Chapter 32

Chapter

Thirty-Two

"You don't have to tell us, if you don't want to," I made sure to let Ella know as I stood on the edge of Marko's room. My heart was still pounding from waking up, hearing her scream.

There was nothing else I could do but rush to her. To help and find out what was wrong, immediately fearing the worst.

Then again, looking at her right now, my alpha insisted that there was nothing worse than an omega in front of us coated in her own tears and frightened.

She shook her head. "No. I… I think I need to tell you."

When she met my eyes, her own glittered in the dim darkness of the room lit only by the yellow lamp next to the bed.

She seemed to wait until I spoke. "Okay."

Cal nodded, moving towards her on the bed with the other two.

"Ididn'tknow my parents. All I knew was that they were betas who left us,"Ella began, letting out a deep breath that sounded likeit had been stuckinsideofher for a long time.

She reached up to brush aside the tears left behind from whatever nightmare she hadbeen stuckinside.

"They left you," I helped her try to continue whatever train of thought she began.

Ella shook her head."They died. Or something. Either way, it was just me and my brother, Peter. He was older. He took care of me. Until, one day, someone tried to take me away."

My pack mates looked at each other.

Omega Services?

The question was there, but none of us asked it.

We listened to Ella as she continued, not wanting to risk her stopping.

"They came almost every dayandat first, Peter dealt with them,"she said."He lied to me. He told me at first that the men were selling things or that they were trying to see where mom and dad wentwhichwas a little scarier, but I never questioned my brother.How could I question him when he was always the one who still managed to put food on the table even after he dropped out of school? Our housewasn'tthe best. Our neighborsweren'tthe nicest, but we managed.Itdidn'tlast longthoughbeforethe people were knockingon our door every day, and Petercouldn'thold them off any longer."

"Who were they, Els?"Cal asked after she paused.

"They said they knew our parents. Which was true,"she explained."My father before he ran off or died… Peter said that hewasn'ta kind man. I thinklookingback nowthathe beat him and my motherandIdon'tthink about it ordon'tremember much about it. Then again, Idon'tremember much until I was about nineandthat wasonly about two years before they ran off."

"I just don't get that," Liam cut in. "How could they–"

"WhatLiam is trying to sayisthat hedoesn'tunderstand how they could just leave two kids,"Ifilled in.Reaching out towards her hand. Shedidn'tpull it away, though she did hesitate, confusion between me and the hand being offered.

She opened it up until her palm was facingup,to cup my hand in hers.

Relief and comfort raced through me and the bond into my pack.

"Well, somehow, I think my father knewthat Iwas going to present as an omega," she said.

Everyone stiffened once more.

"Because after a while, Peter let them into the house. There was no use trying to keep them awayormaybe they threatened him. Like I said, Idon'tknow. I was barely sixteen. But I overheard them talking. My father…they said that he gave them, well. He gave them to me."

"He sold you."Marko clipped out.

Gnawingon her bottom lip after a long while, she nodded.

"Peter forced them out of the house after that. He told them not to come back orhe'dcall the police, butnothing was ever done. When he did call the police, they told him not to again or something bad would happen. One of them, I remember, told us to be grateful that someone wanted to take care of us,"she said, her brow furrowed with confusion."Peter kept telling me what they wanted to do. He told me then that no matterwhatI needed to remember now that I was anomega,andthat omegaswere seenas… needed to many people.Desired.Used. I needed to remember that so that Iwasn't."

The last word came out rough as if she needed a drink of water.When we offered the one on the nightstand, however, she pushed it away.

"So, the next time the men came, they brought gifts and were smiling. For a moment, I did think that maybe Peter was overreacting. They would bring us foodmeclothing for one weekend where the one man insisted thatI was neededto meet the family that I now know…bought me."

Marko took a step away from the nest and cursed.

I couldn't blame him.

"Who were they, Ella?"I asked.

She shook her head."I met them and his son soon after that and…I met his mother.The man who bought me, his wife.She seemed happy.Happyenough anyway so that Iwasn'tall that worried at first. She said she had everything she wanted. A home. A family. But I saw how they treated her."Like a slave."And itwasn'tgood. As if she was nothing but theirs to play with as they saw fit."

"Unfortunately that is still how some spaces in society see omegas, as homemakers that don't deserve anything else," said Liam. "It's disgusting."

Ella'seyes turned up tome,hard."They told me that I was going tobe bondedto him.The alpha son.They told me as soon as I went into my first heat, it was going to happen."

