Not him. Never him.
“Fuck you,” I hissed, scratching his face.
Pinpricks of blood dripped over his olive skin, and I smirked, the victory fleeting. His knees dug into my hips, his yellowed teeth flashing in the muted light.
“Stronza,” he howled, slapping me across the face.
A different kind of heat from the one curling around my insides spread over my cheek, the pain slightly overshadowing the cramping in my belly. My hands flew up to my face, but Vittorio caught my wrists, securing both my hands in one of his above my head.
With his free hand, he caressed the backs of his knuckles over the blooming bruise. The gentle motion was so at odds with the rest of him. I bucked and fought, but to no avail.
He laughed, the sound harsh and unnerving.
“I like it when you fight. You will look so pretty, round with my baby. I’d like another son.”
Realization made what little warmth remained leech from my cheeks. Truthfully, I’d never given much thought to children. Unlike other omegas, it wasn’t something I dreamed about.
If I wanted anyone’s babies, it was Kaelen’s.
Not like this.
“Don’t worry,” he cooed, licking a spot over my pulse that made me fight harder. “Soon you’ll be begging for me, omega. Begging for your alpha to fuck you and bite you.”
The grin on his face elongated. I didn’t want to be scared of him. I didn’t want to be weak.
No, I refused to give in to fear. A queen bowed to no one. Except her king. And Rossi was a jester at best.
The sound of crashing glass echoed above us, followed by a chorus of shouts and gunfire. A jolt of electricity shot through my veins, and I was almost too afraid to be hopeful.
Then I heard it, the lilting voice of my alpha telling someone tomove, followed by another gunshot and a roar. Relief doused the building panic tightening around me like a vise. He washere.
He came for me. My husband. My alpha.Mine.
I only had to hold off Rossi a little longer.
“Kaelen! Alpha!” I screamed, praying he heard me. “I’m down here!”
Another roar rattled from upstairs, and I swore I heard his voice call out for me.
“Quiet! Fuck. No matter,” Vittorio hissed, releasing my wrists and angling my head to expose my neck. “I’ll bite you now. You’re primed enough for my bond to take, Omega.”
I thrashed. If Vittorio sank his fangs into my flesh, nothing could save me.
In his death, the bond could be severed, but it was dangerous to do with a fresh bite. If the alpha didn’t tend to the mark, infection usually took root, and omegas succumbed to the sickness.
Even if Kaelen found us, it would be too late.
Sharp teeth grazed the thin skin over my pulse, and my body reacted. I threw a hand out, but he was too fast, too strong. He grabbed my wrist, rolling us over and twisting it painfully behind my back. I yelped, my face pressed into the dirty mattress.
A long, thin knife glinted by one of my eyes—Vittorio flashing the blade in front of me in warning. A power built within me. Something that had always been there. Something that bloomed with the love I had for Kaelen. For the love he had for me.
We may not have said those words, but I felt them in every thrum of my heart.
That’s what I was to him. What he called me.Mo chroí.My heart.
Omegas weren’t weak. And neither was I. I refused to be a victim of fate. Determined to make my own.
A breath expanded in my chest, and I gathered all my strength.
