Page 3 of The Librarian and Her Alphas

Raul and Aleks step forward, towering over me ominously. Their expressions of cold, calculated cruelty send shivers down my spine.

Thomas stands behind them, arms crossed, raindrops dripping from his neatly styled hair.

“Maybe this will finally teach you not to talk without your pack leader’s permission,” he says flatly. “Omegas like you forget their place far too easily.”

I try to crawl away, but Zorin’s hand slaps me across the face with lightning speed. My face is burning as I try to pull away, but he’s gripping my hair so tightly.

“Zorin, please,” I whimper, pleading with my eyes, but all there is is hate behind his gaze. “You chose me as your omega for a reason. You said you loved me.”

I don’t remember him being such a monster as he’s acting right now. Granted, he was slowly turning more and more violent toward me, but I never forgot the dates, flowers, and the first time we met.

Suddenly, their fists rain down upon me, striking my face, my body, and my limbs. The pain is excruciating, each blow tearing through me like fire. Desperation claws at my insides, and I can’t do anything but curl up and try to protect myself from the onslaught.

I conjure up an image in my mind to get away from this brutality.

I try to remember my sisters, Carmen and Francine. But remembering their faces makes me cry even harder.

I wish I had listened to them.

“Remember this,” Zorin says quietly, his voice dripping with contempt after they are satisfied with the beating, and I’m hurting all over. “If you survive this, don’t you dare return to our home. You’re nothing to us.”

With that final threat, they leave me lying on the cold, unforgiving ground.

The sound of the car engine fades into the distance as darkness begins to claim me.

My bones feel like chipped ice.

I cling to consciousness for as long as I can, staring at the stream of blood on the cement ground—but eventually, the pain becomes too much, and I can’t stay awake any longer.

* * *

The sharp crackof thunder jolts me awake, my body trembling as I struggle to make sense of my surroundings.

Rain pours down, soaking me and chilling me to the bone. The taste of blood fills my mouth, but I notice strong arms around me. I can hear his harsh breathing as he runs with me in his arms.

There’s a scent, but it’s faint—like black pepper mixed with cedar.

“Don’t move,” he commands when I stir in his arms. Fear is rising within me, and I wonder if a different alpha pack will claim me now.

An omega is always vulnerable without a pack. But in my case, my pack tried tokillme.

“Where are you taking me?” I manage to croak out through bloody lips.

“To a hospital,” he says gruffly. “I don’t know who the fuck did this to you—but they’re going to pay.”

My breathing is harsh as I feel the pain from my broken rib. Zorin tried to kill me. He and his pack wanted me dead.

The realization hits me hard as the rain continues to pour down, drenching me and the mysterious alpha holding me.

Everyone cautioned me that they were bad news, but I believed the promises of the alphas. Their gifts and presents to woo me, just to destroy my life in the end.

My heart aches with betrayal, and I can’t help but wonder if there was ever any genuine affection between us.Were they just waiting for the perfect opportunity to get rid of me? Or did my actions at the party truly push them over the edge?

CHAPTER1

FOUR YEARS LATER

Lena

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