Chapter 2

I can sense the alphas all around this place, so I know there isn't any wolfsbane in me. Brian approaches and plays around with the cords around my ankles, untying them so I may move. I try to kick him, but he just laughs and catches my foot. I wish I was stronger and that Thiba or Jessica had taught me how to fight, but I'm really, really weak. I might have earned this. Perhaps I merited it.

As soon as we dock, I notice the alphas and Jack's large hand wraps around my arm to help me stand. Brian arrives at my opposite side, and the two of them help me climb out of the boat while my bare feet scrape against the weathered wooden planks the entire time, picking up splinters. I have to presume that my father doesn't care because they don't make an effort to be gentle.

What will he be doing to me?

Will he simply murder me? Or would things go worse?

By the time we get to the dock, tears are running down my cheeks and into the hood covering my head, and I'm being attacked by recognizable scents. My older brother Henry, Lucas, and three more of my father's favorite men are present.

While footsteps are heard and water splash over our feet and ankles, Jack and Brian keep me still. I can't stand on the floating dock; the two men on either side of me are the only ones supporting me. 

Additionally, the ominous aroma that is approaching me nearly knocks me over in addition to the strange gravity.

My father.

He says, "Let me see her," even though I know he must be able to see I'm related. My red locks fly loose as the hood is suddenly pulled off of me, and I blink into the glaring floodlights coming from overhead.

My father appears next, and he frightens me just as much as he did the night I left.

His left eye is blurry from blindness, and my mother left a large scar on his left cheek and brow. If it weren't for our shared Lycan scents, you wouldn't be able to tell that he and I are connected because his other eye is a pale blue color, very dissimilar from mine. The only difference in his appearance from the last time I met him is a slight graying of his hair.

Big, frightful, frightening, and cruel.

His eyes are narrow as he crosses his arms and looks down at me. I find myself crouching, unwilling to face him.

"Look at me, girl," he bellows.

I am unable to comply.

 "Lucas, Make her look at me."He commands 

In an instant, Lucas is in front of me and reaching for my chin, but a large hand pushes him to my left side. When I turn around, I realize I'm staring at Jack for the first time. I see a big man with jet-black hair, light brown skin, and a scrape of stubble over his jaw. He casts a quick glance my way before growling at Lucas.

"Payment first", Jack growls.

"Right," Brian says over on my opposite side. He has filthy blond hair, and sunken eyes, and is shorter than Jacki. "We require our fee and petrol. And lodging as we recharge and recuperate in preparation for our next gig".

 "If you think you're getting all of that before we have access to her, you're out of your mind", Henry snarls from next to my father.

" It's simple," my father says. He gives Jack a sneer. "First, I obtain custody of my daughter, then you get paid. You are more than welcome to obtain as much gas as you require, as well as regal-quality food and lodging, in recognition of what you have done for us. We offer accommodations, fresh-water baths, home-cooked seafood, and even a few charming betas if you need them to break out of a slump".

My body trembles at the thought. Those poor ladies

Brian chuckles. "I might take you up on that. "Now, the money?"

The smaller alpha huffs out a breath and jerks his head at my father before turning to search through a tiny crate. Brian receives the entire package from him and opens it up on the flooded dock.

There is old human money inside. 

"Holy sh*t. it's all here, Jack?"

Jack glares at him. "Count it,"Jack adds

Brian begins his job while the rest of us are at a standstill. It suddenly occurs to me that I should run to the dock's edge and jump off because it might be my final opportunity. I do, however, believe that at least one of these men would manage to capture me. And considering that the full moon was just last night, giving them the thrill of the chase would be asking for trouble.

How could I get caught?

Lucas?

Henry?

Jack?

Brian finally speaks after an agonizingly long pause, "It's all here." "Fifty-thousand—exactly as you said."

 "Anything to get my baby girl home." My father says.

I forcefully swallow, but the gag is still in my mouth. I couldn't say anything even if I wasn't too afraid to respond.

"Henry, Lucas—take her," my father commands.

Through the gag, I managed to scream in protest, and to my astonishment, Jack pulls me away from Lucas's grasping claws.

 "I'll bring her wherever you want her". Jack responds. "It's my responsibility to make sure your package is delivered safely."

I turn to look at him.

What's the deal here?

