A tall figure filled the doorway, broad shoulders blotting out the weak light behind him. His glare fixed on Rhea like she owed him money. For a fleeting heartbeat, something flickered across his face, worry, maybe, but it was gone before she could place it. The glare snapped back into place so fast she almost believed she had imagined it.
He wasn't alone. A girl in a blindingly pink outfit stood just behind him, her lips twisted into a sneer sharp enough to slice. Beside her, an older man with silver at his temples leveled a stare so cold it felt like daggers flung across the room.
Rhea's eyes returned to the one in front. The young man's dark hair fell neatly over his forehead, every strand deliberate, his face all harsh lines and symmetry. His jaw looked carved from stone, his nose straight, his cheekbones severe. Tall and built like a predator, lean muscle shaped every inch of him. He wore a fitted black shirt, sleeves rolled up to reveal corded arms, and dark jeans that should have been casual but instead radiated command.
If she hadn't recognized him from the Omega's memories, she might have swooned. He was every bit as devastating as the author had described, exactly how she had pictured Alpha Ares Grimhowl while reading. But handsome or not, he was still a big fool.
Her gaze slid to the girl in pink. What is she, a pink werewolf? Rhea thought, blinking at the ridiculous shade. She didn't even need the omega's memories to know who she was: Nikki, the daughter of the former beta, her tormentor and biggest nemesis.
And the older man at her side? Definitely her father, Eberhard, the bitter ex-beta who refused to retire, who thrived on keeping Ares in his pocket.
"You're not dead?" Ares asked, his tone cold, clipped.
"Yeah, big fool indeed," Rhea muttered under her breath.
The words weren't meant to carry, but the Alpha's brow furrowed. His gaze cut to her with predatory sharpness, as if he had just caught prey moving in the dark.
"What did you say?" His voice sliced the air, low and dangerous. Every werewolf had sharper senses, but as Alpha, his hearing was unparalleled. There was no chance he had misheard.
If rolling her eyes didn't risk stabbing pain in her skull, Rhea would have done it.
Ares' frown deepened when she didn't answer. He stepped closer, shoulders squared, every line of his body radiating authority. "What did you just say?" he pressed, voice edged with suspicion, daring her to repeat it.
"Nothing," Rhea rasped, too drained for any drama.
"I clearly heard her call you a big fool," Eberhard said, lips curling in mock outrage.
"Yes, I heard it too," Nikki added quickly, her smirk sharpening as she nodded in agreement.
Ares' mouth twitched into the ghost of a snarl. Of course he had heard it loud and clear. Seems like she's beginning to get some nerve.
Rhea tuned them out. Her focus stayed locked on the cup of water across the room. She tried to push herself up, but her legs buckled almost instantly, pain lancing through her body like fire. She collapsed back onto the floor with a groan. "Shit…"
Ares' frown hardened. When he had been told Rhea was found dead in her room, he had dismissed it immediately as one of her manipulations. It ran in her blood. So finding her alive hadn't surprised him. What unsettled him now was how she looked, frail, bruised, and starved. If the pack had punished her this brutally, it could actually kill her. And a dead mate was the last thing he could afford. Not because he wanted her, but because rejecting her hadn't severed the truth: his wolf still yearned for her. Her death would weaken him… maybe even kill his wolf.
Rhea exhaled raggedly, then forced herself onto her elbows. With a groan she began to crawl, dragging her body inch by inch across the cold floor, every breath rattling like broken glass.
"Quit pretending and stand up," Eberhard barked. "Do you really think you'll get the Alpha's attention by acting half-dead?"
Ares glanced at his former beta, then back at Rhea. She hadn't slowed, hadn't stopped, even as she trembled and gasped. His frown deepened. Yes. This must be it. Another ploy to get my attention.
Finally, she reached the stool. Her trembling fingers stretched out, desperate to curl around the cup...
A boot struck.
The stool toppled with a sharp crack, the cup skidding across the floor, spilling its precious water into the dirt.
"Stand up from there and stop acting like a pitiful weakling," Ares snapped.
Rhea froze. Her strength gave out completely, and she collapsed onto her back, chest heaving as every muscle screamed. Her vision blurred, tears stinging her eyes as she stared up at the warped ceiling. So this… this is what the omega went through.
"You're even lucky I let you live," Ares said flatly, his voice like ice. "Instead of sending you to the afterlife to join your parents."
At his words, Nikki's smirk stretched wider, satisfaction glowing in her eyes. Eberhard's lips curved into something close to a smile, smug and triumphant.
Oh, the things I would have done to shut him up, if only this body wasn't in this state, Rhea thought, drained to the bone, her throat scraping with thirst.
Ares' voice dropped like a blade. "Don't ever pull that stunt again. You think pretending to be dead will make me care? Do you think I'll be moved by your pitiful act? Next time you try something that stupid, I'll make sure you regret it." His words were sharp, each syllable laced with a cruelty designed to crush, to remind her that in his world, she was nothing.
Rhea let out the faintest chuckle, hoarse and broken. If only he knew, the original owner of this body actually died.
"Did you just laugh?" Nikki snapped, her eyes narrowing as she lunged forward, but her father caught her wrist before she could take a step closer. He gave the smallest shake of his head, a warning to hold back. Nikki huffed, crossing her arms, fury simmering on her face.
Ares' eyes narrowed, studying the frail figure at his feet. He couldn't make sense of her. Was she pretending or not? If it had been before, she would have been sobbing, begging, groveling in humiliation. But now… she wasn't pitiful. She was confusing. Different. Changing her tactics, maybe - all for his attention?
"Anybody out there," Ares called, his voice echoing with command.
Two men stepped inside immediately, their posture straight, their eyes flicking to the Alpha for orders.
"Force her up," Ares commanded.
The men obeyed without hesitation. Rough hands clamped around Rhea's arms, hauling her upright. Pain ripped through her body, fire shooting across her ribs and down her legs. Her knees buckled instantly, her vision swimming. Every nerve screamed.
I just came into this world… won't they give me time to breathe before all this shenanigans? she thought weakly, her vision blurring at the edges.
Ares stepped forward, his shadow swallowing the space between them. His voice was harsh, cutting into her haze. "When I'm talking to you, you don't..."
Rhea didn't hear the rest. Darkness surged in, and she blacked out.