THE REJECTED OMEGA'S LIGHT

CHAPTER 2 — The Cold Room

The guards didn't slow down when they reached the door. One of them shoved it open and pushed Rena inside.

Her knees hit the floor before she could catch herself. The impact shot up her legs. Dust rose from the ground, dry and bitter in her mouth. Her palms scraped against the rough wood. She stayed there for a moment, waiting for the next hit.

The door slammed shut and the lock clicked.

No one came.

Slowly, she pushed herself up. Her arms shook. Her back screamed with every inch she moved. She managed to get her back against the wall, and the cold seeped through her torn clothes.

She let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

The room was small. Low ceiling. No windows. The only light came from a thin gap under the door. A few thin blankets lay in the corners where shadows hid. Other bodies moved there—other Omegas pressed close together. No one spoke. No one looked at her for too long.

She could smell sweat and fear. The stale air of too many bodies in a space too small.

A girl near the far wall shifted, young, maybe eighteen. Her eyes met Rena's for a second—then dropped away.

"You still alive?" a voice whispered from the dark.

Rena turned her head. An older Omega sat against the opposite wall.

"Barely," Rena breathed.

The woman gave a slow nod. "Then you're lucky."

"He stopped it though. The Alpha. I saw him," the young girl whispered.

"Doesn't matter," the older woman said. "They're all the same. One day they stop the beating. Next day they give the order."

Rena closed her eyes. The earlier scenes played in her head. The rod stopping. The man's hand holding it. His voice. "Enough."

She didn't know why he did it. Maybe it meant nothing at all. She tried to make it mean nothing. That was safer. But something in her chest didn't settle.

Light shifted under the door. Voices passed outside. Every time footsteps came close, the room held its breath.

Suddenly the voices stopped. The air changed. The lock turned. The door swung open.

"Up," a guard barked. "All of you. Now."

The Omegas scrambled. Rena pushed herself up, her legs unsteady. She pressed her shoulder to the wall to stay upright.

"Line up. Hands where we can see them. Heads down."

She moved into line near the back. She kept her head low, her eyes on the floor.

"Buyers," someone breathed. "Big ones."

The guard stepped aside. Men entered. Their boots were heavy on the floor. They moved slow, taking their time. Some stopped, grabbed chins, pulled faces up to the light. An Omega in front of Rena was grabbed, examined like a piece of meat. She didn't make a sound.

"Too thin." He shoved her aside.

Rena watched through her lowered lashes. A pair of boots stopped in front of her. She held her breath.

Fingers touched her chin. Not rough. Just there, lifting her face up.

Gray eyes. Like storm clouds.

Him.

Up close, his face was harder than she remembered. Sharp jaw. Dark hair. No expression. But his eyes moved over her face like he was looking for something.

She should have looked away. Don't meet their eyes. Be nothing. But she couldn't move.

His thumb brushed her chin once. Then he let go.

"This one."

The trader stepped forward. "Her? Alpha, she's damaged. Whipped just this morning. Not—"

"I said this one."

The trader's mouth closed.

Coins clinked. The trader counted them twice, then stepped back.

The man turned and walked out.

The guard grabbed Rena's arm. "You. Move."

She was pulled out of the line. As she passed the other Omegas, she caught the young girl's eyes. Wide. Almost scared. Her lips moved. "Where they taking her?"

The older Omega answered, low and tired. "Somewhere better. Or somewhere worse. Same thing in the end."

Rena looked away.

The door closed behind her. Outside, the air was cold. Morning light was just starting to gray the sky. Her breath came out in small puffs.

"Move it," the guard said, pushing her forward.

"Where are you taking me?" Rena's voice came out thin.

"Where you're told."

The guard led her to a wagon at the edge of the yard. "Get in."

She climbed up. The wooden floor was rough under her hands. She sat in the corner, pulling her knees close. Through a gap in the canvas, she watched the holding building. Dark windows. Closed door. No movement.

The wagon lurched forward.

A voice from outside—the guard. "You got something special, Omega. Don't know what, but he doesn't buy damaged goods. Ever."

Rena didn't answer.

She didn't know where she was going. Didn't know why he had chosen her. She didn't know if this was better or worse. But she was out.

Her hand went to her chest, pressing against the space where something had stirred earlier. The warmth from that moment was gone, but the memory of it stayed.

She let her hand stay there.

And for the first time, she didn't push it away.