Omega Dual Bond

Two

“Breathe, Adora,” Morgana whispered, her hand reaching for my face.

My heart felt like it was being stomped on by a thousand heavy boots, and I was supposed to just breathe? My tears fell, warm and relentless, as if mocking my failed attempts at keeping it together. Morgana’s face softened with that pity-laden gaze that only made me feel worse.

"I shouldn’t have come," I sobbed. What was I thinking? This humiliation was predictable. The rejection clawed deeper into my chest with every passing second. He hadn’t even officially rejected me yet, but let’s be real, I already knew it was coming. It was written all over his disgusted face.

“Maybe my dad was right all along. I’m worthless.”

“Don’t say that,” Morgana said in that I'm-trying-to-be-gentle tone that made me want to scream. “You’re my best friend and one of the best things that ever happened to me. I swear, I’ll talk to your mate. I actually know his mom.”

I blinked through the tears. “Really?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “Are they from our pack? I’ve never seen him before.”

“They’ve been abroad for years,” Morgana explained, nodding as if that would magically make things better. “They just got back. His mom is loaded, and you know how my father is. He doesn’t respect anyone unless they have influence. Your mate probably just panicked. He’ll come around, I promise.”

“He has a girlfriend,” I said, wiping my face roughly, trying to erase the evidence of my breakdown. “What good will talking to him do? My life is a mess, Morgana. Nothing works out for me.”

She didn’t say anything because she knew it was true. Even as the Alpha’s daughter, Morgana would never face the nightmare that hung over me—the Omega sanctuary, a fate reserved for unmated females like me. I was on a sinking ship with no lifeboat in sight. Alone didn’t even begin to describe it.

“Come on, get up.” Morgana tried to pull me from the grass. I hadn't even noticed the thorns pricking my legs or the fact that my dress was now snagged and ruined.

“I can’t,” I muttered, “I’m not going back in there. I can’t face that shame. My dad said I can’t come home unless I find a mate.”

“Bullshit.” Morgana’s voice sharpened like a knife. She rubbed my back in soothing circles, trying to calm the storm raging inside me. Then she hugged me tight, holding me together while I was on the verge of completely falling apart. The world stilled for a moment, but then she suddenly tensed and pulled away.

“Did you hear that?” she whispered, pointing toward the ballroom.

I had been too wrapped up in my misery to notice, but now it was impossible to miss—the high-pitched, terrified screams, the frantic footsteps of people running like their lives depended on it. Which, of course, they did.

“What the hell is going on?” I screamed, my voice shaky as I gripped Morgana’s arm for dear life.

“Rogues!” a male shouted as he sprinted past us. “They’re armed with guns and poison-tipped arrows! Run!”

Of course. Because, as if my life wasn’t already a f*****g disaster, now I had to deal with savage, bloodthirsty rogues. My body shook violently like a leaf in the wind, and the urge to shift into my wolf fought to take over. But we couldn’t—rogues were cruel, and they wouldn’t hesitate to kill us in our wolf forms if we were caught.

The rogues were ruthless bastards who killed and kidnapped for fun. My mom didn't like me staying out late because of the rogues.

“We need to run to the walls,” Morgana cried out, yanking me to my feet as we sprinted through the trees, dodging branches and jumping over fallen logs. “I’ve already sent a mind-link to my dad.”

We were just about to shift when three rogues appeared out of nowhere, their arrows drawn, and knives glinting in the moonlight like promises of death. They surrounded us with smiles as cold as the grave.

“Shift, and you die,” one of them growled. It wasn’t a threat. It was a promise. These weren’t just any rogues—their target was Morgana.

Terror froze me in place, my wolf whining in the back of my mind, urging me to fight, but how could I? I couldn't abandon my best friend.

One of them grabbed my legs like I weighed nothing, slinging me over his shoulder as if I were some sack of grain. My dignity was already in shreds; might as well toss the remains into the gutter.

