Chapter 2
Ace Hall, Haven
Collapsed on the cold, marble floor, I take frantic breaths.
Shit, am I dying?
My heart is beating fast. My chest hurts, and sweat drips down my back.
I’m trembling.
“You may be having a panic attack,” my brother’s voice is steady and calming, but I know him well enough to hear the concern in it. “Just concentrate on breathing deeply. You’re safe. I’m here and I won’t leave you.”
A panic attack?
I was trying to break the rules.
What the hell was I thinking?
Perhaps, I am as rebellious deep down as Fletcher says I am in that lecturing tone of his.
I take painful, deep breaths.
Thomas’ pheromones are thick in the air like he’s wrapping me in his scent because he’s not allowed to wrap me in a hug.
He’s crouching over me as closely as he dares and he’s vibrating with tension.
I know that it must be as painful for him not to nuzzle at my neck, as it is for me not to nuzzle at his.
He’ll always be my pack, no matter what my new Alpha says.
“Is there anything that I can do?” Thomas whispers.
“S-sit b-back on the couch,” I manage to stutter. “In case, h-he…”
Thomas’ expression clouds but he appears to understand. “I wouldn’t want my brother-in-law to catch me helping my twin through a panic attack. The scandal.” He pushes himself to his feet and marches back to sit on the couch. He snatches up a brochure and pretends to flip through it like I’m not still crumpled on the floor (and as if I can’t see that he’s holding it upside down). “Will this impress him? I’m taking an interest in his work. Oh, look! Two for one on Alpha Dominance and Discipline courses. Perhaps, I should sign myself up. Although, Dad keeps telling me that I scare the rest of the staff with my dominance, so perhaps, I don’t need that part. What do you think?”
He chats casually like I’m not crawling and dragging my way across the floor to the couch.
It’s lucky that I keep my floors so clean, or my white dress would be ruined.
“I t-think you’re an Alphahole,” I get out, shakily.
Thomas tosses the brochure down and slips out his phone, tapping it on. “Can I add that as a recommendation on my ABOinder dating app? Women go feral for Alphaholes. I blame romance writers.”
“Don’t tell me you’re on that app.” Surprise lowers my heart rate even further, and I manage to pull myself up onto the couch.
Thomas shoves the phone back into his pocket, before I can peer at it.
“Wouldn’t you like to know? Since you don’t want to hear about my knot, you’ll never find out.” His expression softens, as he studies me. “Now, how are you feeling?”
I assess myself, pushing my tangled hair out of face.
I feel shattered.
Wrung out.
Exhausted.
Yet I’m no longer in the attack itself. Thomas helped me with that in his typical, unique fashion.
Fuck, I miss him.
“Better,” I reply. “I’m sorry that I didn’t manage to go outside.”
Thomas shakes his head. “I’m sorry that I tried to take you outside. I didn’t realize how bad things had become.” He lowers his voice, and his gaze is intent. “I’m going to find a way to get you out of here. You should never have been forced into this bond.”
“And you should never have been forced into the center and then to work for Dad.”
“It’s the only way that I can stay in your life and keep you as safe as possible. I’m also involved that way in the political running of the town, which is something. One less real Alphahole at the top, even if I need to play the role. Plus, who else is going to give you epic gifts like this?”
He reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a tiny peacock stuffie with flamboyant, iridescent blue and green tail feathers and aquamarine eyes.
I stare at it. “Can I say that’s a very you gift, Tom.”
“Gabe always did say that I was like a peacock.” Thomas grins. “I never knew whether to be insulted or flattered that he named me the same as his precious guitar.”
My stomach clenches.
Gabriel was our best friend. It was agonizing to both of us, when he was sent away to Alpha military academy.
He had beautiful lavender eyes and always treated me like I was the third Alpha in our childhood gang, rather than being an Omega.
It’s no surprise that as soon as I was old enough, I fell hard for him.
He was my first love, and you never forget those.
My brother’s fingers almost brush mine, as he passes me the gift, and both our breaths’ catch in fear.
