“Fated.” She spat the word like a curse. “Another nonsense. There’s no such thing as fate, just biology and bad choices.”
Lucinda’s composure reasserted itself as she laid out her plan with the same precision she’d once used for pack social events. She pulled a chair from somewhere, probably staged earlier, and sat facing me like we were having tea rather than discussing my destruction.
“Killing you would be too simple, too suspicious. Damon might actually investigate that, might discover my involvement.” She crossed her legs, settling in for a lengthy explanation. “But you running away? Who already fled once, facing a hostile pack and complicated pregnancy? That’s believable.”
“He’ll never believe I abandoned him.” Even drugged and chained, I knew this truth absolutely.
“Won’t he?” Her smile was cruel. “You spent four months in exile rather than face him? Who carries twins that could kill her? Who faces daily hostility from pack members who blame her for their prince’s death? Running would be the smart choice.”
“You’re forgetting one thing. I came back. I chose to return.”
“Because he dragged you back. But now, with the pressure mounting, with his position crumbling, with assassins potentially targeting you?” She shrugged elegantly. “Self-preservation is also in your nature.”
“What did you do?” Dread pooled in my stomach.
“I’ve been busy. Notes in your handwriting, forgeries of course, expressing your fears. Money transferred from accounts you didn’t know you had access to. Tickets purchased to border towns. A trail of breadcrumbs leading away from here.” Her satisfaction was palpable. “When Damon finally surfaces from his political nightmare to notice you’re gone, he’ll find evidence of a carefully planned escape.”
“The guards will tell him.”
“My guards? They’ll swear they saw you leave voluntarily. Some might even mention hearing you talk about needing to get away, about the pressure being too much.” She leaned forward, eyes glittering with malice. “I’ve thought of everything.”
“Except one thing.” I met her gaze steadily despite the drugs still clouding my system. “Damon knows me. Really knows me. He’ll see through your lies.”
“Does he? He believed you murdered Laziel easily enough.”
The truth of that stung worse than her slap. He had believed it, had condemned me in front of the entire pack without questioning, without investigating. Would he do the same again? Would he see my disappearance and immediately assume betrayal?
“That was different. He was in shock, grieving.”
“And now he’s overwhelmed, fighting for his political life, facing challenges from every direction.” She stood, smoothing invisible wrinkles from her clothes. “The evidence will be overwhelming. Even if some small part of him doubts, what can he do? Chase after an omega who clearly doesn’t want to be found while his kingdom crumbles?”
“You’re insane. This won’t bring Laziel back.”
“No, but it will take from you what you took from me. Everything.” She moved toward the shadows again, her voice floating back. “You’ll disappear into the trafficking networks. Sold to the highest bidder. Some alpha will use you as breeding stock, those twins ripped away the moment they’re born. You’ll spend your life in chains, producing litter after litter until your body gives out.”
Horror washed over me as the full scope of her plan became clear. Not just separation from Damon but a living nightmare.The twins kicked weakly, as if protesting their grandmother’s words.
“The buyers specialize in pregnant omegas. Premium prices for those carrying alpha offspring. Twins?” She made a pleased sound. “You’ll set a record at auction.”
“No.” The word came out stronger than I’d managed since waking. “I won’t let you.”
“Let me?” Her laugh echoed off the walls as she returned to view one final time. “You’re chained in an abandoned warehouse, drugged and helpless. Your mate thinks you’re safely asleep in his bed. No one knows where you are except the rogues I’ve hired. What exactly are you going to do?”
“Survive,” I said simply. “I’ve done it before.”
“Not this time.” She checked an expensive watch, a surreal touch of normalcy in this nightmare. “The buyers will be here within the hour. I suggest you make peace with your situation.”
“Wait.” Desperation crept into my voice. “What did you mean about before? About Damon being an obligation?”
But she was already at the door, her heels clicking against concrete. “Some secrets die with their keepers. Others...” She paused, silhouette framed in the doorway. “Others destroy everything they touch, just like omega whores.”
The door slammed shut, leaving me alone with the sound of dripping water and the truth of my situation. In less than an hour, I’d be sold to human traffickers. Damon would wake tofind me gone and evidence of betrayal. The twins would be born into slavery.
Unless I found a way out.
I tested the chains again, feeling for weakness. The drugs were metabolizing faster than they’d calculated, my omega healing accelerated by pregnancy hormones and maternal instinct. The twins moved stronger now, responding to their mother’s determination.
“We’re not going anywhere with those buyers,” I whispered to my belly. “Your father will find us. We just have to survive until then.”