We were tossed into the back of a truck, chained in silver soaked with wolfsbane. The pain was instant—sharp like a thousand burning needles piercing my skin. Omegas like me were extra sensitive to silver, so this was torture on a level I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.

“Tell your father!” I screamed, my voice ragged, tears streaming down my face as the chains continued to burn into my flesh. “They’re going to kill us!”

Morgana, ever the fighter, kept yelling at the rogues, demanding answers. But then the truck’s door opened, and my heart stopped.

A male stepped in—tall, powerful, with an aura that filled the space, suffocating me with its raw intensity. My body reacted before my mind could catch up. Heat flooded my veins, and an uncomfortable desire overwhelmed every ounce of fear I had felt moments before.

No. No. No. This wasn’t happening.

Another mate bond?

His hazel eyes locked onto mine, and it felt like time had slowed to a crawl. My heart, already broken once, now felt like it was being crushed by this new, terrifying reality. My second mate was a rogue. A rogue.

Cold sweat drenched my skin as I struggled to breathe. Unlike my first mate, he wasn’t disgusted. No, there was something else in his hazel eyes—interest, maybe even hunger. And that scared me more than anything.

Why was my life cursed? Why did the Moon Goddess think it was funny to pair me with not one, but two mates who would never want me? My wolf, of course, was thrilled. She practically danced in my head, overjoyed to have found another mate, completely ignoring the fact that he was a dangerous criminal.

Yet, even as I fought it, I noticed his flawless looks. His dark hair was swept back and his hazel eyes pierced into my soul.

He was a beautiful demon.

He noticed the silver cutting into my wrists, and with a barked order, told one of the rogues outside to untie us.

“What are you doing?” a woman’s voice hissed, and I turned to see her—shiny, smooth, bald, and beautiful in a deadly way. Was she his wife? His girlfriend? The surge of jealousy that rose within me was disgusting. Stop it, I scolded myself. This is a rogue, not some damn fairy-tale prince.

Morgana kept cursing them out, her bravery still intact despite the danger, but the rogue’s eyes never left mine. He was watching me too closely, as if trying to figure me out. I hated it. I hated that he could see through me.

“You wicked bastards! My father will destroy you!”

The bald woman sneered and rolled her eyes.

“Why isn’t your friend screaming?” the rogue asked, still watching me. “She seems calm.”

Morgana’s head whipped towards me, her eyes full of confusion and fear. Panic surged through me again, and I squeezed her hand as tightly as I could.

“She’s hyperventilating, you demon!” Morgana spat, desperate to protect me.

“Keep screaming, and I’ll inject you with wolfsbane,” the bald woman snapped. “You’ll bleed out slowly.”

That threat silenced Morgana, but her thoughts echoed in my head through the mind link.

“They’ll kill us, Adora. We haven’t even experienced the mate bond, and now we’ll die like this.”

A shiver ran down my spine. Could my mate be the one to end my life? Should I tell Morgana that this rogue, the one taking us god knows where, was my second mate?

That revelation would only complicate things. I needed to survive first.

The truck rolled past the border and stopped at a secluded cabin in the middle of nowhere. My heart dropped as the bald woman opened my door and offered me her hand with a surprisingly warm smile. I didn’t take it.

My mate stood nearby, and I stole another glance at him. The pull between us was unbearable. His body, toned and muscular, moved with lethal grace. A tattoo sprawled across his bare chest. It was a portrait surrounded by stars. My gaze lingered longer than it should have.

Why did the Moon Goddess pair me with someone so deadly and impossibly dangerous?

His hand brushed my arm, and I swear I stopped breathing. Every cell in my body screamed to lean into him, to acknowledge the bond, but I fought it with everything I had.

“Take your filthy hand off her!” Morgana’s voice cut through my trance, snapping me back to reality. I spat in his face, needing to show some disgust and needing Morgana to believe I was as disgusted as I pretended to be.