Chapter 13: Part 13

//tw: mentions of abuse, violence.//

The uneasiness started to seep in as soon as I noticed the red bars on the panel. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Abel let out an audible sigh; his lips pulled in a thin line as he pulled his phone. He kept on sniffing the air and grimacing like the Alpha could smell the fear slowly bubbling inside me. The thought of that only added to how much I wanted to get out of here.

“Just fucking great!” He cursed, and upon peeking at the screen, I noticed that he had no signal bars.

Abel pressed the emergency button a few times, but it just rang for several seconds with no one to respond. He tried to dial the number from the keypad but to no avail.

This was not happening. I thought while feeling my fingers trembled by my side, a lump forming in my throat. My eyes started to sting, transported back to the time when my fear for closed spaces began.

“So you think you can escape from this place?!” He snarled, leaning closer into my face, the rancid breath making me gag. Before I could open my mouth to answer, a hand came around my head.

“I…”

“Shut up!” The Alpha fisted the back of my hair, making me wince as he tugged on the roots. Tightening his grip, he pulled me on my feet, legs shaking. I let out a scream as he slammed my side against the wall.

“You are not going anywhere! Do you understand?”

“Answer me!”

“Yes”

He snickered, closing the distance between us to grab at my arm again. The nails dug into my skin, my teeth sinking to hold back a wince. I knew that he thrived on my pain, enjoyed the sickening sounds and got off on it.

“P-Please…”

“Be quiet!” With that, he pushed me to the nearest cupboard, slamming the doors harshly. I banged, cried and shouted for help, but only his laughs echoed around and then came the unbearable silence.

With no light source, I was trapped in there for hours to no end lost my voice after a few minutes of screaming. A shudder ran through my body just as I recalled that incident. I could feel my breathing starting to pick up, the whole body turning into jelly, and my knees gave up. Losing my balance, I fell on the floor, a wounded sound escaping past my lips.

“Emma!” A voice called out, but I was unsure, getting dizzier with every minute, feeling almost like I was about to throw up. My head started feeling fuzzy, having difficulty in comprehending the information and overall getting the grip of reality.

My forehead was drenched, followed by my whole body slowly covering in sweat, I was experiencing waves of warmth and coldness. Everything felt like it was too much. I was too tired and too paralysed even to move, so I curled in a fetal position, shaking on the cold floor of the elevator.

“Omega”

At that sound, my head snapped up, making eye contact with Abel, who was now far too close, crouching in front of me. My chest clenched at the sharp yet alluring voice, making my wolf still in a second. What was this hold?

I averted my eyes immediately, unable to stand the intense, worried gaze directed towards me.

“L-Listen to my voice,” He softened his voice, entirely on his knees, the air turning static around us. With that, heavy pheromones are released around, oddly familiar.

“Close your eyes.” It sounded like an echo, a distant sound piercing through my ears, but I followed his voice. “Breathe with me.”

I whimpered, fingers curling into fists by my sides, my heart pounding against my chest.

“It’s okay. You are okay.”

“N-No.” I blinked back my tears.

“You can do it, omega.”

There was something about steadiness and confidence in his voice that made it seem impossible to disobey. My wolf refused to give up, not when Abel used his Alpha voice on me.

I had no idea how but the darkness that consumed me dissipated, my body slumping. Unclenching the fists, I entirely focused on the sound of his breathing, feeling the squeeze of my lungs.

In and out. Together. In sync. I mimicked what the Alpha was doing, making sure not to miss anything. It felt so good to have someone guide me through it all, making each tiny step alongside me. I had no idea how much time had passed, but slowly it felt like I was able to return to my senses, the first wave of panic slowly leaving my body.

“Alright?” Abel asked, his voice still concerned, but I couldn’t see him. I did not want to open my eyes, covering my face in between my hands.

Embarrassment crawled in my stomach, cheeks turning bright pink as I let the reality sink inside. I had a mini-episode in front of the person who never failed to mock me. What must be going through his mind? How will I ever face him?

“Miss Emma.” He cleared his throat, the voice now sounding a little far away, followed by a shuffling sound. “Please say something. Do you want me to call…shit I forgot. Are you okay?”

I bobbed my head, finally looking up and meeting his eyes. For a second, I was astonished, finding the genuine concern and worry lines on his face. He was standing a foot away from me, giving me much needed space.

“Uh…I’m so sorry; I’m such a mess; it's so embarrassing to freak out in here.” I chewed on my bottom lip enough to draw blood.

Abel made a sound, a hand reaching out to cradle my jaw. My eyes widened at the warmth of his palm, his hand so large that it covered half of my face. I froze in the spot as his thumb inched toward my chin before he pulled at my bottom lip. So gentle and tender that it stirred something inside.

“Don’t apologise. None of this is your fault. You did not break the lift. And I see that you are startled, Miss Emma, but it's not something you should be apologising. It happens, and it's alright.”

I gaped at him. Who was this person, and what did he do with the asshole Professor? At my silence, he instantly pulled his hand away, a sigh escaping my parted lips.

“T-Thank you, sir.” I shyly said, pulling my knees together. “You saved me today.”

He shook his head and waved a hand, pointing towards the empty spot next to me. I nodded my head, and the Alpha slid in next to me, the heat of his skin bleeding into mine.

“Do you water in that bag?”

“No.” I shook my head. “Are you thirsty?”

“I was asking for you.”

“Oh.”

My stomach fluttered at that, something unfurling inside, which I quickly shut down. It must be the after-effects of inhaling too much of his scent. “I am fine now.”

“That’s good….” He trailed off, checking on his phone again. A frustrated sound escaped him, rubbing his fingers against the temple. “I don’t know how this happened…the elevators are always maintained.”

I dumbly nodded my head, not knowing what to say. As a landlord of the building, he must be blaming himself for our situation.

A few seconds passed in silence, not the awkward one as I expected. My feet tapped against the cold floor, eyes trained on the panel above. From my peripheral view, I saw Abel shift.

“Uh…I didn’t mean to come off as a grumbler...”

“Which time exactly?” I teased, cutting him off.

“Last night, I didn’t mean to interrupt, but the music was too loud, and I was having a bad day.”

“Do you always have bad days?”

This question tore him out of his miserable trance, his eyes widening as if I caught him off guard.

“Excuse me?”

Despite everything, my face did not deter, giving him an amused smile, “It’s not like you’re the happiest person on other days either, sir.” I elaborated, my eyes squinting.

The Alpha snorted wryly, then shook his head, sitting up straighter before turning to me. “Judging from your tone, I am assuming you are feeling better, Miss Emma?”

“Yeah…” I nodded my head, sucking in a sharp breath, legs still folded.

Abel slid his hands between his legs and ignored my gaze by focusing on his folded hands, “I hate when people speculate about me, act as they know me and pass judgments. As much as I want to remain indifferent about it, that always haunts me.”

My mouth hung at the raw vulnerability in his voice, thinking back to our encounter in his office. He was furious at my attempt in calming him down. Oh. No wonder he must have felt that I was faking it.

Before I could open my mouth to justify, come clean, the elevator lurched. The ding sound echoed around, and the panel started displaying the floor number again.

A whoosh of breath echoed as Abel stood up. “About time!”

***