Chapter 6 Rowan #2
I didn’t give him a chance to finish before I bolted down the hall. There was nowhere to go, but if they thought I was going to submit without a fight, they didn't know me very well.
It wasn’t Cade who followed me down the hallway, but Ryker.
His massive silhouette filled the far end of the dim corridor, blocking out what little light remained.
Moving with unhurried confidence, he took one slow step forward, then another.
The look in his eyes told me he knew I was trapped, and he was enjoying every second of toying with me.
“You know, Kitten, I thought you were going to run at the checkpoint when I first saw you. I actually hoped you would. I wanted to chase you, pin you to the ground, and fuck you. But you followed my orders. Well, better late than never,” he said, lunging toward me in one swift motion.
I ducked, sliding across the floor between his legs and scrambling down the hallway, desperate to get away.
The movement shocked me. I hadn’t realized I could move that quickly.
Through the rush of adrenaline, I felt my wolf clawing at the surface, begging to be set free.
I loosened my grip on her, growling and allowing her to surge forward until a sharp prick at my neck sent her retreating into the deepest part of me.
The connection vanished. I couldn’t feel her anymore. When I looked up, Talon was standing there, his expression neutral.
“Sorry, Pet. Can’t have you shifting on us,” he said, holding up a syringe. A trace of neon-green liquid still clung to the inside. He’d dosed me with the new sedative Zolkos had developed to suppress our wolves.
Talon stepped aside, and I stared at him with confusion until I felt arms wrap tightly around my thighs. In the next second, Ryker tackled me from behind, bringing me to the ground.
“Got her!” he yelled with a triumphant grin as he hauled me over his shoulder. I kicked and screamed the entire way back to the living room, but he only laughed, dumping me unceremoniously at Cade’s feet.
“Tsk, tsk, Kitten. Now you’re really going to get it.”
“Ryker’s right; you should have listened, Rowan. Don’t worry, we’ll work on that,” Cade said, his expression darkening as he motioned to Talon.
Talon walked into the kitchen and returned carrying a bowl. I couldn’t see what was inside. The fear of the unknown and of what they were about to do sent tears streaming down my cheeks.
“Rowan, look at me,” Cade said softly, tilting my chin upward until our eyes met. “You can do this, baby. I promise. You can take what we give you. Omegas need this."
I knew what he was doing. I knew he had used baby, that soft and often withheld term of endearment, to tempt me into compliance.
It didn’t stop the rush of satisfaction that surged through me at hearing it again.
The omega inside craved his affection and praise after being deprived of them for so long.
Still, I eyed him with suspicion."C'mon, Cade! You're really going to try to convince me omegas need to get spanked? How convenient for alphas."
“This isn’t about punishment or spanking. Even conventional omegas are reckless and spirited, and you exceed that. There is a reason omegas need this kind of attention from alphas.”
"So you want to break me." I snorted.
"The opposite. Your spirit is what attracts us to you, Rowan. We all knew you weren't like a conventional omega and still chose you. That doesn't mean you don't require correction and guidance to keep you settled."
He continued, "Our job is to keep you safe. What you did nearly got you killed. You ran from us into a situation you had no control over, a dangerous one.”
I bristled. “I was scared.”
“I know,” he said immediately. “That’s the point.”
His gaze didn’t leave mine. “When omegas feel trapped or overwhelmed, their instincts tell them to flee. Escape. Without guidance, that instinct can overwhelm good judgement and put them in danger.” He paused. “Without correction, those instincts spiral.”
My throat tightened.
“We're here to show you that when you push too far, we will catch you. We will stop you from hurting yourself. That's what this is about. I feel the guilt eating at you. I know you need this. Tell us you want to be good for us and take your punishment.”
I shook my head, breath uneven. “And if I don’t?”
“Then you’ll keep testing limits until something out there finishes the lesson for us,” he said. “And I won’t let that happen. Not to you.”
Silence stretched between us, thick with everything unsaid.
His tone softened. “If you’re really sorry, then show us you understand. Show us you trust us to guide you, baby.”
Deep down, I knew these men would not harm me beyond what I could bear. And as much as I hated to admit, Cade was right. Part of me, the omega buried inside, needed this in ways I could not explain. The correction, attention, and deliberate kind of punishment that reminded me I belonged to them.
