Sleep never came that night.
No matter how tightly I shut my eyes, I kept seeing that smile the Alpha's calm, knowing smirk as I fled like a frightened rabbit. It wasn't just his face that haunted me; it was the quiet certainty behind it. He knew everything. Every thought. Every fear. And yet, even knowing that, my mind couldn't stop circling back to Rose.
What if she was still alive? What if she was hurt, locked somewhere in that room, waiting for help that would never come?
I sat upright on my narrow cot, hugging my knees, the faint light of dawn leaking through the high windows of the omegas' quarters. Around me, the others slept in uneasy silence, their breaths shallow, their faces drawn tight even in rest. Joan was beside me, curled up but not asleep—I could tell from the way her fingers twitched now and then, restless even in the dark.
"Elie," she whispered suddenly, without opening her eyes. "You're still awake."
