Page 21 of Omega Scorned

Daryl unlocked my room the next morning, in time for me to make breakfast before they all went to work. I quietly prepared the turkey bacon and French toast on Candace's approved foods list before serving everyone in the dining room. I sat in my usualspot and Candace sat across from me, but I made a point of not looking at her and keeping my hair over the scarred side of my face.

"Emilia, we have a couple of things to discuss," Jake said when we'd finished eating.

"Yes?" I turned to him, but didn't meet his eyes. I didn't want to see the disgust there, now that I knew how he really saw me.

"Since you claimed not to know that you weren't supposed to leave the house, it's now an official rule. You cannot leave this property without one of us."

"I understand."

Candace made a surprised sound in her throat. She must have thought I would fight.

"Also, Candace will be taking over meal planning. She'll give you the week's menu each Monday and you are to order the food and prepare the meals."

"Okay." My heart sank at the thought of no longer being able to experiment with ingredients and recipes, but again, small price to pay to stay out of the heat dens.

Candace smirked like she'd won a prize. "I want only organic vegetables."

"The guys don't like vegetables," I let her know.

"We'll eat whatever she requests," Jake said firmly. "Just make it."

"I will."

"Great. The other thing is your heat. We've arranged for some suppressants so you don't need to have heats any longer. Candace will handle all our sexual needs and vice versa." He gave her a fond smile. "It frees you up to do your hobbies."

I didn't know what to say to that, but a minute later, Daryl passed me a pill across the table.

"We'll give you your pill every morning."

Even that was going to be controlled? I sighed and picked it up, washing the pill down with the last of my orange juice. When Jake looked at me expectantly, I opened my mouth wide and stuck my tongue out. I would take the damn suppressants. Why would I want to sleep with the men who pitied me?

"Then we're done here. I'll be giving you an allowance each month for your personal needs." Jake handed me a card. "You can do the grocery orders on the regular card, which Candace will supervise."

"I wouldn't steal from you," I told him, offended.

"It's just a precaution."

The men said goodbye, each kissing Candace deeply before they left. Daryl passed me and rubbed my back, but I pulled away from him. I didn't want his pity.

Once they were gone, Candace turned to me. "You can clean up breakfast, then I don't want to see you for the rest of the day, aside from leaving out my lunch. Your face makes me lose my appetite."

I started to pick up the plates while she went into the living room and turned on some reality show. The music blared through the house as I hurried to rinse the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. Laura would take care of everything else. But I supposed that was also under Candace's management now.

Once I was finished, I grabbed a bottle of water and headed to my room. Even though I'd been there for over a year, the four walls were just as blank as the day I'd arrived. The same white comforter covered the bed and the same white towels hung in the bathroom.

None of the men had ever set foot in the room. They'd always summoned me to their spaces if they wanted me. I turned the card Jake had given me over in my hands. If I had to stay in here all the time, it would be a place I enjoyed.

It turned out that my allowance for the month was $200. More than enough to order some paint and brushes. On a whim, I ordered some seeds too. Maybe I'd be allowed out in the backyard and could do some gardening.

Sitting on my bed, I sketched out some ideas for the room and took pictures with the tablet, getting AI to superimpose the images on photos of the walls. By noon, I had a basic idea of what I wanted.

Candace had left a handwritten note on the counter with the menu for the week. I stuck it to the inside cupboard door and started to prepare her lunch, a Greek salad with garlic bread on the side. I made enough for both of us, then left hers on the counter, covered in cling wrap. She came downstairs as soon as my bedroom door closed.

The next few days were quiet. I took my pills each morning, prepared the meals I was told to, and spent the day in my room. My paint supplies arrived and I slipped out to accept the delivery before Candace even noticed, taking it all into my room as quickly as possible.

With the window open as much as possible, I put my favorite playlist on and started painting in the sketches I'd done on the wall. I'd divided each wall into small rectangles with two-inch strips between them. I started by painting in the strips first. They needed to look like wood, so first, I planned to lay down a darker brown and then build it up. I'd never really painted much, so it was going to be a learning process.

Every day, once my chores were done, I painted. Despite being trapped in such a small space, painting helped me feel free. At night, when I could hear Candace with the alphas, moaning and calling their names as they fucked her, I looked at my walls and dreamed of what they'd be like when they were finished. At my slow pace, it would probably take years to get it all done. Then I'd do the bathroom. And inside the closet.