Helpless regret flashed in Shep’s eyes. “I know. But… If he buys you out, I don’t think there’s anything you can do.”
My world turned upside-down. This couldn’t be real. The floor felt uneven beneath my feet as I stumbled further away from the door.
“Rourke, listen to me,” Shep said, grabbing my arms. “Use this opportunity. Get on his good side, get him thinking you’re submissive, then break out.”
The idea was ridiculous. “I can’t, Shep, I—”
Shep was pushed aside as a pair of beta guards appeared in my room. I ran the risks of taking them on in my head. But just as I was feeling lucky, another pair showed up right behind them. Four betas armed with break sticks against one alpha. What would I have even done if Icouldfight them off? I’d be blocked at the door. There was no plausible way to escape.
I thought of Amos, of how sad and disappointed he would be if I lost what little freedom I had by fighting a pointless battle.
I shut my eyes and sighed heavily.
“Come with us,” a guard said.
I had no choice. I bit my tongue and followed them like a good little alpha. Shep trailed behind, along with a few other curious faces wanting to see if it was really the prince himself buying out my contract.
“Rourke, don’t let him win—”
“Quiet, Shepherd,” a guard snapped. “All of you, get back to your rooms. Now.”
But they were too busy wanting to kiss the prince’s ass to enforce their command. The alphas followed all the way up to the visiting area, where the guards slammed the door in their faces. The last I saw of them was Shep’s expression of utter powerlessness.
I was on my own now.
The guards escorted me—carefully, don’t wanna get too many fingerprints on the merchandise—into the cage. It was the same spot where I’d talked to Amos the other day, but there was no joyous atmosphere this time. The air felt heavy with tension thick enough to cut.
And there he was.
Sebastian Lacehaven, the asshole prince.
He walked past the safety line on the floor and stood haughtily on the other side of the bars. He, too, had ignored the guards’ warning not to get too close. But unlike Amos, there was no familiarity here. It didn’t surprise me. This was a man too used to getting his way. Why should he obey the rules?
“Hello, Rourke,” the prince said.
I didn’t reply. My mouth was a hard line.
One of the betas grunted, angry at my insubordination. He was about to whip out his break stick to rap the bars when Sebastian held up a hand.
“No,” he said firmly.
“B-but, Your Highness—”
Talking back to the prince was a mistake. Sebastian turned to him with a glittering, hard glare. “Do you assume to know more than me, beta?” he asked coldly.
The guard blanched. “N-no, never—”
“Then control your tongue.”
Each word was a clipped warning. The guard shut up and didn’t speak again. It was embarrassing how much the betas were all falling over themselves trying to suck up to the prince. This wasn’t how men were supposed to act.
What was so special about Sebastian? He was only a man born at the right place at the right time, right into the seat of power and money. I narrowed my eyes to examine my enemy. He was shorter than me, as most omegas were, but a littler taller than Amos, who stood at 5’5”. He had a lithe body hidden away in fancy clothes, and the slight visible curve of an omega’s waist. His hair and eyes were the same strange shade of greyish blue, like clouds signalling a storm. I’d never seen anyone else who looked like him, but I’d heard from the other alphas that they were traits that ran in the Lacehaven bloodline.
His face was average. Smooth skin, soft cheeks, narrow brows. Perhaps in the deepest part of me, I could admit that he was objectively attractive. But that didn’t matter. Evil lurked behind his eyes and venom dripped from his tongue.
“I give you permission to speak, alpha,” Sebastian said airily. “In case you didn’t hear me, I said hello.”
My blood boiled. I took it back. There was nothing attractive about this asshole whatsoever.
