Chapter 15
Everything happened so quickly Ehlian barely had time to process it.
After a few meetings with Daribon, he was summoned to a small court in the prison. It was a marvel to watch Daribon work; his calm yet commanding manner demanded attention as he argued Ehlian’s case.
A month later, Ehlian was granted early release.
While he had hoped for this outcome, it still came as a shock.
As he was led back to his cell, a strange daze clouded his thoughts.
His joy and relief at regaining freedom tangled with something darker—an uncomfortable, unshakable feeling, as if he was mourning this place.
Mourning something that maybe had become dear to him.
Hayce stood at the bar. The glasses were turned upside down, but he didn’t reach for any bottles. It looked like he was debating whether to pour himself a drink, yet not quite in the mood. Or maybe his mind was somewhere far away.
Sensing Ehlian’s return, he finally turned around.
Ehlian offered an uncertain smile.
Hayce didn’t return it.
Letting out a shaky breath, Ehlian spoke at last. “I’ll be released in a week.”
Hayce said nothing.
“You already know.” Ehlian shook his head in disbelief. The guards really did inform Hayce about everything. “Word travels fast in prison, huh?”
Hayce still said nothing.
Ehlian scratched the back of his head nervously.
“Look, I…” He trailed off, uncertain. He didn’t even know what he wanted to say.
A strange ache settled in places he hadn’t even known could ache, his body struggling to bear the weight of his emotions.
He wanted to leave more than anything, yet a secret part of him screamed, just a little longer… just a little more time.
With another shaky sigh, he walked up to Hayce, wrapped his arms around his shoulders, and buried his face in the crook of his neck. It was a familiar place now, warm and soothing.
“Months ago, I never thought I’d say this,” Ehlian whispered, “but if it wasn’t for you, I think I’d have left this place broken.
” Sometimes the mere thought of what it would have been like as Grasson’s omega gave him cold sweats.
“I mean, you’re an insufferable dick sometimes… but I’m grateful for your protection.”
Ehlian pressed a soft kiss to Hayce’s bond point. The thin skin under his lips felt hot. “So… I was thinking…” Ehlian hated how his voice was shaking, his throat gripped by emotion he wasn’t ready to face yet. “I could visit sometimes and—”
Hayce’s hands gripped his shoulders, pushing him away with slow, deliberate pressure. His eyes were dark, almost emotionless.
He gestured toward the armchair. “I gathered all your stuff.”
Ehlian frowned, glancing at the pile of belongings. It wasn’t much—just his nightwear, a spare uniform, his toothbrush, and the letters he’d received from Willian.
“I’m not leaving today.” Ehlian turned back to Hayce, confused. “There’s still a week left.”
“You’ll move to Aric’s cell.”
“Why would I—”
The cell door slid open abruptly, and a guard stepped in with an omega. A fraction of a second was enough for Ehlian to understand what was happening. The omega looked lost, his expression uncertain, his aura tinged with fear and nervousness. He was new.
Inadvertently, a face and voice he desperately wanted to forget flashed in Ehlian’s mind. No matter how hard he tried, 665’s voice roared louder: You think you matter? He’ll discard you sooner than you think, like he did all the rest. There’s always fresh meat coming in.
All the while Ehlian had been meeting with Daribon and preparing for the hearing, Hayce was carefully selecting his new omega.
Ehlian shot a furious glare at Hayce. “Is this a fucking joke?”
Instead of Hayce, the guard replied, “You’re coming with me, 465.”
Ehlian’s demanding gaze stayed fixed on Hayce. It had no effect. Hayce kicked off his shoes and lay down on the bed, flipping a book open to a marked page.
The position, the ease, the indifference—it was disturbingly familiar. A faded image of the past. Hayce looked exactly the same as when Ehlian had stepped into this cell eight months ago: uncaring and cold. For a brief moment, he had no idea who Hayce truly was.
Ehlian felt a little lost, a little shaken on the inside—from fury or betrayal, he couldn’t tell.
In the end, fury won. “You better talk, Hayce, or I’ll do something that will earn me another fucking year in here.”
Hayce stared at him for a long moment, his expression blank.
“You wanted what they have.” Hayce said, tone bored. “I gave it to you.”
What even was Hayce even talking about? “They?”
“I told you I don’t want a mate,” Hayce said. “You just didn’t want to listen.”
They. The only pair in this miserable place who flaunted their bond so openly it bordered on obscene.
That was precisely how Hayce had found his grip on him, twisting their relationship into something fake.
His mind replayed the morning, how Hayce had fucked him to the edge of his sanity, the sweetest words whispered against his skin, the kisses that still seared into his body even now.
Ehlian realised with startling clarity that in exchange he had given Hayce exactly what he wanted: sex. Pleasure. A mere fuck toy. The one thing he had sworn he’d never become.
The sound of his heart cracking drowned out even the furious thud of his pulse. “You manipulative piece of shit!”
“Yeah, well,” Hayce said with a loose shrug, “my brother could tell you plenty about that.”
Had anything Hayce said about his brother been true, or was it all just an act? More lies to paint himself as the innocent little victim? “What about that photo?”
“Everyone falls for it,” Hayce said. “But you were easier to fool than most.”
Fuck. He wasn’t innocent, was he? He was guilty as charged.
