CHAPTER 11 JARED
Present day
When I open my eyes, I know immediately that I'm not alone. My body feels heavy and drained, stuck deep in the damned post-heat recovery phase. After the grueling hike through the woods and everything else that's happened since, it's demanding nothing but long, uninterrupted rest.
Slowly, I turn my head. Mauro is sitting in an armchair against the wall with one knee drawn up, his eyes fixed on his phone.
He looks hot, wearing faded gray ripped jeans and a dark charcoal tank top.
A few silver chains bracelets and black leather cords wrap around his wrist. Dark curls fall across his cheeks, his eyes focused on the screen.
But the instant I move, his gaze lifts over the top of the screen and finds mine.
Even from where I'm sitting, I can tell how good he smells.
Fresh and clean. Alphas and omegas have an exceptional sense of smell, so we're always aware of the hygiene of everyone around us.
I can pick up even the faintest trace of sweat, but Mauro is impeccable.
His body carries this unbelievably pristine scent.
Mmm… why does my dick react to that so much?
Our eyes meet, and a strange thought crosses my mind. Has he been sitting here the whole time while I slept? I glance toward the window. It's already close to noon. Heat rushes into my cheeks, and I can only hope I wasn't drooling in my sleep. It would kill all the romanticism.
Mauro rises unhurriedly, his expression calm and serious. As he does, the hem of his tank top rides up a bit, revealing a strip of sun-kissed skin and a glimpse of his tempting abs. I also get a clear view of the impressive bulge in his jeans.
He bends down, picks up a large bundle wrapped in pale green muslin, and carries it over to the bed.
Then he lowers himself onto one knee and places the bundle in front of him, resting one hand on top of it in a gesture that leaves no doubt it's meant for me.
Of course I know what it is.
A nesting kit. A big one, luxurious, beautiful. It must have cost a fortune.
But we both know this kit means far more than that in ABO society. And this is the moment when I have to decide whether I keep following what’s pulling me toward him… or force myself to stop and give myself time.
And suddenly, two possible scenarios unfold in my mind.
If I tell him all the dirt from my past and he accepts it, then it opens up an unexpected path for us, one we could follow if it ever came to that.
But if I tell him everything and he decides it's too much, that he isn't interested in an omega carrying that kind of baggage, then at least I'll have my answer, and I can focus on continuing my search, pushing thoughts of him aside.
Simple, right?
I've always believed that before getting into a relationship, things should be laid out in the open, so there are no grievances or resentment later.
Whatever happens between us, I intend to tell him who I am and see how he reacts. His reaction will tell me a lot about the kind of person he really is.
My pulse spikes as I start to speak, "Mauro… you don’t know who I am."
His dark hazel eyes lift to mine. His face remains calm but attentive.
Slowly, I sit up and fold my legs beneath me.
"I need to tell you the truth about what happened in my past… and during the last few days before we move even an inch further. Yes, there is this… pull between us, but I can’t rely only on the sexual attraction."
His handsome face doesn't change, but he pulls his phone out and types one line into it. The app reads it aloud.
"So you feel it too? The pull?"
"I do, but I’m not sure what to do about it. I honestly don't know what tomorrow will bring for us, but no matter what, I'd rather you know before I accept this nesting kit."
I can see him starting to type, so I quickly continue, "I just want you to know some facts about me. They may change the way you see me, and I hate lies and secrets."
Talking about all of this will be painful, but I have to get it out.
"I highly doubt it," he types.
"Well. In any case, I want you to be able to make an informed decision, especially because… I didn’t spend this heat alone, and this may change a few things for you."
As I say it, I study him closely, but Mauro keeps his face perfectly calm.
His energy, however, tells a different story.
Deep in him, I can sense tension, some kind of turbulence.
But on the outside, he hasn't shown any clear reaction to my mention of someone else sharing my heat. He’s obviously waiting for the follow-up.
"But to get to the heat part, I need to start way before, deep into my past, because I want everything properly explained from the start."
Mauro starts typing again, and I can see the letters appearing: "You don't owe me any expla…"
But I place my finger on the edge of the screen and shake my head gently, stopping him.
"I know, but this is something I need to tell you, it’s important."
Mauro slowly nods.
I draw in a deep inhale and say, "When I was fifteen, a boy I knew lured me to his house and assaulted me along with his two brothers. It broke something inside me. It changed me forever."
Again, Mauro's face seemingly remains still, yet I notice the subtle tension that was only inside before, now edging into his features. The hand resting flat on the nesting kit slowly curls into a fist.
"Before all of this happened, I was an innocent kid whose passion was collecting dried flowers for my botanical herbarium, and I made a little extra money babysitting my middle-school friends’ younger siblings.
My only problem was my bitter, mean granddad, who was terribly unhappy that my upbringing had been left in his hands. "
I rub my temples because a slight throbbing starts in my head, as if my blood pressure is rising.
"But what they did… it catapulted me into this dark path. Anger started growing inside me, along with a need to punish myself for being so stupid and going to their house. I lived in a constant state of rage. I probably would’ve completely spiraled after I ran from my granddad’s house, but my cousin Alex, who was just three years older than me, took me into his home, and he spent the next three years doing everything humanly possible to keep me afloat, to repair me…
He insisted I finish high school, even though I was a bad student and a difficult teenager: ungrateful, mouthy, and constantly miserable. "
I let out a strained sigh. I know what a pain in the ass I was for poor Alex, and I feel ashamed of it, since he always wanted nothing more than to protect me, even from myself.
