Bound To My Tormentor

Chapter 5: The Call From Home

RHEA

The library was supposed to make me feel better, but after the humiliation on the field today, I couldn't find the peace I needed. I sat at the furthest end of the library, not wanting to be seen by anyone.

I was trying to study, but my mind wandered, replaying Kyro's words. ‘She doesn’t matter.’

My phone vibrated. It was from home. I took it out and stared at the screen. It was from my home, my pack, SilverWood.

I picked up the phone, forcing a smile, though the sting of the day lingered as I sat frozen in the library.

“Hello? Silas?” I called out.

“Rhea,” a voice answered. It wasn’t Silas, who was a good friend of mine. It was Beta Collins. His voice trembled. “Rhea, listen to me. I don't really have much time.”

Something told me I wouldn't like the news he was going to announce. What was going on? Is Silas okay? Did something terrible happen?

“What’s wrong, Beta Collins? Is everything okay? Why are you with Silas’s phone?” I gripped the phone so hard that the case cracked. “Is the Alpha okay?”

Collins choked and my fear heightened. “Rhea….our pack…..we are in danger. The Alpha…he’s dying. Without protection, our land and children are at risk.”

The air left my lungs. Our pack was a small pack, old and proud, but we had no standing in the modern corporate wolf hierarchy. Without a strong alpha, we were just at the bottom of the food chain.

“What is the plan?” I choked out, tears streamed down my face. “What should we do?”

“I don’t know, Rhea,” Collins said, his voice hoarse from trying to control his tears. “The alpha has already requested leave from your school. Come back to the pack today. The alpha has something to discuss with you.”

“Okay. I will be back in three hours.”

The call ended. My home, my parents' graves, the wolves I used to teach during summer, all of it were on the line.

I stood up, my legs feeling like jelly and began to pack my bags. I needed to go to the principal and announce my leave. I turned round the corner of the stacks, with the intent of using the lift straight to the principal office, but I stopped.

Kyros loomed bookshelf, eyes mocking, arms crossed over his chest. He just stood there, his silhouette long. My heart did a painful somersault. How long had he been standing there?

I continued on my way, having more important things on my plate. I tried to push past him, but he didn’t move.

He tilted his head, eyes cold and emotionless, lingering on the tears that hadn't been wiped. A slow, cruel smirk spread across his lips.

“You look devastated,” he remarked, his tone surprisingly light. “Did you lose something, omega?”

“Let me go, Kyros,” I whispered weakly, refusing to look him in the eyes.

He stepped closer, invading my personal space until I was pressed against the hard bookshelves. I was sensitively aware of how tiny I looked compared to him. He reached out and snatched my phone from my trembling hand. I tried to grab it, but he held it beyond my reach.

“A call from SilverWood,” he mused, staring at the screen. “Too much to talk about, huh? What exactly do they think you can do? A wolf less omega called home like you matter, when all you are is a burden.”

I bit my lip, forcing back the words threatening to come out. He was purposely humiliating me. He heard my conversations.

“Give it back,” I snapped, a spark of anger flickering in my chest. He dropped the phone and I caught it against my chest.

“Run along, omega. Let’s see what you can do to save your pack. But we both know you can’t do anything. We know what the world does to weak things like you.”

He pushed back, and I didn’t hesitate to run away.

~

The journey back to my pack felt longer than it should. The forest seemed unnaturally still. When I crossed the boundary, unease settled deep in my bones.

Memories hit me suddenly, the night fire took my parents. The smoke was thick and the heat unbearable. The room was ablaze and my parents laid unconscious on the floor. The heavy door trapped me inside the room.

I screamed their names until my throat burned, trying to shake them awake. I felt helpless and utterly alone. Then, Alpha Kane had broken the door, lifted me into his arms and carried me out while telling me I was safe. His voice saved me when everything else was gone.

