Chapter 13 #2
“After I leave, you can do whatever you deem to be best,” Dr. Kind says. “All we ask is that she not be physically damaged in a way someone will be able to notice long term. She needs to be able to carry babies for her pack, whoever that may be, and no one enjoys looking at a scarred omega.”
With those words, he opens the door and strides inside while I struggle to process those words. Fuck, that could mean anything. Has she been sexually violated, physically tortured, choked out?
There’s an endless series of questions flooding my mind as I follow the doctor inside the small room. It’s very bright inside, so much so that even I wince. Omegas dislike harsh lighting, and the room feels incredibly warm as well. The bulbs must be fluorescent.
It’s not over the top to state that this is torture, not a treatment, especially as I listen to the very loud recording playing. The walls are only amplifying the sound as it bounces off them, and it would be difficult, if not impossible to sleep through it.
“Omegas have an inherent need to make alphas happy,” the woman speaking through the speaker drones.
“It is your responsibility to embrace your designation and do whatever you can to serve them. You need a pack to protect you, and alphas need you to keep them content. Not everyone will have a scent match, which means waiting for a fairytale is senseless. Be the best omega possible through obedience and being soft spoken.”
The light is so bright, I can barely see the omega in the chair sitting down. I doubt she’s unrestrained due to what Dr. Kind’s been telling me. Is she unconscious?
All I can do is stand in the searing heat of the lights beside the doctor as the infernal woman continues on in her lecture. All of it revolves around indentured servitude because omegas shouldn’t have any thoughts their alphas don’t give them first.
I truly thought this kind of thinking was passé, but this woman seems to believe this is the only acceptable way to behave. She also has a grating tone, which makes my ear drums feel as if they’re going to begin to bleed at any moment since the volume is so fucking loud.
Nina’s behavior modification is full blown torture.
I’m unsure how long I’m forced to stand sentinel to this, but my jaw aches from how hard I’m clenching it.
I’m not worried the doctor will be able to see it, not when it looks like a supernova exploded in this room.
I can feel my shirt starting to stick to my back from the heat, but I remain unmoved by it.
This is a test for me as well. At first, I wasn’t sure, but after an extended amount of time, I realized it. Everything within me wants to save Nina from this, but I can’t. Not yet.
So I keep my muscles loose, outside of my clenched jaw. He can state this is part of her treatment and try to feed me whatever bullshit he wants, but I fully understand that I need to pass this exam on my ability to withstand the torture of an omega with flying colors.
I noticed as I walked through the facility that many of the employees are betas, and it’s due to an alpha’s innate desire to protect omegas. He’s ensuring I can quell my designation’s needs. On the inside I may be snarling, but the rest of me is calm .
It helps that I have no scent to betray how angry I am. The scent of burned apple pie is difficult to hide otherwise.
Dr. Kind steps forward, and the lights dim drastically, while the woman prattling on through the speakers cuts off.
“Miss Nina,” the doctor says, but I can’t focus on his next words because the girl in the chair is leaning to the side, her head dropped back.
The only thing keeping her seated are ties on her arms and legs binding her to the chair.
It also doesn’t escape my attention that she’s bald, and there are nicks and scratches along her scalp.
She looks like she’s been through a war rather than “rehabilitation.” I can see how sunken her eyes are and pronounced her cheeks are, showing that she’s lost weight while she’s been here.
Frowning, Dr. Kind fills up a bucket with water from a sink that appears to be the only other thing inside here before dumping it over her head. Nina jerks as she sputters, her eyes wide as her chest heaves. I’m not sure if she lost consciousness or fell asleep.
I doubt it would have been easy to sleep with how bright and hot the lights were, along with the volume of the speakers. Even now in the silence, my ear drums feel sore and the air feels cooler.
“Rise and shine, Miss Nina,” Dr. Kind says without emotion. “There are very important lessons within Emilia Richardson’s lectures. You could learn a thing or two about how to be an omega.”
She gazes warily at him but doesn’t speak, coughing. I don’t see any water available other than the sink, and I doubt she’s been given any recently.
Dr. Kind loudly drops the bucket, making Nina flinch at the sound. Everything feels so much quieter now that Emilia is no longer speaking.
