His Crimson Mate

Laundry Room

(Janessa's POV)

I sat on my new bed in my new room after a fresh shower while I sipped on a bowl of soup. The room isn't too bad, better than I expected. It's about the size of my room back home. I sighed. I miss my family dearly. It's only been a week, but even when I was out on missions, this was the absolute longest I've gone without speaking to at least one of them.

I finished my soup and sat it on the tray that was sitting on the small table in the corner. I walked over to the window as the sun began to set and I let out a light chuckle. This old, moldy, musty, tattered building was falling apart at the seams. It was almost comical how they thought they could hold me here. A Dark Angel? Yeah right.

I needed to leave this place and update Sempai and my team on what was going on here. I know I can't be gone too long. As much as I hate to admit it until we can get the Demon Wolf into captivity, I will have to play it cool to protect my family. I was exhausted and hadn't laid in a real bed in days so I decided to take a nap.

I woke up in an unfamiliar room and shot straight up in bed. The memories of the last week came back to my mind and I sighed sadly. I would end all this soon, but first I needed to make sure all my affairs are in order. I looked out the window again and the moon was high in the sky. It was now or never. I unlocked the window and shook it a few times in its frame before it slid open. Idiots!

I looked down at the ground four stories beneath me. I had jumped from higher, so I wasn't concerned. I braced myself before I lept and my feet softly hit the ground as I landed in a crouched position. After surveying my surroundings, I ran to the nearest tree and climbed to the top. I then began silently leaping through branches and moving through the trees. Even though this land was sparse in greenery, I could still use the trees and the shadows as cover. I could hear chatter beneath me and was tempted to stop and eavesdrop, but I didn't have time to waste at the moment.

I followed the trees for miles until I was clear of the pack, then I began to roam the streets of a nearby human town. I shamelessly hotwired a small car and made my way west toward Sempai. I didn't have time to be politically correct and I do not feel bad for stealing a car. I drove two hours into the night.

It was now close to one in the morning when I approached headquarters, quickly pulling out front, and shutting the car off as I took the front steps two at a time. I hastily knocked on the door, hoping they were not on a mission. The door swung open, revealing a tired Avalanche. She had a gun pointed at my face but the moment she recognized me she jumped into my arms.

"Oh, my goddess! Scarlet! W-we.. we thought... we didn't know what to think," she exclaimed in shock. I hugged her back before coming into the house. "Whose all here?" I asked, taking off my jacket and getting straight to business. "Everyone but Ghostface. He stays with his mate for the most part," Avalanche explained, while not even looking me in the eyes.

Avalanche gathered Dagger and Hawkeye in our meeting room in less than ten minutes. Hawkeye was able to get Sempai on video before I briefed them on what had transpired over the last seven days. "So they are finally ready to attempt to release Loviatar?" questioned Sempai calmly to no one in particular.

"Yes. I plan on taking them down from the inside," I stated confidently while looking at Sempai on the large screen. "Good, but let's not move too hastily. We will get you out of there before the Death Moon, but we need you to stay safe until then. Collect as much information as you can so we can take this monstrous family down once and for all," explained Sempai with his voice of reason.

I sighed. I was hoping for a little more action than staying put and being nosey. I nodded my head in understanding before we ended the video call. It was now nearly three am and I knew it was time to head back to Death Shadow so no one would know I was missing.

I jumped back into my stolen car and drove a couple of hours back to Death Shadow. I made it through the trees easily and snuck quietly and quickly toward the pack house. I noticed all the tents and the sounds they made whipping through the winter night air. My heart clenched in my chest at the scene. It's truly sad the way everyone here is treated.

Just a few more months and we can rid the world of these terrible wolves. My heart clenched at the fact of having to get rid of my mate and I knew it was just Hera being emotional. I looked at the side of the house that led up to the room I was imprisoned in. This whole building looks like if the wind blows the wrong way it will topple over.

How can they not take pride in their pack and lands? I surveyed the cracks alongside the house and began climbing the building using the decaying gaps and crevices. There were so many disfigurations in the structure that it wasn't hard to get to the top. I climbed through my window just as the sun began to peek through the skyline and I quickly climbed into bed to get some rest.

