Chapter 9 Lena
I wasn’t sure why I had touched Silas last night. Physical contact still sent discomfort rippling through my body, an instinct I hadn’t been able to shake. And yet, I’d touched him anyway.
His volatile emotions had called to me, telling me to push past my fear, urging me to offer him comfort.
Even in the dark, unable to see his expression, I’d felt his unrest. Silas' anger was still there, raw and constant, but beneath it was something more fragile, something fractured, and something that mirrored parts of myself.
So I moved toward him, forcing my feet closer, offering the only comfort I could manage. A brief touch for barely a moment. Still, his eyes went wide, surprise flashing, before I pulled away.
For the first time in a long time, I gave my touch freely.
And in return, he made a violent promise.
The memory of it lingered in my mind, dangerous to believe.
Could these men really help me?
A shift was taking place inside me. Maybe it was the steady rhythm of my new routine, the absence of threats, or simply that no one had harmed me. My mind was beginning to recognize I wasn’t in immediate danger anymore, loosening the constant edge of fear.
In turn, my body had started reacting again, in ways it hadn’t in years.
I recognized the instinctive responses as ones omegas had to alphas.
My eyes tracked Silas and Knox without meaning to, aware of where they were at all times.
I sought out their alpha scents which coated everything and acted like a sedative, dulling the edge of my panic.
I didn’t know when it happened exactly, but I had also started to find comfort in knowing they were nearby while I slept. Both handlers took turns, sitting on the floor at a distance that felt safe, even if their attention fixated on me in a way that seemed obsessive.
At first, their constant presence had terrified me. My guard stayed up as I could feel the weight of their focus, heavy and unrelenting. Now, that weight anchored me, allowing sleep to come deeper and more peacefully than it had since before my captivity.
Everytime I left my room, Silas and Knox would leave something behind.
When I returned, there was always a gift waiting for me.
A pillow here, a blanket there. I found myself looking forward to their presents, testing the textures, adjusting them, and positioning each item into place until it felt right.
I knew what drove me to do those things, even if I didn’t want to name it.
My nesting instincts were resurfacing, piece by piece.
I couldn't help reaching for the blankets or pillows that carried their scent the strongest, pulling them closer and breathing them in. Sometimes I caught myself rubbing the fabric along my arms, my neck, my chest, trying to mark my skin with their scent.
And then something else would follow.
A warm pulse low in my body that made my breath catch and my thoughts scatter. No matter how much I tried to ignore it, my mind drifted, unbidden, to them.
To their hands.
Their bodies.
Their mouths.
I would grip my blankets tighter and wonder what it would feel like if it wasn’t just fabric beneath my touch.
It was terrifying.
And worse… it wasn’t entirely unwelcome.
But despite everything, there was another instinct, too.
A louder one, coiled at the edges of my mind.
These men will hurt you.
Don’t trust them.
They’re alphas, just like Marco.
The warning rose louder and louder, drowning out everything else. I had learned to survive by listening to that warning. It had kept me alive when hope was dangerous and attachment was a liability.
Along with the warning, Marco’s venomous words replayed in my head.
There is no future for you that doesn’t circle back to me.
What if he had been right?
What if the moment I let these men in, truly let myself believe in them, someone tore them away from me too? They could be taken, killed, or turned against me. I was terrified to trust, because nothing hurt more than having hope ripped out.
So I stayed balanced between instinct and terror, between the urge to lean in and the need to keep my guard raised, knowing that one wrong choice could cost me everything.
Knox’s fingers brushed my arm, and I reared back on instinct, flinching hard.
“Sorry,” he muttered. “You weren’t responding. I wasn’t sure you heard me.”
My head cocked to the side. I was always hyperaware of my surroundings, yet I had been so lost in thought that I’d tuned out everything around me. That almost never happened.
“We’re taking a trip today,” Knox repeated once he had my undivided attention. “Dr. Hampton wants to meet at her office.”
Panic surged.
I didn’t want to leave the safe house. It was safe here. Safe from Marco.
Leave? No!
Where was her office?
My thoughts scattered. I shook my head hard, eyes flicking between the brothers as fear flooded in. My chest tightened and my vision narrowed as my breaths turned quick and shallow.
