Chapter 02
XANDER
Bored green eyes stared at me out of a pale, thin face. The elfin facial structure and high cheekbones suggested a youthful, fragile creature. A mop of unruly brown hair was the only sign of rebellion. The only indication this creature had not entirely given up.
The man moved and a shaft of light bounced off the mirror right into my eye. I narrowed my eyes and glared at my reflection, my lips pursed in a scowl as big as the heavy eyebrows that strained for each other across my now-wrinkled brow.
Another day, the same as all the others.
Still scowling, I applied a line of color along one eyelid.
Today was a blue day. Anything to brighten up my existence, which was dull, dull, dull.
Another blue line, this time for the other eye.
Huh, maybe I should have one color for one eye and a different one for the other.
That would be different. Too late for today, though.
One more day locked in my room with nothing to do but read.
It wasn’t that I was forced to stay in my room, unless I didn’t mind being the subject of constant barbs and occasional cruel pranks.
Hence the reason the door was locked from the inside.
At least that meant I could spend my day in peace – if I didn’t count the annoyingly loud thumps on the door as my cousins walked past. No, I technically might not have been a prisoner, but I couldn’t leave the property without being accompanied by a family member - and that was always such a horrendous experience that it wasn’t something I’d ever choose to do - and leaving my room meant the risk of running into one of my cousins, so no…
I hadn’t been permitted an education ('Why waste it on an omega?' – my uncle’s words not mine), but I spent my days in my room, reading. I’d worked my way through so many books, including a fabulous collection of spell books, all of which were delivered to my e-reader.
The one time I’d ordered a hardcopy book, it had arrived damaged.
Not an accident of delivery either, but pages torn out by one of my delightful cousins, I’m sure, the sad and tattered remains fluttering forlornly as I flipped the cover open. I only made that mistake once.
I was obliged to leave my room for meals, or I would never have been fed, but going down to the dining hall to eat with my uncle and his family was hardly the highlight of my day or the stuff of dreams. I wasn’t even sure why they insisted I eat with them, unless it was to provide them with a target for their vicious jibes.
In a household of alphas, there were constant clashes and verbal attacks unleashed, and as the only omega, and a despised male one at that (my family seemed to think it was unmanly for a guy to be an omega), more often than not I was on the receiving end of their cruel taunts.
Why was I living here? Out of the goodness of their shriveled-up hearts, apparently.
I’d been brought here at the age of fourteen, when my parents just…
disappeared. I’d been taken in by my mother’s brother and his family, but I’d never been shown any love or any real concern here.
The whole family had turned out to meet me on the day I arrived, but I’d seen the adults’ expressions of disappointment as they’d turned away from me.
I wasn’t sure what the problem was. I was a typical fourteen-year-old kid, gangly, tousled, dirty and sulky, but after ten years in this house, I’d long suspected it was none of those things that had been the cause of their dismay.
I wasn’t sure what they were expecting but whatever it was, I wasn’t it.
I would almost bet if I’d been an alpha that half my problems would have instantly disappeared.
If I’d expected more from my cousins who ranged from a couple of years younger than me to eight years older, then I was destined for disappointment.
My cousins – all alphas, over-indulged and aggressive – quickly caught on to their parents’ disdain and treated me with a superiority and viciousness that was breathtaking in its callousness, their parents never reining in their atrocious behavior at all.
Well, I could see where it came from – was it environmental or was it a biologic inheritance? – so it wasn’t surprising.
Since I protected myself as much as I could by locking myself in my room, I avoided as much trouble as possible, but mealtimes were quite literally the low light of my days.
I jumped as a soft rat-a-tat-tat disturbed my thoughts.
I knew who it was from the softness of the knock.
My family always announced their presence much more aggressively.
It had to be Miranda, my uncle’s part-time housekeeper.
Although she was the one person in this house who was kind to me, she rarely disturbed me except on the days she cleaned my room, which wasn’t today.
Spirits brightening at the prospect of seeing a friendly face, my feet padded hurriedly across the carpet, and I flung open the door.
“Hey!” I said, a little more brightly than I actually felt. I didn’t want to bring down the mood of the one person who was nice to me.
Had I forgotten to smile?
