AllFreeNovel
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But I’m exhausted.
So tired of fighting this fight with every single omega. Dabbing foundation over my bruises, waking up aching with an empty stomach, wondering if I’ll have to fight just to get breakfast. Wondering how the trainers will punish me for fighting. The same cycle every day, over and over and over again.
The clawing. The backstabbing. The hate.
All I want is to be left alone until the OCC realizes I’m never going to awaken, and they’re going to have to let me earn back my debt by working the old-fashioned way instead of shipping me off to be some mafia pack’s sex doll.
Evgenia folds her arms. “You want to explain that performance?”
“Nope.” I rock back on my heels, glancing wistfully at the door.
“Are you taking suppressants?”
“What?” I jerk forward, almost falling over.
“You’re twenty-three and not even in pre-awakening. Most omegas have a pack and a brood of babes by your age. Knowing your…tricks…I’m not the only trainer who suspects you’re sneaking drugs. If you’re caught—”
“I’m not taking anything,” I say quickly.
“Are you not?” She tilts her head to the side in an elegant, bird-like motion.
Oh, I’m for sure sabotaging my body, but management will never figure out how. I’m just fucked either way if they think I’m on drugs. “I swear.”
“Not everyone at the Center is blind to your shine, my little Darling. You’ll end up with a pack eventually. Make sure it’s one you can live with.”
I shudder.
There’s no pack I can live with, and I strive to keep my shine on matte. I know Evgenia thinks she’s doing me a favor by throwing me under the spotlight, but she’s actually throwing me under the city bus. “You should let Jovie take the solo. Her turns are super sharp.”
So are her fingernails. Long acrylics she keeps bedazzled and filed into claw tips. Now there’s a girl who wants some attention. My nails are bitten-down stumps.
“The solo is non-negotiable. You were requested, Lilah.”
“By who?” My stump nails cut into my palms, and I’m already planning how to get out of this bullshit.
“That’s not important.” She waves me off, moving to the sound system. “I want to see the routine from the top. Cleanse my soul after forcing me through that horror show.”
With a sigh, I take my spot.
Later, I’ll figure out how to earthworm my way out of the dance. It’s been a while since I gave myself food poisoning.
So many options for self-sabotage. Anything to keep my ass safe and off that stage.
Since I can’t go back in time and erase my childhood, Evgenia already knows my truth.
Just this once, in the semi-safety of the dance studio, I let loose. For two-and-a-half blissful minutes, I feel free, spinning, whirling, twirling, and pretending I’m some other girl.
“Flawless.” Evgenia claps. “You’re wasting your talent.”
My chest heaves, but I could dance for hours. I would dance for hours every day if not for the threat of being seen, measured, and sold.
Never again.
Evgenia walks me through a few of the advanced moves, and I’m ready for a second run from the top when I catch the twisted face peeking through the narrow strip of window in the door.
Rachel.
If the past has taught me one thing, it’s that retribution will be swift and catty.
