8. Break An Omega

Asher’s POV:

I hated paperwork.

Everything about it felt like it was set to frustrate me. From the tiny fonts of the documents to the never-ending stack of papers that seemed to multiply on my desk every day. It annoyed the shit out of me, but it was still my responsibility and I powered through it knowing that, I would only be coming back to it tomorrow if I decided to pack up and call it a day right now.

A knock came on my door once, before it was pushed open and I knew who it was without having to raise my head from my position. There was only one person I knew that would have the audacity to do it.

“I didn’t say you could come in,” I said, as I scribbled furiously into the sheets.

“I didn’t ask.” Nikolai’s annoying voice filled the space and I raised my head to shoot a glare at him.

It didn’t faze him like I expected and instead he moved to settle into the seat opposite me.

“It’s almost time for dinner, Asher.” He called and I hummed in response but that was all he got from me.

“You’re done here. Michelle texted me to let me know that the girls were been prepared already and I think you should do the same. You don’t want them to have to wait for you when they get there.” He said and I scoffed, finally pausing on my writing

“Why not? I’m their King. They should wait for me.” I said calmly, leaning in my seat with a raised brow when Nikolai shook his head at my statement.

“One of them might be the mother of your child Asher. The least you could do is treat them with respect. Remember you can’t force them to do this, so you have to find a way to convince them and tardiness is not a great start.”

“You sound like a grandpa right now. Whatever you say, I’m not leaving here till I’m done with these stupid paperwork you keep sending into my office.” I responded, picking up the pen I had discarded earlier.

“Asher, come on! You’re being very frustrating about this process. This is for you! You’ve been nothing but difficult from the very start of it, Michelle let me know that there are just a couple of girls left and if you don’t make a choice then that’s it. White omega wolves are rare to come by and almost every pack has been searched to gather the few that we have at the moment.”

For the first time since this process began, I could hear the frustration in my Beta’s voice and a slither of guilt ran through me. He didn’t understand though and there was no way that I could explain to him that after the last incident, the thought of sharing my bed with another woman terrified me to my bones.

“Fine, this paperwork is on you tomorrow though.” I responded after a stretched silence before packing up the rest of my things and heading out to my car with Nikolai in tow.

“Wear some nice dress pants and slick your hair back.” Nikolai advised the moment we pulled into the house and I rolled my eyes.

“I’m not taking fashion advice from you.” Came my response as I made my way into my home.

“Welcome Alpha.” A handmaiden greeted, the moment I stepped into the house but I could barely hear her above my burning thoughts.

This routine had been going on for weeks now and I was starting to get sick of it. I had instructed Michelle to plan out a schedule so I only had to endure these dinners a couple of times every week instead of every night and although it slowed the process, but I appreciated the breaks too much to complain.

As much as I understood the importance of picking an omega to carry my child, a large part of me didn’t want to do it. I could just see everything going wrong, plus none of the omegas that had been showcased to me earlier caught my attention.

They all looked and spoke the same. Blonde hair, blue eyes. With the occasional green eyes. Naive, and obedient. It seemed like they had been bred to be perfect vessels for someone else's desires. That was not my cup of tea. At all.

“Looking good.” Nikolai complimented the moment I stepped into the room and took a seat at the head of the table.

“Shut up.”

The idiot had the nerve to snicker. I didn’t get the chance to tell him off though because a guard announced Michelle’s arrival and I straightened up in my seat. Willing myself to power through the night.

As per usual, the door opened and the girls flooded into the room. Heads bowed, lips quivering as they dutifully took their assigned places around the table. I counted the girls as they made their way into the room and did a double take when I realized they were just three.

They used to always be four. Were the numbers down bad already?

I look to the entrance to find the last girl hovering by the door and it hit me like a brick.

I struggled to take in her features all at once. Flaming red hair, chocolate brown eyes that seemed to call anyone that dared to look deep inside, but her features weren’t the thing that stood out to me.

It was her scent. A mixture of something sweet and burnt I could only describe it as a tantalizing blend of caramel and smoky woods. It wrapped around me like a comforting embrace, stirring memories that had long been buried deep within.

And then there was the hatred that burned within her brown eyes.

Now, I knew that I wasn’t the favorite of many people but no one ever dared to look me in the eyes and maybe that was why I had never seen such hatred before. She was smaller, smaller than the rest of the girls that had filed into the room but she had such fierce energy around her that it piqued my curiosity.

Eventually she broke the eye contact and made her way into the room, no doubt prompted by Michelle. She settled down in her seat which was unfortunately the farthest one from me and for some reason, I couldn’t seem to take my eyes of her. I knew that I had never met her before, I would have never forgotten that head full of red, but something about her seemed familiar.

Elysia.

That was her name according to her introduction and it didn’t ring a bell but I liked the sound of it.

Nikolai’s voice asking questions after questions filled the room and I had the urge to ask him to shut it but I didn’t. Better he did the talking than myself.

The way that she froze when I called her name satisfied the sadistic part of me. I tried to remember the last time I had been to the Blood Moon pack and it seemed like such a long time ago, so it meant that we had definitely not met before. Why did she seem so familiar though?

‘Do any of them interest you?’ Nikolai asked through the mind-link

‘The red head.’

‘She does seem interesting although she’s very quiet, but maybe she’s shy? Remember you can’t force her though, if she doesn’t want to carry your child then you can pick another one of the girls or wait to have dinner with the remaining girls.’

I was about to respond to him when Michelle came into the room and I did not expect Elysia’s reaction when I picked her but I only leaned back in my seat as I watched Michelle usher the rest of the girls out of room and Elysia fight the guards that were clearly struggling to contain her. For someone her size, she knew how to put up a good fight.

The thought of that sent a thrum through my veins and excited me more than I wanted to admit. It stirred something in me that I thought was long dead and I could feel the hair on my neck stand in response.

“What are you doing? Order the guards to let go of her! She clearly doesn’t want it”

“That’s not my problem Nikolai. You’ve been on my ass to make a choice and I just did.” I didn’t wait for my Beta to respond before I made my way to my room.

I could still hear her screams as I approached and as much as it excited a part of me, it still pissed off a bigger part. She was pinned on the ground by two guards and the sight of it made my blood boil for some reason.

“Bring her to her knees.” I instructed and they did as I said.

And just like before, she had a wild fire burning in her eyes. Maybe even fiercer than it had been earlier.

“You know I could have your voice box taken out for disturbing the peace of my home.” I said in a chilly voice that I could see clearly affected her

“Then what are you waiting for?” Gone was the softness in her voice from earlier.

Now it was hoarse with screaming and laced with hatred as she spoke.

“What’s the use fighting against them? Eventually they’ll let go of you on my command and I’ll do with you as I please. I have chosen you to bear me a child and that’s what you will do omega.”

There were many things that I had been expecting as a response from the girl before me. A snarky remark, something along the lines of the Goddess forbidding, more screaming?

But what I did not expect was the spittle that landed on my face. It burned my skin, stinging like acid and setting my blood on fire and my hands moved before I could think about it or control it. The sound of the slap echoed through the room. The force behind it startled even myself, and for a moment, silence hung heavily in the air.

“Take her to the dungeon and have her chained to the beam.” I instructed and watched as the guards dragged her out of the room.

It was time to break an Omega.