Chapter 16 #2
“The time between the change fully took over, they tossed in toys,” he said in a rush.
“Dildos, not the knotting kind. I used them, but they obviously didn’t provide much relief.
The omegas switched to alphas, all weaker than I was.
Test subjects that were on the outs anyway. I…” He swallowed. “I did them too.”
“You mounted them.”
“I was an omega virgin before you,” he insisted. “I didn’t lie. Yours is the only knot I’ve experienced.”
“Only one you ever will.”
Fenrir closed his eyes. “King, please.”
“We’re almost there,” Oberon said, but he did send another, stronger wave of soothing pheromones at him. As though he actually cared about the distress he was causing. “I understand not liking to think about it—”
“You be forced to fuck people to death like an animal and see how you feel,” he snarled.
Oberon planted a hand around his nape, fingers flexing in silent warning.
Fen needed to get out of here. He could feel it now, probably brought on by his tumultuous emotions. His power prickled at his core, and he reached for it.
“Michelle was away for the majority of that final year.” Fenrir would keep the alpha distracted until he could fully grasp his ability, and then he’d—
“That what she told you?” There was a note of something dark in his tone that hadn’t been there before.
“She murdered the head doctor in front of me when she returned and found out what he’d put me through.”
Oberon laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. “You’re smarter than that.”
“She stopped him. Saved me.”
“She manipulated you.”
“No.” Yes.
Fenrir’s mind screamed it, and this time he wasn’t quick enough or strong enough to silence it. A sob slipped past his lips before he was able to clench his jaw shut, preventing any other sounds from betraying him, but the alpha heard.
“That bitch used her pheromones to attract you,” Oberon growled, seemingly growing angrier with each breath.
“After everything you’d gone through, the years you’d spent half out of your mind, of course you’d been willing to believe her when she’d told you she was helping you.
Especially since she’d been slipping pheromones to you the whole time and you were too out of it to be aware.
It helped ease you into a false sense of security.
It’s why you were so willing to trust her. ”
“I don’t.” He didn’t trust her. “I tolerated her because I didn’t have any other options.”
“Sorry to break it to you, precious, but you don’t have any other options here either. I guess you’re just going to have to learn to tolerate me instead.”
“I’ll help you get to her, but you have to promise to let me go after.” Fenrir had already decided that wouldn’t work, but it was worth a shot. The alpha's smell was altering, growing more irritated, and that made Fen nervous.
“Not a chance.”
“You’re claiming she never helped me at all,” he reminded. “Why would I want to protect someone like that? You have to believe—”
“Oh, I one hundred percent believe the connection she fabricated has been broken.”
Fenrir felt the tingle of his ability and brought it forward. Just another minute at most, and he’d be able to unleash a burst strong enough to formulate ice crystals.
He didn’t like that he didn’t want to.
Didn’t like the way his heart seemed to beat in response, as if just thinking about the alpha’s death was enough to send his anxiety spiking.
It had to be because of Oberon’s pheromones. The hypocrite was doing the same thing Michelle had and thinking he was too stupid to recognize it. They were both monsters. Playing on his omega nature, like he was less than. Like he was nothing more than a plaything to be used and discarded.
Neither of them ever really wanted him.
They just wanted to control a Shout.
“Relax.” Oberon’s fingers flexed where he still held Fenrir around the nape, and when Fen flinched, he let out more soothing pheromones. “Hey. Does it still hurt? It’s mostly healed, but even with the second skin, the wound kept reopening because of how frantic you were.”
Wound?
The alpha’s touch gentled, and his finger traced something at the base of Fen’s neck. “How’s that? Any pain?”
“What are you going on about? Did you hurt me there?”
Oberon paused, his strong body hovering behind Fenrir’s, hot breath fanning across his bared skin.
“King?” Fenrir hated to be the first to break, but the silence was starting to freak him out.
“I didn’t realize you weren’t aware.”
“…Aware of what?”
“That explains why you kept asking what I’d done to you.” It sounded like the alpha was speaking to himself.
Fen summoned his power.
“Try to remember for me, will you?” Oberon’s tone turned cajoling.
“I have no clue what you’re talking about.” Remember what?
“It’s probably similar to what you experienced before,” he surmised.
“Parts have been blacked out. That must be one of them. That’s okay.
We can do it again. Now that you’re stabilized, you shouldn’t suffer from any more influxes.
Your body has already adjusted, even if your mind hasn’t caught up with the reason for it yet.
And with me, you won’t ever have to go through that again.
I’m not a Whisper, but after some research, I’m positive my body will still act like a conductor. ”
Enough of this.
Maybe Fenrir couldn’t bring himself to kill him, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t hurt him. It was either that or stay locked up. He’d use enough force to seriously injure the alpha and knock him out.
The alpha buried his face in the crook of Fenrir’s neck and inhaled deeply. Then he pulled back enough to peel something sticky off Fen’s nape. “It’s healed now. You shouldn’t be feeling anything. So it doesn’t hurt?”
“What doesn’t?” he growled.
“My claiming mark.”
Fenrir felt the power slip from his grasp, fizzling back into the recesses of his core.
Had the alpha just said…
“I bit you.” Oberon captured him beneath the chin and turned his head so that Fenrir was forced to meet his gaze over his shoulder.
“I thought you were being difficult because you were testing me, the same way I’ve been testing you this past hour.
But I was wrong, wasn’t I? You were thinking I was no better than that bitch who tried to own something that never belonged to her. ”
“King.” Fenrir was at a loss for words, his mind completely blank. Did he even dare hope…
“Have you been lying here, wondering when and how I would dispose of you? Precious.” Soothing pheromones exploded into the room, practically choking Fen with their potency. “I’m your alpha. I would never. Your life is safe with me. Now your ass…well, I can’t make any promises about that, but—”
“Say it again.”
Oberon’s brow winged up. “It was kind of a lame joke.”
“Not that.” He didn’t even have it in him to roll his eyes, too desperate and trying so hard not to show it. What if this was another trap?
It was easy to prove, though, wasn’t it?
If the alpha was serious, there was already a mark on Fenrir’s neck.
Oberon planted a hand on the pillow and adjusted so that he was bent completely over him, their noses practically touching.
“I gave you the claiming bite. I chose you as my omega. There’s no escape from me, but I promise I’ll treat you better than she did.
If you don’t make me cage you, I won’t. If you behave, I’ll behave.
” His hand tightened around his nape once more.
“You’re mine, Fenrir. I broke any sway she had over you when I bound the two of us together. Your Shout lineage won’t allow you to recognize anyone else as your equal, and your omega side won’t let you acknowledge anyone else as your master. You belong to me.”
Before Fenrir could fully come to terms with all that those words meant, the house shook, a loud boom echoing throughout the building.