I took a deep inhale, remaining calm.

"And that family, they looked so pretty from the outside. Everyone liked them. They enjoyed being around them, but past those walls…they were just cruel… I could remember the first time I saw past the walls. Not long after I perfumed, Benjamin Davinson,who wasmybrother"sage or a little older and my so-called betrothed, insisted that we spend more time together even if wecouldn'tbe bondedofficiallyuntil I went into heat. At first, it wasnice. He took me on dates to the cinema and to dinner. But then, things started to turn around.

"Ben wanted me tolet him knowwhen I woke up and went to bed.He'dlecture me on proper omega etiquette and how if Ididn'tlistenI would never be good enough for him.I'dembarrass himwhichI quickly learned was something I never wanted to do. I followedalongwhen he scoldedandhis father praised him for running a tight ship. I followed along and laughedalongwith his friends when they teasedmeeven though itdidn'tfeel much like teasing. It felt like being degraded. I followed along when he kissed me more than I wanted to be or touched me…hit me, even," she whispered.

Everyoneincludingmenearlyjumped up from where we sat, listening.Marko'sslice of the bond was molten hot as he looked at the wall.

"It was only a few times, of course, little slaps. Reminders,Ben called them. I kept my head down. It was all I knew how to do. I hoped it would get better, butmainlyIjust let it happen. I escaped through reading most of the time. It was one of the better omega hobbies I was allowed to have, and I always loved readingsoI did more of it than I ever didallwhile my brother was doing something else.

"They were so cruel.They had so much moneyandsoIdidn'tunderstand how they could have everything they ever wanted and still be so angry and upsetall the time.How could they even have me without lifting a finger and not let me go in their big fancy house yet…"

She took a deep breath.

Caldidn'tsay a word next to her when she turned to look at him. None of us did.

"My brother came and got me one night. He got me out and took me back to the house to gather our things before he said we were going to run away only…"She took another deep breath. I squeezed her hand."Wedidn'tget that far."

I asked her."What happened?"

"Peter saved money and had tickets booked for the both of us to get out of there. Only, I went into heat quickly the first time. And it was as if they knew. The Davinsons came looking for me almost immediately after Peter snuck in to get me. And if they did, Peter told me what I already knewat that point.I'dbecome BenjaminDavison'sbond. His servant. His slave.

"Peter hid me when they showed up– He locked me in a secret room in the basement,"Ella spoke louder as she reached the end of the story. God, I hoped it was the end."I rode out my first heat alonethereand… no one found me."

"You got out,"Cal whispered.

"My brother had it all set up for me. I just needed not to get caught. And Ididn'tbecause…because he let himself get caught for me. They killed him right there. They shot him in the chest. Hedidn'teven die immediatelyandI was too out of it to be there with him.To even realize.Then, I left him in the middle of nowhere while I ran."

No one spoke for a long moment. I could hear the gentle wind outside. I wonder if we would all ever be able togo backto that now thattheyknew. They knew why I was hiding.

And they were hiding me.

"He always warned me if I ran…he'dfind me,"Ella said. Her eyes widenedagain,as if remembering something, and her breaths stuttered visibly out of her chest.

"Hehasn"tfound you yet, smart girl,"said Liam, a hard edge of his jaw."Is that… is that who you thought you saw today?"

She shook her head. "No. I thought I saw his brother. Though that a made no sense. His brother wouldn't have been an omega," she said. "I'm worked up is all about it and I guess now that I'm here…"

"It's all rising to the surface," murmured Marko.

"Those people will never find you now. Not if I have any say in it," said Liam.

"We'll make sure of it," Demetri agreed.

After a second, she nodded."I believe you. I just…I understand if youdon'twant me here anymore.I'ma lot of troubleandI hate that you are looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like… Like you're pitying me," she whispered.

Cal hastily shook his head."I promiseit'snot pity, beautiful."

"Never,"agreed Liam, voice pinched.

"We are honored you told us," I said, slowly, still trying to contain myself and my emotions raging inside of me so I didn't share them through the bonds. I needed to keep us calm and together right now even as our world, our omega's world was turned upside down.

No wondershehad been so nervous. So frightened of us."You have nothing more to worry about."

"Okay,"she looked between us all, still slightly unsure. She nodded again."Okay."

We all huddled around our omega.

Our omega.

We all agreed now. There was no doubt in the bond or between our faces. She was ours.

No matter what.