Chapter 2
Savannah
F or the past... who the fuck knows how long I’ve been down here, things have always been the same.
Every morning, I wake up at eight am, and I’m given breakfast. At noon, I get lunch, and at five pm, supper is served. Exactly at ten, the guards come to make sure everything is off and that I’m tucked into bed like a good little Omega.
It’s the only time of the day I have any human interaction. Every other hour of the day, I’m alone, with only myself, the books I read, and the movies I watch to keep me company.
When I was pregnant, the only thing that changed was when they had a doctor come in every once in a while to check up on me.
Let’s be honest: I lost whatever marbles I had left long ago. Spend enough time alone with only the voices in your head, and any hope of saving your sanity is long gone.
The repetitive thump-thump of footsteps and the tinkling of keys grow loud enough to be heard over the movie that’s playing.
During the day, I always have a movie on. I’ve resorted to tracking my time by the movies’ run times—most are between an hour and a half to two hours long.
Dinner wasn’t even a full movie ago, meaning I should still have a few movies before it’s time for bed. There’s no reason for me to be hearing these noises right now.
So why do I hear someone coming from down the hall?
Scrambling off the bed, I quickly duck behind the door, plastering my back to the wall.
My chest rises and falls quickly as I try to settle my pounding heart.
You might ask me what I’m about to do? And the answer is I have no fucking clue. It’s not like I have anything else to do, so if it means making the guard’s life a living hell, then that sounds like a fucking good way to pass the time.
If I had a weapon, I’d use it. But there’s nothing in this fucking place I could use.
What am I going to do, throw a book at their face? Beat them with the remote of my TV? Like I’d waste my precious items on those ugly fuckers.
I need the remote, or I won’t be able to watch my movies. Even if I’ve read every book I own a million times over, at the end of the day, they’re still mine—some of the only things in this world that I own.
No, I need to be more creative.
The sound of a key being slid into the lock of my cell door has my heart beating so damn fast that I feel like I might pass out.
When the door swings open and a guard steps into view, I pounce. Literally. With a battle cry, I launch myself onto the fucker’s back.
“Fuck!” he shouts as I wrap my arms around his neck and squeeze as tight as I can.
“Die, you stupid fucker!” I scream.
He grunts, grabbing at my arms. He’s stronger than me, but I’m not giving up that easily. I claw at his face, grinning like a crazy woman as he screams out in pain.
“That's it. Cry for me, you big stupid baby,” I snarl, feeling my fingers dig into his eyes.
“You fucking bitch!” he roars, throwing his body backwards.
He crushes me against the wall, knocking me off his body and the air out of my lungs. He doesn’t get away unscathed; chunks of his hair get ripped out of his head on my way down.
Gasping for air, I still manage to smirk at him as pain spreads through my body. Worth it.
“You're gonna pay for that,” he spits in my face, and my grin grows wider when I see who it is.
After giving birth and then being sedated, I woke up, back in my prison cell—alone.
I trashed my room; I broke the furniture, ripped the bedding, tore apart the mattresses, and even shredded a few of my books. I was getting somewhere, too, when I took the leg of one of my chairs and beat it against the wall until it splintered.
That’s when they sent guards in to sedate me. Again. I guess having an Omega who just gave birth going feral isn’t really what's best for the Omega’s health. How can Corbin keep me as his little captive whore if I kill myself from hemorrhaging?
This ugly-ass mother-fucker was the first one to rush into the room. He grabbed at me, and I snapped, chomping my teeth into one of his fingers and ripping it clean off his hand.
Did you know we are strong enough to rip someone apart with our bare teeth if we really wanted to? Yeah, neither did I. My only regret was the fact that I swallowed some of his blood. Fucker better not have any diseases.
While he stood there, staring at his bloody hand and screaming his head off, other guards tried to grab me.
It was just my luck that the chair’s splintered pieces were sitting at my feet. Dropping to my knees, I snatch up the makeshift shivs and stab one guard in the gut and the other in the leg.
Listening to their screams of pain was pure fucking heaven. It made me want more. Gave me the fuel for the promise I made myself that night: to end every single person who played a part in the hell that was created just for me.
I’d forgotten a long time ago why I’m here and what Corbin’s plan for me was.
Keeping me under lock and key isn’t because he’s obsessed with me and wants me all to himself.
No. That man despises me with a burning passion, and it’s his life’s mission to make mine an utter nightmare. Mission fucking accomplished, that’s for sure.
Mr. Nine Fingers growls, baring his teeth at me as he grabs a handful of my hair.
I try not to scream at the sudden pain that spreads through my scalp as he yanks me to my feet.
