Prologue
Prologue
I t was the same, day in and day out.
Emerson sat in the kitchen eating breakfast on his own after taking his younger siblings to school. The only thing that changed, however, was the fact his stepfather and stepbrother began bringing omegas into the house to slack their lust.
The smell alone, wafting from their bedroom down the hall toward his room, tied Emerson in knots, and there was nothing he could do about it. Except follow the routine and say nothing about it.
Because he was an omega.
Born and bred to be used by Alphas.
At nineteen, Emerson was supposed to learn the basics of family care, including what his life would be once an Alpha claimed him. However, as each enrollment period at the omega academy came and went and his stepfather didn’t sign him up, the fear of being trapped in a cycle of never-ending subjugation by Callum and Orion solidified in Emerson’s mind.
They didn’t want him to leave. He was theirs to torture and torment.
Did mother feel trapped too ?
He stood from his seat at the island as the strange omega who joined Callum and Orion the night before left their home while Emerson went to the sink to rinse his bowl and put it in the dishwasher. Everything he did was robotic. The list of chores he memorized came naturally now. Get the children up. Make them breakfast. Get them to school. Do the grocery shopping. Clean the house and cook. It was as though Emerson turned into a maid instead of the son of the woman Callum mated ten years ago.
Orion's laughter dripped with the smug satisfaction of an Alpha coming into his prime as he descended the staircase moments after the omega left. “We’re going to be late.”
“Happens when an Alpha’s entertained properly, son,” Callum stated, pride lacing his voice.
Emerson bristled. Jealousy wriggled through his belly, igniting a flame of outrage. The arrogant, self-serving bastards didn’t care about him or his wants and needs. As long as they could fuck all night, they were happy. They hadn’t realized he’d gone through three heat cycles since his mother’s death, because they probably forgot he was there. Made him wonder if Callum and Orion thought their breakfast, lunch, and dinners magically appeared every day or if they knew he made them.
Speaking of which...
He went to the fridge and retrieved the bento boxes he prepared earlier for his stepfather and stepbrother then placed them on the counter—like always.
Emerson glanced over his shoulder as they entered the kitchen and retrieved their boxes, willing them to finally acknowledge him. Instead, Orion said something, and Callum smacked him on the back, laughing at his antics. Emerson didn’t understand why he continued to get his hopes up. Every day they proved they didn’t care. That his feelings didn’t matter. That being there didn’t matter.
Maybe it was time to leave.
Under normal circumstances, omega didn’t live on their own. They stayed with their family until they came of age to join an omega academy. At the academy they learned about how to care for their mate. The importance of heat cycles and what to do if they got pregnant by their Alpha. All he needed was an Alpha’s signature to attend. With Emerson’s parents dead, unfortunately, he wondered if perhaps, he could go on his own, without permission.
Not like he hadn’t been asking anyway.
Would serve them right if I signed up for the academy and disappeared forever. Perhaps then they’d appreciate me.
Revenge speared his jealousy as he grabbed the tablet off the counter. He’d figure out a way into the academy then abscond himself in the middle of the night. Guilt ate at his heart at the idea of leaving his little siblings behind, but this was something he should have done a long time ago. His stepfather was their biological parent. Callum could deal with their lunches, school, and homework.
Not Emerson.
Not anymore.
He opened the search engine and began his quest to find the proper place for him thousands of miles away. Emerson signed up as an orphan and used his mother’s name and death certificate as proof he was alone in the world. It would serve everyone in their home right, for ignoring him as they did. When he found a place across the country, he started there. The farther away he could get, the better off he’d be.
By nightfall, Emerson had a plan in place. The academy in Port Longo, located in the Pacific Northwest, had space for him, and his tuition was covered as an orphan. All he had to do was leave. He prearranged everything down to how his siblings would be picked up for school in the morning, to several meals prepped in the freezer to be eaten by his ungrateful stepfather and stepbrother. In a way, he hoped they choked on it. Would serve them right for ignoring him for so many years.
After he put his siblings to bed, Emerson went to his room and began packing. With his stepfather and stepbrother otherwise occupied, he finished the tasks required of him then slipped out the door when his ride arrived. The imposing blacked out sedan gave him pause, but when Emerson glanced up at the bedroom window where he knew his stepfather and stepbrother entertained their guest, not even fear held Emerson back.
He slipped into the vehicle, relaxing against the warm, sumptuous leather and closed his eyes. Come tomorrow morning he would be over three thousand miles away in an academy where he belonged. At least there, he’d be appreciated.
At least then, he could start his life without being forgotten.
Or he hoped so, anyway.