____________________

Another week had passed and I hadn't left the room since I snuck out that night. I get fed large meals regularly and I still take time to condition my body in captivity. There is no way I can slack and when the time is right, I will take down their stupid Alpha. I was in the middle of doing one hundred push-ups when the bedroom door unlocked and swung open unexpectedly.

The smell of sandalwood and leather tickled my senses and my body naturally relaxed. I stood up and glared at the Demon Wolf in anger, mainly because my body easily responded to him. He took large steps across the room towards me with a crazed look in his eyes.

I subconsciously took steps away from him until I was pressed against the wall near the window. I wasn't afraid of him, but I was also unsure of what had set him off. When he was finally in front of me with nowhere else to go, he leaned forward and inhaled a long whiff of my scent. With him so closed and his masculine scent overpowering my common sense, I froze.

Tingles erupted over my neck as he brushed his nose against it and took in my scent. "Mine!" I heard a deep, guttural growl coming from Hadeon's mouth. The voice brought me back to my senses as I pulled away and stared into the pitch-black eyes of his wolf. Those eyes were terrifying. He had the look of a crazed wolf, almost feral, yet I felt like I could fall into them in complete safety.

Just as I was getting lost in those pitch-black eyes, he began to blink rapidly before sea-blue eyes focused on me. Suddenly, a look of disgust appeared on Hadeon's face as he used the wall to push himself away from me. A chill went through me as my body felt his absence immediately, but I quickly shook it off. He was the enemy!

"What do you want?" I spat, angry at my body for missing his presence. Hadeon paused for a moment, eyeing me suspiciously as if I had stolen something. "You will begin working in the laundry room with the Omegas and you will be doing your share around the packhouse to earn your keep," explained Hadeon with annoyance in his voice.

"Earn my keep? As if I've asked to be here. How much will you pay?" I scoffed with the same annoyance in my voice. Hadeon let out a loud laugh. It was random and disturbing. "Paid? Omegas don't get paid. Now, get your shoes on and let's go down to the basement," he stated.

Omegas don't get paid? Was he serious? The look in his eyes told me he was completely serious. I had to keep reminding myself that this dreadful pack would only be a sad memory soon enough. I quickly slid on the tattered shoes they provided me and followed Hadeon out of the bedroom.

We walked down the four flights of stairs to the main floor. I noticed how eerily quiet it was for a packhouse in the morning. By this time, the Blood Moon packhouse would be bustling. The oppressive atmosphere in this place was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Hadeon and I walked through the house towards the kitchen and I tried my best not to stare at the decaying structure. The paint peeling off the walls and the mold growing in the damp corners were hard to miss. A shiver of disgust went through my body. At least the kitchen looked fairly clean and in order.

We finally made it to a door off of the kitchen and began to descend the narrow, rickety flight of steps. Once we reached the moldy, worn-down basement, I looked around in shock and disgust. There was no way I would be working in these conditions daily.

I noted that three Omegas were working in the laundry room, all with tattered and disheveled clothing. "You! Come here!" Hadeon commanded an Omega as they all noticed us and began to cower in fear. "Y-yes, A-A-Alpha," the short mousy brown-haired Omega stuttered out in dread.

"This is a new Omega. You will get her settled in and show her the ropes. If she makes any mistakes, it will be your ass! Do I make myself clear?" He barked at the terrified Omega. "Y-yes, A-Alpha," she stuttered again. Hadeon then roughly grabbed my arm and pulled me into a far back corner.

"I better not get any trouble out of you or there will be consequences," he growled lowly into my ear. I tried really hard, I swear I did, but I couldn't help the laugh that escaped my lips. "Is something funny, Omega?" he growled again, this time slightly louder. I laughed even harder at that statement. He knew damn well I was no Omega.

"It's the fact that you think I am scared of you and that you think you have a way to control me. You are pathetic. You are a sorry excuse for an Alpha and it shows deeply in the way your pack operates. Your empty threats are comical," I stated, suddenly becoming serious as I stared at him in his eyes.

