Page 2 of Sweethearts and Savages
I looked up, not meeting the Alpha’s eyes. I knew him, of course; I knew all the Alphas here by scent and sight, even if I avoided all of them. Todd. Wolf Alpha, from the grade above mine. He was huge and mean, and was of the school of thought that Omegas were made for Alphas to kick around, so they could get out their aggression and better lead their Pack.
Carmen had called it bullshit, but with a few more f-words involved. Even suggesting such a thing made Christopher go into a rage.
I skittered around him. “Excuse me,” I whispered, dashing toward the door. But his hand whipped out and grabbed my arm, throwing me against the wall.
“Where are you going, Omega?” he growled, and a primal fear ran over my skin as I froze. I couldn’t move, except to shake.
No. I needed to run. I kept imagining Christopher’s voice telling me to get out of there. Never be trapped in a room with an unknown or untrusted Alpha. And I definitely didn’t trust Todd.
“History class,” I whispered, and his other hand came up to wrap around my throat.
He chuckled darkly. No sixteen-year-old guy should sound so evil. But still, I couldn’t move. Couldn’t shout for help.
Couldn’t be anything but helpless.
Todd inhaled in a lungful of my scent, the acrid stench of my fear. Then he slapped me. My head whipped to the side, and he laughed.
“Fuck, Omegas really are as pathetic as my Alpha said. Weak. You aren’t even going to fight back, are you, little Omega? Not even if I do this?” He slid his hand from my neck down to my boob and squeezed.
I whimpered, screamed inside my own head to move, but still, I did nothing. He was right, I was pathetic. His hand slid lower, his fingers slipping beneath my shirt, the rough calluses on his fingers stroking my skin.
Then the door slammed open and there was a whirl of anger and fists barrelling through it.
Carmen was here.
I let the tears fall down my cheeks with relief as the sound of fists hitting flesh echoed off the tiled walls. Carmen was on top of Todd, slamming her elbow into his face repeatedly. Todd growled, rolling out from under Carmen’s furious form even as she pounded her fist into his face over and over.
Todd threw a punch, connecting with her cheek in a sickening crack, and her head whipped back. But Carmen was feral, just scrabbling backwards until she had her feet back under her and launching at him again. I don’t know where she’d learned to fight like that, but she was holding her own against the Alpha. She gave him a quick jab to the throat, and he began to choke as she smashed his windpipe. She didn’t stop though—oh no, she was way past that.
She knocked him backwards as he grabbed at his throat, and once he was down, she lifted her foot and stomped his dick.
I swear, I heard something crack beneath his howl of pain, his body curling like an armadillo. Carmen pulled back her foot and kicked him in the head, and then he was lights out.
The door suddenly slammed back open, and Christopher was there. His eyes took in Carmen and the unconscious Alpha on the floor, then me, still shaking like a leaf. The wall was the only reason I remained on my feet. He was across to me in two strides, and he wrapped me in his arms, his Alpha presence sliding over me like a blanket. I could finally breathe again.
“We’ve got you, E. We always have you,” he cooed and I cried harder.
Eventually, he passed me into Carmen’s waiting arms, despite the fact she was still blood-spattered. She murmured reassurances and kissed my head, echoing Christopher’s words about always protecting me.
But I knew they couldn’t always protect me. I was weak, powerless, and one day, I would be dead.
1
Enit - Three Years Later
Isipped my coffee and sighed, my shoulders wiggling like an over-excited terrier as the caffeine hit my system. I didn’t tell my siblings that there was a triple shot of espresso in my travel mug, I just let them think my jitteriness was actually eagerness to start my time at the Academy.
It was, to an extent. I was excited to see the familiar faces, to be ensconced in the protection of Eden for a few more years.
But this year would be the start of my Omega Studies, where they’d tell me that I should be the docile, placid heart of the Pack, and everyone would finally realize I was an imposter.
I wasn’t the heart of anything. I was a fucking mess.
Christopher rolled through the gates and I let out a little sigh of relief as we crossed the wards, the familiar sensation of magic coursing over my skin. As he pulled into a spot close to the doors, I downed the rest of my coffee and unclipped my seatbelt. Christopher opened my door and I slid out, straightening my long skirt and the embroidered peasant blouse that billowed around my arms but fit snugly across my stomach. I finger combed my white-blond hair.
Carmen uncurled slowly from the car, more feline than wolf, though I’d never say that to her face. My feet skittered around on the gravel parking lot, and Carmen tugged me to her side to still me.
“Calm down, Enit. You’d think we hadn’t spent the last twelve freaking years here.” She didn’t even bother trying to hide the droll note in her voice. Carmen wasn’t a fan of higher education, but it was hard to ignore the need for the Academy in a world rife with different types of touchy-as-hell preternaturals.
