Chapter 12 rejected again
My body was trembling with cold as I pushed my hands between my legs to keep them warm. The woman was silent beside me, her eyes fixed on the road ahead as the car rumbled through the thick forest trail that led away from the Alpha’s packhouse.
I didn’t know how long we had been driving. The woods outside looked endless, trees towering like ancient guards, their shadows shifting and merging with the fog that crept between them. Every bump of the road made me flinch, the chains still locked around my wrists clinking softly in the silence.
Everything reminded me of the pack, where I fled from.
The car came to a halt in front of an old, three-story house. The woman stepped out and motioned me to do the same. I was a bit hesitant when reaching for the door's handle. I could start running, but it wasn't going to take me far as I could be trailed by the Alpha again, and I doubt he'd let me live the next time.But how could he trail me? How he could he smell me?!
The door on her side slammed shut, snapping me out of my thoughts. I swallowed hard and stepped out into the biting air. The sky was clouded over, dull and heavy, as if the world itself had lost color.
“Don’t just stand there,” the woman said sharply, her tone carrying no warmth. “Follow me.” She added but I didn't move immediately. I don't know what the hell was wrong with me but I disobeyed her.
"What are you going to do to me in that house?", I asked.
"Don't ask stupid questions", The woman warned. "And better behave, I don't think you will like the angry side of me", She added.I stared at her for a moment, unsure whether to follow or turn back and take my chances with the forest. My heart was pounding too fast, and my throat ached from holding in the words that wanted to spill out.
Her eyes narrowed when I didn’t move quickly enough. “Did you not hear me?” she hissed, stepping closer. “I said follow me.”
“Or would you rather I call Alpha Kael right now?",
That got me moving instantly. I didn't want to face him again.“Close the door,” she ordered the moment we entered in the house.
I obeyed, turning the latch with trembling hands. The sound of it locking sent a small shiver down my spine. But it worsened when I turned and my eyes looked everywhere in the room.
This was far from what I was expecting.
There were two girls seated on the sofas, drinks in their hands and dressed up in very short clothes. One of them looked barely older than me, her legs crossed and painted lips curving into a practiced, empty smile. The other had thick makeup smeared unevenly under her eyes.
Both of them turned to look at me as I stood frozen near the door, their gazes sweeping over me like I was nothing , so useless.
My heart stopped for a second.
I had heard the rumors before… back in my father’s pack, whispered in hushed tones between servants and traders who dared to talk about Alpha Kael. They said he wasn’t just feared because of his power or ruthlessness but because he owned people. He sold them. Humans, wolves it didn’t matter. To him, everything had a price.
The worst of it was that no one ever spoke against him because those who did simply disappeared.
And then there were the stories about women. How he used them, broke them, discarded them without mercy. They said he didn’t believe in mates, that he took what he wanted and destroyed whatever was left behind.
But I’d been foolish enough to hope the stories were exaggerated. That maybe the monster people described wasn’t real.
Now, standing in this house surrounded by half-dressed women with lifeless eyes, I realized the rumors were true. Every single one of them.
A cold dread crawled up my spine, choking me from the inside. My hands began to shake again, though not from the cold this time.
Was this what he wanted from me too? To sell me, to trade me like one of his possessions?
Or worse... to keep me for himself? No, my case was different. It was death for me. He doesn’t want a mate.
"Who's she?" One of them asked interrupting my thoughts.
"She's a guest and she'll be staying over here for few hours, so soon she is going to be killed," The old woman said, voice flat. "Go prepare a bed for her and find some clothes for her as well. I don't need this rotting smell inside my house."
"Yes, Madam." Both of them said in a union before scrambling away from the room and disappearing.
I remained standing, away from the woman as she removed her coat and hung it. My eyes gazed around, finding an escape from here. There were several doors to the right, all of them closed. There was a wooden staircase just opposite of the fireplace which led upstairs, into the second storey of the house where I assumed the rooms were.
Severals clothes and glasses were over the sofa's and the table. There was a heavy floral scent lingering in the air, reeling my senses.
"It shouldn't be long before the Alpha will come for you," The woman turned to me and said, "Just a few long hours. Take some rest, shower and change your clothes. If you require food, you can ask any of the girls. Though, I'd suggest to stay in your room. Rumors of you going to be killed are going to spread. There'll be crowd here when the girls see you and it's not something you want to attend to."
She said everything and sat down on one of the sofa's, leaning her back against the cushion before opening her hair. My death was non of her concern and she had no problem with saying it over and over.
I didn’t answer her. There was nothing I could say. The woman had already turned her attention elsewhere, brushing invisible dust off her skirt. We were covered in silence for a moment and then out of the blue she turned and looked at me.
"I heard that Alpha Kael is your second chance mate, is it true?" She asked with her eyes narrowed. “I—” the word came out as a rasp. My mind scrambled for a lie, anything that would make sense but I failed to get it. “Yes he is", I replied, fiddling with the hem of my cloth.
A smile spread over her face, "Ah, cursed omega, always rejected."
I didn’t respond to her. I wasn’t offended at all. I was used to the humiliation.
"Poor omega, how did you even manage to escape from your pack?, I heard that our warriors caught you wandering in our forest," The woman asked out of curiosity. "And why did you come here?"
I swallowed hard while trying to come up with words to explain what happened, "I lost my way. I didn't know I was going to be here, "My voice broke a little.
I learned forward and clasped my hands together when a new lie popped up in my head. "Please, let me leave. You don't have to tell anyone and I promise, I won't come back. I'll go far away from here..."
Before I could finish, she began laughing and shaking her head, "Oh, darling. It isn't that easy. If the Alpha hadn't seen you or if the circumstances were any different, I would've let you go. But he has, and he isn't a merciful man. Be thankful you're still alive."
I sucked in a deep breath, understanding there was no one here who could help me to leave. That poor man died because of me.
She stood up from her seat and walked over to my direction, "Come. Your room and clothes should be arranged by now." Her hand wrapped around my arm and she forced me up.
I walked behind her and we went up the stairs. What was it with the people here? They were all heartless and cruel or was it me? Being an omega was humiliating and degrading. It was hard to ever find someone who couldn't be rude.
The woman knocked on a door and waited for a moment before one of the girl's from downstairs opened the door. The girl was now only wear a night dress, her breasts exposed as a smile hung over her face.
"I've got the bed ready for her," She said, excitement in her tone. "And Carol is drawing out some clothes. We'll make sure she showers before she rests or touches anything."
"Good," The woman responded before glancing at me and directing me to head inside. "Don't run. It's my first and last warning. I shouldn't see you outside the house. It's just a few hours and then your fate is in someone else's hand."
I swallowed hard and nodded, "Yes."