Efrain had handed me off in the hallway to Celeste, an Omega in the pack. I didn't even have the time to reflect on what I just learned. That man, Efrain, was my mate?! Surely, not. It was a mistake. Maybe my heart was just confused, overwhelmed.I shook my head of my thoughts, trying to cast aside any of the horrific realities that would arise if Efrain was indeed my mate. The whole thought was impossible to begin with. The Moon Goddess wouldn't be so cruel to me, and my wolf may have been led astray in her thoughts due to the distressing situation.After a few minutes of conversation and introductions on my way out of the underground bunker through a maze of disorienting narrow alleyways, I realized Celeste didn't seem to belong with these men. She was far too kind compared to the other beasts I'd encountered so far, specifically Agustin and his son."Where are you taking me?" I asked the young woman. She looked to be around the same age as myself, yet not as mat
A chandelier made of solid gold hung in the middle of the large square room, emitting dim rays of light. Velvet carpets lined the floor, and dark wood paneling outfitted the walls. A dozen sections of the room were walled off with sheer curtains. I could briefly see outlines behind one of the curtains of a person on their knees and the other standing up straight. Scattered moans bounced off the walls."This is where you'll be staying, dear." Celeste turned to face me, her amber eyes flashing a bright red as if she was aroused by something—maybe the moans.That odor of chlorine and sulfur that I smelt on the way down was just semen."No way in h*ll, Celeste. This is a prostitution ring, not a packhouse," I stated firmly. I rotated my head around to see if there were any exits other than the one we came in, but there weren't."You'll get used to it soon enough. The moans actually help me fall asleep." Her eyelashes fluttered as she confessed it. Instead of a wav
"Once you open this door, never look back." Celeste's face looked worried, and her tone was foreboding. I knew with the look in her eyes that if I was caught, there'd be no second chances.After running up a few flights of stairs, I was already bracing my arms on my knees, trying to regain my breath. That didn't bode well if I had to keep running to ensure my freedom. Not that I was out of shape either. Just, I didn't have time to actively work out. My papa always told me to focus on my studies, that my education would lead me to greater places he never could have reached himself. So, my life was mostly spent in libraries or cafes reading books or typing away on my laptop."Why are you helping me, Celeste?" I asked knowing she was risking so much for me."You remind me of someone who was special to me, someone that I lost to this type of life… I don't want to sit back this time and see the same thing happen," she confessed, her eyes blank as if they were lost in a
"Gentlemen," he clapped his hands together and summoned the group of men who just walked in. "Why don't we show this young lady around the place?"It felt like less of a request and more of a command.Immediately, my stomach dropped as four men surrounded me. I had nowhere to escape to this time. I could shift, but if they weren't shifters themselves, that might cause them to resort to using guns—something I wasn't prepared to take on. And regardless, I was drastically outnumbered, and I had no head start to help me. It wouldn't have done any good."Go easy on her," El Lobo, as they called him, instructed. His command didn't reassure me as 'go easy' usually implied that whatever they were going to do to me was the exact opposite of that.I kept calm and didn't make a run for it because I knew that would only lead to more aggression. Luckily, the men, all four, who were quite scruffy and unkempt, didn't put their hands on me, except one who was a bit heavy set with a
"Take her back gentlemen," Oscar instructed his men.I was going back to the cantina. I didn't know if this was any better, or even worse. Surely, not having to see Efrain, El Cuchillo as his groupies called him, was a positive. However, the moment I looked up at George and the others, my stomach felt unsettled."You heard the boss," George slithered, spit coming out from his mouth. The three other men gripped my arms tightly and started pulling me away. My thighs dragged against the concrete as they forcibly guided me towards the van. My eyes remained on the puddle of morphine in the distance. This time I didn't even bother looking out of the window on the ride back. It felt like I'd never see the real world again.I'd never be the first one in my family to graduate college, I'd never get the chance to see my best friend Miriam again, I'd never even get the chance to confront my papa to get answers. Hopelessness was seeping into me. Not because I'd been capt
I had so many questions I wanted to ask Ginger, but I thought it would be insensitive to start our conversation with that. Instead, I decided I would let her take the lead and see what she had on her mind.While she had no problem smiling at me, she didn't seem interested in opening up, and understandably so. Compared to all the girls I had seen here so far, she seemed the most malnourished and mistreated. In fact, I couldn't see how any man would buy her in this condition. It made me wonder if she'd end up dying here like an abandoned animal.All she said was, "You're beautiful, Catalina."I put my lips together and nodded. I wanted to say, 'you are too,' but then I felt it would seem disingenuous by giving the same compliment back. Ginger was beautiful, but I knew she wouldn't see herself that way given her current appearance: bruised, scraggly hair, dirty.Given that I was still a fully functioning human being just a few days ago, able to eat whatever I wanted an
After finally getting a shower and out of the nasty bathing suit, Ginger handed me a pair of cotton sweatpants and a white T-shirt. Nothing spectacular but at least it covered me more than I had been before. Felix didn't seem to be keeping track of Ginger and I, which made me realize that escaping was truly impossible.We made our way back to the cell, and another guard locked us back in. Clearly, all of the workers here trusted Ginger, which was good. I just wondered why she was so beaten up. "They seem to treat you okay here," I stated, but it was more of a question."Well, they're just stuck with me, so they don't have much of a choice," she countered. "Luckily, they've never tried to 'get with me,'" she revealed.I had been wondering if she had been taken advantage of, but apparently, she had not. But then my heart broke when I heard her continue. "Because I'm so ugly." This place had stripped her of her sense of self-worth and individuality. El Lob
I woke up later, unaware of how long I had been operated on or how long I'd been out. All I could see was a foggy vision of a blinding spotlight above me. Then, I saw a few faces come into my distorted view as the chair I was laying in reclined upward. I heard muffled voices, and it took me a while to regain my grip on reality."Earth to 305. Earth to 305," I saw that same female nurse from before waving her hands in front of me. What the hell did she mean by 305?I looked down at my arms but didn't see any incisions. Then I glanced down at my legs and still I couldn't notice any differences. I began running my hands all over my body and froze when I felt some stitches on the back of my neck."What the hell is this?" I screamed. "And why are you calling me 305?" I frantically ran my fingers over more parts of my body to feel for any differences from before."Why dearest, that's your new name," I heard the doctor's squeaky pitch from the corner of the room. He came i