going on wasn’t right, but I was a kid, there wasn’t much I could do against them.”

I growl and both Caleb and Vera’s growl sync with mine in reply.

“When my pheromones began to lean Omega, they had me tested. I’d hoped that with the results, the attention on me would fade. Now I was just another Omega, nothing special. I was just like the others. But people became even more interested in me, because I was unique. An Omega who didn’t look like one, an Omega who could pass for an Alpha. They liked that even more.”

It’s why my heart tattoo has a crown. I wasn’t just any kid, I was the most desired one, the one bringing in most of the money.

My stomach rolls and I curl tighter around Vera, trying to soothe the bad memories with her scent, with her and Caleb’s scent.

I’m safe. I’m safe here. I’m safe with them.

“At some point, they had me meet clients outside of the building. Those were often much richer, which meant more money. That’s how I ended up here.”

My emotions slow down, anger and quiet settling in me. I’m skipping a lot now, but that doesn’t matter, none of that matters in comparison to what happened next.

I climb from between Vera and Caleb, my eyes on the room, until they land on the desk.

“The previous guy running this organisation was obsessed with the idea of me. I was a tall and fairly muscular teen, someone who could easily pass for an Alpha, but who was in fact an Omega. That duality turned him on.” That duality turned all the creeps on.

I grimace, staring at the wall behind the desk where he used to have a photo of his picture-perfect pack.

“My pheromones were always on the strong side. Possibly a side-effect of some of the drugs they’d given me, or maybe it was natural, but my heats were irregular. They were sure I was nowhere near my next heat cycle, or they wouldn’t have sent me here. They weren’t kind, but they weren’t that dumb either. Their most profitable Omega getting pregnant was very bad for business.”

I walk over to door to the garden, looking outside for a moment. It looks nothing like it was when I saw it for the very first time.

“I have no idea why, but, as I was standing in this room, my heat suddenly started and he was on me in moments. I had no time to get to my bag to take emergency suppressants.”

Vera gasps as Caleb jumps up, his angry pheromones rolling through the room. I ignore them, tugging on the corner where two pieces of carpet come together.

“Because I was used to my high levels of pheromones, I could keep a clear head and instantly went for the knife I had tucked into my clothes. Some clients weren’t very good with taking ‘no’ for an answer unless they thought their life was at risk.”

With a hard tug, I rip away part of the carpet, making Vera jump up too and quickly move to the side.

Then I tug at it again, and again, until a large dark stain is revealed in the middle of the room.

“I cut his throat and his spurting blood even hit the wall behind the desk.” His precious pack photo covered in droplets of his disgusting blood.

I look at Caleb and Vera, all angry and upset energy leaving me, their shocked expressions almost making me smile. “And that’s how I became me. A defective Omega who can’t perfume or go into heat, who runs an organisation of killers and rejects. And I’m apparently…yours.”

13

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