4. Melanie
Melanie
I shouldn’t have gone alone. I told myself from the start that I was safest next to Sin or Caspian. But the toilet was only across the hallway from the ballroom, completely visible from the main door.
I’d become too relaxed in the hour since the party started, so I really didn’t think it would be a problem.
Lily had swooped in and pulled me away from the three of them the moment she was free.
She said she was determined to introduce me to some ‘normal’ people.
It was good to talk to people who actually seemed nice.
And who didn’t have any connection to Sin, Caspian, or Kai.
A small group of us were chatting at the edge of the ballroom when I left to use the toilet.
And it was only supposed to be two minutes. It shouldn’t have been a problem.
I even spotted Caspian, Sin, and Kai as I left the bathroom, spread out in different areas of the ballroom.
But relaxing was my mistake.
I thought Zania would leave me alone when I was with them, but it was another example of how stupid and na?ve I was.
My cheek throbbed as she stood in front of me directly to the left of the bathroom, where anyone could see us.
Zania’s heels were the only reason she could tower over me, but she wore them well. A champagne-coloured dress made her look so elegant, and it was the opposite of the fury which dug into her face.
But what made me stop and tremble wasn’t only her sick scent cloying in my nose and stomach. It was the two alphas standing behind her. The two alphas that had entered my nest.
“Ms Sanderson, such a pleasure to meet you again,” her voice curled with disdain.
I wished I could snap back, to give her some kind of sarcastic answer, to show her the anger that stewed for days as I gouged her scent out of my nest. But the sight of the three of them together made me freeze, my chest swelling with panic.
That was how much damage she had done. It wasn’t only a scratch and a bruise on my cheek. She had destroyed my nest just by entering it, and even standing in front of her made me want to scream at her for taking away the thing most precious to me, apart from my mum.
While I was cleaning and crying and raging, I’d also been preparing myself for this. And I’d thought I was ready.
Before I could even reply, she darted forward. Just like before, she was too fast for me to react. She grabbed me, her sharp nails digging into my upper arm and waist as she yanked me to her side. One arm around my back, the other clutched my elbow, holding me like we were old friends catching up.
Except I cried out as pain spiked through me, and I tried to jerk out of her grip, only for her to stab her nails deeper. It was all lost among the sounds of the party echoing out through the ballroom doors.
Even on stilettos, she could still heave me along with her.
I was at least three times her size, and I couldn’t figure out how she was so strong when she looked so pinched and gross.
She was beautiful, but it was like the skin of a rotten apple.
Shiney on the outside, but when poked, it disintegrated and left nothing but gnarled flesh inside.
I dug my heels as much as I could into the smooth tiles lining the hallway, but they screeched as she carried on dragging me.
As soon as I fought back, trying to use my weight to topple her, the alphas were there.
One pushed at my bare back, and I instantly leapt forward to get away from his touch.
The other alpha clung to my arm, blocking me from the ballroom doors as he twisted it behind my back.
Panic flared inside me, and I shouted out again, but they’d already pulled me away from the main doorway. It was easy for them to shove me through a small door and slam it behind them.
My heart dropped as I met the hard glare of another alpha waiting on the far side of the room.
It was about the same size as the office Sin, Caspian, and Kai had scent marked me in.
There were two sofas pressed against the walls on either side of me, and a long glass coffee table that ran through the middle.
Large paintings of country scenes hung on the wood-panelled walls, and the room smelled of leather and spices.
But none of it mattered, because nausea had already taken me over. Just one scent of her was too much, but in the enclosed space with four alphas and Zania, the only way to stop me from gagging was biting my lip.
“Let her go,” Zania commanded. The alpha who pushed me freed my arm just as she unstuck her nails from my skin.
I quickly snapped it forward, the strain on my shoulder releasing as the deep indents on my skin grew pink and then red.
I needed to stay calm. I didn’t know how I was going to get out of here, especially when I could barely think.
They began forcing their auras on me, nearly driving me into a panic as they overwhelmed me.
The door clicked shut behind me, and I didn’t have to turn around to know the alpha who guarded my flat when Zania broke in was now standing there. Because that’s where the leather stench had come from, and it was just as potent as the others.