Of course Hayce hadn’t wanted to share anything with him or prove his innocence.
There was nothing to share. Nothing to prove.
It was a well-rehearsed act, something he must have done a thousand times.
Ehlian fucking knew core signatures couldn’t be faked, yet he had swallowed all the lies like an idiot.
“That’s it?” Ehlian hissed. “I’m no longer of use to you, so you cast me out of your pack and leave me without protection?”
“You’re still part of my pack. Aric will protect you.”
“You’re handing me off like a used toy?” Ehlian’s fury and pain intertwined, cutting deep. “If you think I’ll sleep with Aric—”
“Aric is not going to touch you,” Hayce said firmly.
“Why would I believe anything you say now? Your word is worthless.” Ehlian finally turned away, unable to bear Hayce’s presence any longer.
He grabbed his stuff from the armchair and glanced at the new omega on his way out. “Don’t fall for his tricks.”
He stepped out of the cell, his loud steps echoing his anger, but there was a false note to them. Another crack in his heart.
*
Ehlian barely left Aric’s cell for the rest of the week. He didn’t talk to him. He didn’t talk to anyone.
At least there were two separate beds, wide enough for him to share with Larik.
Maybe Larik was the only one who had made even the smallest attempt at kindness when he caught him crying quietly one night.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked gently.
“No,” Ehlian managed between two sniffs.
“Sure? I’m happy to listen.”
“I’m fine, Larik.”
“You don’t sound fine,” he said softly. “It’s not good keeping those things in. Talking about it helps… it always does.”
That was ironic coming from someone who barely ever uttered a word. And while Ehlian appreciated Larik’s support, he still didn’t speak. “I’m just happy I’m going home. That’s all.”
Larik encouraged him gently a few more times, but when he realised Ehlian wouldn’t budge, he gave up.
Other than that, sharing a cell with Aric felt... uneventful. For once, it seemed Hayce had told the truth. Aric never touched him.
The week dragged on painfully slowly, feeling longer than the eight months Ehlian had already endured here. It was torture, a test of patience, and his patience was wearing thin.
He only left the cell to shower. Facing the water, he kept his head down, avoiding any glimpse of Hayce and his new omega from the corner of his vision.
He didn’t want to think about him, look at him, or give him even a moment of attention.
The asshole deserved nothing. Nothing. Not even a fleeting thought.
Ehlian forced the memories and every thought of Hayce deep into a locked corner of his mind, buried under what little control he had left of his telepathic abilities.
Other than the showers, Ehlian went nowhere.
Not even the lounge. Aric brought him food every day, but he pushed it aside.
He wasn’t hungry, and he hated that dry, tasteless rubbish anyway.
There was a constant push-and-pull between them, Aric stubbornly placing the food in front of him again and again.
Gods, it felt like a battle between two children.
Aric only relented when Ehlian begrudgingly took at least three bites.
Damn him. Why did he care if Hayce’s discarded omega ate or not? Ehlian didn’t need his pity.
When the final day arrived, Ehlian was up early. Holding his meagre belongings, he stood by the door, waiting for a guard to finally lead him out of this rotten place.
But then Aric blocked his way. “You need to see Hayce.”
“Yeah, no.” Ehlian let out a dry laugh. “Not a chance.”
“You don’t have a choice,” Aric said sternly. “The pack bond needs to be removed.”
Ehlian had forgotten about the pack bond entirely. It had been dormant since Hayce cast him aside. The last thing he wanted was to remain tied to that heartless dickhead in any way. So, although he had no desire to see Hayce again, he followed Aric with a scowl to the lounge.
Hayce sat with his back to him at the usual table, his new omega clinging to his arm like some invasive plant. It was obvious the newcomer had ignored Ehlian’s earlier warning and fallen for Hayce’s charm far quicker than Ehlian ever had.
“Is this how it usually goes?” Ehlian asked Aric, his eyes straining on the pair.
Aric shrugged. “Most of the time.”
Hayce pried the omega’s stubborn fingers from his arm and stood. As he turned, Ehlian quickly averted his gaze, staring resolutely at the grainy holographic film playing in the corner.
It was almost a relief that they needed no eye contact to sever the bond—here was nothing left to connect, only to break.
Hayce stepped in front of him.
The air between them hung heavy with tension until Ehlian felt a light pressure against his thin mental shield.
It was brief, much faster than when Hayce had initially formed the pack bond.
And then, like a snapped rubber band, it was gone.
The severed connection slammed into Ehlian’s mind like a reopened wound, bleeding raw.
Breaking the bond was always easier than building it. Just like any relationship.
It was done. Nothing tied them together anymore.
Hayce withdrew from his mind, though he didn’t move away.
Ehlian turned to Aric, his voice sharp. “Tell him he’s truly a bigger dick than he looks.” After a pause, he added, “And that I hope I never see him again.”
Aric gave him a funny look. “I think he heard you.”
“Good.” Ehlian gave Aric a curt nod, then turned and walked away, ignoring the stares boring into him from all directions.
After signing his release papers and getting back the clothes he’d arrived in, Ehlian was out of there and back on Arox within an hour.
As the ship landed and the door opened, a familiar smiling face waited for him on the ground.
Ehlian didn’t hesitate. He threw himself into Willian’s arms.