There was a strange relief in surrendering control of my body to them, even for punishment. Allowing these men to have total control, total power, brought a calm I couldn’t rationally explain.
For once, I didn't really want to run.
I saw it with sudden clarity. What I’d called freedom before hadn’t been freedom at all. It was isolation, constant vigilance, another kind of cage, one I’d built for myself and mistaken for independence.
Here, at least, I could be myself.
“I don’t want to feel guilty anymore,” I breathed. “I don’t want to feel restless or unsafe. And I don’t want to keep being a problem.”
Cade’s expression softened. “You’re not a problem,” he said. “You’re an omega learning where she fits in the world and how to handle her instincts."
I exhaled shakily. “And punishment… is supposed to help?”
“It will,” he said sternly. “If you let it.”
I closed my eyes for a moment, steadying myself. When I opened them again, I met his gaze.
“I want to stop running,” I said. “I want to understand what you’re asking of me and stop fighting my instincts.” My voice shook, but I held his gaze. “You’re right. I need it. And I’m sorry, sir.”
Cade’s lips tilted upward as a faint smile ghosted across his mouth. He was pleased with me.
“Let’s get started then. Take your clothes off, Rowan. You can leave your underwear on.”
My hands trembled as I unbuttoned my jeans and slid them down my legs.
I pulled my sweater over my head, my heart racing faster with each layer I removed.
When it came time to unfasten my bra, I hesitated, still not entirely comfortable exposing myself to them.
Cade tilted his head slightly, a silent cue that told me to keep going.
I drew a shaky breath, unclasped the bra, and let it fall.
Talon set the mystery bowl on the coffee table. When I glanced over, I saw he had filled it with uncooked rice. The sight made my stomach turn. What exactly were they planning to do with rice? Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin black rope.
His voice slid through my mind, echoing through our bond.
Come here, Pet.
I obeyed, moving toward him with hesitant steps. When he made a small circular gesture with his finger, I turned around, presenting my back to him.
He began wrapping the rope around my body with slow, deliberate precision. As he worked, his tattooed fingers brushed over my skin, light and purposeful.
Ryker and Cade watched in silence, their attention following the path of his hands as the rope circled my torso, winded around my neck and shoulders, then criss-crossed my chest, looping beneath my arms and around my biceps before circling my torso again just below my breasts.
The last strands of rope bound my wrists tightly behind my back and secured them together.
The restraint was snug and obstructed my every movement. My muscles ached to stretch, but the pressure of the rope against my skin sent a strange shiver of comfort through me. It bit into my flesh just enough to leave faint red marks. The restriction made me feel both secure and utterly exposed.
“Spin for us. Show off how beautiful you look," Cade instructed.
I turned slowly, giving them time to drink in every inch of me.
“You look like a fucking present, Kitten. I can’t wait to unwrap you,” Ryker said, biting down on his knuckles with a sharp inhale.
Even Cade, who usually kept his expression neutral, looked barely in control.
Talon reached for the bowl and tipped it over, spilling its contents across the floor beside the entertainment center.
The tiny grains of rice scattered in every direction, a mess of pale specks dotted across the dark floor.
He crooked his finger, motioning for me to come closer.
I hesitated for a moment, confused, but obeyed.
“Face the couch and kneel on the rice, Pet. Stay upright, nice and straight, eyes forward.”
I did as he said, lowering one knee and then the other.
At first, I didn’t understand the purpose of the rice, but within seconds, realization hit.
Each grain pressed sharply into my skin, biting at my knees until the pain grew unbearable.
I shifted, trying to ease the pressure, but the rice only dug in further, burrowing into my flesh.
“Stay, Pet,” Talon said as he rifled through the entertainment center, pulling out a few video game controllers and tossing them to Ryker and Cade.
He switched on the console, and soon the three of them sprawled across the room, shouting and laughing as they played a combat game. Each of them were completely absorbed, not even glancing in my direction, as if I weren’t there.
They played round after round, and with each passing minute, my legs and feet grew numb, folded awkwardly beneath me. They tingled with the desperate need to move or stretch, but all I could focus on was my knees. The pain had gone beyond discomfort.