Chapter 28
Twenty-Eight
Riot
The idea of what my personal hell would be has completely changed. Honestly, a week ago I probably would have said that I was living my worst life already. No family, no home, no happiness. I was content in my hell.
This? Being here with this mute omega is actually fucking hell. Not because I'm here with her, but because I'm not with her. I can't help, and no amount of begging her to listen to me is working.
Watching this little firefly stand up to a hulking man will give me nightmares for the rest of my life.
I don't know this girl. I have no ties to her, and I'm not planning on becoming friends with her, no matter how much my hindbrain protests.
But holy fucking shit, I've come close to crying a few times since she passed out a while ago.
The longer she stayed asleep, the more worried I got. I've known traumatized omegas to kind of check out. It's a coping mechanism, and I'm really starting to understand how serious it can be.
The guard physically hurt her, yes. But I believe what traumatized her and sent her spiraling was his words.
"High maintenance, unnatural, needy fucking whores. You aren't wanted. You're required by biology. But you can exist without being so motherfucking annoying."
I've seen her zone out and be a bit numb to our situation, but I had yet to see true pain and feeling from her. Those words and her reaction told me she's lived a life being told those things by other people. They're all untrue.
If an omega is high maintenance, unnatural, needy, and horny, then what the hell is an alpha? If we're stereotyping, then alphas are worse. We growl, try to dominate constantly, are always ready to stick our knot in an open hole, and are definitely required by biology.
From the outside, I knew the guard was being a hypocrite, but for her? He beat those insecurities while she was down.
I'm terrified of how she will behave when she wakes. That being said, I already ate my half of our food, knowing she wouldn't have the energy to argue with me about it. I want her to eat all of it, but I know she'll fight me again, and I was getting dizzy as shit.
I need to be strong in case there's an opportunity to get her out of here. It's not lost on me that I'm focusing on her survival, but damn she makes it hard to think about anything else. The woman has no self preservation and it's infuriating.
Her room is almost completely bare as they've come in multiple times to remove the things that would set her at ease. I'm worried about the strict rule against giving her any of my things. They threatened her if I went against them.
It's a mind fuck, staring at her pale bare back, wanting nothing more than to cover her up with the three blankets behind me but knowing if I did so, shit would only get worse for her.
The heat which was once perfect in our cells has dropped significantly too. I'm at a loss for what to do, but when she starts visibly shivering and I can hear her teeth chattering, I start trying to wake her up.
"Firefly, wake up now."
She continues to shiver, and my throat starts closing with worry.
Fuck. When did I start getting so invested in another human being?
Never in my entire life have I cared beyond just keeping innocents alive.
This is more than that. I urgently want to scoop her into my arms and rub heat back into her body.
She needs to be okay.
"Omega," I snap, climbing up onto my knees. No matter how I move, I can't get a look at her face. "Now, Firefly!"
Quickly glancing toward the hall, I don't see anyone reacting to my shout. The one person I do want to pay attention to me shifts and hisses. Images of her slamming her back and head into the bars I'm currently holding on to make me sick.
"Hey, hey, hey," I murmur, shifting around and even attempting to reach for her through the bars. No luck. "Take it slow. There's a little bruising around the left side of your ribs and back."
With my heart thundering away in my chest, I watch her pain-filled movements.
It's slow going, but she manages to sit up and lean against the bare bed at her back.
Those pretty blue eyes are pinched shut, and her nostrils flare.
A small grunt from the back of her throat pulls me in until I'm plastered to the bars.
Knowing she can make sounds gives me hope that one day I'll hear her voice in full force. I want her sassing me and asking me questions. Maybe she would be a bit more soft spoken and mumble her annoyance with me under her breath. I would take anything. Even just her name would be music to my ears.
Fuck, see this is the problem. She does things to me that no other person on the planet has been able to do. She's drawn me in, making me want more even when she's given me absolutely nothing.
Grinding my teeth together, I crack my neck. I need to get my shit under control because if I don't it's both of our asses on the line if I'm distracted by the fucking sound of her grunt.
Finally, she graces me with her attention. Being annoyed with her is as easy as it is to be mesmerized. I'll go with annoyed which is only made easier when she gives me a dead-eyed look.
My gut twists uncomfortably because I know she's hurting and is definitely upset, but I can't do anything about it if she won’t let me help. "Here, I left you half again," I say gruffly, slipping a piece of bread between the bars.
When she frowns at the small loaf, my jaw ticks. "You need to eat."
Her tongue pokes out and she licks her lips. Just when I think she's about to admit defeat, she shakes her head.
"Damn it, woman. I know you’re hungry. Eat."
Scowling, she tucks her legs into a criss-cross position and ignores me.
I take a deep breath and try to find my patience.
Struggling to do just that, I find myself more frustrated with myself than anything.
My stomach is full and hers is not. It's totally backwards for our designations.
I also shouldn't be this worked up about her decision to fucking starve herself.
She made it very clear that she had no problem with it the other day. I so badly want to know who her fucking pack is so I can take care of them once we escape. No real alpha would let their mate be comfortable not eating.
Sighing, I scrub a hand down my prickly face. I need to shave so badly... "Firefly, please? Come eat. I'm not hungry since I already ate, but you must be starving."
Instead of her angry scowl, she frowns again. This time when she shakes her head no, she does so with a hand patting her stomach. I wish she would speak to me, but that's not an option right now.
"What? You're not feeling good?" She doesn't move so I keep guessing. "You're not hungry?" At that, she nods and pats her stomach again before dropping her hand back to her thigh.
Baffled, I look at her tiny frame. Sure, it would take less to keep her hunger at bay, but this is ridiculous. She hasn't eaten in far too long, and she looks completely exhausted.
"How are you not hungry, Omega?" I ask, trying to keep my tone far away from accusatory. Honestly, I should give a hundred shits less about her food intake right now, but I'm practically vibrating with the need to take care of this infuriating woman.
Then she does the one thing that I cannot stand—she shrugs.
"Bullshit!" I hiss and stand to pace. "Your health fucking matters. Do you want to die so badly that you'll do anything to make it happen? What is wrong with you?"
In the back of my mind, I knew not to say any of that but I did anyway, and I'm about to figure out what this tiny omega looks like when she's pissed.