1. Twenty-two

Chapter one

Twenty-two

I don't remember the last time I saw daylight.

Nor do I remember my name; I don't even remember who I was before they started locking me away.

The only thing I recall is my assigned number…

Twenty-two.

The one branded upon my wrist, marking me a killer.

And how I despise it.

I'm barely a person—just a husk merely existing.

My entire life, I have only known bars, and I'm simply fading away…

Soon I'll be forgotten in time, and no one will shed a tear for the helpless little husk who has never known a day of love or sunshine in her life.

But I refuse to completely fade away

For I still gave myself a name…

Only I know it, of course—a moniker I have refused to give to anyone else unless they take that from me, too.

It's the only thing gripping me to this reality, stopping me from spiraling out of control.

My jailors may call me Twenty-two, but deep down, I am Ella…

I always found it a beautiful name. Ever since I saw the fairytale, Cinderella, as a child.

One of the only things I recall of my former life.

But to the rest of the world, I'm just a number.

A thing to be feared and disposed of.

They're afraid of me out there.

From the day that group of men found me hunched over the dead body of a male nearly three times my size, they have feared me.

They called that large male an Alpha.

And me, they called an Omega.

Or a Rogue, more specifically. A dangerous creature that can't be tamed.

I was taught that Alphas are dangerous and that Omegas must kill them all.

Just like the Alpha who broke me…

They called him the warden.

One day, I will destroy him. As I will destroy all Alphas.

But right now, I'm tired and I just want to rest.

A far-off door creaks open, and I tense, crouching in the far corner.

They're back.

My jailers.

They're Alphas.

And each of them smells worse than the last.

I don't think I've ever come across one who's smelled pleasant, to be honest.

Well, apart from that one Alpha with storm-cloud eyes. He was in charge of the organization that found me in the woods.

He had smelled of rain and moss.

That one, I wanted… but only for a brief moment of insanity.

I imagined that his blood tasted just as sweet as he smelled...

I am still not quite sure what came over me. My temporary insanity made my body hot all over, giving me a pulsing desire that throbbed between my legs.

It left me feeling hollow and empty deep within, and the only thing that could make me feel whole again was the blood of an Alpha.

The insanity has gone now, and once again, I am a quiet husk.

But I feel it beneath the surface whenever my jailers torment me.

The monster wants blood…

And their cocks.

Their cruel laughs mock me as they make their way down the long hall.

I am alone on this floor. But I wasn't always.

They placed me in a cell with another Omega at first.

She had raven black hair and smelled of sweet caramel. She could have been a friend, but I scared her away.

But alas, they dragged me away and condemned me to a life of loneliness.

It's better this way.

I would have hurt her at some point anyway, and she seemed like a genuinely sweet person, a true rarity in this world.

My jailers stop outside my cell, and I keep my head bowed.

The door unlocks—a cruel, hollow sound that echoes through the vast space of my empty cell.

I don't even have a bed or a bathroom.

I have to relieve myself in the far corner, and it's starting to smell.

Finally, they step inside, and they each wear those terrible masks.

Now I can't see their faces. But I can smell them all the same.

Alpha number one smells of rotten garbage.

Alpha two has a scent of burned rubber.

And the third… he smells of sour milk.

They're all vile.

Sour Milk steps forward, kicking his leg out.

His foot makes contact with my ribs, but I don't flinch.

"Get up, Rogue."

I tense up into a ball, staying as far away as I possibly can. I may be a husk, but I am no one's punching bag.

Don't show fear. Even in the face of adversity.

Burned Rubber steps forward next. "Look at your superior when he's speaking to you…"

Finally, I peer up through tangled blonde hair. I don't see their facial expressions, but there's no missing the spike of lust in their scents.

My misery arouses them.

Fucking pricks.

Sour Milk sighs, "A crying shame… The pretty ones are always the craziest."

Rotten Garbage keeps far away. He doesn't seem so convinced by my prettiness, and that's smart of him.

I'm no fragile China doll.

Sour Milk kneels down beside me, and I hiss, backing away into the wall.

His arousal blooms around him, and he's a fool.

The Alpha grips my chin, turning my face this way and that. "A real fucking shame. Look at that plump mouth. My cock would look good in that plump mouth. Maybe we can sneak her out back and have some fun. Then when we're done, we can sell her to one of those heat farms. She'd go for a nice price with blue eyes like that…"

Rotten Garbage scoffs, "Yeah, the blue eyes of a fucking psychopath. We have a job to do here. Strap her up."

I go through the motions next as they yank me up to my feet and they still tower me.

I may be small, but I could still take them on.

All I need is a weapon of some kind.

They make me a monster…

And the more they take liberties with my body, then the more murderous and monstrous I become.

They have touched me. But they have never taken it too far.

The only time I ever felt afraid was when Burned Rubber placed his teeth at my throat, but Sour Milk stopped him in time.

Burned Rubber growled like some primitive beast. And for a moment, I seized in terror.

Gone was that brave killer…

I had become prey.

Rotten Garbage shackles my arms behind my back, and I secretly plot their demise, wondering how I would kill each one personally.

Sour Milk mock purrs, but it's the farthest thing from a soothing sound I have heard.

He sounds like he's hacking up a fur ball.

"It's okay, sweetheart. It will all be over soon…"

Over soon? My heart thumps at the implication of his words, but I refuse to show fear.

I guess it was only a matter of time.

A creature like me has no place in this civilized world.

The warden made absolute sure of that.

But I won't go out without a fight.

Sour Milk gets too familiar once again, per usual.

He yanks off his glove, rubbing his dirty finger along my bottom lip. His purr turns into a growl of lust.

"Fuck… we really should just take her for ourselves, guys. I'm going to fill that mouth with my hot cum."

You just dare; I will bite your cock off…

Rotten Garbage snaps, "No. We take her to the boss."

"Fuck that cunt. He's already got an Omega."

Burned Rubber comes up behind me, trying to sniff my watermelon scent through his mask. "More like two Omegas."

Sour Milk growls, "Exactly. He doesn't need one more."

Rotten Garbage speaks again, "He isn't claiming her. This one is only destined for one place now…"

There is no point beating around the bush.

They're going to kill me.

I'm not as dense as I look.

Sour Milk doesn't remove his finger from my mouth, and finally, I bite.

He growls, slapping me hard across the face, but I barely make a peep.

Tears stream from my eyes, and I glare at him hatefully.

He just chuckles.

"Put a muzzle on her or something. Let's just get this over with."

Rotten Garbage just wants to go home so he can spend time with his right hand.

They finally do as they're told, and now they put a muzzle befitting a pitbull around my mouth as they drag me out of the cell. They even blindfold me as I say goodbye to my cell forever.

I never had much love for those four walls anyway, and good riddance.

I can only hope that I'm going to a much better place after this.