Chapter 2
TWO
Present
THISTLE
“Ladies and gentlemen, Thistle Maverick, scent match, and executioner of Ace Maverick.”
The world was backwards and upside down and I’d never understood it, because my beginning always started with endings.
But this ending? It wasn’t as scary as some of the others.
Bright lights focused on me and burned my eyes, blocking the sea of onlookers, watching the cuffed, gagged, and chained Omega on the stage—the one about to be sold. But it was my throat circled by metal and my wrists chained together, marking a possession they could never truly have.
Not anymore.
It was okay— I would be okay. I knew that now. I’d learned so much since the first moment I’d met Ace. Since the moment I’d held that gun to my temple for him.
A mistake.
I’d been caught slipping from my hideout. Me and Bunny, we needed to get out of the city, but there were people tracking me that I had to shake first. I hadn’t known there was a bounty on my head—the scent match of the recently dead gang leader of the Brotherhood, which had fallen apart when he was found dead.
But then I’d been snatched by a pair of Betas, clutching Bunny to my chest before I was dragged to this horrible place. Bunny wasn’t with me. We’d been separated, but I knew he wasn’t far.
He wouldn’t leave me. Not ever.
I don’t know how long I’d been here.
A day, maybe?
Long enough to realise what they wanted—and the dull ache of bruising when I’d refused to give it.
“Do what you want with her—but if you get the truth of Maverick’s fate before she diced him up, we’re all dying to know.”
There was a laugh from the crowd, and I blinked into the lights, my lip curling at the words, but I settled my growl.
Everything would be okay.
What happened between me and Ace that night, it was mine, and these filthy Alphas would never have it.
I was being sold like a trophy, but no one here had any idea what I was. Not really. Something I could be proud of for the first time. Glade would be proud of me… I think? She was like a sister. The only person in the world who’d given me a gift.
I’m pretty sure, Bunny, if she knew what we did, she’d definitely be proud.
One day she’d know. I smiled at the thought. She was the only Omega who hadn’t left me behind or forgotten me, even when she could have.
The Auctioneer was still speaking, but I was only half paying attention.
“…Not recommended for bonding—with three of her scent matches dead, I don’t imagine she’s even got the capacity left…”
My stomach twisted at those words, and I might have wrung my fingers if I wasn’t chained, but I clenched my jaw. He didn’t know what he was talking about.
Three scent matches?
That had always been a lie.
Just one.
Just him .
Since the moment I’d met him, I’d known Ace’s was the only scent that would ever, ever, ever —I flinched.
Uh…
What was that?
My eyes were wide, conviction splintering against a brick wall, as, from the crowd before me, the faintest scent rose, stronger than the rest: crisp edges of bourbon melting against the sweetness of honey.
I woke, at last, for the first time since they’d grabbed me from the street.
Couldn’t be right.
My chest heaved, eyes darting across the sea of faces with intensity now.
Because that scent was mine .
I strained against the metal on my wrists.
I hadn’t believed I’d get another chance—a chance at fixing the broken pieces I’d been left clutching… And I think I’d learned what not to do. This time I might be able to make it work.
A scent match.
My fear was rare, but it rose up my throat as I tried to make out the crowd through the blinking stage lights.
He wouldn’t leave me, right?
He’d know I was here.
But I didn’t see anyone move as the auctioneer continued to speak.
What was happening?
As the seconds went on, the world began shutting down. I couldn’t see him—I hadn’t heard him.
I jolted in shock, body seizing as an electrified rod made contact with my skin. I heard my own pathetic whine slip between the gag and blinked to feel my cheek against the floor.
What… had happened?
I’d growled, I realised, but it was hard to stop the next coming up my throat.
The room was spinning, but I was already straining to get up, senses resetting, and I prayed the scent was still there.
Where was he?
ROGUE
The terrified scents of purchased Omegas hung in the air, tangling with the traces of blood that lingered in my senses. Each inhale soothed veins that felt as if they’d been torn open by a thousand fire ants.
The scents of the frightened, unfortunate souls on the stage were not the only ones in the space, even if they were the strongest. The room was filled with a mashup of a few Alpha and Omega scents, though many buyers kept theirs hidden. Beneath those, there was an aromatic cacophony of liqueurs from the bar, the glasses of which made a constant clinking around the busy room, drowned by the murmur of conversation from every corner.
Knox lounged a few feet before me, alone in a small velvet-lined booth, sleeves rolled up, swirling a whiskey sour as the auctions went on upon the stage ahead. It was a place maintained to reflect the wealth it hosted, with crisp black leather seating, gold embellishments, and richly patterned carpeting.
I stood behind Knox in the shadows, an Alpha worth nothing—here to serve a master who hated me.
I was a spectacle, and he loved being seen at events with me at his side: his chained pet Alpha, towering over most in a collar and muzzle.
But tonight, I was here so Knox could drag me, once more, from the brink of going completely feral. He got out for events, but I was confined to our home unless he let me out, which meant my contact with Omegas was lacking, and losing my mind to feral hormones was a real threat.
