“She didn’t finish the sandwich she begged you to make either,” Mallan says, stomping into the bedroom to pick up the plate. My eyes are slit open to watch him, my hair tangled over my face to hide it. “We’ll make her clean up in the morning. This place could use it.”
I’m always chained up, how could I possibly clean? Neiman watches me like a hawk whenever I’m around cleaning products, saying that he believes I’m stupid enough to swallow bleach to kill myself.
I’m past the point of wishing for death. There’s a little life inside of me that I’m responsible for. I have to survive for her.
“Let’s go to sleep in the other bedroom,” Mallan says. “She doesn’t deserve to sleep next to us.”
The omega inside me wants to whine and beg for them, and I want to hit her. They forced the bonds when I was at my lowest. I never chose this.
Listening to them, I force myself to continue to breathe. Their footsteps are loud as they slam the door to the other bedroom, and I force myself to wait and wait and wait some more until I can hear Bryce’s snores.
Sitting up, I fling off the damn sheet and get back to work.
“Oh my god,” I sob softly as it finally slips off my foot. Crawling off the bed, I go straight for the bathroom beside the decrepit bedroom where I’m kept like an animal.
Struggling to keep my balance, I stick my foot under the faucet of the tub, begging for clean water. The choking sound of the pipes clues me in that I won’t be that lucky, and I jerk my foot away as the water runs brown. A part of me worries that I’ll get caught, but once they’re asleep, they’re out for a while. It’s not unusual for pipes to creak and groan from the walls either, so we’re used to it. I’m wearing a scrap of a bra that doesn't fit my breasts and panties that are being swallowed underneath my swollen stomach.
I keep waiting for my kidnappers to find me repugnant, but that day hasn’t come yet. Instead, they continue to use my body whenever they want, alpha barking me into responding to their demands. I don’twantto want them.
And yet.. this is the hand I’ve been dealt.
Finally, the water runs clear, and I scrub the mayonnaise off my foot and ankle. There’s a small bar of soap, and I use that to clean up as much as I can. Something inside me keeps telling me to go faster, hurry up, but I have to get this mayonnaise off my fucking skin.
I used to insist on being as clean as possible, my little apartment was exactly the way I wanted it too. All of that went out the window when these alphas stalked me outside of my school and kidnapped me. Now, it’s a new form of existence, one where all I can ask for is to survive.
Drying off, I stumble to a closet where my kidnappers keep their clothes. They think it’s a punishment to not sleep in my bed. If this was a normal relationship, it might be. Instead, their choice to sleep elsewhere is a godsend. Gagging at their scents, I pull on the largest shirt that I can, steal pants, and force socks into a pair of shoes so that they won’t slide off my feet.
Shuffling out of the room, I find their emergency cash in the kitchen, lift the money in their wallets, and lean against the wall to catch my breath.
“Be nice to mama, baby,” I whisper, rubbing my stomach. Maybe this shirt will allow me to look fat, instead of pregnant. “I have to make it out the door now.”
Breathing heavy, I grab a giant jacket that hits my knees. Bryce is the tallest of the three of my kidnappers. The jacket will hopefully keep me warm enough until I can get as far away as possible.
“Stupid perfect hair,” I mutter under my breath as I pull the jacket closed around me. I ran into Bryce at a coffee shop first, and I thought he reminded me of a Greek god. I made the mistake of smiling at him, and he decided that his pack had to have me.
My life would be so different if we’d never had that chance encounter. Fate is a bitch.
They’re all gorgeous, yet the ugliness inside of them makes it hard to be able to concentrate on that. I think I may have some sort of Stockholm syndrome, because I feel really guilty for leaving.
“Get it together, Olivia,” I wheeze. “Out the door, you can do it.”
Unlocking the door with shaking hands, I open it to find a rundown hallway. Pack Cockburn makes really good money, but hides in a shitty apartment building so no one will think twice when someone screams. It’s so fucked up.
Taking a careful step outside, my heart hammers so loud, I can’t hear anything else for a second. I’m so fucking scared that they’ll wake up, hear the beep of the security on their shitty system every time a door opens or closes. With a quick inhale, the bubble around me bursts, and I hear people yelling, children crying, and people living their lives.
No one runs out to ask me where I’m going, and my shitty alphas continue to sleep.
It encourages me to take another step out of the apartment and close the door behind me. I want to live my life, away from the degradation, kicks, and alpha barks that have taken over my life. I’ve been here for too long. I barely know how to exist outside of the shitty normalcy they’ve created for me.
One step leads to another, and I’m almost running down the hall to the stairway before I realize it. A sharp cramp in my stomach makes me lean against the wall, a shuddering gasp reminding me that I can’t run.
“Sorry,” I whisper, cupping my stomach through the clothing. Walking carefully, I begin to walk down the stairs, worried I might miss one.
Still, no one screams at me to stop, and I can see the exit from here. Every step is one step closer to freedom. I’m going to make it this time. I have to.
“You there!” a voice yells shrilling, making me slump over my stomach protectively. “I’ve seen you before, haven’t I?”
My thick brown hair is tangled and matted, I don’t know how anyone could possibly know who I am. I’m a mess, a shadow of my former self.
