* * *
The guards releasedBjorn back into the halls of the compound. There was a small crowd around him, but they parted when I got close. We’d been buddies before his contract was bought out. When I put my hand on his shoulder, he felt limp under my grasp.
“Bjorn, what the hell?” I asked sympathetically.
He met my gaze, and I was shocked by what I saw. It was the face of a man who’d had everything in the palm of his grasp before it was violently ripped away. His eyes were ringed with dark circles and tinged with red, like he’d been crying. I had never known Bjorn as the type to cry.
“Did that bastard omega hurt you?” I demanded.
Bjorn shook his head. “No.”
“Don’t lie for his sake. You’re safe here.”
When Bjorn looked me in the eye, it was like getting an electric shock. “No, Rourke. I was safe with him. You don’t understand. He wasmine.”
I wondered if the omega had drugged him or something. His whole vibe felt different. But there was something raw and real in his eyes, something I didn’t understand.
“But he sent you back here,” I said.
“No, he didn’t!” Bjorn snapped. Everyone surrounding him went quiet. “It was the knights! It was that upper-ring asshole who ratted us out! It wasn’t Eugene, it wasn’t…”
He fell to his knees and sobbed. All of us stared in utter silence and confusion at what our friend had become.
But one thing was clear to me. An omega had done this to Bjorn. He’d taken him away from us and returned him a broken version of himself. If this was how alphas were treated when their contracts were purchased, I wanted nothing to do with it. I’d rather live here for the rest of my fucking life.
There was no way in hell I’d ever let an omega own me like a dog.
Ever.
5
Sebastian
After wading my way down through the middle quarter, locating the alpha market proved to be quite simple. I took another elevator down and found myself in the dingy, ramshackle lower quarter. I wrinkled my nose at an unpleasant odor. It was, frankly, a mess. Crowded, run-down, disgusting.
I thought of Woods coming here in secret, looking out of place with his expensive clothes, just the same way I did now. Except unlike Woods, I was not here in secrecy. I was the prince. I walked wherever I wanted when I wanted it. This whole quarter, and everything in it, belonged to me.
Even the people.
With my white outfit and glorious grey-blue hair, I was a beacon in the crowd. People made ample room for me and Marianne as we passed by. I saw the mix of desire and fear in their eyes. They wanted to approach, to see the prince up close or beg me for money, but terror kept them away like an invisible forcefield. If any of them laid a hand on me, it would be the end of them, and they knew it. Even the rats in the street were smart enough to keep their distance.
I didn’t need to ask where the alpha market was located. It was the largest building in the entire lower quarter and the most architecturally sound. It wasn’t falling apart like the rest of the place. Still, the sheer size of it surprised me. Just how many alphas did it house?
There was no sign at the front. It didn’t need one.
I entered the alpha market.
The foyer was clean. The place was white, sterile, welcoming enough, at least in the front hall. There were plain graphic posters on the walls explaining how the process worked, on both sides of the market. One explained how alphas could give up their freedom in exchange for a large lump of money. Of course, the money was not in their possession—it was sent to outside family, friends, or donated to charity. The market later made this money back when the alpha’s contract was purchased. The other poster explained the details of how an omega or beta interested in purchasing an alpha’s contract could do so after speaking to the front desk.
“Excuse me, there’s no dogs—”
The beta approaching me immediately stopped, as if he had swallowed his own tongue. He looked a little confused at my presence but, regardless, he bowed deeply at the waist. “Your Highness. My deepest apologies. I didn’t realize it was you. Please come inside freely. We’re honored to have you and your Gracehound visit us.”
That’s more like it,I thought, remembering Woods and his distaste for Marianne.
“I would like to peruse the alphas at my leisure,” I said.
He straightened up and nodded. “Y-yes, of course.”
