Page 125 of Filthy Royal

But she’d told him the truth. She’d never stopped caring about Damien. Not one rotation. Not once through everything Darvish inflicted on her. Not even since he returned, imprisoned her, spanked her, locked her in his taming chain, and gagged her.

She’d always believed Damien was different from the other Alphas who came to the Golden Done. He’d been her champion. Even more upset than her by the way they treated her as a Consortium prize.

Turned out, four planetary rotations later, he’d grown as indifferent to the plight of the omega prizes as any other Alpha. Or maybe he’d always been as selfish and hard as all the rest, and she’d just been dazzled by his good looks and incredible tongue.

No more.

Her rage crested higher until it finally outweighed her guilt. It surpassed even the protective bubble she’d built around Damien and the memories of what they’d once shared. Slammed past the love she’d once felt for him and shattered the tenderness she’d guarded so carefully this entire time.

She felt the rip to her soul.

“You hear me, Omega?” Arms crossed over his chest, Damien glared at her; no clue he’d just lost something he’d never cared about in the first place.

But she did. And it hurt.

“Understood.” She righted herself and stood tall. She’d survive this and find another way to save her friends. All of them. She refused to give up. “Thank you for the lesson.”

Damien’s eyes narrowed. “Just what are you thanking me for, Omega?”

“For the reminder that the past is in the past. I guess a small part of me was holding on to the memory of what was, but”—her voice shook, but she pushed on— “I see that’s gone now. For both of us. You were once my home, my shelter, my future. You were once someone who mattered to me.” She fired out the words: “Not anymore.”

Damien rocked back as if struck.

But he recovered fast. “Exactly. I’m just your captor—and you’re nothing to me but a means to an end.” He shoved the gag back in her mouth and, ducking low, threw her over his shoulder.

His hand clamped once more against her thigh, and this time, she was so numb, she barely felt it resting there.

14

DAMIEN

She wouldn’t forgive him?Un-fucking-believable.

Jaw tight, Damien marched along the tunnel, gaze shifting left and right, on alert for any ambushes.

They were halfway to Consortium headquarters, and he expected to encounter some kind of patrol or activity soon.

Too bad he couldn’t engage unless absolutely necessary, as he was definitely in the mood to rip something apart.

You were once my home, my shelter, my future. You were once someone who mattered to me. Not anymore.

Blatant manipulation. Utter bullshit.

He’d fallen for her words of affection once, taken drugged water from her, and gotten his friend killed. He’d tongue fucked her in the middle of a mission because she’d seemed worried about a little blood over his eye.

He wasn’t about to make another mistake like that.

Nor risk exposure.

He needed to focus on one thing: getting to Darvish so he could save Zaya.

Nothing was more important than that.

So why was there a tightness in his chest that hadn’t been there before? Why did it bother him that she hadn’t struggled or squirmed or kicked since he’d started moving again, her withdrawal a physical absence pressing against his ribs?

Stupid.

All he’d lost was the fantasy of a female and a love that hadn’t been real in the first place, and he’d come to grips with that long ago.

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