Chapter 24 #3
I’m a disgusting, filthy mess, and the disparity between us is only highlighted by his regal presence. I imagine that this is how it feels to kneel in the dirt at the foot of a King’s throne. Every unwashed inch of me stands out in stark contrast to his god-like perfection.
It’s mortifying.
Not least because my physical attraction to him is impossible to ignore.
For the first time ever, I’m grateful I’m on suppressants and my scent can’t give away how I feel.
This whole situation is already shameful. The last thing I want is for everyone here to know how I feel.
Maybe that’s why I get flustered and mess up.
I should have waited. I should have been patient and kept my mouth shut. Instead, I got flustered by the Alpha’s beauty, and my emotions boiled over in the form of words tumbling out without thought.
“Please, I need to explain what happened. If you would just listen—”
“We don’t want to hear your bullshit explanation,” Silas snaps around a mouthful of food. “We know what you did.”
My throat tightens. “You don’t understand. That night, things didn’t happen the way you think they did.”
“We understand perfectly,” Cage shoots me a mocking smile. “You helped your daddy set up a trap. You lured Caelan back to your house by pretending to be a mistreated Omega in need of rescue. Then you got him shot and almost poisoned to death.”
This. Jerk.
“That is NOT—”
“Shut up,” Vae’s voice snaps through the air like a whip.
I flinch, my explanation dying a quick death. I want to cry. Want to scream. Those beautiful eyes of his are glaring at me now, and they’re so, so cold.
“You don’t get to talk unless asked a direct question. Do you understand?”
They aren’t going to listen. They aren’t going to let me explain what really happened.
I hang my head, praying they can’t see the tears shimmering in my eyes.
My response is barely audible. “Yes.”
“Perfect. Now, I asked you a question. Are you hungry?”
I nod once, still unable to push words through the tightness in my throat.
Vaelenor hums in acknowledgment. Before he can reply, though, Cage speaks up.
“We figured that might be the case, so we saved you a plate.”
Something about his gleeful tone makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
Vae reaches across the table and snatches an empty glass from a serving tray, his movements casual and unhurried. He fills it with water from the pitcher, ice clinking softly against crystal as condensation beads on the outside. Tiny droplets slide down the glass to pool on the white tablecloth.
He places it in front of me.
Just… sets it there. Within reach. Close enough that I swear I can feel the icy coldness of it. Close enough, I can see the light refracting through the liquid and glass, creating a kaleidoscope of colors.
My tongue is thick in my mouth. My throat’s suddenly so dry I can’t swallow. The last time I was given anything to drink was in the cell. It was a mini bottle of room-temperature water that I finished so fast I barely tasted it.
My hands itch, but I don’t dare reach for the glass.
I lift my gaze to Vaelenor. I hate how weak my voice is when I finally manage to force sound past my vocal cords. It isn’t a question or even a word that comes out. To my endless mortification, I only manage a soft, uncertain whimper.
If I’m not allowed to speak unless spoken to, then it’s not much of a leap to assume I’m also not allowed to take things without explicit permission.
When I was nine years old, I snuck into the kitchen and stole one of the cupcakes left out to cool on the counter.
The chef made them for my Father because they were his favorite.
I still remember the smell of chocolate and sugar that filled every room, and how badly I wished for just one of the treats.
There were so many. I never thought it would matter if I took one. Didn’t believe anyone would miss it.
I can still hear the sound the bone in my finger made when it cracked under the force of my father’s grip. Still remember the pain of having to take a trip the next day to Dr. Albertson’s so he could reset and splint it.
I wonder how many lessons I can pinpoint to specific moments in my childhood.
How many rules did I have to learn not to break?
Vaelenor tilts his head to the side. I wait, holding my breath, until finally, his expression clears, smoothing into something resembling understanding.
He gives me a single, small nod.
Permission.
I feel his eyes focusing on my trembling fingers as I wrap them around the glass. The condensation is cool and wet on my palms, and when the first taste of liquid touches my lips, I almost cry.
The water is crisp, cool, and blessedly wet. Absolute perfection. I take another sip. Then another. I barely breathe between long, desperate pulls that slide down my throat and soothe it in a way that makes my eyes burn with relief.
A hand appears in my peripheral vision. Large and tan and moving toward my glass. Panic spikes through my limbs. My fingers flex and tighten around the glass. My breath catches in my lungs and something that feels like betrayal lodges itself in my throat.
No.
Please, no, you just gave it to me. You just said I could have it!
But the hand doesn’t take my water away. It just hovers there. Close enough to steady my glass if I drop it, but not taking. Not stealing. Not yanking it away with loud words and hard fists.
“Slow down, Omega.” Vae murmurs. “You’ll throw up.”
His voice is… gentle?
His warning takes a second to penetrate the haze of my panic.
I exhale a ragged breath and realize I stopped breathing at some point. I don’t wait for more words, but I do manage to lower the glass and take smaller sips as he suggested.
When I’m finished, I wrap both hands tightly around my prize and hold it in my lap. It’s a pathetic attempt to deter anyone from stealing it from me, but it’s all I have.
Vaelenor stares at me for so long that the weight of it turns uncomfortable. It makes my skin itch, like it’s too tight for my body. His expression is strange. His jaw’s tight, and the two dark slashes of his brow draw together in a way that makes him look angry.
He turns his attention back to his breakfast and cuts into his food with a bit more force than necessary. When he catches me watching, his beautiful face morphs from kind to cruel in an instant.
“Don’t mistake basic decency for kindness, Omega,” he warns. “I just don’t want you to puke and ruin my breakfast. I don’t give a shit about you.”
I bite my lip to keep it from trembling. His words shouldn’t hurt as badly as they do. It’s my own fault. For one brief second, I thought… I hoped…
It doesn’t matter. I was wrong.
I force my eyes away from him and search desperately for something else to focus on.
There. The butter seems safe. At the very least, it won’t glare at me.
“Hey!”
A fist slams down in front of me, and I recoil, water splashing over the glass and onto my hands and dress.
Everyone turns their attention to Cage, including me.
He’s halfway out of his seat, that cruel scowl plastered on his face. It takes me a moment to realize that while I was sinking into my own thoughts, Cage had been speaking.
And I hadn’t been listening.
“Do I have your attention now, princess?” He mocks, and I nod frantically.
My silence is starting to feel like a bruise these males can poke at will.
“Don’t worry, little liar, we don’t pay much attention to him, either.” Silas’s voice is filled with mocking laughter, but I can tell if it’s aimed at Cage or me.
Maybe both.
I lock my jaw to stop from pointing out that ‘little liar’ isn’t my name. I hate when they call me that. It’s spiteful, and it implies I’ve done something I haven’t.
Besides, to be a liar, I’d first have to get a full thought out without being interrupted.
“Just get on with it,” Vae mutters.
Cage’s expression turns into something dangerously angry, then disappears so fast, I wonder if I imagined it.
When he smiles at me, I forget about it completely.
“I’ve decided that you can have food once you answer some questions.”
I was right. His smile is the same as my father’s when he’s about to do something that only he will enjoy.
“Vae and Silas have a lot they want to know about what happened the other night, and as you mentioned, you’re hungry.” Cage leans back in his chair, arms outstretched. My stomach clenches with nerves.
“What better way for you all to get what you want?”