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I’d done everything I could to get to him, but I was small and weak. The High Alpha held me against his chest and forced me to watch as another member of the circle came forward with a pair of pliers and ruthlessly extracted one of Logan’s teeth before he pushed me into the arms of two beta guards who made me watch as the High Alpha and Shepherds took turns raping Logan.
It lasted an eternity. Until after I’d lost my voice from screaming and Logan had fallen unconscious. Even some of his most ardent beta supports looked nauseated by the end of the whole thing, but none of it mattered because it was all for me.
That was my punishment.
As long as I behaved, Logan wasn’t hurt. But if I stepped out of line, even for a heartbeat, they used him to punish me.
I could’ve taken any punishment, but that was the point. I might not have cared about myself, but I damn sure cared about Logan.
Which was why it terrified me that I hadn’t seen him in nearly a week.
Morris’s jaw tightened, his forest green eyes flashing for a beat before a mask of indifference slid over his face. “He’ll be glad to see you.”
Icy tendrils of fear laced around my spine. I pulled up short, the meeting house looming in the distance as I squared my shoulders. “Morris?—”
He outright flinched at the sound of his name. His eyes did a furtive sweep of the area, and when he seemed satisfied no one was looking, he turned his attention to me.
My breath caught as his gaze collided with mine, and for just a moment, I almost forgot where I was. I swallowed audibly, roughly. “You’re not telling me something.”
Morris looked conflicted, his gaze jerking to the side and a hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. “Fuck,” he whispered, sounding torn.
“Please,” my voice cracked on the plea as unease churned in my stomach, “if he’s been hurt?—”
Another wince. “Not… hurt. But your heat triggered his.” His green eyes met mine, somber and full of regret.
My hand flew up, covering my mouth as a pained whimper slipped through my lips. Fear settled into my bones, rattling them hard enough that I started to shake.
Morris stepped forward, hands outstretched like he was ready to pull me against his wide chest and offer comfort, but then he stopped at the last second. I watched him inhale sharply through his mouth, his throat working as his gaze cut away from me.
The idea that Logan had been suffering the way I had was almost worse than the cramps that had threatened to tear my uterus into pieces during the height of my heat. First heats were usually considered mild, and if that was the case, it was easy to see how omegas could be permanently damaged or even die when left alone to ride out their heats.
“Where did they keep him?” I demanded, my head snapping in different directions as if I could see him.
Morris stayed quiet, and the dread singeing my nerves coiled into a cold ball of terror that sank like a boulder to the pit of my stomach.
“Morris—”
He looked down at the ground, and for a second, I saw unbridled fury flash across his features. It was enough to send me scrambling back a step, out of his reach in case he turned his fury on me.
Stricken, his gaze met mine. “I’d never hurt you, Hazel.”
Hazel.
Morris was one of the few people who called me by my actual name instead of my designation. He was one of the only ones who reminded me I was still human, still my own person.
Instead of backing away more, I stopped. I believed him. Morris had always treated me with respect, maybe even… kindness?
“Is Logan okay?” I whispered. “Can you take me to him?”
Morris cleared his throat, his hands balling into fists at his sides. “He’s still in heat.”
“Okay.” My breaths came in sharp, shallow pants. “I need to see him?—”
“Hazel.” His sharp tone cut me off, a warning inflection buried in the timbre of his voice. “He isn’t… alone. The High Alpha allowed the alphas in his circle to…” His cheeks flushed red.
The earth spun as his words registered. “No. No!” My heart cracked into pieces. “He promised if I behaved he would leave Logan alone!” My shrill voice sent birds scattering from the branches above us. “I was good. I swear I was good.”
Morris grimaced and closed the distance between us, pulling me to his broad chest and backing us against a wide cedar trunk where he maneuvered us until we were hidden from anyone who might come to investigate my cries.
