Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
Jett gripped Sidian by the nape of the neck and dragged him into the house like a misbehaving dog.
In another lifetime, he would have liked to live in a house as nice as Pack Kincaid’s.
Lavish, expensive furniture decorated every room, with all the color palettes matching in deep, dark colors.
It was too minimalist—not enough pillows or blankets for an omega’s comfort—but Sidian knew the pack didn’t care about omegas.
All they cared about was exerting their power and dominance over those they considered being weak and inferior, and in that regard, Sidian had been one of their favorite targets.
Jett dragged him upstairs with no regard for his feet slipping and sliding on the hardwood steps, throwing him down on the landing like he was trash.
Before Sidian could get his hands and knees beneath him, the alpha’s foot came to rest in the small of his back, the slightest exertion of pressure more than enough to keep Sidian still.
My baby, my baby, please don’t hurt my baby.
“Dax always had a soft spot for you,” Jett said, his voice low and thoughtful, “though I don’t get it. Pussy is pussy. But I gotta say, your thinking you’re tough enough to fight back gets me hard.”
Sidian bit down on his tongue to keep himself quiet. Do not rise to the bait. Never rise to the bait.
“Maybe if your dog survives ours, we’ll let him watch us fuck you.” Jett chuckled, the sound dark, heavy in his throat. “Teach him how to give you what you need.”
Sidian was saved from having to speak by the sound of a door creaking down the hallway, his eyes rising off the floor to see what was going on.
The upstairs was dark save for a few dim nightlights, but the figure of the omega who stepped out of what was likely the master bedroom was easy to make out, especially since Sidian knew to expect him here.
“Jett?” Lilac Kincaid’s voice was soft, uncertain. “What’s—What are you doing? Who is that? Is that the omega from the center?”
Lilac knew who he was. Sidian didn’t know if that was good or bad.
Jett grunted. “Dax wants him washed up. Get him changed into something pretty, too.”
“Yes, alpha.” Lilac scurried forward like a small animal frightened of being struck, and Jett shifted his foot away from Sidian’s back just in time for Lilac to take his hands. “Come along now. The master bathroom is through the bedroom. I’ll find you something to wear.”
Behind them, Jett’s heavy footsteps started downstairs. “Show him what it means to be a good bitch.”
Lilac helped Sidian to his feet and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, hustling him down the hallway to the bedroom and pushing the door shut behind them.
The bedroom itself was dark, the only light spilling from the dim screen of a tablet sitting on the bed and a couple of ambient lights set into the ceiling.
It was a comfort, though, because it smelled of omega.
“I’m so sorry.” The arm around Sidian’s shoulders squeezed as he was turned, nudged toward a closed door. “I didn’t think they could find you.”
Sidian didn’t know what to say about that. “Where’s my daughter? Do you have Amey?”
“Amey?” Lilac cocked his head as he flicked on the bathroom light, and Sidian hissed at the harsh white lighting. “Oh. That’s a nickname for Amethyst, isn’t it?”
Sidian’s heart pounded as he nodded, his nails biting into his palms as his hands flexed, curling into fists, nerves making him feel sick. The bathroom had pot-pourri in it, and the sickly sweet scent made him dizzy; he wanted to burrow into the darkness of the bedroom and find somewhere to hide.
Lilac’s face softened. “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up, and then you can go see her, I think.”
The sweet relief that poured through Sidian’s veins threatened to bring him to his knees, but he allowed himself to be led to a glass shower stall in the corner on shaky legs.
Lilac left him to wash himself, and though he loathed the thought of undressing anywhere in the house, he didn’t know what else to do.
So he focused on scrubbing himself clean as fast as possible, opting for the scentless soap because he didn’t want to remove a single trace of Roman’s scent from his skin.
He might lose him forever. Yet again, Sidian had put Roman in harm’s way because of his own selfishness, and if he couldn’t save him, he’d carry him for as long as he could.
Lilac had left clothes on the sink counter without Sidian noticing him coming and going, which made the hairs on the nape of his neck prickle.
The sight of the black satin nightie made his gorge rise, and he set it back on the sink, pressing his hands over his face and taking a deep breath.
His father had tried to force him into feminine clothing ever since he had come out.
It was part of the reason Sidian lost control.
Get through it, he told himself, sucking in a harsh breath through his teeth. He made himself look at his reflection, at the manic light behind his eyes. It’s just a piece of clothing. It doesn’t matter. After tonight, you’re never going to wear it again.
Because after tonight, either the Kincaids would be dead, or Sidian would be. He couldn’t survive in this house; he would go down with a fight, or he would win. It was as simple as that.
Lilac waited for him on the edge of the mattress, fiddling with the cover on the tablet as he rose on his own weak legs.
He looked much as he did in the photograph Sidian had seen, though his hair was longer and just a touch messier.
His eyes were almost hollowed out, and he was thinner than an omega should have been, his complexion too sallow.
While Sidian had suffered at his pack’s hands during his heats, Lilac bore their abuse daily, and it showed in him.
For just a moment, Sidian had hoped this was going to go the way he needed it to go.
“It wasn’t so bad, was it?” Lilac offered him a trembling smile. “Would you like to see her now?”
“Can I?” What he wanted to ask was if the pack would be angry at Lilac for allowing it, but Sidian didn’t want to ask it. He was afraid that if he did, Lilac would realize that the offer might be dangerous and rescind it. Sidian had to see Amey. If she was in the house, he had to.