Even now, years later, that memory is still fresh. He had been more than a leader or a guardian. He was the only thing close to a family I had left, yet he was slipping away.

Silas was waiting for me near the council hall.

“You came fast,” he said, relief flickering across his face before changing into something grim.

“What is going on?” I asked worriedly.

Silas hesitated. “He collapsed during the pack meeting.”

“Where is he?” My tone was filled with urgency.

“The infirmary,” he replied. “He’s waiting for you.”

I didn’t wait for him. I turned and ran.

I sat beside the hospital bed and stared at my alpha, who looked like he was going to die any time soon. He looked ten years older than I last saw him.

“Stop crying, Rhea,” he said weakly. “You’ve always been stronger than this.”

I nodded, wiping at my cheeks even as more tears fell.

Silas stood near the window, arms folded, jaw tight. He stepped closer and squeezed my shoulder gently. Ever since I lost my parents to a deadly fire, Alpha Kane has been a father figure to me, never minding my status as an omega. In our pack, my status was never defined, and I almost forgot what I was till I got to Greywood Academy.

“Silas, give us a moment,” Alpha Kane said, his voice firm despite its weakness. Silas nodded and flashed me a comforting smile.

Beta Collins cleared his throat. “The council sent a notice,” he whispered, his voice trembling with shame. “There is a debt clause, and they will seize their attacks if only an alliance is formed with a Tier-One Alpha.”

“Then, what is the alliance about? Do they want to take over our pack?”

“No, not that. It is a contract marriage, Rhea. It is the only way to safeguard our border and pack.”

I was cold all of a sudden. A contract marriage? Our alpha had only two sons and no daughter, so how are we going to do a contract marriage?

“But you don’t have a daughter. What are we going to do?” I asked, racking my head for solutions.

The Alpha and Beta both stared at me with pain-filled eyes. Their eyes were pleading, and I understood the unspoken words they needed to say.

“No,” I whispered. “No, you can’t mean… I’m wolfless. I’m an omega. No Alpha would accept me. They'd see it as an insult.”

“Rhea,” my Alpha begged.

“No,” I stood and took a step back. “There has to be another way.”

“Rhea…please….save our pack.”

Without another word, I dashed out of the hospital and ran back to my former room, ignoring the weak call of the Alpha, Beta, and a confused Silas.

~

Back in my room, I sat on the bed and I didn’t turn on the lights. I faced the window, gazing outside absentmindedly.

I thought about the painful expression on my dying Alpha, the dejected eyes of Beta Collins, the children of my pack being thrown into the streets. I thought about the contract.

If I married a Tier-One Alpha, my pack would be under their protection and our debts would be wiped. It was a life sentence for me and who knows if it will be with an alpha that derives joy in beating women, someone who might never love me and will miss out on meeting my soulmate that I had always anticipated, but it would mean freedom for my pack members.

If sacrificing myself will save them, then I will.

A soft knock sounded on my door.

“Rhea?” Silas called. I didn’t answer, but the door creaked open anyway. He stepped inside and shut it behind him.

“Why didn’t you turn on the lights?” he asked quietly.

“I didn’t want to. I was preparing to sleep,” I lied.

He exhaled and sat beside me on the bed. He followed my gaze to the window, then looked back at me.

“They told me about the contract,” he said.

My fingers curled into the fabric of the blanket. “Then you already know.”

“You are not supposed to be the one paying for their failures,” his jaw tightened.

“They are my pack,” I said. “This pack has done so much for me and our alpha never failed. The loss of Luna did that to him.”

Silas was silent for a long moment. When he spoke again, his voice was rough. “What about you? You’ve always anticipated meeting your mate. Would you give that up for the sake of the pack?”

“Well, I’m not sure if I have a soulmate…everything should be okay…. I guess?”

Silas hesitated then rested his hands lightly on mine. “If there was another way, I’d find it,” he said. “I swear.”

“I know,” I whispered. But we both knew there was no other way.