Amber and Violet

 I wake up to the soft churn of sunlight against my cheeks. The Alpha’s room is lit with the traces of early morning, slowly making its way through the curtained windows. I hear lively chirping, muffled past the glass.

 It’s so uncomfortable. 

      My tongue sits heavy in my throat, full of an ashy taste that I can’t stand. My neck and back are stiff from keeping upright in this position for hours, against the cold metal backing of the chair. The relief from the ointment is long gone. It’s back to itchy, rough skin, too tender from rubbing against the chains. I can’t even itch it, bound like some donkey. 

I’m annoyed as hell. I’d barely slept five minutes, the entire night.

My hungry eyes look for a target. And they immediately land on the Alpha, sleeping ever so peacefully in the massive bed. I look at the plush, silk covers, and then back to my chair.

Now I’m actually pissed. 

Not even caring that he looks like he’s sleeping through one of the best nights of his life, I lift my foot and slam it hard against the wooden bedframe. I’m shocked that it doesn’t wake him, with the way it makes the entire bed shake. 

So I take my sweet chance to do it again, even harder.

My feet are inches away from driving into the polished wood when a large hand suddenly snakes out from underneath the covers and wraps around my ankle. His golden eyes slit open. His voice is husky from sleep. 

“Do you really want to die that badly?”

“Go ahead and kill me, then.” I grouch, jerking my foot away. “Did you have a nice time sleeping? Because I just wanted to tell you this chair sucks. It really, really—“

He makes a sound deep in his throat. 

“Then you should’ve just told me.”

And I’m about to make a prissy retort when his hand simply grabs the back of my metal chair and roughly drags the entire thing next to the edge of the bed. His hand slips down and wraps around the chains.

The chains crumble like dust when he squeezes. My mouth falls open as the rest of the metal gives way and crashes to the floor.

I’m free.

I rush to stand. But the moment I do, I nearly crumple back into the chair again as my abused back screams with the pain. My legs tremble under my weight, barely able to hold itself up. 

The Alpha’s arm wraps around my waist. And I get pulled along like a limp rag doll as he pulls me down to the bed, next to him. I nearly moan, as my body stretches out and my skin touches soft, warm silk. I claw for the covers, pulling them up to the tip of my chin. The warmth it brings is unimaginably pleasant. It’s already been heated, with him.

The Alpha gives me a sidelong look at the expression that takes over my face. I hadn’t bothered hiding anything. 

“I wouldn’t recommend getting too comfortable,” He murmurs, and I shoot him a knife-like look. Did he even realize what I’d gone through the past six hours while he’d slept like a spoiled Princess?”

“Don’t care,” I mumble, hissing. “Get out. It’s my turn.”

“Get out?” He repeats in disbelief. “Of my own bed? Have you gone insane, Omega?”

I ignore him and flip the covers over my head, rubbing my thumbs over the raw skin of my wrists. Then I start grumbling, knowing that he can’t do anything to me. That had probably been the best sleep he’d ever gotten with his insomnia. I was in a good position. 

But I’m still surprised to hear him sigh. I peek back out of the blankets when I feel the bed dip and footsteps echo against the carpet. Through the streak of morning light, I see the back of his silhouette as he unhooks a thick cloak, clasps it over his shoulders, and simply leaves the room. The door closes shut with a dull click.

I’m gaping now. 

What the hell? That had worked?

I’d been expecting him to kick me out. Maybe not kill me, but kick me out, at least. Omegas never spoke to Alphas this way, unless they truly wanted death. In the worst way possible. And he was the Alpha of Shadow, one of the most violent packs in existence.

This is taking on a reverse effect.  

Now I can’t even sleep peacefully with the anxiety brewing over my head. I grumble for a little while, before finally choosing to twist over to a comfortable position. It really isn’t that difficult— while I’d had to switch postures every half an hour on that damn chair, this bed is plush and cushions every part of me perfectly.

Might as well enjoy it, if it really was given to me.

   

____________________________________________________________________________

I finally find a familiar face. 

“Hey!” I exclaim, my lips spreading into a warm smile as I see the honey-haired Omega. He’s carrying buckets of water in his hands, struggling to lift all of them with their weight. I quickly dash over, rushing to try and pick up one of the smaller pails. 

I’d been looking for him all afternoon. I’d slept past twelve— half-expecting for the Alpha to come in the room and give me the roughest wake-up call. But he’d never shown up, and I’d gone out to the halls to wander around. I’d tried to greet a couple of other Omegas here, but they all avoided me like the plague. Maybe they thought me too risky to get involved with. I didn’t blame them. 

Everyone, except for him.

“You don’t have to do that.” He says, but I shake my head and hustle the pail up in my arms. “It’s my job, not yours. Plus your wrists are all red. I—“

“They’re all fine, thanks to you.” I smile brightly. “I was looking for you. I wanted to know what your name is.”

“My name?” He looks incredulous. As if no one had ever bothered to ask before. My lips cinch.

Of course. Omegas were only ever treated as shadows in the background, hovering over the higher-ups to serve them when they needed. 

“It’s Noel.” He says, with a light grin. When he smiles, his amber eyes crinkle in a warm, sweet angle that makes me want to embrace him. His name fits him so well. He leans in, hushing his voice.

“If you need more of that ointment, I’ve got it in my room,” He says sneakily. “I never returned it to the Healer— he has plenty of it anyway, and it’s all for the higher-ranked wolves. You should come—“

“So it was you, in the infirmary yesterday.”

I nearly drop my water bucket at the piercing voice. The both of us turn, to stare headfirst into the burning violet eyes of the Shadow Beta. Noel freezes instantly, the pail of water clasped tight between whitened knuckles. He gasps out his name. 

“Ezra. I was just—“

“Of course it was you.” The Beta scowls, his strong features twisted. “You’re the only one who ever does this, Noel. The only one who never listens. I should’ve known.”

Noel. My eyes narrow in surprise. At the same time, he hangs his head and clasps his hands together. Why had the Beta called him by his name? Betas didn’t care enough about Omegas to address them by name. Even warrior wolves ranked lower than Beta, wouldn’t bother to remember the name of an Omega.

But the curiosity loses to the fear.

Fear that the soft, amber-eyed Omega would get in trouble for my sake.

“It’s not his fault,” I say, nearly keeling at the bursts of Dominance that come from the Beta. The air is so thick with it that I can barely stop myself from throwing myself to the floor in a submissive bow. Now I realize how much the Alpha had been careful with his own yesterday night— the Beta wasn’t holding back at all. 

“I asked him for it.” I hiss, at the shadowed smile slowly tilting up the corners of Ezra Lord’s lips. “I made him get it for me, alright? So you can go pick fights with someone else—”

A hand slams into the base of my throat. And in a second I’m pinned directly against the wall, clawing at the Beta’s hand wrapped tight around the collar of my shirt. His eyes are slits of dark warning.

“I told you to watch yourself, Omega.” He growls as I gasp for air. “The fact that he listened to a worthless rat like you is a sin in itself. Did you also speak to the Alpha this way, last night? Did he not discipline you?”

His choke tightens. “Or do you really think—”

“Ezra!”

I hear Noel’s panicked cry, behind him. And the Beta makes a harsh sound with his tongue as he loosens his grip. I fall to the floor, breathing for dear life under his icy violet gaze. Behind him stands Noel, his eyes wild. He looks between me and the Beta with terror, a water bucket still tight in his hand. Mine is spilled all over the floor, a dark puddle spreading against the expensive carpeting. 

The Beta’s jaw tightens as he turns his eyes on Noel. 

“You.”

“Follow me.”