Is this really why we weren’t in the car with our parents when they died?Did fate save us only to condemn us into Alpha Bret’s brand of care?
I have no idea what he means by “getting ready”, but my heart pounds as he unlocks and opens the door to the cage. Somehow, being inside of this thing seems safer than outside. Except… nowhere is safe.
The world has turned their backs on two omegas that weren’t very important to begin with. This is how the auctions are able to operate without repercussions. They buy and sell omegas that don’t matter, knowing that no one will come asking about them.
We have no one but each other now.
Crawling out together, Bell and I almost fall as we stand. Our legs are cramped from staying in the same position for days, the pins and needles stabbing through us as the blood flow returns to our limbs.
“I don’t have all day,” Alpha Bret snaps.
Bell holds my weight up as he walks, and my feet barely touch the ground. Since he was laying on top of me, my muscles are even more cramped than his. I breathe through the pain as I kick my feet to force the blood to pump faster to my extremities. I don’t know if it’ll work, but I have to be able to carry my own weight or Alpha Bret may punish Bell for my inability to walk.
It doesn’t matter that it’s his fucking fault for keeping us in the stupid cage. Alphas don’t care about the problems they cause, they simply expect results.
Bell tentatively puts me on my feet, and I nod at him when I find my body obeys me better. Since we’re of similar height, it was barely noticeable that my feet were skimming the ground. He’s very strong, his face and body not betraying any strain while he carried me.
"All the shit you two will need to shower is in here,” the alpha says, waving us inside.
I have no idea where we are, but this bathroom reminds me of a small locker room. There are several shower stalls and toilets, which reminds my bladder that it’s very full. Uncaring that he’s watching, I walk quickly to a toilet and close the door to pee.
I can hear the alpha speaking to Bell for a moment and then he’s gone. My stepbrother uses the stall next to me to do his business, and I hum in my head so I can give him a modicum of privacy. I don’t know why I bother though, since Bell doesn’t care very much about any of that.
As long as he’s near me, nothing else matters.
“Hurry, Winter,” Bell hisses, coughing from the disuse of his voice. I hear the faucet running, and as I walk out of the stall, I see that he’s gulping down water.
Hating that this is the only way we’ll be able to stay hydrated, I open the faucet next to him, cup my hands to fill it with water and bring it to my lips. I do it quickly because I know we don’t have much time. The water tastes metallic and wrong, but I can’t be picky. Anyone who is monitoring our movements is sure not to have much patience.
Bell turns off the water for both of us, grabbing my hand and pulling me with him to the shower to turn it on. The water is frigid as we step inside, knowing we can’t wait for it to warm, if it even will. The warehouse is old, and I have no idea what this place is used for. I overheard Alpha Bret say that he’d only be staying at this location for a couple of days before moving.
He sounds paranoid, but I don’t know him well enough yet to know if this is simply his normal setting. Being somewhere new means having to learn their triggers and how to keep Bell and I safe. However, safety in a place like this isn’t likely.
A floating whorehouse… I can’t believe such a thing exists.
The cold doesn’t do any favors to my aching muscles, but I force myself to work quickly as I wash and detangle my hair.Bell winces as he watches me, because he can feel the way my hair is pulling at my scalp. We’re bonded so closely, he can feel everything I can.
The reminder that I’m hurting him makes me more careful as I brush my hair. There’s no reason to cause him pain when we’re sure to share some later.
“Hurry up!” a female voice yells, making me shudder.
Bell grabs the body wash and begins to scrub both of our skin to get rid of the dirt from having to sleep in the cage, turning my body to get my back. Minutes later, we turn off the water and dry off, stepping out to find a brunette waiting for us.
“About fucking time,” she mutters. “We need to get you both ready to be seen by clients. You’re the new shiny toys now. Let me see.”
Snatching away the towel from me as I try to grab it back with numb fingers from the cold shower, her eyes move over my body with a scowl.
“Well, the bush has to go,” she grunts.
I feel a lick of shame move over my body as she glares at the offending hair.
“Alphas don’t want to fuck omegas with poor grooming,” she says.
Since I think all alphas should die, I would rather they not touch me.
“Follow me,” she says, refusing to give me back the towel as she turns away.
Bell’s heavy hand on the small of my back keeps my legs moving as we do as she says. I feel very exposed, and shiver as we pass various omegas in different states of undress. My skin feels as if it’s crawling with revulsion, the knowledge that this is their normal fucking with my head. They all stare before snapping out of it to continue what they were doing.