Miranda was standing there, little wrinkles around her brows which were drawn together in a look of concern.
“Is there something wrong?” I asked, eyes flicking to the corridor and then back into my room in case the problem was there.
“Good morning, Xander. How are you today?” she said hesitantly. Miranda was the only one who ever asked me that. There was nothing she could do regardless of my response, but I appreciated that she asked.
“Hi, Miranda, I’m fine, thanks for asking. I wasn’t expecting to see you today, though. Is there a problem?” I repeated my question.
“Um… not… that I know of. I’m not here to clean your room today, though I can do that if you want. Your uncle sent me to tell you he wants to meet with you in his office in twenty minutes.”
“Couldn’t come and tell me himself?” I snarked. Or talk to me here… but then…no, I wouldn’t want that. It would violate the privacy of my safe space.
Miranda shrugged. We both knew what my uncle was like.
“Sorry,” she said.
“Don’t be. It’s not your fault,” I told her, softening my tone. “I’ll go and see him. Thanks for passing on the message.”
“Do you want me to do your room while you’re meeting with him?”
I glanced behind me. Clothes were draped over the chair, and a couple of t-shirts, some underwear and socks were strewn across the fine carpet.
“No, it’s fine. Just untidy but that’s all. I’ll take care of it. Thanks anyway, Miranda.”
“You’re welcome, Xander. And… good luck.”
Her lips wobbled briefly into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, and she turned quickly away.
I sucked in a deep breath. I didn’t want her pity or her sympathy, and I rested my head against the doorframe, watching as she walked down the corridor.
It was only when she had disappeared from sight that I registered the discomfort of the hard wood against my forehead.
‘Good luck? Why would I need good luck?’ I wondered. I guessed I’d find out soon enough.
******
The pattern of dark whorls and grain lines in the timber seemed to taunt me. Nothing good ever waited for me behind this door.
Knock, knock, knock.
There was no response, though I thought I heard the rustling of paper from within.
Knock, knock, knock.
Still nothing. As tempting as it was to turn around and leave, I knew better than to do so. My uncle was punishing me for my small act of insubordination of arriving five minutes late, and if I didn’t wait, I’d pay a higher price later.
How long would it take? Five minutes to match my degree of rebellion? No, probably longer, to demonstrate his utter dominance over me.
I hated him.
The dark corridor was silent and still. My uncle’s office was tucked away in the furthest wing of this cold mansion, and I was grateful for that today.
When I had first come here, seriously delusional that someone in this household might give a shit about me, I had bemoaned the fact that the office was so isolated.
If the office had been closer to the living areas of the house, someone might have heard my screams as the belt flayed my bare back and ass.
Maybe someone would have come to my assistance.
Of course, I knew now that no such help would have ever been forthcoming, regardless of what agonized sounds I had made or however loud I made them.
Today, as I waited alone in the hallway, I was grateful my uncle’s office was out of the way and the likelihood of one of my cousins noticing me waiting out here was low.
Five minutes. I was beginning to feel edgy. The study was a long way from the rest of the house, but I could hear voices now and if anyone happened to glance up the corridor, they’d see me.
Seven minutes. My heart was racing; my palms had grown sweaty.
Eight. My skin prickled with awareness.
Nine. Uncertainty and apprehension. Should I knock again?
Ten. The door creaked open. Bastard . He’d made me wait twice the time I’d made him wait.
My uncle stood on the threshold. He was tall, broad-shouldered and imposing, with a broad aquiline nose giving him the appearance of a predator. Dark hair, dark bushy eyebrows over piercing blue eyes, and thin, severe lips; there was nothing comforting about his appearance. He scowled at me.
“You’re late,” he snarled.
“I knocked ten minutes ago!” I retorted, then cringed inwardly, realizing I’d admitted I’d been hanging around waiting for him.
“Mind your manners, boy!” he slapped me across the face, knocking me backwards.
I staggered but stayed on my feet, the sharp sting in my cheek fading into heat, and I bit down on my reply.
Despite my brief moment of rebellion, I knew it was safer to say nothing, take the abuse rather than provoke more.
But one day… one day, I’d get my revenge.