Then I’m hugging the peacock like it’s safety, life, family…
Home.
Except, it’s a link to my old pack, which I can never return to.
The textures are velvety and soft. The sensory feel of the tail is incredible like feathers.
I laugh, running my fingers over the plushie.
Warm sensations wash through me. They fill a need from my Omega dynamic that I didn’t know I was missing.
This house is bare and hard. I’m not allowed anything like this. There aren’t even soft pillows on my bed.
I hold the plushie to my nose, and it smells of Thomas: sugar cookie martini.
He must have rubbed it against his scent gland.
Instantly, my jangled nerves settle further.
Thomas quirks his brow. “The Sheriff can’t stop me scenting presents. And he’s too much of a Traditionalist to refuse gifts from family. I know that he doesn’t believe that Omegas deserve nests because…well, he’s a bastard. So, you need soft textures or you’re going to start suffering health complications. See Mr. Peacock here as your emotional support bird.”
I grin. “Thank you. Even if I have a suspicion that Mr. Peacock is your hookup name on that shady app.”
Thomas smooths down the front of his suit. “You know me better than that. When have I ever given up the chance for a good pun? My hookup name is Knot Your Average Hero 7.”
“Why 7?”
“Six other guys with…questionable…humor thought of it first.”
“I always did think that you had a questionable sense of humor,” a voice that oozes with the fake charm of the elite says, as the door creaks open.
My adrenaline spikes, and I cringe.
Hurriedly, I stuff the peacock into the pocket of my dress.
It’s instinctive to hide it.
Thomas’ face settles back into a cold mask. “Sheriff, you’re home early.”
“It’s my house. I wasn’t aware that I needed to keep you informed of my schedule. And I’ve told you to call me Fletcher, now that you’re my brother-in-law.”
“I’m good, Sheriff.” Thomas’ gaze is as sharp as a blade.
Fletcher looks unsettled for a moment; his mixture of intimidation and charm works on most people. “Ah, as you prefer.”
I peek at him over the couch.
Fletcher is dressed in a smart, charcoal suit that matches his eyes. His hair is black and cut military severe. He’s muscular with a strong jaw. He has one hand held smartly behind him.
He’s almost ten years older than me, having turned thirty this year.
Once, I thought him handsome. For years, he was one of the most eligible bachelors in Haven.
But then, I was bonded with him.
Now, I’m only glad that he hasn’t found any one else who he wants to join our pack. I’d be less lonely with another pack member but I don’t want them to join me in this hell.
I remember the pain of the Betas in the Saints pack, who were treated more like staff members than family.
I don’t remember my Omega mom, who died giving birth to Thomas and me.
I don’t think Dad ever truly forgave us for that.
Dad’s neglect, however, allowed Thomas and me to grow up raised by a Beta nanny, alone in a bubble along with Gabriel.
I hardly knew what it meant to be treated as a true Omega.
Well, I didn’t, until I was matched with Fletcher. He’s spent the last year conditioning me in isolation — helping me, he says — to learn the rules.
Once, Gabriel and Thomas promised me a life filled with love, warmth, and equality.
But now, I know that we’d been kids, hiding from the world and dreaming up a better one.
Shit, I wish that it was true.
But this world…? It’s dark, cold, and corrupt.
It scares me.
When Fletcher’s expression tightens, I force myself off the couch, smoothing down my dress. Then I avoid Thomas’ eye and step toward Fletcher, before dropping to kneel in front of my Alpha.
I wince as my knees hit the hard marble.
Just breathe.
I can feel Fletcher’s emotions through the bond.
If I hadn’t been flooded with such powerful emotions myself earlier — fear and panic — I’d have been able to feel his before now.
A year ago, when my bond first hit, I felt connected to Fletcher in a way that I could never have prepared myself for. I could sense his emotions and needs.
Deep in my gut, I knew that I belonged to him.
But not that he belonged to me.
The touch of him, even inside my mind, had felt wrong and invasive.