“Enough!” he yells, using his Alpha bark, and I feel bile rise in my throat. Good, I hope I fucking puke in his face. I despise Alpha barks; the way it controls my body and forces me to do things I don’t want to do. Like listening to his dumb ass. “Now, you're going to be a good little whore and come with me. Or I’ll give you a little parting gift before you leave,” he chuckles. “A lot of us have been wondering what’s so special about your Omega pussy to have one of the wealthiest men in the country wasting so much time and energy on you.” He looks me up and down, making my skin crawl. “Sure, you're hot—got nice tits—but you’ve gotten a little fat. Shame about the baby.” His chuckle is pure evil. “Better off dead than having you as a mother.”
My eyes flare with rage as I bellow in his face. I try to attack him again, but he’s faster this time. “Stop!” he barks, and my arms grow heavy. It’s like bricks being attached to my limbs, forcing them down to my side. “You are not to fight me. You will come willingly.”
Willingly? Is he fucking stupid? Nothing about this is being done willingly.
Breathing heavily through gritted teeth, I mentally plan out every way I’m going to make him hurt as I take his life, watching it drain from his ugly yellow eyes.
“I’m going to kill you,” I whisper. It’s a vow I can’t wait to fulfill.
“Fat fucking chance,” he laughs. “Now, move it.” He yanks me forward, guiding me out of my cell.
“Where are you taking me?” I demand.
Something isn’t right. This shouldn’t be happening. I never leave my cell, not unless it’s for my weekly shower, and I took one two days ago.
No. No, this isn’t good.
He doesn’t say anything as he continues to drag me down the hall.
“I can walk, you know,” I grumble. “You don’t have to pull me by my hair.”
“It’s more fun this way,” he sneers down at me.
“Asshole,” I mutter, wincing as he tugs my hair harder.
“Stupid bitch,” he huffs.
“If I had to guess, I bet your mother didn’t really like you, did she? She probably wishes she swallowed and saved herself from having to look at your ugly mug every day.” I laugh, but it turns into a grunt as he slams his fist into my gut. “Fuck!” I shout, my knees giving out under me. I scream as I lose the chunk of my hair that he had tightly in his grip.
He snarls, grabbing me by the arm and yanking me up so hard it almost pops out of place. Lovely, I’ll get to see his fingerprints on my arm in the form of bruises tomorrow.
“I’m fucking thrilled to be rid of your ass,” he seethes. “Because if I had to deal with you for one more fucking day, I’d have killed you myself.”
“Aww, you don’t enjoy my company?” I pout up at him, pretending like I don’t possibly have internal bleeding. “The voices in my head say I’m a hoot.”
Sneering at me, he stops at a door. He punches in a code on a keypad to the right of the door, and it opens.
He continues to pull me down hall after hall. At this point, I’m wondering if he actually knows where we are supposed to be going or if we’re lost in some underground maze.
This is the furthest I’ve ever been outside of my cell. Wherever he’s taking me, I can’t help but wonder if it’s to my death.
Has Corbin finally decided he no longer has a use for me?
As much as the idea fucking thrills me—knowing I’ll never have to feel his hands on my body again—it also means that if he kills me, I can’t get the revenge I so desperately need.
We stop at another door, and he again enters in another code. Only this time, when the door opens, it’s to an elevator instead of a maze of halls.
My eyes widen in surprise as he pulls me on, pressing some buttons on the wall, making the door close.
Gaze darting up to the little screen, I see that we’re on level negative ten. Holy shit, we’re ten stories underground?
My heart starts to race again. Not in fear but excitement. Am I going above ground? Do I get to see the sun again?
Don’t be so stupid, Savvy, it’s not like just because he’s done with you, he’s going to set you free. You're on your way to your grave, and you know it.
Still, the idea of feeling the sun against my skin sounds pretty damn nice.
Watching the numbers go up, up, up has my stomach twisting into knots.
I’m unable to fight, still feeling the power of his Alpha bark controlling my movements. But just to make sure, the fucker looks down at me and barks, “Don’t fucking try anything.” With that simple statement, I feel like a layer of cement is being spread over my body.
“Bastard,” I spit.
“Whore,” he growls back.
“Please,” I scoff. “Come up with something more original. For Christmas, I’ll give you a thesaurus. Widen your vocabulary.” I smile, batting my eyelashes.
And... that gets me a punch in the face.
“Shit!” I yell as blinding pain makes my ears ring. Fucking worth it.
I’d take any physical pain over the ungodly agony I feel in my heart any day.
