Page 16 of The Demon's Pet

I was probably just trying to distract myself from the imminent threat of sexual slavery, though if I called it that, I’d be blasphemous.

Everyone else had accepted what the gods wanted for them. Why couldn’t I?

But I would always remember the day the alpha of the pack had laid his hands on my head and declared me an omega.

My life ended that day.

I glanced away from Bran, overwhelmed by the painful memory, and my mother nudged me in the side eagerly.

“Did you see that? The alpha’s son, who will be alpha over the whole pack one day, looked at you. You’ve caught his eye!” She smiled. “Well, I was pretty in my day too. I’m glad I could at least pass something good on to you.”

Once again, I managed to keep my mouth shut and not retort something cruel. She was a victim in this also.

“I’m not interested in any alpha,” I said. “Even Bran. Maybe especially Bran, since his dad is at the head of this.”

My mother let out a hiss. “Don’t say that. Don’t let anyone hear you say that. If you reject the alpha’s son, you’ll be stoned. It’s the highest honor to be considered. To reject him is to betray the pack.”

I swallowed. That did raise the stakes a bit. I wanted to live free or die trying, but stoning? Seeing all the people I once loved trying to hurt me so badly I died? I wasn’t sure I could take that.

I kept my head down and followed the others until we got to the steps and they began to separate us and direct us to our groups.

I didn’t say anything as I was ushered to the group of omegas, all huddled together and wearing white. Some were looking around with slumped shoulders, their eyes haunted like mine, but most were giggling, eager, nervous, and gorgeous.

I looked down at my simple, shabby dress. My long dark hair hung limply beside my face. I was slightly taller than average, and any curves I had were hidden under my sack of a dress. I was pale, my only good feature my bright-blue eyes that almost seemed to glow at times.

Otherwise, I couldn’t have been more unremarkable, at least in my opinion.

But as I looked up at the alphas, all standing in a group to look over us, I saw more than one leering at me. Apparently, I’d made more of an impression than I’d thought.

Zane was there, and he sent me a quick sneer before turning back to the others. Maybe he wasn’t planning on picking me. A girl could hope.

“They’re all so handsome,” said Lulu, a blond, pale omega next to me.

“I hope Bran picks me,” Sara, an omega with dark hair and warm brown skin, said next to her.

I locked eyes with Sara. We’d always gotten along, though omegas stayed inside so much that we’d rarely seen each other outside of church.

She gave me a nervous smile, and I felt a warm feeling of kinship with her.

I hoped Bran would pick her as well, if that was what she wanted. He might be the least awful of her options.

“Who do you want?” Lily, another of the omegas, asked, looking as though she’d had to work up the courage to ask me.

I could never be cruel or snarky to anyone truly nervous, so I resisted the urge to tell the other omegas that I’d rather fuck a whole field of rutabagas than any of the alphas currently eye-fucking us right now under the guise of religious ceremony.

The whole thing was so fucking unfair.

I thought of Sam again, for no fucking reason, then pushed him, once again, out of my mind.

“Ooh, you do like someone,” Dolly, one of the omegas I really couldn’t stand, chimed in. “Look, she’s blushing.”

“No, I’m not,” I said fiercely. I kept any sexual arousal or sexual thoughts fiercely tamped down since alphas, with their keen noses, would take note of such things, think you might be in heat, and act as they thought appropriate.

Another thing omegas were just supposed to tolerate until they found an alpha.

“I’m excited,” Sara said, thankfully drawing the attention away from me as I gave her a grateful smile. I felt like a bag of wet garbage and didn’t want to spread it on the others.

They were innocents in this too.

---