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When we received the heartbreaking news of her passing, I found it hard to admit that I felt a sense of relief, secretly fearing that it would brand me as heartless, but the truth was undeniable. Her departure seemed to lift the weight of the world from my shoulders. Does that make me a terrible person?
When I experienced my first perfume, the last thing on my mind was leaving home. The mere thought of joining the same sanctuary that claimed my sister’s life filled me with dread. It wasn’t even a consideration. My plan was to remain with my brother and embrace the life of an omega in hiding, perhaps evolving into the eccentric old cat lady I whimsically envisioned, but life has a way of throwing curveballs when you least expect them. Curiosity about her life inside the walls of the castle welled up inside me.
Who really was Dorothea? I had to know.
More than that, I had to know who killed her, and I needed to meet her mate, the one who I already considered a sibling.He had to be shattered by her loss, and his pack’s very survival hung in the balance. It is this insatiable curiosity that ultimately compelled me to leave behind the safety of our home and embark on a journey into the unknown.
Leaving my brother behind, the one who somehow defied all expectations and became an alpha, was a decision that still weighs heavily on my heart. We had all assumed he would follow in my footsteps as an omega. The plan was to attend the sanctuary together.
I had a choice to make, and the choice to leave was one I agonized over perhaps more than any other in my life. That’s why I find myself, even now, parked in my car with the heater blasting my face, staring at the imposing mental institution that houses my sister, Thea.
Yeah, she never died. Someone kidnapped her.
She may not have physically perished, but she has succumbed in every way that truly matters. I want to blame the madman who subjected her to his experiments, to say that he tortured and broke her beyond any hope of repair, but as I’ve learned, the truth is far darker.
Dorothea’s broken soul originated at birth. Yes, someone shot her all those years ago, and another madman indeed revived her, but he didn’t stop there. He manipulated her, inundating her with pheromones until he made her compliant and coerced her into working for him, recruiting gammas and omegas for his horrifying experiments. When the news first broke about her crimes, it left me stunned, struggling to process the revelations. It’s been almost a year since those shocking events, and her crimes keep emerging like hidden scars resurfacing.
Every Friday, I drive to this prison in my trusty, albeit slightly battered, pale pink Volkswagen Beetle. Sin, the man she had convinced was her mate, stopped visiting long ago. Hispack and their mate, Sawyer, pursued their own happiness and distanced themselves from Thea. I don’t blame them one bit.
What I blame myself for is sitting in this car, staring at the imposing mental institution, and not wanting to go inside. I feel like an awful person for not wanting to see my sister and hear about her and all the terrible things she did. Now that it’s all out in the open, she can’t stop bragging. She’s proud of her actions, and every time I hear her words, a piece of my soul dies inside.
A gentle knock on my window interrupts my thoughts, and I blink to see Lex wearing that familiar look he gives me every Friday. It’s a gaze filled with pity and understanding because he feels the same way I do. Maybe it’s the unspoken connection of twin telepathy, or perhaps it’s just a logical understanding that no one can save Thea.
Swallowing down the bitterness in my throat, I turn off the engine and open the car door, stepping out into the chilly winter Terra air. Lex leans casually against my car with his head tilted back, his eyes closed, as he inhales the crisp air. We might look like polar opposites—me a short, curvy omega, and him a tall, muscular alpha—but deep down, he’s still my brother, my rock, my anchor, and my confidant in this strange world.
“It tastes like snow,” he whispers. I slam the car door shut and join him, but I don’t close my eyes. Instead, my gaze lingers on Lex. He’s the baby, born only a few short minutes after me, but I still hold it over his head. His red, cropped hair hides under a beanie, and his thick ginger beard is partially concealed by a checkered scarf. The man knows how to style himself, always looking put together, but he’s also without a pack, at least for now, and that’s by choice.
I lean into him, resting my head on Lex’s shoulder. His arm wraps around me, and he presses a soft kiss to my forehead. I inhale his scent, a comforting blend of sweet caramel andsomething uniquely him, and close my eyes, savoring this moment with my brother, my twin.
“How much longer do you want to keep torturing yourself, Seraphina?” he whispers, hugging me tightly.
Sighing, I open my eyes and stare at the institution. It’s more extensive than you’d ever imagine, resembling an old school building with its weathered brick façade and formidable entrance. However, the bars on the windows and the haunting screams emanating from within indicate that it’s far from being a place of learning. It’s an institution for those of us who have lost our minds in this harsh world, for those whose mental illnesses are beyond the healer’s reach, and betas who remain unhealed. Inside its grim walls, it houses deltas without anchors, alphas driven by their mindless need to rut, omegas like Thea, and betas who aspire to be more than nulls.
“I don’t know,” I whisper to Lex, stepping away from him, not wanting to lean on his strength more than necessary. I glare at the imposing building as if it has personally threatened my well-being, which, in a sense, it has. The thought of what awaits me inside fills me with dread and apprehension. “Let’s get this over with,” I grumble, mustering up the courage to take two steps toward the building. My voice may falter, but there’s determination burning within me, no matter how fragile it may seem.
Lex catches up with me in a single stride, easily matching my pace despite our height differences. His voice carries a note of concern as he says, “I spoke with the doctor yesterday.”
I snort softly, a mixture of frustration and cynicism. “They could have called me.”
“You know they won’t,” he replies gently. As the alpha sibling, the medical staff will always defer to him despite me being the next of kin, or rather, the oldest. “They said she’s spiraling even more. They have to allow her heat to pass.”
I stop abruptly and turn to face my brother, my expression a mix of disbelief and anger. “They can’t do that.”
“That’s what I said.” His blue-gray eyes, mirrors of my own, glance down at me and then back at the institution. “The doctors tied my hands when they called our mom and dads. Based on the evidence, I said we’d see how she is and decide.”
“Suppressing her heat will only make her worse,” I remark, my voice filled with conviction. I link my elbow with Lex’s, and we walk toward the institution’s entrance in heavy silence.
My fingers tremble as I press the call button to notify them of our arrival, and then I wave at the small camera. As the door buzzes, Lex grips it and ushers me inside.
A warm blast of heat slaps me in the face as I step indoors.
“Good morning, miss,” the large security guard greets us, a delta dressed in black fatigues. “If you could just step through the detector, please.”
I glance at the imposing rectangle before me and suppress a shudder. I loathe it. The device doesn’t just check for weapons, it also assesses a visitor’s proximity to illness, mental or otherwise—a mage-designed contraption. It will inform the guard if I’m nearing a heat, which could potentially send the alphas into a frenzy, and it can detect if Lex is close to rut. More than that, it can indicate if I’m mentally impaired in any way.
Swallowing hard, I step into the box, obediently following the instructions. My hands hover above my head as the sensors whirl. Being inside this confined space feels precarious, and I hold my breath in anticipation. When it buzzes green, I step out, exhaling a sigh of relief.
“Go ahead and check in at the desk,” the guard directs, his tone respectful as he addresses Lex.