“Your mother sends her regards, and wants you to know that she expects you to willingly accept a pack of her choosing,” he says .
As her eyes widen, they allow me to see that they’re an odd color.
They’re green with bright blue flecks, and startling to see.
The slight inhale causes her to begin to cough again, wracking her body with shudders.
Typically, this would cause someone to tear up, but when none occur, I decide she’s too dehydrated.
I need to find a way to offer her a drink without appearing soft. Or, I need to make it seem as if I’m using generosity to garner trust from her.
Fuck, I usually love mind games, but this is one I fear I’ll get tired of quickly.
“Yes, I expect you’re thirsty after having not had water for the past thirty-six hours,” he murmurs, gazing down at her. “If you’re a very good little omega, Riley will give you a sip or two. We can’t spoil you. I expect to hit a breakthrough soon.”
“May I ask how much longer the protocol in here will continue?” I ask, swallowing hard as I pretend to simply be a curious student.
“Of course,” he says, not appearing annoyed. “This depends entirely on the patient. She hasn’t slept very much in the past three weeks as we are using sleep deprivation as a punishment for her inability to make progress. I am not pleased that she fell asleep.”
Nina remains silent, though there’s fear and loathing in her gaze. I can see her spirit shining through, and I’m both intrigued and protective of it. The idea that they want to break her so thoroughly makes something inside me twist so hard, I have to keep myself from hissing.
It physically fucking hurts, and I’ve never felt anything like this before.
“I have several ways to keep you awake, Miss Nina,” he threatens.
“The water tank, a little water torture, or electroconvulsive therapy. The nurses were quite unhappy with the mess you left the last time you had electroconvulsive therapy, but I believe the dehydration will keep you from urinating on yourself. ”
Nina tries to say something, but she can’t due to how dry her throat is.
“Don’t bother speaking,” Dr. Kind scoffs. “The time for meaningless apologies is long gone.”
I don’t think she was going to apologize, and I can see the doctor means what he says. He thinks she should cower and ask for forgiveness, swearing that she’ll choose a personality replacement.
He’s delusional, as is the rest of this place.
“Someone will be back soon to see what will be done with you,” he says. “Riley will stay with you, Miss Nina. Don’t bother batting those pretty eyes at him, because I doubt he’ll be as nice as I’ve been.”
He turns and walks away after teaching Nina to fear me, taking a metal cup from an orderly who is at the door and tossing it to me.
I yank it out of the air as he slams the door closed, turning to look at Nina.
The scent of wilted honeysuckle fills the air, her displeasure being well known about being locked in with me.
So many tests, and this is another one.
Instead of disgusting me, her scent pulls me closer. The pain at seeing her beaten increases, and it’s as if my brain is being rewired.
This is going to complicate matters exponentially. Fuck.
Nina
There’s a tall, lean alpha staring at me. It’s as if he’s trying to figure me out. That’s funny. I don’t even know myself well enough for that.
I immediately decide not to trust him, just as I can’t trust anyone in this place. I’ve been pinched, hit, half drowned, starved, dehydrated, and more during my “stay” at Weeping Willow. To say I’m unimpressed is an understatement.
I haven’t seen any other patients while I’ve been here since I spend a lot of time in isolation, but my heart goes out to anyone else undergoing this. The fact that my mother signed off on my treatment has killed any love for her.
I fucking hate her. I miss my alphas, and my doctors despise that I still remember them. They even tried to make me hate their very names through negative reinforcement.
If I flinched at the memory or thought of them, then I’d eventually choose to protect my mind from it to escape the pain.
They were even so helpful as to explain the reasoning for the protocol before adding electrodes to my head and measuring my brain waves.
If I reacted to a photo or something that they believed reminded me of them, then I was shocked by Nurse Naylor with her shock prod.
Photos of teachers, a tree, Ethan and Cooper’s home and more flooded a screen, all while I screamed.
It was a very unpleasant twelve hours, but more so, it didn’t fucking work.
I don’t know how they pulled all of the information about Ethan and Cooper that they did.
For all I know, they used my mother for it or are stalking my alphas.
They clearly don’t care about legalities or privacy.