"In my sophomore year of high school I got this boyfriend… He wanted to date me because of how I looked, and he wanted to be seen walking the school hallways with me."
The weight pressing on my chest grows heavier, constricting my throat, because now I’m closing in on the worst part.
"He kept telling me I should become a model, so I started doing semi-professional photo shoots and posting them on Instagram.
My following grew quickly, and before long I started dreaming about making a real career out of it.
I was never particularly interested in studying, and I convinced myself modeling would be an easy shortcut to serious money. That was a grave mistake."
I have to stop for a moment and take several slow breaths. Telling this story drains every bit of energy from me.
"His older brother was a manager at a major clothing company, and he got me a few modeling gigs there.
It made me hungry for more because, for the first time, real money started coming in.
And so for the last two years of high school, I made money from small modeling jobs, but I kept running into an invisible wall.
No matter how many portfolios I sent out, some contracts with major agencies seemed almost…
reserved for certain models, with no access for anyone outside that circle.
When I complained about it, my boyfriend's brother mentioned, almost offhandedly, something people unofficially called the Ring.
It recruited young omegas who wanted successful careers in exchange for…
" I swallow hard. "…access to their bodies.
He gave me the contact information for one of their recruiters, but at first I laughed it off and refused. "
Mauro remains silent, watching me. I still have that inexplicably precise read on his energy from within, and I know that to a large extent, it reflects my own emotional turmoil, despite the apparent calm on the surface.
"In the meantime, I was barely making it through high school. I had no prospects, no money, and Alex was struggling financially himself. Not long after that, I broke up with my boyfriend, which meant I lost even the small modeling jobs his brother kept arranging for me."
I close my eyes, ashamed of every word leaving my mouth.
"I was eighteen, deeply convinced I could handle anything and foolishly craving the fastest road to success.
So… I contacted that recruiter. He looked through my Instagram and accepted me immediately.
Almost overnight everything changed. The lucrative contracts started coming in, and my following exploded.
But with that came the other part of the arrangement.
The Ring." I close my eyes, scared to look at Mauro.
"Most of the men weren't that bad. Some were already older, over sixty; some were betas, a few were even omegas, and most of them were simply bored with their marriages.
I hated it, but I forced myself through it.
For a few months it was… bearable. Then Rocco Ferro, a mafia man known for his brutality, joined the Ring. "
Something finally changes on Mauro's face. It's subtle, but his jaw noticeably clenches. And his heart is pounding sooo loudly.
"Before it was my turn, he'd already been with several other omegas from the Ring.
Two ended up in the hospital, and another barely avoided it.
So the Ring members voted to throw Rocco out.
He didn't take it well, and one day… he abducted me.
" My voice shakes as I say it. I need to take a short pause before I finish this part of my story.
Taking a deep breath, I notice a small gesture from Mauro toward me, as if he wants to take my hand, but I subtly pull it back.
I need to focus and push through the worst part.
"He… raped me. And he intended to kill me. It was supposed to be Rocco’s lesson for the men running the Ring, but… his relatives stopped him."
I draw a deep breath. Mauro slowly turns his head aside, his eyes growing distant for a moment, as though some thought has pulled him far away, but again, his heart speaks another story. It’s galloping like a wild mustang.
"A week later, at an event I had to attend, a man approached me and asked what I was doing there and why I'd gotten involved with them.
We started talking, and I was in such terrible shape mentally that I told him the truth…
that Rocco was planning to kill me. Mark seemed outraged by what he'd heard and promised he would help me.
We soon started a relationship. I agreed only because he was my chance to escape.
Thanks to his family's political influence, he had considerable sway over many of the Ring's members, and he essentially bought my freedom from them. "
Mauro's eyes return to my face. He's still listening intently. I get the impression he's making an effort to control the turmoil inside him, to focus, but he's still not quite managing it. His emotions remain stirred, his body tense.
"I probably wouldn't have stayed with Mark.
We were far from perfect, but then Rocco Ferro forced his way back into the Ring and gradually rebuilt his influence.
A few times when I ran into him at different social events, he'd warn me that I'd better stay with Mark because he had his eyes on me, and the moment I tried to leave… he'd be waiting for me."
I lower my head for a moment, fighting my sped-up pulse.
"So… I married Mark. The media portrays him now as a monster and a serial rapist, but in the beginning, he hid his…
sickness. I was his broken angel, someone he'd rescued and could keep under his control.
He managed my career exactly as he wanted.
My Instagram grew, and I gained a certain level of fame.
As a politician, he wanted someone at his side who brought supporters and attention.
But the pressure of his political career kept mounting.
Stress, setbacks, losing debates, constant disappointment.
Gradually, our marriage changed. He started taking everything out on me, and then… the violence began."
Mauro's fist tightens even further. I can see the whiteness of his knuckles.
"Our son was born through surrogacy because Mark didn't want…
" I pause, wincing bitterly. "…my body to be 'ruined’, as he put it.
Tommy gave me a reason to keep going in this cruel, fake world, and I poured everything into raising him.
Mark never loved him. The abuse only worsened, but I endured it for my son's sake and because I feared what would happen if Mark stopped protecting me from the Ring.
A few months ago, everything collapsed when what he'd been doing to other omegas, his staff, and our surrogate came to light.
The scandal broke, he was arrested, and the rest… became public knowledge."
I straighten a little and slowly let out a breath. I managed to say it all and not crumble into a million sobbing pieces, yay.
For a moment, we sit there in silence.