A muffled cry split the air. The quality of the voice shocked me, sounding panicked and afraid. Gruff tones ordered it to be quiet.
I felt uneasy again. Peering over the edge of the fountain, the second man from the carriage compartment was dragging a new figure along, but I could not see his face. A burlap sack was covering the entire upper half of his body and his arms appeared to be bound behind his back. As they approached the carriage, the driver hopped back into his seat and the burly man examined the new covered-up person like he was searching an object for imperfections. I noticed that the clinking sack the skinny man carried earlier was gone.
A cold wave washed over me. I did not understand what was happening, but it filled me with dread. The covered figure was struggling. He did not look very large—he was shorter and slighter than even the skinny man holding him. My instincts told me he was an omega.
I shuddered. He was in danger and I could not do anything about it. I suddenly felt useless as an alpha.
What if it was Florian in that position? Would I stand by and let this happen to him, too?
No. This did not feel right.
"Throw him in and let's go," the burly man ordered. "Sooner we get back, the better."
A powerful force flared inside my chest. As if my body acted on its own accord, I stood up suddenly. But the swift motion came with a side effect. A stream of liquid dripped down my face.
Confused, I raised my hand to my cheek. My fingers came away coated in blood. It was only when I ripped off the blindfold that it dawned on me that it was my own blood pouring out of my sapphire eyes.
My doubts flooded back in full force. With my bloody sapphire eyes exposed, I looked hideous. Iwashideous. If I rushed towards that person, they would be terrified of me. So would the three men from the carriage. They would recognize me as an atrocious being.
What happened to hiding and not being seen by humans?I asked myself.
And yet... Could I stand by and watch this happen without trying to help?
Would I stand by and do nothing if Florian was being hurt?
That strange force in my chest intensified, blowing up like a blazing fire. The answer was a resoundingno.I would never let anyone hurt Florian.
So why was I letting this bound and vulnerable person be hurt?
In this moment, it did not matter what I looked like. Even if I was rejected, it was worth it to save a life.
I ran towards the carriage—and was stopped by someone gripping my arm. The hand was cold and coated in purple scales.
"Devereaux, wait! What are you doing?" Argon asked before wincing at the sight of the blood. "Shit, what happened to you?"
He must not have been present earlier. I realized that he was never present during the day, only at night. Perhaps he hid himself away on purpose.
"Release me, Argon," I said. "I am going to help that person."
He hesitated and did not let go. Why was he stopping me? Angry, I wrenched my arm out of his grip. He made no effort to hold me again.
"They're going to see your eyes," Argon said weakly.
"Let them."
"But your human form isn't perfect," he murmured. "You're a monster. Just like me."
Why was he telling me what I already knew? And why did he sound so awfully dejected? It was like Argon had given up and was trying to convince me to do the same. If that was the case, why did he even create me as an experiment in the first place? Did he not want to know if his hypothesis could be proven?
Right now it did not matter that Argon was my creator. My opinion was so deeply opposed to his in this moment that I did not feel like his, or anyone else's creation—I was my own person and I would make my own choices.
"I may be a monster, but that does not mean I have to act like one," I growled.
Argon let out a small sigh and said nothing. I took his silence as passive encouragement. This was not like the time he firmly stopped me from pushing past the gate. It was almost like, in his heart of hearts, hewantedme to intervene.
So I did. Bloody eyes forgotten, I ran towards the carriage and the omega struggling against his bindings. I knew it was not Florian—his voice was different—but that did not stop me from imagining it was him. My alpha instincts roared in a ferocious blaze. If it was Florian in danger, I would stop at nothing to protect him.
The burly man noticed me first. His brief flicker of confusion was quickly replaced by anger. He picked up the bound omega like a sack of meat and threw him in the carriage compartment. My heart dropped. Was I already too late? Why had I not acted earlier?
