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A few dark chuckles echoed around the room, but over the noise, I heard another high-pitched cry and then the crack of flesh on flesh.
Logan.
Tears burned the backs of my eyes. It wasn’t fucking fair. Not to me, not to Logan… All because we were damn omegas. Because of a genetic curse that made us sexual slaves to our hormones and weaker than almost every other person on the planet.
Total bullshit.
Footsteps echoed across the room as Hayden came in from the far back room dressed in a red robe that dusted the floor. He eyed the altar where my innocence would be sacrificed with a smirk as he came around to stand before us. In matching robes, the rest of the circle followed him until they formed a half circle around us with Hayden at the center.
“Congratulations, brother,” Hayden stated. “You’re a lucky man. The fortunes have smiled upon you.”
“Indeed,” the High Alpha agreed, his dark eyes peering down at me. He licked his lips, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled the sharp scent of my fear. And then, because he could, he let out a low, coarse growl.
Unable to stop myself, my shoulders curved in as I tried to make myself small. A plaintive whimpering sound clawed free from my throat, my omega side trying to appease his more dominant alpha. His growl grew louder, and it felt like a weight was pressing down on the back of my neck, forcing me into submission.
Hayden laughed softly. “Brother,” he chided, a pleased note of teasing in his tone.
The growl stopped abruptly, and I sucked in a ragged breath, my pulse thundering in my veins. Barely stopping myself from screaming, I bit down on the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood. The metallic tang trickled under my tongue and slid down my throat until I thought I’d choke on it.
A heavy hand landed on my head, petting me like a dog. “She’ll do nicely and will bear our future,” the High Alpha agreed, his tone almost fond. “Let’s begin.”
“Blessed be the High Alpha. Blessed be the omega.” Hayden’s booming voice carried through the space.
The response from everyone else was instantaneous. “Blessed be the High Alpha. Blessed be the omega.” Their echo vibrated through the wooden planks of the room with enough force that I felt it where my knees were pressed against the rough boards. They kept repeating the same phrase, the volume lifting each time until it was a thunderous war cry that filled the room.
Terror settled in my bones, the noise unsettling and grating. I ached to find a quiet, dark nest where I could snuggle under a mountain of blankets and hide from the world. I screwed my eyes shut and tried to pull away, but a fist tightened around my hair, keeping me from rolling into a protective ball.
Hayden lifted his hands and the congregation stopped, the sudden silence ringing in my ears. I lifted my head slightly, daring to look around, but by then the High Alpha and I were surrounded by a sea of red robes as the circle had done exactly what its name suggested, forming a ring of power and strength around us.
“Look at me, omega,” the High Alpha demanded, infusing a bite of his alpha bark into the words.
My head instantly snapped up, my nerves frayed like the chewed up ends of a loose wire. Whatever he saw in my expression—pain, horror, anxiety—made his smile flash wider, the predatory glint of his teeth making me shudder as I envisioned those canines sinking into the soft space between my shoulder and neck.
It wouldn’t be a pretty, neat bite that showed I was his mate. No, the High Alpha would want something twisted and messy, something that visibly showed ownership. Proof that my soul would be irrevocably bound to him until one of us died.
The High Alpha’s gaze flicked to his brother as he gave a sharp nod.
Hayden turned and reached for something I couldn’t see, but a second later the wand appeared in my vision. I was struggling to get up before I even realized I’d moved.
“Don’t move,” the High Alpha barked, his words freezing me in place even as my heart threatened to gallop out of my chest.
No, no, no.
My muscles locked up at his order, and I realized this was worse. He’d completely ripped away any sense of control. I couldn’t even lift a pinkie finger to fight him now.
Hands clutched the fabric at the back of my dress and then ripped it open, the top falling around my shoulders. Only the ample swell of my breasts kept it from pooling around my waist. Cool air wafted across my skin, a rolling wave of goosebumps prickling with awareness.
A single tear fell down my cheek. “Please, don’t.” All I could do was beg, even though I knew it was useless.
The High Alpha’s finger caught my tear before it could drip off my jaw. He lifted his hand, licking the salty drop from the pad of his index finger. “Even your tears taste divine, omega.” His gaze moved over my shoulder and he gave another curt nod. His eyes glittered as they met mine, and he issued one last command: “Eyes on me.”
Unable to do anything except obey, my eyes found his a second before pain blasted across my shoulder. I opened my mouth to scream, but the High Alpha beat me to it.
“Silence,” he barked.
My mouth closed, the agonized shriek trapped in my lungs to the point I thought they would explode from the sheer pressure of holding it in. Pain seared into my skin and the sickening odor of burnt flesh tickled my nose.
I was going to be sick. The asshole was branding me. Like I was cattle or a possession. Something to stamp his damn name across.