All four alphas wore identical penguin suits, with the same haircuts and beards, and boutonnieres that matched Zania’s dress.
The two other alphas still hovered next to my side, and it was so disgustingly similar to how Sin, Kai, and Caspian had walled themselves around me. Except there was no way I could escape.
They weren’t moving, absolutely fixed on Zania, and I wondered if they would stand there like statues until she gave an order.
“Do you like them? My mates dress up so well, and they are so happy to go along with my games.”
“They’re your mates?” I asked in shock, even though my voice was already growing hoarse. I didn’t notice the last time I saw them; I was too fixated on getting them out of my nest.
“Are you surprised? Real alphas will do anything for their omega.”
“Like breaking and entering? Or kidnapping?”
She just replied with a knowing nod.
How the hell was I going to get out of here when she’d threatened to kill me if she ever saw me again?
Coming to the party was meant to be a protest, a big ‘fuck you’ to her. But I’d let all the madness of my new designation get to my head.
I summoned the feeling I had when we entered the party. When Sin and Kai and Caspian had stood by me, and I felt like I had power. Because all I wanted to do was scream and run as she approached me with a triumphant smile.
Why did I think I could get revenge when I couldn’t even stand in front of her without my knees shaking?
I’d been scared so many times in my life.
Scared I was going to starve or be kicked out of my home because I didn’t have enough money to pay my rent.
And scared Mum might die if I didn’t take care of her or pay for her health care.
Scared I might lose my job, be alone, and scared something might happen to me and no one around me would care.
But those fears were long term, because I was scared about the future and worrying what might happen.
This fear was short term. Immediate and choking. Fear that the woman standing in front of me might really tell those alphas to kill me. And there was nothing I could do about it.
The kind of fear which churned my insides and made me squeeze my eyes and sob because any second now she might say the word, and I’d never see my mum, Sin, Caspian, Kai, and even Rosa again.
I was really in danger, and all the power I thought I had with those three was meaningless in front of her.
I had to stay calm. I had to meet her eyes, keep my expression as neutral as Sin’s as she reigned above me.
It didn’t matter how sick I felt. I’d had so many different experiences since I became an omega, both good and bad. This was just another one of those. I had to keep telling myself that so the deep fear didn’t take me.
“So, you decided to come sneaking back into my domain like a little rat.” She sneered, folding her arms. “I can’t believe you had the audacity to even think I would let this go.”
My hands balled into fists, and I glued them to my thighs to stop myself from shaking. Curling my toes in my shoes, clenching my ass, pushing my shoulders back to force my body to stand tall.
All through life, I kept thinking I couldn’t get any stronger, that the next thing would break me. But I always got through it. No matter how much I struggled and hurt, I always made it. So I had to believe I could do it here, as well.
“It wasn’t my decision,” I said, cutting myself off because of the tremor in my voice. “They basically crawled on their knees to me. They were begging me to be their omega.”
Her eyes danced over the spot Caspian had scent marked before a laugh cracked from her.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Your lies are useless here. There’s no point even replying to me with things like that.”
I paused, focusing on the strength I needed. I wished the bond with Kai was still in place so he could feel what was happening. But maybe he wouldn’t come. He hadn’t helped me last time, either.
“What if they offered me more money than you?”
She stilled as if I’d made a small dent.
“I know you already cashed that cheque. Are you telling me you’re such a gold digger that you’d risk your life simply for more money?”
Sin had already mentioned how often omegas targeted them only because of their money. If I acted like Rosa again, would it help me escape?
“Well, you could just pay me, and I’ll leave now,” I said as casually as I could.
A snarl ripped from Zania, and I gasped as she suddenly lunged for me.
Her hand shot forward, and I cried out as she grabbed my left earring.
My earlobe exploded in agony as she tugged at it. A scream burst from me as the piercing bit into flesh. I only just managed to snap my head to my shoulder in time, pressing hard to trap her hand and stop her tearing it.
“Look at how pathetic you are.” She scoffed. “As soon as I do anything, you’re reduced to a weak, whimpering omega. Who do you think you are to stand up to me?”