Chapter 11 #2
Where’d the attraction go? Sky could have sworn he’d been into Kenta. That night at the party, he’d been ready to sleep with the guy even, but now it was hard to focus on having a conversation.
They’d talked about every mundane thing in the book.
Classes, grades, sports. The most interesting question had been when he’d asked Sky what his favorite color was—because wanting to get to know you was hot, right?
—but that had gone nowhere fast. Mostly, they talked about topics that had nothing to do with personal preferences.
Was that why he was bored?
Maybe. Sky wanted normal, sure, but he also wanted someone who wanted him. Aside from the occasional brush of their hands when they shared food, there was no proof that was the case here.
He had half a mind to call it a night and give up, but then something caught Sky’s attention across the way.
A man wearing a mask was standing by the entrance of the house of mirrors. The mask was familiar, the same one from his nightmares. Metallic blue. It was impossible to tell for sure since whoever it was kept himself hidden in the shadows, but Sky got the feeling he was staring back at him.
They shared a long look before the man turned on his heels and entered the large building covered in spooky frames and broken pieces of mirror.
Whether it was a snub or he wanted Sky to follow shouldn’t matter.
The last time Sky had encountered someone in that mask, he’d had his virginity brutally stolen.
The likelihood it was the same man was slim—more than half the people here were dressed up, and the mask, while recognizable, wasn’t anything super unique—so even if Sky did want to go after him, the odds weren’t in his favor.
And why go after him anyway?
To demand answers?
To curse and yell and blame him for the way Sky’s body had turned against him ever since that ill-fated night?
“The carousel looks fun. Want to—” Kenta pointed to the small attraction that was mostly surrounded by middle schoolers.
“Let’s do the house of mirrors.” Sky took off without bothering to see what the alpha thought of his suggestion, crossing the grounds with a determination he desperately wished he could explain away.
He’d hit the guy. That was it. He’d find the masked man, and if it was the same person, he’d get revenge.
Did it matter that Sky had never done revenge a day in his life? No. He could be petty, surely that counted for something.
Kenta caught up to him and then made it to the door first, slapping a hand over the face of a ghost that had been painted over the plywood. “After you.”
Sky stepped through and paused, his eyes needing time to adjust to the sudden darkness.
Dim light orbs that gave off a subtly blue glow floated aimlessly around the high ceiling, drifting up and down corridors so their light was never cast on the same spot for long.
The walls were made up entirely of mirrors, some that warped their reflections, stretching or shrinking them, while others captured their image and multiplied it, so it appeared as though there were a million of them standing in a long row.
“I didn’t take this for your sort of thing,” Kenta said, his voice softly spoken in the hush of the place. Every now and again, they heard a laugh or a shriek, but even if they turned down the hallway the sound had seemingly come, they were always met with empty space. “It’s kind of creepy.”
It was completely creepy. Fog drifted on the ground, shrouding their legs up to their shins, and when the corridors widened, the reflections got weirder. Ten minutes in, and they were bumping into walls thinking they were exits.
“I don’t recall it being this difficult last year,” Kenta told him, running his hand across the mirrored wall in an attempt to find the opening.
“Me either.”
“At this point, we won’t make it out in time to visit the haunted house.”
“I didn’t take that for your sort of thing,” Sky teased. He found what appeared to be a tiny alcove and stepped into it, feeling around for a gap. Just as his fingers brushed the edge of something, he felt the alpha step up close behind him. “Whoa, kind of close there.”
“Isn’t that the point?” Kenta lifted his arms, caging Sky in, and then leaned down to nuzzle his nose against the side of Sky’s neck.
It was so sudden and unexpected, Sky momentarily was at a loss for words.
“You smell really good.” Kenta’s tongue flicked out, the wet tip lapping at the curve of Sky’s jawline.
Sky tried to shrug him off. “Cut it out.”
“Why? Not in the mood? I can help with that.” His left hand came around Sky’s front, smoothing down his chest to his navel.
Sky captured his wrist, holding firm. “I said stop.”
“What’s wrong?”
He tried catching Kenta’s eye in the mirror, but the alpha was still too busy smelling him to notice. With a sigh, Sky twisted around, resting his back against the glass. As soon as the alpha finally looked at him, he was honest. “You’re making me uncomfortable.”
“You seemed into the aggressive approach before,” Kenta pointed out.
“Yeah, well, I’m not.” At least he wasn’t right now. Either he’d finally gotten over his messed-up desires to be pinned down, or his kink was super specific about who was allowed to take him by force. Didn’t really make sense, all things considered, but now wasn’t the time to worry about it.
Sky tried to push Kenta away, but the alpha captured his hand and slammed it against the glass over his head. When Sky made a pained sound, he laughed.
“Come on, quit playing hard to get, omega.” Kenta moved in closer, shoving one of his knees between Sky’s thighs. He ground up against his apex, clearly trying to elicit a response.
Unfortunately for them both, the only one he got was one of disgust.
