Chapter Two #2
Most of them worked in the commercial area of the prison making car parts for $0.20 per hour. They needed the workers well enough to show up, not locked in a cell in the basement in four-point restraints when their raging hormones took over the last shred of humanity in their minds.
Alphas needed omegas. It was a biological fact. This many alphas together was a ticking time bomb, and this little omega was barely more than a bandaid. As delicate as one, too.
His brooding is paused when his brothers look over at him. He can feel concern radiating through the bond, as if they know exactly what he was thinking.
"This is Tenor," he gestures to his first brother, forcing his voice to be softer, not to give away the aggression brewing inside of him. "And that's Julius."
His pack brothers are standing in the centre of the room, and he tries to imagine how they must look to her. The three of them are all huge assholes, typical alpha builds taking up most of the free space there is in the cramped cell.
Their bodies had been built with muscle from years of drills and training, and after everything she's been through today, he thinks they must look intimidatingly large. Her whole body starts to shake and Luke feels his instincts roaring, urging him to comfort her.
"They won't hurt you," he reassures her again, but she doesn't seem to hear him.
"Here," he says, gesturing to one of the made-up bottom bunks. "You can have my bed. I'll get a kit when I get back and I'll take the free one. Sit down, it'll help."
She follows his instructions, sitting down on the indicated bunk with oddly mechanical movements that suggested to him that her mind has disconnected from her body. And after everything she's been through today, it's no wonder, he thinks.
They've seen it before, seen the way people can shut down after a trauma. Hell, causing that trauma used to be their goddamn jobs. But the little omega is strong. She'll get through it. He holds that thought tightly in his fist.
Tenor passes her a bottle of water and she drinks a gulp of it, then seems to realize how thirsty she is and downs the rest.
"Thank you," she whispers to him, not looking up at any of them. She must feel safe, he thinks, to be able to leave behind her brave mask. Maybe on some level she knows that he told her the truth. That they'd take care of her.
Tenor nods at her in response but says nothing. His pack brother's familiar woody scent radiates concern, and he feels through the bond how affected he is.
Julius, fucking asshole that he is, scowls in disapproval, clearly not wanting them to get mixed up in this. But Luke knew he didn't really mean it. The pissy feeling coming from Julius in the bond is only half as pissy as his face is.
Julius would no more have sat by and listened to that girl get raped than he or Tenor would've. It would only have been a matter of time before he went and put a stop to it, Luke just got there first.
"What did you do to get put in here, omega?" Julius' voice is callous, and Luke wants to punch his pack brother for being an asshole.
"I uh—I stabbed a cop... I guess." The collective eyebrows of the group raise in surprise at that. She quickly stammers to clarify, clearly not wanting them to think she was violent, as if they'd see the tiny thing as a threat. "After he tried to rape me."
A heavy silence falls over the group as they process that information.
Luke turns to glare at his pack brother.
Fucking dick being rude to an omega who was just defending herself.
The gentle little thing clearly didn't deserve this.
No omega would deserve this, he silently corrects himself, no matter what they'd done.
Would've made more sense if she was a mafioso's girlfriend or something though. But then again, cops were all bastards.
There's a sudden commotion in the hallway outside and he sighs in resignation. Well fuck. The guards must have finally gotten off their asses to come and check on the situation. Probably were hoping there would be a show by the time they got here, nasty rapist fucks.
Sure enough, there's a dozen of them, all dressed in full SWAT gear. He doesn't say anything and doesn't resist as he gets to his knees and places his hands behind his head so they can cuff him.
Before they can reach him, he turns to look at the omega still huddled on his bed just in time to see her pulling back into herself like a turtle retreating into its shell as she sees all the guards in their battle armour.
"What's your name?" For some reason, this information is of paramount importance for him to know. He needs to know before he gets dragged to the hole, needs to know what name he's going to repeat to himself to keep him warm down there.
Before she can answer, one of the guards strikes him on the back of the head with a baton and he lets himself go down. He doesn't put up a fight, not even as they haul his limp body up and lock his arms and legs with heavy metal restraints.
"Eden." She says it so softly he almost doesn't hear it.
Eden. Of course she was.