“Close the door behind you,” he told me, turning away and stalking aggressively to his desk, not even bothering to make sure I followed his instructions.
My traitorous brain considered defying him, but self-preservation was a strong instinct.
I closed the door and approached the desk.
I didn’t bother sitting in one of the two leather chairs in front of the old-fashioned bureau.
If I sat, he’d tell me to stand. If I remained standing, he’d either tell me to sit or leave me on my feet.
This way, it was a win for me, albeit a small one.
For several minutes there was only the sound of my ragged breathing, the ticking of an old-fashioned clock on the mantel behind him, as his cold blue eyes observed me.
I refused to cower under his gaze. I waited, trying to keep my expression as bland and disinterested as possible, and slow the panicked fluttering of my pulse.
Those cruel, calculating eyes bored into me, assessing. What was he looking for? Or was he just trying to intimidate me?
“You… have an opportunity,” he said at last. “To restore some honor to this family.”
Silence. Did I care about this family or their honor? No, not at all. They hadn’t cared about me, so no. And I didn’t like the subtle inference that I was somehow responsible for tarnishing the family honor.
“The honor which your omega status has damaged.”
Okay, not just a subtle inference then.
After pausing to impress on me the gravitas of the crime of being an omega, my uncle continued, “Therefore it falls to you to do what needs be done to correct that.”
I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of inquiring what it was that would achieve this remarkable outcome.
When I continued to stand there in silence, a sly smirk twisted the corner of Uncle Maxim’s mouth as he added, “You are to be given as mate to an Alpha of our choice, in order to meet the pack requirements set by the Council.”
That broke me.
“The fuck?” I swore, spluttering. “You can’t just give me away as someone’s fuck toy!”
Uncle Maxim turned his icy blue eyes on me. “Oh, I can,” he said, “and I will. Quite frankly, it will get you off our hands. You should be grateful; you’ll be given to a Pack Alpha, so you’ll hold the position of Alpha Mate.”
He looked down his nose at me. “Not that you’re worthy of it, but that is not our concern, you should be quite useful to us in that position.”
Like I’d do anything to help this wretched family, but the possibility of escaping it was appealing. Maybe I could pretend to go along with this and skip out on my new ‘mate’ before the actual pairing was consummated?
“Huh,” I scoffed, “what Alpha is going to accept an unknown omega being foisted on him as his mate?” I made no attempt to hide the skepticism in my voice.
I was always willing to push right up to the point that my uncle wouldn’t take any more.
It hadn’t always worked out for me, to be honest, as a few scars on my thighs attested.
“One that doesn’t have any better options,” he sneered, letting me know what a poor choice he considered me.
“No-one’s going to accept a reluctant mate. Pack Alphas are too proud for that!” Why was he so confident this mating would go ahead?
“You won’t be a reluctant mate,” he glowered at me, fixing me with those piercing eyes that felt like they were boring into me.
“After all, it’s your best choice. If you don’t accept the offer, you’ll be out on the streets.
You have no education, and no possibility of a job.
Unless you want to work in the brothels.
You’d be forced to sell your heats on the street… ”
A cold finger of fear ran down my spine.
Everyone knew what happened to omegas that had to stoop that low.
They generally didn’t last very long. And a male omega…
I couldn’t suppress the shudder that ran through me.
Male omegas were rare… and rarer yet, selling themselves on the street.
I’d have every sleazy, debauched male trying to get his filthy hands on me and his disgusting dick inside me.
Disease wasn’t a concern for shifters, but most omegas in this situation eventually killed themselves rather than continue to drown in their own self-disgust. Being used in untold ways by innumerable strangers, often drugged and unable to resist…
yeah, being mated to a Pack Alpha wasn’t looking quite so bad, now.
My chest ached with the frantic pounding of my heart. I tried to calm it. I was not going to panic. I was not going down that path to oblivion. My hands shook.
“And… and wh-when is this mating to happen?” I stammered. I had lost my composure. For all my show of defiance, he’d cut through my bravado and made me understand how weak and powerless I actually was. My uncle had a plan and he’d shown me how distasteful the alternatives were.
I had no resistance left to offer. Maybe I’d even stay with the Alpha after all.