This was wrong. All of it. The way the alpha’s touch felt against his skin, the feel of his knee grinding against his flaccid dick. Even Kenta’s pheromones, which he’d started pumping into the confined space, smelled unappealing.
“Seriously, cut it out.” Sky struggled, but the alpha held him against the glass with ease. “I said stop. Hey! Don’t!”
Kenta forced his free hand down the front of Sky’s pants, cupping him through his boxers. He grabbed onto him, frowning when he found Sky wasn’t even slightly hard. “I guess you need back door play to get things going, huh? You one of those omegas?”
“No. I just don’t want to.” Sky found himself pulled forward and then slammed back, whacking his chin against the mirror. Pain radiated and he growled, jabbing his elbow against the alpha’s chest in retaliation.
Kenta swore, but that didn’t deter him. He had Sky’s pants unbuckled and shoved down his thighs in an instant. A finger slipped through the waistband of Sky’s black boxers and he tugged it, snapping the material like a rubber band.
Sky jerked and then went still. There had to be something wrong with his brain, because only then did the fear finally register. He wasn’t weak, but his strength compared to the alpha…It was clear Kenta meant to take this all the way, that it wasn’t just a joke made in poor taste.
“I have no desire to be raped again,” Sky’s voice sounded flat to his own ears, his words echoing harshly around them in the otherwise quiet.
“Again?” That gave Kenta pause, one of his heavy palms going still over Sky’s ass cheek.
“Yeah, and at least the other guy was able to get me off.” He shouldn’t have said that. shouldn’t have admitted it out loud, and definitely shouldn’t be antagonizing the man currently at his back.
“I’ll make you wet for me.”
“Doubtful,” Sky stated. “You smell disgusting.”
“You liked my scent last week.”
“That was last week.” It’d been before Sky had gone into heat and ended up in bed with Kian.
It occurred to him then why his body wasn’t responding.
It all came back to that whole “wanting to be wanted” thing.
The man in the mask who’d fucked Sky’s brains out, who’d destroyed him even when Sky had begged and pleaded for him not to, had wanted him.
Last week, when he’d told Kian to leave and the alpha had refused, Kian had wanted him.
Knowing full well that he was Elm’s best friend and they shouldn’t.
He’d wanted Sky anyway. Badly enough to take him.
Kenta didn’t want Sky.
Kenta just wanted to get laid.
“What’s my favorite color?” Sky asked.
“What?”
“You should know.” It hadn’t even been an hour since the alpha had learned it.
“Does it matter?” Kenta huffed and then tore Sky’s boxers down, exposing his ass to view. He groaned as soon as he did, ignoring the way Sky cursed and tried to cover himself. “Omega ass really is unparalleled.”
Had he really just said that?
“Who the hell are you?” Sky might even be convinced the guy had been possessed by a vengeful, horny spirit with the complete one-eighty personality he was displaying.
“Quit acting like you don’t want it. Omegas always want it.”
“That’s sexist.”
“It’s not like you’re a virgin, Sky. You just fucked someone else, remember?”
He stilled. Was that what this was about? He’d confessed to Kenta that he’d spent his heat with another alpha, trying to be a decent person. He hadn’t wanted to take advantage of the alpha and lie. Had wanted to give him a choice to continue forward or call them quits.
Instead of seeing that, had Kenta taken it to mean Sky was easy?
“I don’t go around sleeping with just anyone,” Sky said, but Kenta merely grunted disbelievingly at him.
“Please. Most omegas are like that. Sluts. They’ll do just about anything for a thick alpha knot.
Turns out, you’re no different. I thought you were a good one, Sky, I really did.
But you’re just like the rest of them, willing to spread your thighs for any alpha who comes along with a cock.
Oh, my bad, was that presumptuous? Are you also into female alphas? Wouldn’t want to be sexist.”
Sky felt the man’s fingers trace his crack before dipping between his cheeks to prod at his dry entrance. “Don’t touch me!”
“Relax. I told you I’d make you wet. You all say the same thing at first, and then before long, you’re moaning and riding me like I’m your god. It’s honestly pathetic.”
“I’ll report you!”
“Who’s going to believe you? My dad is the sheriff.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell him that Sky had ties with the Imperial family—even though that was partly a fib and the “tie” was through the Erskines—but he didn’t get the chance.
Kenta’s body suddenly slammed into him, the alpha grunting and then wheezing.
Sky’s wide eyes lifted to the mirror, and the breath caught in his throat.
The masked man was standing behind Kenta. He met Sky’s gaze and then there was a popping sound a second before he stepped back.
Kenta toppled to the floor, pained hisses coming from him.
There was a knife wound in his back.
The masked man was holding the weapon.
Sky shifted, just an inch, to the side where he’d found the hidden exit earlier, but one look from the masked man froze him in place.
“Help,” Kenta cried out, grabbing onto Sky’s jeans where they’d pooled around his feet. “Help me.”
Before Sky could even reach for his multi-slate, the masked man reacted.
His foot came down with a flash of movement almost too fast to catch, directly onto Kenta’s neck.
There was a sickening crunch, and then the alpha’s body went still.