Prologue

prologue

KITANIA

At some point in my life, my biggest fear was the monster under my bed. No one ever told me that the real monsters were the ones with plain faces, who stood in the light of day, not hiding at all.

Like the one I heard coming down the stairs, his footsteps slow and methodical, meant to draw out and enhance my fear.

And it worked like a charm…

Each thud sent my anxiety spiraling. My breathing came faster as I scrambled back against the headboard of the shabby old bed.

It was one of the few pieces of furniture in the room, if you could even call it that. The walls were made of cinderblocks, the floor hard, cold concrete. This prison, this cage , had been my home for the past eight months—at least, I thought it had been eight months. There were no windows here, only a single, solid door that locked from the outside.

A door only my captors had the keys to…

But if the markings I’d scratched into the wall every day I was brought a meal accurately marked time, then it had been eight months, three weeks, and two days since I’d been bought. Sold like a pretty doll.

I still had nightmares about being kidnapped from my life and drugged, so I wouldn’t fight back. Of waking up in a cage. Of being stripped nearly naked and made to stand on a pedestal in front of an audience of Alphas at an underground Omega auction.

The memories were fractured, jagged things, but the terror I’d felt still hit me with sharp clarity.

And my life hadn’t gotten any less frightening since the Valentino brothers had purchased me. Antonio, Rocco, and Vincent were as cruel as they were powerful, and their favorite pastime had become trying to make me break.

They loved my tears.

My cries.

My screams.

The chain that kept me here rattled as I curled further into myself, the high-pitched metallic clanking the only sound in the room other than my ragged breathing. I strained to listen, praying that the man heading this way would turn around and leave me be.

But luck had never been on my side.

My heart pounded against my ribs like a trapped bird, desperate to break free. The stale air clung to me, thick and oppressive, making each shallow breath a struggle.

Panic rose swiftly, eating me alive. But nothing was as torturous as the raw, unfiltered dread that filled me at the sound of the key in the lock.

I swallowed, but my tongue was so dry it stuck to the roof of my mouth.

My stomach twisted.

No, please, not again. Not them.

It didn’t matter which brother showed up—each one was terrible in their own way.

I could almost feel their calloused hands on me again, groping, grabbing, hurting . I didn’t want more bruises, more pain . The brutal memories seared my soul like white-hot brands, scorching away any fleeting hope of escape.

I was their prized songbird, wings clipped, forever trapped.

A bead of sweat trickled down my spine as the door opened. I shrank back instinctively, my nails digging into my palms hard enough to draw blood as my pulse roared in my ears, thrumming with terror.

There was no hiding, no fighting—I’d learned that lesson long ago. And yet, some deeply buried primal part of me refused to give up entirely, even as I longed to disappear, to be anywhere else in the universe except facing off against the familiar silhouette that filled the doorframe, backlit by the hall light.

I flinched.

Rocco.

At least it was just one of them this time… But knowing I wouldn’t face them all didn’t quell the unease that stole my breath and made me dizzy. The twisted smile I’d seen contort his features countless times before split his shadowed face once again.

“Well, well…”

His sinister chuckle made my throat constrict.

“Look who’s awake. Did you miss me, pet?” Rocco taunted.

I shuddered violently, that nickname like a slap across my face. My nails dug deeper into my palms as he sauntered into the room, movements slow and predatory.

“Don’t look so scared,” he purred, voice like poisoned honey. “You know how much I enjoy our… special times together.”

Bile burned up my throat. I knew all too well the depravities this man delighted in—the cruel games, the demented pleasure he took in my pain. My stomach roiled with nausea and trepidation as he stalked closer.

“S-Stay back,” I managed in a quivering whisper. A brittle attempt at defiance, but it was all the courage I could muster.

He laughed then, a harsh bark of dark amusement. “Or what? You’ll beg for mercy like you always do?” He stopped at the side of the bed, reaching for me.

I wanted to run, but chained as I was, there was no point in trying.

Rough fingers gripped my chin, forcing me to meet his cold, dead eyes. “Go ahead, pet. Beg .”

Revulsion and fear churned inside me, a roiling storm of emotion that stole what little breath I had left. I flinched at his touch, hating how weak and powerless I felt in his presence.

You’re a survivor , a voice whispered inside. He can’t break you… not entirely.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I willed myself to stay strong. To cling to that last shred of defiance. When I opened them, my voice was a little steadier. “No… I won’t beg. Not this time.”

His brows shot up, cruel amusement glinting in those soulless depths. “The little bird finally grew talons, did she?” His smile slashed higher, sharp as a dagger’s edge. “We’ll see how long that bravery lasts.”

A shudder ripped through me, even as I held his dark gaze. Because no matter how this played out, I knew one thing—I wouldn’t wake up from this nightmare.

His hand slid down my throat, calloused fingers pressing against my wildly fluttering pulse. “I can feel that defiant heart of yours racing, pet.” He bent at the waist, breathing deeply, dragging my signature into his lungs. “Betraying your fear, just like your scent.”

I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat nearly choking me as his touch seared my skin. “Don’t…” My voice cracked, barely above a whisper. “Don’t call me that…”

He leaned closer, breath hot against my face. “You’ll always be my pet. My pretty little Omega, bred for a single purpose.” His other hand snaked around my waist, yanking me up and onto my knees before him, pulling me flush against his solid frame. “To take my knot. To swell with my seed. To birth strong Alphas that continue the Valentino legacy.”