“Breathe, runt,” Knox said softly as he knelt in front of me, bringing himself level with my eyes. “Shhh, Lena. Everything’s okay. We’ll both be with you.”
Silas watched from across the table, eyes narrowed, his face tight with his usual barely contained rage and frustration.
"I told you we were supposed to give her more notice. She's freaking out," he grumbled.
Knox shot his brother a stern look.
I didn’t want to make Silas mad, but my reactions always did. Desperate to avoid angering him further, I tried to stifle my panic, which only made it worse. Tears fell, and soon the room spun.
But then, a low sound left Knox’s chest, more a rumble than a growl. It was steady, rhythmic, growing louder as it filled the room. Surprisingly, my panic attack dulled, receding little by little until my breathing evened out.
He lifted his hand, holding it where I could see it, then moved it forward until it hovered just inches from my face. I flinched, but he didn’t pull back. The sound deepened, growing louder and more certain. His alpha purr sank inside me, spreading through my body, loosening every rigid muscle.
Then the back of his hand brushed my jaw. His knuckle slid gently along it, and his thumb caught a tear.
The touch was careful, tentative, and instead of fear or pain, it brought unfamiliar comfort.
“Breathe in and out. Good runt. Just like that. I know leaving is frightening," he reassured me. “But we’ll both be with you to protect you. I promise.”
Another promise. From men who had once promised to extract answers with pain.
I closed my eyes, and for the briefest second, I leaned into Knox’s hand. He turned it, his palm fitting where his knuckles had been, and let it travel down the column of my neck, lingering at the hollow where an omega’s scent was strongest.
A beat.
And then I felt that low pulse again, at the apex of my thighs. I was hyperaware of his touch, warm against my skin. His finger slowly circled the sensitive area where my scent bloomed. Part of me wanted to tilt my neck, give him better access, and let him roam.
But fear surged back, thick and suffocating.
Quickly, I pulled away, and he withdrew immediately.
Knox’s smile softened, pride replacing the tension in his posture. “That was so good, Lena,” he said. “I know touch isn't easy for you. Thank you for letting me comfort you.”
His praise landed differently than I expected. It didn’t feel earned through obedience or fear. It felt… steady and affirming.
Then I turned my head and met Silas’s gaze.
The anger he wore so often had vanished, replaced by a different heat.
His eyes held mine with an intensity that made my breath hitch, the air between us shifting as his scent deepened.
His scarred brow furrowed, his eyes narrowed, and the unmistakable scent of alpha arousal, threaded through the air.
It should have frightened me. How long had I been conditioned to fear that scent, to brace myself against it, and expect pain to follow?
But from him, it stirred something else.
The pulse grew stronger, unfurling low in my body. It was a quiet awakening, I hadn’t felt in a very long time. Instinctive, curious, and dangerous in every way.
Silas didn’t move or speak. He just watched me, jaw tight and fist clenched, as if he were doing everything he could to hold himself back from embracing his hunger.
And somehow, his restraint made it so much harder to look away.
It was only a short drive to Dr. Hampton’s office. I noted the building’s sign, Omega Training Center, as we pulled into the underground parking garage. We exited the vehicle and took an elevator up to the third floor.
I was finally here.
The Omega Training Center.
The place I thought I was going to five years ago, when Marco’s men showed up at my house impersonating Arca transport drivers.
They had been calm, official, and practiced in the way they spoke.
I didn't second guess anything as it seemed so routine, like I was just another omega being transported for enlistment.
My mother stood in the doorway as I stepped into the transport van, her hand lifting in a small wave, and her expression carefully composed.
At the time, I told myself everything was fine, that this was exactly how it was supposed to happen, and that the unease in my chest was just nerves. But there had been something in her eyes. Something I didn’t want to name at the time.
Guilt.
I ignored it then, pushed it down and told myself I was imagining things.
But the truth was, I always knew, long before Marco ever confirmed it aloud.
My mother sold me.
He made sure I never forgot either, bringing it up whenever he wanted to break me down further, always reminding me of her debts, and how easy it had been to exchange me for wiping the slate clean. Her only omega daughter traded like nothing more than an object.
My mother told me she had arranged transport to the Omega Training Center, all the while knowing exactly where I was really going.