For the last few days, he’d locked me in my cage, and I’d descended further and further, fighting to stay sane for reasons I couldn’t even remember anymore. I didn’t remember what I’d done to earn the punishment, either. Something stupid, a mistake, or… or had I lost my temper? The haze still hadn’t cleared.
His punishments varied, but I would choose beatings and wounds any day over the cage. Knox knew the endless silence was enough to shove me closer to madness: the one thing I still feared.
So, after holding on for what felt like forever, today was my reward.
Earlier, he’d brought me on another raid. He always traded far too much for those. He didn’t have to—business was business whether or not he met the people he destroyed, but for him, there was more to it. Like a leashed dog fighting the chains that stopped him from burning the whole world to the ground, sometimes he needed to feel them break in his hands.
It might be the only time I saw anything in him that didn’t make me hate him completely. Cruel. Cold. Vindictive, with his finger on the switch to every beat of my fucking heart, but even I couldn’t claim he was a coward.
I’d caught the scent of an Omega as I stepped through the doors of that huge mansion earlier. It was her territory, after all, and the whole place was doused in her calming scent of hot chocolate and autumn leaves. Pleasant and calming, clearing my mind until it had twisted in the air, distress and terror making it foul as Knox put a gun to her head, keeping her alive long enough to get her Alpha on his knees.
They were a bonded pair, both high-profile lawyers with more money than even their powerful jobs could explain.
It was always people with power he went for.
A federal judge.
A rabbi.
A police chief.
But Knox rarely dragged it out with the Omegas. I knew it wasn’t because he didn’t wish he could, but he wasn’t far from feral himself, and when they screamed… I balled a fist, fighting the faint tremor as I grounded myself, brushing my wrist and feeling the familiar ache of the metal that circled it. In the cage, I’d fought too hard, wearing down the skin around anything too tight.
We’d remained in that mansion for another hour which was enough to satisfy Knox, but the sour scent of an Omega’s death rising in the room did nothing for my frayed instincts.
I took another deep breath, ignoring the ache of the metal against my cheeks from the iron-clad muzzle I couldn’t remove.
Now, we were in a large dimly lit room, with the spotlights focused on the stage ahead. The place was more packed than I’d ever seen it, and I felt echoes of recognition every time I bothered looking around. Twisted, evil creatures who’d all turned up for a spectacle—an Omega we were yet to see.
Four Omegas had been sold already, but none were her: the main event. It was another taunt in itself, bringing me to this auction—of all of them. To the sale of Ace fucking Maverick’s scent matched Omega—the one Alpha I hated more than even Knox. And the fact she was the one who’d killed him didn’t make this any less humiliating.
But tonight would be all I got to keep myself sane, so I shoved my pride away and took another breath.
The scents of the auctioned Omegas weren’t soothing, instead they were made of fear tamped down by despair. That was better than screams, or seeing true agony. It wouldn’t be enough for most, but I was desperate, ready to cling to anything that would save me.
I tuned out the auctioneer as best I could as they announced, at last, the Omega the whole room had come to see.
Thistle Maverick.
I clenched and unclenched my fists as I focused on calming myself. This might be the only leash on sanity I was offered for weeks. I had to make it stick.
I didn’t care who she was scent matched to, or who she’d killed. All I needed from the Omega they were about to drag in was her scent.
And that is exactly what I got as the wild, raven-haired creature, cuffed, chained, and gagged, was forced onto the stage.
I looked away before I could truly drink her in, not needing this taunt to dig its claws in deeper.
They didn’t hide the Omega scents, not like some events—the idea of owning and scent matching weren’t always exclusionary. But scents were kept muted so it wouldn’t become overwhelming indoors. Because of that, it took a few precious seconds for her scent to reach me.
And when it did, the world came to a jarring halt.
Frosted moonflower filled my senses, sending tunnelling shards of ice through my veins and freezing me in place completely.
Impossible…
My gaze snapped up to find piercing, violet eyes scanning the crowd. Even on her knees, gagged and bound, she looked wild. Wild, desperate, and beautiful, with straight midnight hair tumbling down to her waist around a beautiful gown of white.
She was, I realised, the most mesmerising creature alive on this earth, and I was the guard standing in the shadows, chained and muzzled.
She wouldn’t see me.
I was here to be gifted another glimpse of a spec of light at the end of this torturous tunnel—not to realise a scent match.
I couldn’t realise a scent match. Not with Knox right here.
I knew the second she caught the trace of my scent, though. Her eyes went wide, and the light rumble of an Omega’s growl vibrated in the air.
I jumped as the auctioneer stepped forward and jammed a dark stick into her side. The taser shocked her, and her body sagged, chest heaving.
Still, as she blinked, shaking her head, she searched the crowd again with as much fervour as clawed up my chest right now.
Searching for… me?
The universe had a cruel sense of humour. Matching me with the mate of the Alpha responsible for the servitude I was chained to.