A whimper slipped past my lips as misery coiled inside me. His words cut deeper than any blade, slicing through the fragile veil of composure I struggled to maintain.

Think of something else. Anything to escape this…

But it was no use. Not when his broad body caged me in, the bitter, burnt scent of him overwhelming. I turned my face away to avoid him the best I could, but I was as helpless as a butterfly with its wings pinned.

“Rocco,” another masculine voice suddenly barked. “That’s enough.”

A low, warning growl followed the order, making us both jump.

Rocco whirled toward the intruder, who stepped into the dim light.

Antonio.

Tall, powerful… and infinitely more dangerous.

Two predators, challenging each other with narrowed eyes.

And I was the prize they postured over.

I’d heard them argue more than once about who would breed me when my first heat emerged. Something I knew was growing increasingly closer.

Rocco released me, turning to face his brother, hands curling into tight fists.

I took the reprieve and huddled up against the headboard once more, wishing, not for the first time, that I could become part of the wood itself and disappear.

The tension between the two Alphas was electric, sparks ready to ignite into an inferno of aggression at any moment.

Antonio’s gaze swept over me, his expression unreadable as he addressed his brother. “You know this is my time with her. Leave us.”

Rocco opened his mouth as if to protest, then seemed to think better of it. With a final glare at Antonio, he brushed past him and out the door, slamming it behind him hard enough to rattle the walls.

Alone together, the silence stretched unbearably as Antonio studied me with that dark, penetrating stare. His presence was suffocating, like he commanded all the air in the room, saving it for himself.

“Your scent has been growing stronger, micia ,” he finally rumbled, prowling closer. The pet name dripped like venom from his lips. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

Instinctively, I tucked myself into a tighter ball. My mouth was as dry as the desert, my voice failing me under the crushing weight of his dominance. All I could do was shake my head mutely.

A low, displeased rumble vibrated deep in his chest. “Use your words,” he barked, forcing the answer out of me with the onslaught of Alpha authority he infused into his tone.

Omegas couldn’t resist an Alpha bark. The need to obey was compulsive and unavoidable, a reed bending in the wind. It didn’t matter how much that reed wanted to be an oak, to stand tall and unyielding against the gale. A reed would always be a reed, and I’d never resented anything more in the entire world.

Swallowing hard, I forced out a trembling whisper, “N-No… Alpha…”

“Good Omega.” Rough, calloused fingers grazed my jaw, tilting my chin up to meet his penetrating stare. “Don’t fret, micia . We’ll take good care of you.”

The endearment, whispered so gently in contrast to the horrifying promise in his eyes, made me tremble. Antonio might not have the same penchant for dark desires that his brothers Rocco or Vincent did, but that didn’t make him any less violent. His softer tone and more confident demeanor drew you in, but they were facades. An alluring mask that hid the controlling, savage monster beneath.

A monster that would surely do his best to destroy me.

So far, I’d survived, but if they bred me, I knew there’d be nothing left of me but an empty, soulless husk, vacant, devoid of anything beyond a heartbeat.

I squeezed my eyes shut against the bleak reality, trying desperately to conjure my usual dreams of rescue. But those fantasies were fading, becoming tattered remnants with each passing day, losing their color, their vibrancy.

I had to come to terms with the fact that no one was coming to save me from this nightmare.

I was alone.

Unloved.

Forgotten by the outside world.

Once upon a time, I’d thought my designation would finally offer me the protection and love I’d always hoped for, but all it had done was paint a target on my back.

Antonio moved to the bed, shrugging off his suit jacket before sitting on the mattress. It dipped, and I listed toward him before scrambling away. His dark chuckle turned the blood in my veins to ice.

“Stop,” he barked, and my muscles froze involuntarily.

A whine slipped up my throat.

He smelled like old cigarettes and damp paper, and the stench of him nearly choked me as his hand landed heavily on my ankle.

Fear gnawed at the edges of my mind, a ravenous beast desperate for sustenance, feeding on my anguish. But I refused to cower, refused to give him the satisfaction. I jutted my chin upward, letting him see my fortitude, my steely resolve.

I might be battered and bruised, littered with scars from their sadistic games. I might be beaten down, stripped of dignity. I might be powerless, a plaything for their twisted desires.

But I wasn’t broken. Not completely.

A flicker of defiance still burned within me. That stubborn will to survive no matter how they tried to snuff it out. I clung to it with everything I had.

I met that glacial gaze of Antonio’s head-on. The cruel tilt of his mouth and the hunger in those blue depths promised pain and domination.

A shudder rippled through me, but I didn’t flinch as his calloused hand cupped my jaw, his touch hard and unyielding. He leaned in, his lips grazing my ear, causing the bile in my stomach to churn.

“All you have to do is surrender willingly, micia , and I’ll be gentle,” he promised, then chuckled when I, too, refused to yield. “Have it your way. I’m going to enjoy making you beg for mercy, Omega.” Every word dripped with menace.

I waited for the infamous bark that demanded my obedience once more.

More tears leaked from my eyes as I fought to gather and protect the last scraps of resilience I possessed.

As Antonio’s fingers dug into my skin hard enough to leave more marks, I retreated into myself, grasping that numbness that had become my only refuge. I let my mind drift to my happy little fantasy where I was loved and had a pack, a home, and a family.

Sinking into the vision, I let it wash over me, protecting me like a shield. Here, in the recesses of my mind, no one could hurt me.

Just like I had every other night of my captivity, I’d survive this night, promising myself that if I held on just a little longer, somehow, someway, my dreams might just come true.