Chapter 2
“Chester, step on it, will you!”
Astria woke up to the sound of loud chatter, and was met with a terrifying darkness as a blindfold sat over her eyes. Her lips were wide open, gagged by a rag stuffed between them.
Every muscle drew taut under her skin as she tried to move, only to realize that her wrists and ankles were bound by tight, burning silver shackles.
What the hell was happening?
“I said fucking step on it!”
“Calm your tits, Paul…”
Clattering filled the empty space, then a thud followed as a body was slammed into the truck's metal wall. “She was supposed to arrive before dark! The bitch is a fucking omega! Hilde strictly said we had to—”
“Who cares what the fuck Hilde says? We have the cargo as agreed and they drugged her before loading her up, so why does it matter?”
Astria's body stiffened against the hard floor of the moving vehicle. Her breath hitched, cold sweat sliding down her skin.
She heard Hilde's name just now. If this had anything to do with that Beta, then the Alpha must have ordered her to do it. But what exactly was this? Were… they sending her away? Selling her? Killing her? How long had this been the plan?!
Omegas were rare. The unfortunate ones were sold like cattle across land and sea. Astria had thought that as long as she did as told without making any mistakes, she wouldn't suffer that fate. Because she knew the pack was scared, fearing that if they chased her out or tried to sell her like before, then the demon would start another massacre.
That gave her a false sense of security. But now, they had abandoned her anyway.
Where were they taking her? How many old men was she being sold off to this time?
Tears spilled from her eyes, soaking into the blindfold. The shackles were burning into her skin and the wound beneath it was constantly healing then festering again. She couldn't take it anymore. It was hot, too hot.
And it wasn’t just her wrist and ankles… the burning sensation was spreading, scorching every inch of her skin. A sob suffocated in her throat, her chest constricting. Her heat was starting again, wasn't it?
“Will you just fucking loosen up, Paul? You're such a coward.”
“N-No. We have to do this right, Walker! We have to! Hilde said the demon would follow the omega… but only if we did everything she said! What if it’s sniffing her out now? What if it finds us before we—”
“Pipe down, you brainless fuck. If they really believed the demon would follow her, then the whole pack wouldn't have up and left with the stack of cash they got for selling her off.”
Up and left? Her pack was gone? All of it? They sold her like scrap and ran?
Her small, trembling body curled into a ball, her throat stinging against the gag. This… was exactly what she'd been afraid of.
A lone wolf… was better off dead.
“I call bullshit. I mean, think!”
“Y-You're right…”
“Good.” A smirk danced onto Walker's lips, gaze swerving to the naked figure curled up on the floor. He took a deep breath in, lips widening as a faint flowery scent tickled his nostrils.
“The omega's awake,” he said, eyes on the long, pretty leg peeking out from the slit on her silk dress. “This is the fun part~”
A kick to the gut sent Astria across the floor, back colliding with the wall. A second later came the slam of a heel into the side of her head, pressing down hard. Her cheek raked against the floor, pain clashing with uncontrollable heat.
“I heard the god of immortality got a piece of this body and gave you a fine reward~” Walker's belt hit the floor just before he stooped to her level, smirking wickedly. “So, tell me, whore…” A hand reached into his pants, head tilting back as he pumped his erection. His body swelled with need, her scent running his mind wild. “...will your pretty little hole squeeze right back together if we tear it open all night?”
Astria's eyes stung against the blindfold, a heavy stream of tears flowing behind it.
“Don't you shed those useless tears now…” He cackled, free hand snatching the damp gag from her lips. “Or you'll make a mess of that stunning makeup and your groom will be very displeased.”
Astria gasped through her lips, hands clenching against the floor.
‘G-Groom?’
Walker reached for her blindfold next and yanked it down, heart hammering in wild excitement. But as her pale crystal eyes were unveiled and she thought her fate was sealed, Walker's grin suddenly disappeared from his face… gone. Her stomach tingled as the mark around her belly button emerged, glowing under the silk wedding gown they'd forced her into.
Walker fell back against the floor, trembling. One moment he was staring into her eyes and then another, he was surrounded by a chilling darkness. And standing in front of him, was a beast with blood-red eyes and razor-sharp teeth.
A strangled gasp climbed his throat but never escaped his lips, for its teeth had already ripped into his neck. The next thing he knew, his vision was spinning and his head… was rolling.
“...er.”
“...ker!”
“WALKER!”
Walker gasped, breathing hard. His eyes were frantic as they searched the space. It was gone.
A vision? No, it felt more like a manifestation. The demon had staked its claim without even lifting a finger.
If he touched her… he would die.
His hands flew to his neck, scrambling back against the floor.
“Dude, you're scared of her eyes? Seriously?” Paul teased, “Even I wasn’t this scared the first time I saw it. Who's the fucking coward now? Pffft!”
“N-No. T-That's not it…” He breathed. His lips hung wide open as he struggled to fill his lungs, fingers ripping his hair. “We… We shouldn't have taken her!”
“What the fuck are you saying, man?”
“I'm telling you! We shouldn't have… we really shouldn't ha—”
“Quiet down back there for fuck's sake!” The driver hissed from the front. “We're here.”
“Oh? Too bad for you, Walker. Blue balls tonight, huh?”
The truck pulled to a stop and the blindfold and gag were set back in place. Yanked out of the back, she was tossed to a new crowd, hands grabbing her upper arms on each side. Walker didn't lay another finger on her. She didn't hear another word out of his mouth either.
Dragged up several steps, her bare feet then touched cold, smooth tiles. The air had changed too. She could smell things… food, wine, people. And hear a crowd's worth of whispers.
Was it a banquet? A party? Or was she really about to be wed to a complete stranger?
“What happens now, your majesty?” She heard someone say.
Her ear twitched, blood running cold. ‘Majesty? T-The Alpha King?’ The thought crossed her mind, her palms sweating profusely against each other. Surely it couldn't be.
“Now, we wait for the hot-headed groom to arrive.”
Something hard struck the back of her knees, sending her to the floor. And just like that, she was back to square one: kneeling before an altar. This time, there was no golden statue but an alpha king.
Moments passed with nothing but the hushed whispers of the crowd. By then, Astria had long ran dry of both patience and control. Her palms met the floor, the chains rattling as her body screamed for air. The clothes were a hindrance. She was boiling over. And her core was dying to feel the demon's warmth.
Her toes curled, hair falling over her face. Her scent filled the room, intoxicating the males like a drug. Low growls rumbled in their throats, their gazes devouring her body.
It made Astria's skin crawl.
“Sire, it appears she's already in hea—”
“Let it be.” King Wraith's lips curled. “He's here.”
The door burst open, slammed off its hinges and skidding across the floor. As the cold night air swept over Astria's skin, it brought with it three distinct scents:
Hilde.
The demon.
And blood.