It wasn’t how it was shown in the romantic movies, where a bond surged joy through the Omega, and she knew that she was loved and accepted. Sometimes, singing a song about it in the corniest television college ABO shows.
She knew in that moment that she was where she was fated to be.
I don’t.
I quest along the bond, trying to sense Fletcher’s emotions that have always been muted and carefully kept under control.
Even in the bond, he’s hard to read.
Don’t let my Alpha be angry.
Not today.
Not in front of my twin.
“Welcome home, Alpha.” I follow the rules by not raising my head to meet Fletcher’s gaze.
I feel his strong finger underneath my chin, tipping back my head to meet his gaze.
My breath catches.
I can feel it: a contentment tinged with fondness.
He’s had a good day at work.
Yes, yes, yes.
Relief rushes through me, and my shoulders slump.
Fletcher traces down my cheek. “You look beautiful today, darling. That dress always suits you. I truly am the luckiest man in Haven to come back to such a sight. You look…sweet.”
“May she get up now?” Thomas’ voice is tight.
“Of course,” Fletcher says like it’s not his rule that has me on my knees in the first place.
Fletcher gently grasps me by one hand and helps me to my feet.
He smiles, and to my surprise, it’s one of his soft loving ones that he normally saves for when we’re in private.
He doesn’t want other Alphas to know that this vulnerable side of him exists. I almost wish that I didn’t know that it did.
It’d be easier, if I could simply hate him.
He swings the arm that he’s been hiding behind his back around to reveal a cardboard box with the bakery Dough Knot’s pink logo on the top.
My eyes light up. “For me?”
Fletcher makes a show of sniffing the box, before pulling it under my nose, and I melt at the sugary flavors. “Well, I don’t know any other chocoholic Omegas who’d love this gift. And this box certainly appears to contain a dozen of your favorite dark chocolate and strawberry cupcakes with extra swirled frosting from your favorite, luxury bakery, hmm?”
Fletcher does this type of thing.
He’s observant about what I like. He may decide when to give it to me — or whether never to give it to me — but these small gestures hurt more than if he simply ignored me or was brutal like some Alphas.
Because I know that this is him trying.
I’ve met his Alpha mom, the pack’s Head Alpha, and she is one of the old-school brutal Alphas. She’d never bring back cupcakes or remember the favorite anything for her Omega.
My chest tightens.
Or is this just more conditioning…?
“Thank you,” I whisper.
Fletcher’s smile fades, as he assesses me. Then he drags me against his chest.
My nose wrinkles up at his scent of bitter coffee.
He nuzzles at my neck.
He’s checking that he can’t smell another Alpha on me.
Possessive asshole.
I stiffen.
Finally, he relaxes, licking across the scarred bite mark on the right of my throat.
I fight not to move.
Thomas coughs. “Busy day then, Sheriff?”
Fletcher reluctantly pulls away from me, guiding me with his hand on the hollow of my back. Then he throws himself down in the ivory wingback chair, which stands stiffly opposite the couch. He drops the box of cupcakes onto the floor and drags me to sit on his lap. He loops his arm around my waist.
“I’m having the Brok’s reactions monitored for a case study. I could make a published paper on Broken Bond Syndrome out of it. This Brok has a fiery spirit, even if he is rebellious,” Fletcher replies.
The Brok again.
What a surprise.
Thomas pales. “Surely, he’s suffering enough from the effects…”
“Ah, but that’s the remarkable thing.” Fletcher’s playing with my hair, but his eyes are lit with excitement like they often are when he’s discussing his work. “There’s a twist in this case, which hasn’t been studied thoroughly.”
Thomas narrows his eyes. “What? He only eats purple food? He’s an expert in yoga? Oh my god, does he have two dicks…?”
When Fletcher’s cheek twitches, I bite my lip hard not to laugh.
Thomas has perfected the art of sprawling in his seat and maintaining his cold, commanding expression, while I know that he’s definitely — one hundred percent — taking the piss.
