Dionne
The wilderness had no sympathy. Sharp rocks tore at my bare feet with each step, leaving a trail of blood that I prayed would dry before any patrol wolves picked up the scent.
Nora clung to my back, her small arms wrapped around my neck so tightly I could barely breathe. But I didn't complain. Her weight was the only thing keeping me grounded, reminding me why I had to keep moving even when every muscle in my body screamed for rest.
We had been running for four days, since escaping the pack, maybe five. The concept of time had become meaningless. Days blurred into nights. Sleep came in stolen moments against tree trunks, always light enough that the snap of a twig would jolt me awake with my heart hammering against my ribs.
Nora was getting weak.
We need good rest. The thought pounded through my mind with every step, drowning out the exhaustion and fear.
We stumbled into a clearing just as the sun was setting. Smoke rose from a campfire ahead. Two men sat beside the flames, roasting meat over the fire. Their laughter carried across the clearing, low and relaxed.
I crouched in the bushes, trying to decide what to do. They did not smell like pack wolves. Their scents were neutral, suggesting they were either rogues themselves or travelers who moved between territories.
Nora sneezed suddenly, the sound echoing in the quiet evening. Both men's heads snapped in our direction.
"Someone there?" one of them called out. He stood slowly, peering into the shadows. "We can hear you breathing. Come on out."
I had no choice now. I stood carefully, keeping Nora pressed against my chest. "We mean no harm. We're just passing through."
The man who had spoken relaxed slightly when he saw us. He was middle-aged with weathered features. His companion was younger, perhaps in his twenties, with a nervous energy about him.
"You look half-dead," the older man observed. His tone was sympathetic. "The little one sick?"
I shook my head, "She's just tired."
He exchanged a glance with his companion. "Come sit by the fire. We have water and food."
Every instinct I had screamed that this was dangerous. But Nora's eyes were dropping, the little supplies Callum had given us were running out and I was out of options.
I approached slowly, lowering Nora to sit on a flat rock near the fire. The warmth felt like heaven after days in the cold.
The older man handed me a bottle of water. "Drink first, then give her small sips. Not too fast or she will be sick."
I did as he instructed, the cool water soothing my raw throat. Nora drank weakly, her eyes glazed with exhaustion.
"We're traders," the younger man said, pulling a blanket from his pack. "We travel between packs, selling goods. We see rogues a lot on these roads and help when we can." I remained quiet, my attention focused on my baby.
The older trader leaned forward, studying Nora with concern. "She needs rest. She cannot continue out here for very long, it's too cold. There is a settlement about two days north."
Hope flickered weakly in my chest. "They would help rogues?"
"For money, they'll help anyone." He gestured to the food roasting over the fire. "Eat something first. You need strength for the journey."
They shared their meal with us. I had not eaten this well in weeks.
"Thank you very much, I'm grateful for y-your help, but we need to keep moving." The thought that our pack was still hunting us and could be closing down on us at any time made me too wary to remain in one place for too long.
I moved to pull myself to my feet but a dizzy feeling overtook my frame, causing me to stumble slightly.
"Actually, you don't need to go anywhere." The younger trader spoke. His voice was different now.
I turned to look at him. He was smiling, but it was not the friendly smile from before. It felt predatory.
The older man stood as well, and I saw his expression had changed too. The kindness was gone, replaced by something calculating and cruel.
"You made this too easy," the older man said. "A little omega and her pup, all alone in the woods. We barely had to work for it."
My vision swam and I realized with horror that they had put something in the food. My heart dropped to my stomach and I struggled to keep Nora pressed to my chest.
I backed away slowly, "We have nothing of value. Please just let us pass."
"Oh, I wouldn't say that." His eyes traveled over me in a way that made my skin crawl. "Omegas are always valuable. Especially pretty ones, and we know some places where the value for a rogue omega is triple."
Ice flooded my veins. I backed away, pulling Nora tighter against me. I tried to run, but the older man was faster than he looked. He grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back. Pain exploded through my shoulder.
"Don't fight," he hissed in my ear. "It'll go easier if you don't fight."
I fought anyway. I kicked and scratched and bit, desperate to break free. But I was weak from whatever they had laced my food with. My heart broke when I thought about Nora and the effect this would have on her.
The younger man pulled Nora from my arms.
"Give her back!" I shrieked, fighting with everything I had to stay awake. "Please, she's just a baby, she needs me—" the words faded as my vision blurred even more. I could hear the two men talking but the sound was getting farther away.
The world tilted and spun. Then everything went black.
The smell of bleach and blood dragged me back to consciousness. I woke on a cold floor, my hands shackled with iron cuffs. A heavy collar was locked around my throat, the kind that prevented shifting and sapped a wolf's strength. My head pounded and my mouth tasted like chemicals.