His Omega was mine…
It took everything in me to remain still. A beast lurked, trying to take over, demanding I throw myself across the room and rip her from the stage. The feral side of me became all-consuming, a flash of hope making it… intoxicating.
Free her and claim her.
But… I couldn’t.
My eyes slid to where Knox sat, legs crossed, a drink swirling lazily in his hand as he watched the stage with languid curiosity—which was still more than he offered most of these events.
I needed to remain shrouded in darkness, where those beautiful violet eyes would never catch me.
They could never.
It felt like a chasm was opening up beneath me, but no matter what fate awaited her from the others in this room, none would compare to the reality that would find her if my master learned what she was to me.
Death would be better.
Anything would be better.
So, I shifted back a pace, fixing my eyes on the floor.
“Feral as they come,” the auctioneer chuckled as he shocked her again. Her whine tore me apart, flesh to marrow. I shifted before I caught myself, protective instincts like I’d never faced drawing a low rumbling growl from my throat.
I seized it, shoving it down, then coughed, trying to pass it off. At my side, Knox had gone absolutely still. He didn’t look at me, but his glass was no longer swirling.
Fuck.
I couldn’t lose control.
I fixed my gaze on the Oxfords I wore, clasping my cuff with my other hand and trying to stop the world from spinning.
I could hear her panting from the stage, and it would have been easier to tear my own heart from my chest than it was to keep my eyes floor bound.
I stared at the swirling black and red patterns on the carpet, following them up and down the slice of floor before me.
I’d never felt like this.
Not since my chains.
Never.
I didn’t want to leave this place without her—to spend the rest of my life wondering desperately if her death, at the hand of whatever monster bought her tonight, was quick.
If an Alpha had laid a hand on her.
Had bitten or claimed her.
That maybe… just maybe , she’d died in silence and peace without any more pain than she was already in.
That would be the best outcome. Better than the torture Knox would drag out, discovering a leverage point to make me suffer.
The world swam in and out, and she never stopped fighting. By the time the bidding started, she’d torn open her own flesh, trying to claw the chains from her neck, all the while searching the room.
Searching for me…
Her behaviour, her scent, edged with desperation, was riling up every Alpha in here. My nails bit into my palms as I kept still.
This would be over soon.
Knox had resumed swirling his drink as bids filled the space, and the wounded whine of my Omega filled the air.
Sorrowful.
Afraid.
As if she didn’t understand why she couldn’t find me.
I was shaking.
I’d never seen an auction with such competitive bidding. With each, the scents in the room were shifting. It was becoming a scrap, a war of pride.
Evan Green made a bid of two hundred and fifty thousand.
…Not him…
Her death would be slow. My skin crawled at the idea of my Omega being mutilated beyond recognition.
Bella Morgan raised her hand for the fourth time.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Her pack was vile and torturous, and her Alphas competed in cruel practices for their own Omega’s delight.
Knox’s gaze slid to Bella, and I saw the flash of disgust in his eyes, but he didn’t move.
The worst were here tonight, demons that had surfaced from their dens to see the spectacle that was Ace Maverick’s scent match.
It was almost over—it had to be, but not one voice that lifted in the crowd settled my heart. Only Evan and Bella remained, each making more and more insane bids. I’d never seen an auction go this long, or high, and my nerves were getting the better of me.
These monsters would want their money’s worth, and the thought of what that might mean was sending me into a spiral.
I could change her fate. Leverage everything I had with Knox for one night of freedom. I could find her and free her.
Or kill her, if I had to.
Would I get there in time?
The room went silent.
Evan had been the last to speak.
I knew where he lived—I think… His pack had a few mansions, but I could find her. I was sure of it.
A long few seconds passed, then the auctioneer was speaking.
The last bid.
This was it.
It couldn’t be…
Until, to my utter horror, Knox took his last swig of his drink, set it down, and raised his hand.
“Five million.”
The room tumbled into a silence so absolute, I might have heard the slightest flutter of Thistle’s lashes as she blinked over at Knox, that wild desperation still in her beautiful violet eyes.
I barely heard what was being spoken. “…Thistle Maverick sold to Knox Wilde for…” The Auctioneer stumbled over his own words. “Five million dollars.”
And with that.
It was over.
I felt like I was careening into freefall, my lips parted in shock, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe.
No…
He knew. He had to know. But what was he going to do with an Omega— my Omega…?
That wasn’t a question I was ready to answer.
He hated people, hated if anyone but me stepped foot past the ballrooms of the home.
Once he’d caught a wandering drunk during a party, and he’d lost it, dragging the man back and slitting his throat to bleed out into the champagne punch for every guest to see.
Without a word, and ignoring the room full of degenerates who were all staring his way, Knox got to his feet. Adjusting his Rolex absently, he strode to the door with an air of utter indifference. He paused beside me long enough to reach up and pluck the folded handkerchief from my breast pocket.
His voice was low as he stepped by, loud enough only for me. “You’ll be travelling home by yourself, Rogue. I’d like to be alone when I bring my Omega home.”