It's been two weeks since I lost a piece of my heart and soul. With every passing day, I turn that pain into rage. That rage stokes the blood thirst growing inside me. It’s what's been keeping me going when every part of me just wanted to lie down and die.
At least I’d be with him, you know? But he deserves better than that.
This isn’t only for me, it’s for him.
“What is going on?” a voice sounds as the elevator door opens, and a man standing on the other end sees the bloody mess that is me.
“Bitch wouldn’t keep her mouth shut. So I shut it for her,” the troll holding me explains, shoving me forward, towards the man.
“You sure about that?” I give him what I assume is a bloody smile if the copper taste in my mouth is any indication.
“You little–” he cocks back his fist again, but the man stops him.
“That's enough,” he barks.
Troll dude growls, lowering his fist.
Turning my head, I take in the man for the first time. He’s tall, dressed in a suit. His blond hair is slicked back, and there’s a frown marring his handsome face.
Who is he? And what does he want with me?
“Why didn’t you just cuff her?” the man asks.
“Because this way was more fun.” The idiot holding me laughs. He grabs my arms, pulling them behind my back before placing cool metal around them. Cuffs. Fuck. “She’s your problem now. Bitch fucked up my face.”
I look at him over my shoulder and grin. “Oh, sweetie, it was already fucked up before I ever touched you. If anything, I think you look better now.”
“That's enough,” the other man says, stepping in front of the guard. I could be hallucinating, because that does happen from time to time, but I could swear I saw a smile on Blondie's face. Just the smallest hint of one, I’m sure of it. Okay, okay, it’s fifty-fifty at this point, but still. “I’ll take it from here. You're dismissed.”
“Thanks, Shrek, you're dismissed!” I shout back as the guard turns around, heading back into the elevator.
Once he’s in, he faces us and glares at me. “Good luck,” he sneers. “You're going to need it.”
“Bye, Felicia. Be gone!”
“Do you really think behaving like this is a good idea?” Blondie asks.
I look up at him and blink. “Probably not.” I shrug. “But what else do I have to lose? What are you going to do, beat me? Been there and done that. More times than I care to remember, if I’m being honest. It’s one of Corbin’s favorite pastimes.”
A look of... something flashes over the man's face. Huh. Couldn’t be anger, could it? Why would he care?
“So, are you the grim reaper taking me to my demise?”
He crosses his arms and raises a brow. “Why would you think that?”
“Because why else would I be here?” I question, looking around. It looks like one of those hotel lobbies I’ve seen in the movies. There’s a desk to my left, but no one sits behind it. All the lights are off, apart from a few that illuminate the space just enough to be able to see.
And there are no windows. Disappointment fills me. I was hoping to see the smallest glimpse of the outside world before I meet death himself.
My gaze snaps back over to Blondie’s.
“Come with me, Savannah,” the man says firmly, enough of an Alpha bark to force me to do as he says, but it’s probably the least aggressive bark that's ever been used on me. Almost as if he didn’t want to use it on me. As I said before, huh.
This Alpha... there's something strange about him.
As he grabs my arm and leads me away from the elevator and through a door—one that doesn’t require a code this time—I no longer have the feeling of dread looming over me.
Not to say I don’t have anything to worry about. If anything I have everything to worry about. I have no idea where this man is taking me, who he is, or what the hell is going on.
“Another hall,” I murmur in a very fake surprised tone. “Is this place a fucking maze?”
The only response I get is a soft chuckle.
“So, what's your name?” I ask as he guides me down the hall.
“Jeremy.”
“Well, Jerry, care to tell me where you’re taking me?”
He glances down at me. “It’s Jeremy.”
“Sure thing, Jerry. But could you stop avoiding the question?”
He sighs heavily, eyes moving to face forward and I grin.
Still, he doesn’t answer my damn question.
What do you expect, Savvy, for them to just spill all their deepest, darkest secrets to you? You’re a damn prisoner for fuck’s sake.
“Oh look, another door,” I say with fake cheer as he pushes it open. “Let me guess, it leads to another ha—”
I gasp as a cool breeze cloaks my body, followed by something wet.
My eyes widen in shock. Outside. We’re outside. Oh my fucking god, we’re outside!
I let out a disbelieving laugh that's partly hysterical as I look up.
The moon struggles to shine through clouds as the sky rains down on the world below.
Blinking tears away, I laugh again, sporting the most genuine smile I’ve felt in... well, ever. At least as far as I can remember, anyway.
“Come on,” Jerry’s voice breaks my little bubble of bliss.
Frowning, I pout over at him. “Buzz kill much? Do you know how much my mind is blown right now?”