Fletcher is never certain enough, however, to challenge the other Alpha.
“Interesting as all of those would be,” Fletcher’s jaw clenches, “the truth is even more so. I believe that he’s fought so hard, no matter what I’ve thrown at him, because he has his young daughter in the cell with him.”
Horror rushes through me.
A cold ball forms in my stomach, and I wrap my arms around myself.
I rear back from Fletcher and stare at him.
“You can’t keep a kid in the basement of the Institute,” I burst out.
“Excuse me, Omega?” All of a sudden, Fletcher’s voice has lost all its warmth.
It’s frighteningly cold.
My heart speeds up, and I swallow.
I look down.
“He’s a dad…?” Thomas growls, leaning forward. “Yet some bastard still risked officially breaking their bond with him…?”
“Bitch, actually,” Fletcher corrects, tightening his arm around my waist just shy of it being painful. I wince. “She’s from an elite ice hockey pack, the Blades. She turned the daughter into a Rej. The girl is a little too young to be moved to the Companion wing of the Institute to be trained and then fostered. So, we have a week or two to study father and daughter together.”
Hes going to separate them…?
My Alpha is still playing with my hair like I’m precious, I can smell the luxury cupcakes that he chose for me on the floor, but only hours ago, he left a male Omega and his daughter locked up at his work.
And he intends to tear them apart from each other.
Bile rises up my throat.
“I’ll match with this Brok.” Thomas pushes himself off the couch. He’s struggling to sound cool, but I know him, he’s dying inside from this, as much as I am. “You don’t need to separate them. I’ll take them both.”
Fletcher chuckles, condescendingly. “We both know that the Mayor, your Head Alpha, wouldn’t allow you to match with an Omega who wasn’t perfect and certainly, wouldn’t allow you to take on a Brok and his Rej daughter, even if you only used him for breeding.” He pats me on the cheek. “I hope that we’re blessed with a child soon. You would make a wonderful mother.”
“Perhaps, if you allowed her outside to exercise and didn’t…” Thomas turns away, balling his fists.
I feel powerless.
How can Fletcher do his job?
Generations of Alphas in his family have before him. It’s only one of his responsibilities to oversee the Institute’s warden.
Yet Thomas has told me about the Omega Society who are fighting for abused Omegas and to give them greater rights.
The Omega Society HQ is located right here in Haven
Couldn’t Fletcher at least make the Reject and Broken Omegas’ lives as easy as possible?
Raging emotions are building up in my chest.
It’s the same fire that was there before, but this time, I don’t feel like I’m going to choke on them.
Instead, I feel like I’m going to burn this entire hall, world, and life around my ears.
“Why do you have to be cruel?” My voice is steadier than it’s been in a long time. “Omegas aren’t playthings or pretty toys. We’re the same as everyone else with emotions and feelings and…you hurt us. You’re hurting this man and his daughter just because his Alpha decided to throw him away.”
Fletcher stares at me in shock. “Where is this coming from? The Omegas in my Institute aren’t the same as you, darling. Is this talk scaring you? I’m sorry, that’s my fault. I forget sometimes because you’re so smart for an Omega that I shouldn’t talk about business in front of you like you’re an Alpha. But these others, they’re rebellious or defective. I’m helping them and finding them new homes. Even the Brok will be auctioned. Nobody would have taken him with the baggage of a daughter.”
Thomas twists back to face him. “I would.”
“You live in a dreamworld.” Fletcher’s eyes blaze. “Wake up. Didn’t your time in the Alpha Center teach you anything? Maybe I should suggest to the Mayor that you need more retraining.”
Without even thinking about it, I growl, protectively.
Then I shove Fletcher in the chest. “Don’t you fucking dare.”
A deep silence settles in the lounge.
My heart is in my mouth.
I’m shaking.
But I force myself to defiantly raise my gaze to meet Fletcher’s.
He’s staring at me like I’ve bitten him.
I’ve never cussed in front of him before, fought back, or growled.
