Luke shifted in his chair, looking at me.
I noticed neither of them wanted to linger on Sin. Either because they believed he was a male omega—a title that seemed to make them uncomfortable—or perhaps it was the colour of his eyes.
“I donated my time to the Convent,” Luke said. “The girls there—they’re broken sinners with golden eyes. If they wish to go to service, they need an escort. I always thought it was sad that their curse meant they would miss the word.”
“My son volunteered,” High Priest Anderson said. “He led her to the service. Had he not, she wouldn’t have had the opportunity to go. He has a big heart, and it got him in trouble.”
“In trouble?” I asked.
“They’re touch starved. You know the effect a gold pack can have on alphas. But I was leading one of them to the service when she… well, she touched me ungloved.”
One stumble.
One misstep.
“I… didn’t mean to touch him.”Crescent’s voice shook.“But I couldn’t see.”
“It was deliberate,” Luke said. “I believe she intended to lead me to sin—perhaps she thought she could secure an alpha of high status.”
My heart rate spiked.
Intended?
They tortured those omegas, depriving them of touch, making them suffer their heats in full with no alphas or drugs. Then they forced them into blindfolds, only to blame them when they tripped.
I could feel Sin in the bond, his energy shifting, fury burning through our connection, swelling like a great monster.
I glanced at him, but he was absolutely still, watching Luke Anderson with frightening control. It was almost reptilian. I didn’t think he could move if he wanted to. Not without leaping at the alpha across from us.
“She… touched you?” I asked. “That’s all?”
“She drove me mad. Lured me back to her room?—”
“I didn’t know what he wanted,”Crescent whispered.“He told me to get on my knees to pray, and then…”She’d trailed off then, unable to finish.
“And next thing I knew, we were caught. My reputation—my whole life ruined—all for wanting to give a gift to a serpent. A gold-pack devil?—”
The words halted as I felt Sinsnapin the bond, and Luke Anderson cut off as the massive aura blew into the space around us.
The hairs on my arms stood on end, feeling its power. Now fully realized and healthy, Sin had much more control over his aura. Summoning it on demand was harder for him, but for this? Sigmas were creatures of balance, and reactive to injustice. It made this experience more harrowing for it.
He’d felt it was needed.
It was a new experience, sitting back as pack lead, to watch my sigma enact retribution. From everything I’d learned—even as an experiment—this should be my job alone. But in our pack, we shared this role.
It was oddly… thrilling.
And not at all unnatural. I was here, I could take over, but I didn’t need to.
I could enjoyeverymoment of horror in the expressions of these two monsters.
“I thought…” The High Priest sounded shaky. “I thought you were an omega…?”
“Where is she now?” Sin asked, eyes fixed on Luke.
“W-what?”
“Where is she?”
