Nero's POV
I was still shaking, half-curled beneath the base of some crooked tree, when I heard it.
Footsteps.
Not animal. Not padded. Sharp. Controlled.
A beat too late, I turned—and pain exploded through my scalp as a fist twisted into my hair and yanked me backward with no warning.
"Ow—! Let go, you freak!" I twisted, trying to claw his arm, but he didn't even flinch.
Lucius.
Of course, it was him.
He loomed behind me like a damn shadow made of ice and fury, eyes burning pale blue in the moonlight. His coat fluttered around him like it wanted to strangle something too.
"What were you thinking?" he said, voice calm, sharp as broken glass. "Do you have any idea how stupid this was?"
"I wasn't thinking!" I snapped, trying to twist away. "Let. Me. Go."
He didn't.
"You are my omega," he said like it was a fact carved into stone. "I bought you. Which means you don't run. You obey. Who helped you escape?"
That last part came out cold and flat.
Fear prickled down my spine. But I still said, "No one. Seriously. Your defenses just suck. Maybe upgrade your night shift."
His jaw tightened.
"I swear, let go or I'm gonna start biting people!"
Lucius didn't even acknowledge the threat. He just yanked me harder and started dragging me back toward the Bastion, boots crunching over leaves while I stumbled and swore behind him.
"You're insane—this is abuse!" I shouted, kicking at the dirt. "I should've let that wolf eat me, it'd be nicer than whatever medieval dungeon crap you're running!"
Still no reaction.
We passed through the gate like nothing had happened, guards stepping aside without a word. The big front doors of the fortress opened, and the main hall stretched before us—wide, cold, lined with flickering blue crystal sconces. Dozens of people—maids, stewards, servants—were gathered at attention.
Lucius dragged me right into the center like some trophy and threw me across the floor like a sack of trash.
I landed hard, palms scraping against smooth stone, shoulder bruising. Groaning, I rolled onto my side.
Lucius stood tall, hands behind his back, voice perfectly calm.
"Who," he said, "helped the omega escape?"
Silence.
Not a soul moved.
Some of the maids looked down. One guy near the back started trembling. But no one spoke. No one stepped forward.
I sat up slowly, hair in my face, arms shaking from anger and impact. My mouth moved before my brain could catch up.
"Oh for fuck's sake. Airhead," I growled, "I already told you—I did it myself. Face me, and stop looking for someone else to blame!"
Lucius turned.
And for the first time, his expression cracked.
Not rage. Not surprise.
Disgust.
Disappointment.
Like I wasn't even worth the effort of yelling at anymore.
He snapped his fingers. "Guard."
A man stepped forward. Armor, crimson trim, and sword strapped to his back.
"Take him to the south wing," Lucius said, voice low now, and dangerous. "Two hours in the warding hold. He clearly needs a reminder of his place."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I hissed, backing away.
The guard grabbed my arm.
"Don't touch me!" I snarled, kicking his shin. "You people are nuts! I'm not your damn omega! I'm not anyone's!"
Lucius turned away like he couldn't even stand to look at me anymore.
As the guard dragged me out of the hall, I shouted over my shoulder, "This is kidnapping! You're all gonna regret this! You can't just own people, you lunatic—!"
The heavy doors slammed shut behind me.
And I was alone again.
This time, on my way to punishment. Whatever that meant in this nightmare world.
The guard didn't say a word the entire walk.
He just dragged me down a steep set of stone stairs, the air getting colder with every step. My wrists were bound behind my back with something that tingled—like static electricity, but meaner. Every few seconds it jolted me just enough to remind me that I wasn't in charge of anything down here.
We passed steel doors with glowing sigils, flickering runes etched into the stone walls like this was some kind of prison for magic monsters. Which… I guess I technically counted as now.
Eventually, we reached a dead-end hallway. One door. Black iron. Reinforced twice over. The guard unlocked it with a heavy key that hissed when it turned, then shoved me inside.
I stumbled and hit the ground hard.
"Hey, you could at least pretend I'm human, jackass!" I shouted.
He didn't answer.
Instead, he knelt, forced my jaw open with one hand, and shoved something bitter and grainy down my throat. Before I could spit it out, he clamped my mouth shut and pinched my nose.
I swallowed.
He stood. Locked the door.
And left.
"What the fuck did you guys give me!?" I screamed, coughing. "What was that?! Let me out of here! I'm not some lab rat—you've got the wrong guy! I'm not a drug addict, I'm just—"
Silence.
The room was cold. Damp. Nothing but a table, a chain hook bolted to the wall, and some disgusting hay-stuffed mat in the corner. I paced, then gave up and curled into myself on the floor, back against the wall, legs pulled close.
My head throbbed. My stomach twisted. The air felt weird—too heavy.
Maybe I was just exhausted. Or whatever they gave me was knocking me out.
I took a deep breath, let my head drop—
And that's when the burning started.
First, behind my ribs.
Then down my spine.
Then everywhere.
It was like someone poured fire through my veins. My skin flushed, boiling under my clothes. I tore at the collar of the shirt, gasping, my thighs twitching involuntarily. My body arched, then curled in, like it couldn't decide which direction to scream in.
Then I noticed something worse.
My pants were damp.
Not sweat. Lower.
The front of my crotch pulsed like I was turned on—but I wasn't. No thought in my head was sexual. I wasn't aroused—I was drugged. The fabric at the back of my waistband clung wet and sticky, too. I froze.
"No. No no no no no—"
I reached down, fumbling, panicking. Just to check. Just to be sure. The second I touched myself—
A moan ripped from my throat. I slapped my hand over my mouth like it might choke the sound back down.
What did they give me?
An aphrodisiac? Some kind of drug?
Why would they—
I couldn't stop shaking. Every nerve was on fire. My thighs were slick, my breath shallow and quick, my skin buzzing. I dropped to the floor, rolling to one side, legs tangled and pressing tight together like I could trap the heat and crush it.
Then the door opened again.
I flinched, eyes wide, blinking past the haze.
The same guard. Bigger than I remembered. Or maybe I was just smaller now—shrinking under everything I didn't understand.
I didn't even have the strength to argue. My body was too busy betraying me.
He grabbed me by the arm. I didn't fight.
Dragged me over to the table. I didn't scream.
Flipped me over.
That—snapped me out of it.
My heart slammed into overdrive. "No—don't—don't! Not again—!"
The panic came too fast, too real. Flashes of fists. My father's voice. Pain behind closed doors. The cold floor of the kitchen. The bruises no one asked about.
I tried to twist away, but I was too slow.
Instead of what I feared… I heard the crack of leather.
And fire streaked across the backs of my thighs.
I screamed. Not because it hurt—which it did—but because it was familiar.
"Stop—please—!" My voice broke. "I didn't do anything—!"
Another lash.
Another.
Memories collided—my dad's belt. The slurred insults. The look in his eyes when he didn't see me, just a ghost of someone he hated. The same look Lucius wore.
I couldn't breathe.
Couldn't think.
Just pain and heat and the sound of the whip.
Then—
Darkness.
A welcome, heavy nothing.
I let it take me.