The Fat Omega’s Vengeance : Between Two Alphas

Aria's POV 34

1

I pulled the neck of my shirt up over my nose, coughing as the thick, heavy dust stirred around my ankles. The basement archives smelled of rotting paper, damp stone, and forgotten secrets.

Kael had asked me to organize old border reports, but my mind was stuck on a completely different timeline. Five weeks. It had only been five weeks since my old life ended in blood and shadows. Five weeks since someone wrapped their hands around my throat, squeezed the life out of me, and left my body cold in the forest floor.

I knelt on the cold stone, my hands moving frantic through the wooden crates tucked in the back corner. I pulled out old ledgers, tax forms, and military logs, sending clouds of gray dust into the dim light. My fingers turned black with grime as I searched, desperate for a name, a note, a slip of paper—anything that proved who had murdered me.

Nothing.

Just when my hope was about to shatter, my hand hit a heavy brown envelope hidden beneath a stack of broken slates at the bottom of the last chest. I pulled it out, my fingers trembling as I opened the clasp.

The moment I slid the contents into my lap, my breath caught in my throat.

They were pictures.

Crime scene photos of my own body from five weeks ago. The images were terrible. My skin looked pale and blue under the harsh light of a flash, my eyes stared blankly at nothing, and dark, ugly purple bruises wrapped tight around my neck where my throat had been crushed.

A wave of nausea hit me so fast I had to press my hand over my mouth to keep from making a sound. My skin crawled, feeling ice-cold. Memories flashed back like jagged glass—the feeling of strong, ruthless hands choking the air out of my lungs, the panic, the helpless gasping, and the dark trees spinning above me as I died.

Tears burned behind my eyes, but I forced them back. How was I ever supposed to find out who killed me when all that was left was a folder of gruesome photos hidden in the dirt?

"What are you doing down here?"

A deep, quiet voice came from the dark doorway behind me. I flinched, quickly shoving the folder under a pile of useless papers before spinning around on the floor.

Damian stood there, his shoulder resting against the stone doorframe. He stepped into the room, his dark eyes taking in the mess of dusty boxes around me.

"Kael sent me down here," I said, my voice shaking slightly as I wiped my dirty palms against my skirt.

Damian stopped, his eyebrows rising in genuine surprise. "Kael?"

"Yes," I answered, trying to look calm.

"Wow," Damian said with a low chuckle, walking slowly into the room. "You really are something, Aria. Kael has never let anyone down here. He does not even trust the council with these keys."

He stopped a few feet away, his gaze dropping to the papers spread around my knees. "So... what are you doing with those files?"

"I was sent to get them," I lied, keeping my eyes fixed on his chest.

"For what reason?" Damian asked, crossing his arms.

"I do not know," I replied, shaking my head. "He did not specify."

Damian tilted his head, taking another slow step closer. "He did not specify? Then why are you sitting on the dusty floor reading through them if he did not tell you what to look for?"

"I... I was just..." I stammered, my mouth going dry as I searched for an answer. "I was just organizing them first so it would be easier when he asked for them."

Damian stared at me for a long, quiet second. Then, a slow smirk spread across his face.

"Relax," Damian said, stepping right in front of me until his boots were inches from my knees. "I am just teasing you."

He pulled a heavy, dark book from under his arm and flipped it open casually. My eyes caught the detailed drawings on the pages—it was an old book on mating, filled with explicit sketches and positions.

He shut the book with a soft thud, looking down at me with a sharp, curious glint in his eyes.

"Tell me something, Aria," Damian said, his voice dropping into a low, smooth tone. "Have you ever had a boyfriend?"

I blinked, completely thrown off. "What?"

"A boyfriend," Damian repeated, leaning down closer to my level. "How long did you date that boyfriend of yours? Did he actually know what to do with your body?"

My throat closed up tight. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean," Damian said quietly, taking one more step until he towered right over me. "Did he know his way around your body? Did he know how to satisfy you? Did he know how to make you feel... whatever you are feeling right now?"

"No," I swallowed hard. Small beads of sweat began to form along my hairline, trickling down the side of my face as my pulse started to race.

Damian watched the sweat roll down my skin, his eyes darkening as he leaned in just a fraction more.

"Are you a virgin, Aria?" he asked softly.

"What kind of question is that?" I asked, my voice rising as I tried to stand up from the floor. "Why are you asking me such a question?"

"It is nothing," Damian murmured, stepping forward to block me from standing up fully. "I am just curious." He looked down into my eyes with a heavy, intense focus. "Tell me... what are your fantasies?"