I blinked, forcing my eyes to adjust to the dim light. I was in the back of a moving truck. Around me, other women sat slumped against the walls, all collared and shackled like me. Most looked young, barely more than teenagers. Some were crying. Some stared at nothing with dead eyes.
"Nora?" I croaked, my voice barely working. "Where's my daughter?"
"They took the children separately," a voice answered. A girl about my age with hollow eyes. "Put them in a different truck."
Panic clawed at my chest. "Where are they taking us?"
"Underground market." Her voice was flat and emotionless, as if she had been through this before . "They sell us to the highest bidder."
"Sell us?" My stomach turned. "For what?"
"Breeding. Service. Whatever the buyer wants." She laughed, a broken sound. "We're property now."
I pulled at the shackles, ignoring the way they cut into my wrists. I had to get to Nora. Had to find her before—
"Don't bother," another woman said. She was older, with scars on her arms. "Those shackles are reinforced. You'll only hurt yourself."
"I have to get to my daughter," I said desperately.
"Your daughter is already sold, or will be soon. Same as you. Same as all of us." The scarred woman closed her eyes. "Save your strength. You'll need it for what comes next."
I wanted to scream. Wanted to rage and fight and tear this truck apart with my bare hands. But the collar around my throat sapped my strength, leaving me weak and dizzy.
So I sat there as the truck bounced over rough roads, my mind racing with terror for Nora. She needed me. And I couldn't reach her.
The truck drove for hours. Or maybe days. Time had no meaning in that dark metal box. Occasionally, the truck would stop and guards would open the back to throw in bottles of water and stale bread. They didn't speak to us. Just counted heads to make sure no one had died and moved on.
Finally, the truck slowed to a permanent stop. The back doors swung open and harsh light flooded in, making me squint.
"Out!" a guard barked. "Move!"
Rough hands grabbed me and hauled me out of the truck. I stumbled, my legs barely supporting me after so long sitting. Around me, the other women were being dragged out as well.
We were in some kind of underground facility with concrete walls, harsh fluorescent lights, and a rancid stench soaking into everything.
They separated us into groups and herded us down different corridors. I craned my neck, searching desperately for any sign of Nora, but I couldn't see her anywhere.
The guards shoved me through a narrow corridor. I stumbled, catching myself against the wall just as a man emerged from a side door.
He was tall and lean, with cold blue eyes and a thin, cruel mouth. Everything about him screamed wealth and power, from his tailored suit to the gold ring on his finger.
Those blue eyes swept over me with the same detached interest someone might give livestock at auction. His lip curled slightly, not quite a smile.
"Fresh merchandise," he murmured to someone behind him. "How… promising."
Then he was past me, his expensive cologne lingering in the air like a threat.
The guard yanked me forward. "Move."
I was shoved into a small room with scarlet walls and velvet curtains. A rack of lingerie stood in the corner and I realized that it was a dressing room.
A short, balding man entered. He had to be in his sixties, with yellowing teeth and eyes that made my skin crawl.
"You'll wear this tonight," he said, holding up a red see-through dress that was more holes than fabric.
I took a step back. "No."
"It wasn't a request." He moved closer, that sick smile widening. "Our patrons love a soft, graceful omega. You should smile."
"Stay away from me," I warned, though with the collar sapping my strength, there was little I could do to stop him.
He lunged forward and grabbed the front of my shirt. With one violent motion, he tore it open, exposing me to the freezing air. I gasped and tried to cover myself with my arms but it was useless.
"Oh," he said with a disgusting grin. His fingers reached up to touch my exposed tits. "Very nice. Perky even after breastfeeding. That's impressive."
His touch made bile rise in my throat. I wanted to kill him. Wanted to rip his throat out with my teeth. But I felt weak and helpless.
"No wonder the Alpha was particularly interested in you," he continued, squeezing painfully. "You might fetch a high price."
The Alpha? What did he mean? The image of the man with the icy blue eyes flashed across my mind and I shivered from the memory of those cruel thin lips. I prayed to the Goddess that whatever happened, I didn't end up in his hands tonight.
I squeezed into the revealing dress just to get his hands off me. The fabric was so thin it might as well not have been there at all. Once I was dressed, he grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the room.
The hallway was chaos. Bodies moving everywhere, the air thick with sweat and a dozen different scents. I was shoved and jostled as we moved through.
As we rounded a corner, I collided hard with someone coming from the opposite direction.
Strong hands caught my arms, steadying me before I could fall. I looked up, meeting a pair of gunmetal gray eyes that seemed to glow even in the harsh fluorescent lighting.
"Move along!" A guard yanked me backward roughly, breaking the connection. "Keep your eyes down, omega."
The man stepped aside without a word, his expression unreadable now. But I felt his gaze following me as the guards dragged me away, burning into my back like a brand.