Eliana POV
I couldn't breathe. His golden eyes pinned me, his Alpha aura crushing my lungs. Desperation gave me a sudden, reckless burst of strength. I yanked my wrist from his loosened grip, bowing so low my forehead nearly brushed his boots.
"P-please excuse me, My Lord, the nausea—" I choked out, spinning on my heel and fleeing the Alpha Suite before his beast could fully process the faint scent.
I didn't stop running until I reached the damp, suffocating safety of the servant quarters. I slammed the flimsy wooden door shut, sliding down it until I hit the cold stone floor. My lungs burned, and my hands were shaking violently.
"El? You look like a ghost," Ivonne said, dropping a pile of folded rough linens on her cot.
Before I could answer, the door was violently kicked open, slamming into my shoulder. I cried out, scrambling back.
Jessenia stood in the doorway, flanked by her new shadow, Evie. Jessenia wore a sheer silk dress, deliberately pulled off one shoulder to display the dark, ugly bruises mottling her skin. They weren't the passionate marks of a mating; they were the violent aftermath of an Alpha's wrath. But to the untrained eye, she was parading her new status as a Breeder.
"Look at the little rat, cowering where she belongs," Jessenia sneered, stepping into the cramped room. The cloying stench of her cheap floral perfume filled the air, failing to mask the sour scent of her own fear.
Ivonne stepped in front of me, her Omega wolf bristling. "Leave her alone, Jessenia."
Evie lunged forward, her hand cracking across Ivonne’s cheek with a sickening smack. Ivonne stumbled back, gasping. Before I could even process the movement, Evie grabbed my hair and delivered a stinging slap to my own face. The metallic taste of blood flooded my mouth.
"Hold her," Jessenia commanded.
Evie pinned my arms against the damp stone wall. I struggled, but as a Wolfless, I had no strength to fight off an Omega.
Jessenia stepped closer, her eyes wide and manic. From the folds of her silk dress, she pulled out a pair of heavy, iron tailor's shears. The rusted metal glinted in the dim light.
"You always thought you were better than us, Eliana," Jessenia whispered, tracing the cold tip of the shears down my cheek. "With your perfect little face and your stubborn pride. Let's see if any Alpha wants to look at you after I carve it up."
Panic clawed at my throat, but the memory of last night's terror sharpened my mind into a lethal blade. I didn't struggle. Instead, I leaned into the cold iron, locking my eyes onto hers.
"I know," I whispered, my voice barely audible over the pounding of my heart.
Jessenia frowned, pressing the tip harder. "Know what, Wolfless?"
I leaned closer, bringing my lips inches from her ear. "I know what you went through last night," I breathed. "And I know you aren't the woman with the white peach and jasmine scent who triggered his Heat."
Jessenia froze. The color drained from her face so fast she looked like a corpse. Her Omega wolf whimpered, instantly recognizing the fatal danger of her secret. If Jaren found out she was actively hiding the truth while parading as his Breeder, he wouldn't just break her—he would tear her apart.
The shears trembled violently in her hand.
"Get out," Jessenia snapped, her voice cracking.
Evie blinked, confused. "But, Jessenia, we were going to—"
"I said get out!" she shrieked, shoving Evie toward the door. "Both of you, out!"
Evie and Ivonne scrambled into the hallway. The moment the door clicked shut, Jessenia dropped the shears. They clattered loudly against the stone floor.
"If you touch me again," I said, my voice cold and steady despite the throbbing in my cheek, "I will march straight to the Alpha Suite and tell Lord Jaren exactly how you deceived his Inner Wolf."
Jessenia backed away, her chest heaving with terror, before turning and fleeing the room.
I stood alone in the silence, my knees finally giving out. I had won the battle, but the war was already lost. Jaren had smelled me this morning. It was only a matter of time before his beast put the pieces together. I needed to find a sanctuary immediately, a place where even a feral Alpha wouldn't dare to unleash his wrath.