All of it’s rebellious.
It’s the actions of a Rej and not a good, society Omega.
I’m screwed.
“She doesn’t mean it.” Thomas’ voice is high with panic. “She’s my twin. You never understood that connection. It’s as powerful as a bond. When you threaten me, it triggers her need to protect me.”
“Your father should have allowed me to match with both of you like I asked for,” Fletcher says in an icy voice. “Then I could have put you both in your place at the same time.”
Thomas and I both draw in shocked breaths.
Thomas’ face becomes as ashen as mine.
I’ve never been grateful to Dad before.
But I am now.
“I’d have torn out your throat,” Thomas snarls.
“You’d have been the Second Alpha.” Fletcher’s eyes gleam. “Don’t think that you’d still be cockily walking around like you are now. Alphas who challenge me find out that I’m downright soft in comparison when it comes to my treatment of Omegas. But then…” His frosty gaze slides to me, and I freeze. “On your knees.”
I slip to my knees but with as much dignity as I can manage. This time, I don’t duck my head.
I edge my hand into the pocket of my dress. My fingers touch the peacock, tracing the soft tail feathers, and it grounds me.
Fletcher leans forward, grabbing me by the chin. “I can’t have my own Omega sounding like she’s a member of that bloody Omega Society.”
“Why?” Thomas takes a step forward. “Is it because they’re campaigning so hard to get you to release this Brok? I’ve been watching it on the news and most social media platforms. There’s even a new poem from that revolutionary, Ben, being graffitied across walls. You’re mentioned by name, Acehole. You want to write a paper, but it’s sparking tension. You know, asshole Alphas reject, abandon, or put their Omegas up for auction. But no one wants to return to the bad old days of official broken bonds. The actual severing that we’re talking about, which goes alongside with that, causes Broks real danger.”
“If no one wanted this, then why is there a Brok? And one from an elite pack? I think this may be the start of a new trend within the society packs. It seems to me that you’re on the side of the terrorist Omega resistance. Are you?”
I hiss in a breath.
Don’t say yes.
He’s trying to get Thomas to incriminate himself, so that he can arrest him.
I sway, sick with terror.
“You mean the people who are fighting to give all dynamics equality and keep breaking into your Institute, rescuing Omegas, and making you look like a total ass?” Thomas arches his brow.
“Yes,” Fletcher growls.
He shoves himself out of his chair, stalking to Thomas and grabbing him by the lapels of his suit.
I can see how hard Thomas is struggling not to fight back.
When Thomas catches my eye, I subtly shake my head.
“I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about,” Thomas replies.
“The Devil pack.” Fletcher shakes Thomas on each word. “Led by Lucifer. Ring any bells?”
Thomas tilts his head. “They do sound wicked. Well, I hope that you catch these villains, brother-in-law, who are making you look like an incompetent bully.”
“Get out,” Fletcher roars, pushing Thomas away from him. “Before I do something that I can’t take back.”
His burned coffee stench blasts through the lounge.
I whimper, curling into a ball.
Thomas moves to me and ducks down, before Fletcher can stop him. He wraps me in a warm hug.
I luxuriate in his touch and the cocoon of his sweet sugar pheromones that he pumps into the air to calm me.
Fletcher is tugging at my brother’s shoulder furiously to pull him away from me, and I know that Thomas will be in trouble for this act of defiance.
When our gazes meet, however, I also know that neither of us can regret it because this may be the last time that we’re allowed to see each other.
Yet it’s worth it.
All of it.
Finally, I feel like myself again.
I spoke out — for myself, the Omegas in the Institute, and for every Omega who comes after me.
I may not have been heard but I didn’t stay silent.
“I love you, Tom,” I whisper.
Thomas’ eyes are wet with tears. “I’ll find a way.”
As he’s hauled out of the lounge by Fletcher, I let the tears fall down my cheeks.
My brother believes that somehow, he’ll rescue me.
But right now, I’m going to be left alone in this cold cage of a house with my furious Alpha.