I was supposed to be a body. A shell. A service.
And somewhere along the way, the soul inside had stopped answering to its name.
***
When I finally pulled myself from bed, Alpha Harris’s spot was cold. I was unsure if that was good or bad, but with my luck and life, probably bad.
Nothing ever went the way I wanted it to. There were always downfalls at every turn. I no longer held hope for anything better than what I got.
After taking a quick shower and dressing with items that were from Adrian. The small reminder that friends weren’t possible in or out of Lockswells’ was there at the front of my mind. It wouldn’t matter if I saw the other Omega ever again, or saw him in a matter of minutes.
Friends were forbidden. A lesson I apparently had to learn more than once.
I took one last long breath, schooled my features and cleared my thoughts, I slowly headed down the staircase. Each step was quiet, not a sound or shuffle. I didn’t even dare to breathe loudly.
Blending in was best. Pretending I didn’t exist was the only way to get through life.
“….Advise you to let Lockswell House have him back, Vincent. You have three more days with the Omega, and truthfully, it’s not worth the fight.”
I paused at the end of the stairs. Hidden behind a partial wall, I could hear what was going on in the living room. Whoever Alpha Harris was talking to, it already didn’t sound like it’d turn out to be in my favor.
“What if I want to fight it?” That was Alpha Harris. He didn’t seem upset, but that didn’t mean a whole lot to me. Alphas were great at hiding their true feelings.
I shouldn’t have been there, pressed against the wall just outside the room, breath shallow, ears straining. But I couldn’t walk away. Not when I knew they were talking about me.
The Alpha’s voice was calm, but the other man—his lawyer, I guessed—was sharper.
“I mean, we can,” the lawyer said. “But your time limit will be up by then. Alpha Vale won’t let you keep the Omega for extra days. He’s not the kind of man to forget a request,” the lawyer continued. “Even on good faith. I’ve gone up against him before, Vincent.”
There was a pause. I imagined the man shifting in his seat, maybe leaning forward, maybe checking his watch like I was just another deadline.
“If you want to pursue keeping the Omega as your own,” he said, “then I can work with that. And you’d win.”
My stomach twisted.
“Alpha Vale is only after money,” the lawyer added. “And I’d be happy to work on your behalf if that’s the way you want to go.”
I pressed my fingers tighter against the wall, heart pounding.
Owned.
Kept.
Won.
They were talking about me like I was a transaction.
But Alpha Harris hadn’t interrupted. Hadn’t corrected him. And I didn’t know if that meant he agreed, or if he was just waiting for the right moment to say no.
“I’m not in the market to keep an Omega full time,” Alpha Harris said, muffled as though he ran a hand over his mouth as he spoke. “My friend set this up.”
“But you aren’t willing to return the Omega to the House, as it was requested, early.”
I could only assume Alpha Harris shook his head or gave the lawyer a look that spoke more than words could.
“Then return the boy when they come to collect. After that, I can come up with a game plan depending on what direction you’d like to go. Or take up Alpha Vales offer for a different Omega.”
I didn’t wait to hear the Alpha’s response. I couldn’t. The words already echoed too loudly in my head.