Is there a possibility he could assist me?

"Fine," says my father. "Then, bring her up to the dock. The group will undoubtedly be delighted to see tonight's capture".

We transfer from the pier to the elevator, a solid metal building that sways slightly with the waves, as Jack tightens his hold on me. My sea legs have returned immediately since I was raised here, therefore the queasy feeling I have must be due to anxiousness. I am unable to flee or conceal since my hands are bound behind me and the gag muffles my speech. My hair is covered in saltwater droplets, and my clothing is completely saturated. And my feet are freezing…

"Stop trembling," Jack commands.

My eyes are wide as I turn to face him. I can only express myself through my facial expressions. When our eyes briefly contact and I notice that his eyes are green, I'm sure he can see the terror in my eyes.

He turns his head aside.

He is unconcerned.

On the main platform, a location I am familiar with, the elevator trembles to a stop. The platform's perimeter is lined by metal buildings and industrial scaffolding, and the floor's paint has long since faded off. Reeds and moss have replaced it, their seeds having been carried in from a great distance. There aren't many people outdoors, and as clouds roll in, a little rain is beginning to fall.

When I turn to look, I see recognizable faces—boys who are now men—dangerous men. As we wait on the platform, others enter. I want to scream and plead for my life and freedom, but all I can do is sob.

"Boys, look what the current brought in!" Henry shouts while pounding on several doors and structures. One by one, alphas emerge, some sporting alphas that appear terrified. There are no male bettas because they are always ejected from the rig and have no place there. Our princess has returned home.

The alphas roar and snarl, some of them digging in. I notice Jack tensing up next to me as those without omegas stoop and glare at me with their gaze. Some of these men's partners were stolen by me; I assisted them in finding new alphas to bite them, claim them, and aid in their escape.

However, I am confident that none of them will harm me because my father, who is in authority here, is standing nearby with his arms crossed.

"The traitor!", One of the men in the throng yells. “Apologise!”

My father reaches out as if to hit me. He pulls the gag out of my mouth as I flinch. My throat aches as I draw in a breath of salty sea air, and my lips and tongue feel parched.

 "What do you have to say for yourself, girl?", My father asks

I sob. "Father, could you please—"

"When you deceived us and took our omegas, you forfeited the right to call me that", he asserts. "I'm sorry, Elsa".

My name is not that! I'm ready to yell.

 "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Prime." I declare.

"Well, that was easy", Henry sneers as he turns to face us and says, "What happens now?"

Arthur, my father, casts me a narrow-eyed look. I briefly believe he is going to kill me by throwing me off the platform, but he simply shakes his head.

"Lock her up in the citadel," he orders. 

"We'll work it out from there." 

The pirate alpha's fingers remain firmly clamped around my bicep despite Henry's attempts to grab me and yank me away from Jack. He growls at Henry once more, baring his razor-sharp teeth.

 "It's my responsibility to deliver the package, Leave it," Jack says.

Henry glances at Jack, Arthur, and Lucas, and I fear that they could exchange punches. However, Jack is almost as big as my father, and I don't believe that Henry or Lucas would fare well in this situation.

"Fine," Henry replies. "It's this way."

The citadel, a hulking tower of rusting metal in the middle of the Rig, is where I used to live. We turn around and head in that direction, following Henry. Inside, it has been transformed into a palace fit for a pirate king, with loot strewn about like a dragon's lair. The walls are covered with paintings of biblical subjects, some of which have faded over time due to saltwater exposure. I notice three omegas with their feet shackled to the floor as we pass a sitting area with a fire roaring in the fireplace.

Mates of my father.

Chained... as a result of what I did in the past.

A door at the top of the metal stairway that Henry opens reveals a sparse room with a cot in one corner and a pail in the other. Henry stays at the door with his arms crossed, while Jack and I enter together.

I'm asking for assistance one final time.

My last opportunity to convince someone to save me.

"Please", I mumble. "Please help me."

 "Elsa—" while glaring.

"My name isn't Elsa," I utter." My name is Cherry". 

"It isn't my job to help you, Omega," Jack replies and his words are so full of contempt that I almost cry.

He says it as his final words to me before he walks away.

"Good night, sis," Henry sneers. "Sleep soundly."

Then he closes the door, leaving me alone with just a glimmer of moonlight.