I whimpered, shying away from him.Don’t anger them.
“Of course, thank you so much,” I said, biting my lip to stop it from trembling.
Pierce stalked over, tugging me out of Duke’s grasp so he could drag me to the corner of the room where a sheet was draped over a large rectangular… something.
“Do the honors, omega,” he sneered.
I lifted a shaking hand and tugged at the sheet, revealing a black metal cage. It looked to be the right size for a large dog, coming up to about my waist. There wouldn’t be enough room for a person to stand up or lie down. Nausea rolled through me, and it was everything I could do to keep from vomiting. I knew what was coming.
Pierce leaned down so his face was next to mine. “We thought it was the perfect present for our new toy, don’t you think?”
I wanted to scream, wanted to tell him to fuck off and kick him in the nuts for good measure. But I just nodded and hated myself for it.
“Don’t forget the best part,” Hale said, pulling something out of his pocket. It was a thick leather collar with a metal tag dangling from it.
“Please, don’t,” I pleaded, looking for any opening, any way to escape this nightmare.
Hale gripped my chin so hard tears streamed down my face. “Don’t make me get rough with you. Or do. I think I’d like that.” I shuddered at the sadistic glint in his eye. He moved his tight hold to my throat, cutting off my breathing, and I automatically reached up to claw at his hands.
“Hands down,” Hale barked. Everything inside me protested, but I forced myself to obey and dropped my arms to the side.
I swayed where I stood, my vision growing black around the edges from lack of oxygen and panic. Was he going to kill me now? I was such a fucking idiot. I should have tried to make my escape when I had the chance. There was no way I could use the tabs now, especially not with a guard posted in front of every doorway.
The tiniest whine escaped me and I was moments from losing consciousness when Pierce cleared his throat. With a roll of his eyes, Hale gave my throat one last harsh squeeze before placing the collar around my neck and buckling it tightly.
I gasped, tears streaming down my face as I tried to take deep breaths. My throat was raw and it felt like I was breathing through a straw.
Henderson opened the cage door. “Get in,” he barked.
I fought every instinct to resist his bark and dropped to my knees, wincing as they made hard contact with the marble floor. I almost wished the device was still working because it was a million times harder to crawl into the cage of my own volition. It felt like I was betraying myself by not fighting back. My dress rode up, and I was sure I was flashing them since I hadn’t been allowed underwear. I clenched my vagina, hoping the tab bracelet didn’t fall out.
“Fuck. Guess it doesn’t matter that she’s so fat and ugly when she’s got a sweet cunt like that,” Pierce said behind me.
My face burned with humiliation as I curled up in the furthest corner of the cage, wrapping my arms around my legs to keep myself as covered as possible. I knew it was coming. They were going to rape me, and not just once. This was what my life would become—being used as a toy by these alphas who hated me.
Pack Madden and Glen took their seats around the table, which looked too grand for such a small party. Glen snapped his fingers and Genevieve entered the room carrying a tray of food.
She served the alphas, floating around the room like a ghost. This was the first time I’d been able to observe her without being drugged. She’d always had the typical petite omega build, but now she was painfully thin. Her collarbones protruded in her low-cut dress. Every time she set down a dish, one of the alphas at the table groped her. Her facial expression didn’t change. It was as if she had been broken, and there was nothing left of her.
I’d spent the past few years hating her and blaming her for my suffering. I had closed myself off from others to protect myself from similar betrayal. My anger towards her had been a constant companion during my time at the DA, but I could no longer find it within me. All I felt was sadness. Sadness for what had become of this omega who used to be my friend. Sadness at what had become of me.
I traced a finger down one of the cage bars, biting my lip to keep from screaming. I wanted my alphas. Ineededthem here with me, but it was finally sinking in: they were really, truly gone. Because if they were still alive, they would have found a way to come for me. They would never leave me here alone, never forget about me. They had loved me more than anyone ever had, and their love had brought me back to life. Now all that awaited me was death.
Glen let out a high-pitched laugh at something, and pure hatred filled me. Maybe I could take Glen down before I died. That would at least be a poetic ending to my meaningless life.
Genevieve cleared away the last of the plates as the alphas finished their meal. I clutched at my stomach, the hunger pains growing sharper with the rich smells of food.
“Well, I think it’s time for dessert,” Hale said, leaning back in his seat and leering at me. “We have some omega sweetness to sample.”
My blood ran cold.
“Oh, tut tut. Someone didn’t learn their lessons about eating their vegetables before dessert,” Glen said in a sing-song voice, although there was a dark glint in his eyes. He snapped his fingers for Genevieve to pour more wine.
Pack Madden exchanged confused glances.
“No sampling little birdy until the delivery is complete,” Glen said, taking a long drink. I wished it were poisoned.
“It’s practically done,” Duke spit out. “The last of the... cargo will be delivered in two days.” He glanced over at me.