“I don’t see why not.” Lilac took him by the hand, and Sidian let him.
The hallway was still dark, and the lack of voices in the house set Sidian on edge.
Were all the alphas outside? He could make a run for it, but without knowing where he was or where to go, all he would do was get lost and die of exposure.
It was just like being back in the center except, at the very least, he could see his daughter again.
Lilac pushed open a door about halfway down the hallway, revealing soft pastel walls and racks of toys and children’s books, a dresser and a changing table pushed up against the wall.
At the very least, it looked like someone had done the bare minimum for Amethyst, and Sidian was grateful for that.
She could have died. She could have died out there, and he never would have known.
The crib was smooth white wood, and the sheet was a soft, floral pattern.
An infant slept on top of it in a cute sleep set that was a pale pastel purple, one tiny hand resting on her chest and the other half-curled into a fist next to her cheek.
Her dark hair was thick and lush already, the same glossy black as Sidian’s own, her cheeks chubby and her lips parted just enough that he could hear her tiny inhales and exhales.
Amethyst was relaxed in her crib, fast asleep and dreaming sweet dreams, and the sight of her brought tears to Sidian’s eyes as a tiny whimper broke from his lips.
“She’s yours, isn’t she?” Lilac murmured, and Sidian nodded as he reached down to touch her small hand, his chest aching when her fingers curled around one of his. “They brought her to me and told me to take care of her. I didn’t know where she came from.”
Sidian swallowed. “She was born at a breeding center.”
She shouldn’t have been. She should have been in a normal omega clinic, surrounded by soft ambient lighting and only people who would love her and care for her.
She should have been left in his arms so that he could hold her and bond with her, so that he could nurse her and kiss her and sing her to sleep.
Instead, she’d been taken so far away. All the way across the country. She was so small.
“I’m sorry,” Lilac said. “I did the best I could. She’s healthy, and she’s so sweet.”
“I wanted her back more than anything.” Sidian brushed this thumb over her tiny knuckles. “I wanted her so much I got myself caught. They have my fucking alpha.”
Lilac bit the corner of his mouth. “He’s probably out in the woods with Puppy.”
“What?” Sidian’s head jerked up. Puppy? But that was Kitten’s missing sister. So the Kincaids had her after all, which meant the leak in the Mambas was far worse than they likely already imagined. “What’s going to happen to him? Is he going to be okay?”
“I don’t know.” Lilac shook his head as Amey shifted in her sleep, letting out a tiny coo. “Puppy’s feral most of the time. Sometimes I’d sneak out to check on her, but I don’t think she’s been herself for a long time. She’s only an alpha, but other alphas rile her up.”
Feral. Sidian could have laughed. “How do we get out of here, Lilac?”
“I don’t know,” Lilac responded. “If I had known how, I would have left with your baby.”
That wasn’t good enough; they had to get out. If it were possible to leave without Pack Kincaid catching up, then Sidian would, but he knew better. So if escape was impossible, then what he needed to do was anything it took to make it happen.
“Well, well, well,” Dax purred from behind them, “I see we’re having a family reunion.”
Sidian’s heart leaped into his throat as he looked over his shoulder, not sure what to say or what to do.
He watched as Dax’s eyes skimmed him up and down, a familiar hunger flickering through his gaze for just a moment before he collected himself.
It showed up in his scent, though, a salty tang that made Sidian flinch.
There had never been an alpha he wanted less than he wanted Dax, and there would be no way to hide that no matter what he tried.
Lilac tried to smile at him. “Hi, alpha. He said he wanted to see the baby. Is it all right?”
“I didn’t give you the express command not to let him see her, I suppose.” Dax sauntered into the room, right up to both of them. “How nice to have both of my bitches in the same room together.”
An arm slid around Sidian’s waist and pulled him back, and he shuddered as Dax’s hand smoothed over the nightie to settle on his stomach.
The knowledge that Dax knew, that there was no hiding the pregnancy from him, was terrifying.
He knew Sidian’s body too well, and if he got his teeth into Sidian’s neck, there would never be a way to hide from him ever again.
“You see, Lilac,” Dax said conversationally, “Sidian’s made for breeding. You’ll help raise every child he births, and that will be your role alongside satisfying us during our ruts.”
Lilac dipped his head, the picture of submission. “Yes, alpha.”
“And that seems to be where the real trouble lies, doesn’t it?
” Dax tipped his head back, his expression thoughtful before he wrapped a hand around Lilac’s neck.
“Come. We’ll put on a demonstration. Sidian is very disobedient.
You’ll assist me in teaching him what it means to be a good, submissive bitch. ”
Sidian’s mouth dried when Lilac only nodded, resignation settling on his features as they were led out of the room, Dax pushing both of them out into the hallway before closing the door. Outside, a sudden rumble of thunder made Sidian jump, his eyes darting toward the wall that faced the forest.
Roman…
“Oh, Puppy loves thunderstorms,” Dax mused before his hand closed around Lilac’s throat once again. “Let’s go to bed, omegas. I’ve been expecting this night for a long time.”
Sidian didn’t know where the other alphas were, but as he followed obediently behind Dax, he realized his opening was right in front of him.
He could only hope that Roman was holding his own.