He raises a brow and sighs again like he’s annoyed with me. It’s a common reaction when someone interacts with me.
I don’t know why that is. I’m a fucking delight.
It takes a second for me to realise there’s a car beside us. “Get in,” he instructs, holding the car door open.
“Ahhh.” I blink, a new wave of panic hitting me. Where the fuck is he taking me? I look around. Maybe I can cause a distraction and escape. It looks like a normal back alley, and I think business buildings surround us. We’re in a city, I think? We must be. There has to be someone around here who could help me, right?
“In. Now!” His Alpha bark is a lot harsher than before.
My eyes snap over to him. Fuck, I hesitated too long. “Geez. You don’t have to be so snippy,” I mutter, climbing into the back of the car.
Once I’m in, he closes the door before rounding the car to the front.
He gets in, starts it up, and pulls out of the alley.
I’m too afraid to ask where we’re going because now I’m not really sure I want to know.
So instead, I make a remark. “If you won’t uncuff me, you could have at least put a seat belt on me. What if we crash? I’ll die.” I frown. “Oh, I see, this is how you're going to do it. Wow, lazy much?”
“Would you shut up, please,” he growls.
I huff, leaning my head against the window. “Rude,” I grumble, but my attention is quickly snatched up by the world around me. I was right, there are buildings. Many of them.
As we drive more, I scoot across the seat to look out the other window and see the fucking ocean! “Woah,” I say in awe. I can’t see much because it’s nighttime, but I can see enough.
“I’m sure you're wondering what's going on,” Jerry says, yet again interrupting my tiny, peaceful moment of joy.
I laugh, looking his way. “You think? I’ve been held captive by Corbin for god knows how many years, living in my own personal hell on earth, and all of a sudden, I’m being taken from my cell and put into a car. I don’t think your intentions are for us to go for a leisurely ride around town to relax me before bed.”
“Five,” he says, and I frown.
“What?”
He looks up at me in the rearview mirror. “You’ve been there for five years.”
“W-what?” I lean back into the seat.
“Your name is Savannah Banks. At the age of twenty-five, you were taken from your Upper East Side, New York home and have been in the possession of Corbin Miller ever since.”
Shock has me staying silent for once. Savannah Banks. That's my name? I’ve only ever known my first name. Twenty-five? That would make me, what? Thirty?
Devastation fills me as so many more questions start rushing to the forefront of my mind, causing my brain to freeze.
“Do you know everything?” I ask in a whisper. Does he know more about my life? Why am I even here in the first place? What Corbin’s reason was for keeping me other than the obvious fact that he got sick pleasure out of being cruel to me.
“I do,” he answers.
“Will you tell me?” I ask, nausea hitting me. Do I want to know? Y es. No. Fuck. I don’t know.
He’s quiet for a moment before finally speaking again. “No. We don’t have time to get into everything. But I promise all your questions will be answered.” What the hell does that mean? “What I can tell you is, to the world, Corbin is a well-known businessman who’s made a large impact on the world.” He growls. “But to the people who really know him, he’s worse than the devil himself.” He has no fucking idea. “He took you captive to get back at your father.” My father? I have one? Is he still alive?
I don’t ask him any of that. “Then why are you taking me somewhere else?”
“Because.” He quickly looks at me in the rearview mirror. “In layman's terms, he got what he wanted. He destroyed your father in every way, apart from ending his life. And because Corbin is a businessman, rather than kill you and be done with it, he sold you.”
“What?” I blink. “Sold me? Like I’m some fucking animal?” Seeing how you lived in a cell, pretty much caged up like one for years, are you really all that surprised?
“And before you think that this is your chance at a better life, don’t. Corbin kept you locked up, only using you every once in a while. The monster he sold you to is the leader of the Russian mafia. His favorite pastime is to break Omegas. He buys them from Omega trafficking rings and treats them like animals every day. What Corbin did to you once a month, he will do to you every day. All day. And when he’s done with you, you will be locked up in a literal dog cage.”
My breathing starts to come out in heavy pants, bile rising in the back of my throat. “No.” I shake my head. “No. Please!” I hate sounding so vulnerable, for begging, but fuck! I’d rather live the rest of my life the way I have been for the past five years than with whoever Corbin sold me to.
“Don’t worry,” he says, pulling the car off onto the side of the road. “I won’t let that happen to you.”
My brows furrow. “W-what?” I stammer, more confused than ever by this stranger. “You won’t?”
“No.” He shakes his head.
“What’s going to happen then?” Does this man hold more power than Corbin? Can he get me free? “How do we get me out of this?”
He turns around in his seat, eyes locking onto mine. “You die.”