Suddenly, a wicked smirk spread across Hadeon's face. I thought for sure I had hit him where it hurts, but clearly, he doesn't care about this pack or even the type of Alpha he is. He stepped forward, invading my personal space again, pulled out his phone, and showed me the screen. My heart went into my throat, then dropped to my stomach as I stared at his phone in horror.

"See, I thought you would feel that way," Hadeon's sick smirk grew as he continued, "you will soon learn that I am an Alpha of few words. I am more of an action-packed wolf and I have no time for games. I am watching your family and at any moment I can and will order the kill with no remorse." I looked down again in dread at the photo of my little sister, Lidiya, having a winter tea party with a few friends.

She looked sad and scared, probably because she knew I was not in a good situation. I don't see any smile on her face as she sits in her pink frilly dress and white fur coat. The most disturbing thing, though, is how close the cameraman is. It looked like he was in one of the trees hovering over the backyard. How did he make it onto pack grounds undetected?

I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked at the demon monster, Hades, with new eyes. I knew I could protect myself, but my family was a different story. Maybe I could sneak out and warn them of intruders in our territory? No, I promised Sempai I'd stay put. Hadeon smirked again, letting me know he knew that I knew he had won. I growled at him in disgust as he put his phone back into his pocket.

"As I said, don't do anything stupid or I will put a hole in your sister's pretty little head. And if I sense even a little magic coming from you, I will cuff you and lock you in the room without a second thought. Do I make myself clear... Omega?" Hadeon asked. It took everything in me not to let Hera out to rip him to shreds (not that she was easily willing to rip her mate a new one).

I gritted my teeth but responded, "Yes." " Yes, what?" he asked me expectingly and I just stared at him blankly. He can't be serious, can he? When he didn't blink or move, I knew that he was.

I took a threatening step toward him, releasing some of my Alpha aura. He might be a bully but he pumped no fear through my heart. "I'm not sure who you're used to dealing with, but I bow down to no male except my father. Now leave me be, I have already agreed to more than enough!" I roared as I felt my blood begin to boil.

I felt my back roughly hit the cold, hard, damp wall of the basement. I shuddered as Hadeon pressed his body against mine and grabbed my face, pinching my cheeks tightly between his fingers. I tried to pull away from his grasp but his grip was strong and determined.

"Maybe our Alpha commands don't work on each other but you will learn your place here. I don't care who you were at Blood Moon, but here you are nothing more than an Omega who will soon be whored out by her Alpha," Hadeon stated as he rubbed his groin into my crotch area. This time even Hera growled in anger. "You will never have me!" I roared. Hadeon smirked before he quickly turned me around and pulled my black flush against his chest, pressing his forearm tightly around my neck.

Hadeon's other hand swung around the front to reveal his phone. I watched him type "kill the girl" into his phone before his thumb hovered over the send button. "W-what are d-doing," I stuttered nervously, losing all of my previous self-confidence. "Showing you I am not to be f****d with. Maybe I should start slowly killing off your family until you realize who is really in charge," he stated as his warm breath blew into my ear.

He wouldn't kill Lidi over one word, would he? As his finger went down toward the send button, I decided not to risk it. Anyone who can take over about a dozen packs and sneak onto the Blood Moon pack unnoticed can't be bluffing, right? "Fine, fine! Okay!" I finally managed to get out before he hit the button.

I couldn't see him behind me but I knew he was wearing that same smug smirk I hated. "Fine, okay, what?" he whispered into my ear. His lips accidentally brushed against them, which caused involuntary sparks to erupt. I swallowed the pride that was stuck in my throat while lowly and painfully gritting out. "Alpha." "Alpha, what?' he asked in a teasing tone. "Okay, Alpha!" I all but shouted in disgust, the word tasting bitter on my tongue.

"Good girl," Hadeon stated before he pushed me forward and I stumbled slightly before catching myself. "Now get to work," he commanded before storming out of the laundry room. I stood there in shock and disbelief. I can't wait to be free of this place. I heard someone clear their throat as I turned around to the frail and fearful Omega from earlier. She looked at me with a warm yet timid smile, " Hi, I'm Sasha."