HERLO: Bitten

Pain rained down on me, creating wounds not visible to the naked eye. The only thing that knocked me back to reality was the sudden shockwave rushing through my body at a puzzling speed. I didn’t have the time to react to the graze of his canines as sharp tips dug into my flesh with a sharp sting. And in an instant, I panicked.

No, no, no, no, he bit me, he fucking bit me!

“Let go! Let go of me! GET OFF ME!!”

I shoved at him to wriggle out of his, but this man wouldn’t let go, not until my chest pounded so loud like never before and I keened on my knees, a sense of euphoria, like something I’ve never felt before coursing through me.

He…he marked me.

Everything burned and ached beyond what I could tolerate, and I was on the floor, clutching onto the marble tiles like it could keep me from collapsing. “What have you done?!”

Romare Vitale stared down at me, growling under his breath, his balled fist tightening so much his knuckles turned white.

I tried to think, to pull myself together, but I felt something break inside of me, drowning me in agony and I clutched onto my chest with pure horror written all over my face.

The suppressants…

I couldn’t…I couldn’t feel it anymore as if I'd never taken it in the first place.

This couldn’t be happening! My nightmares were coming true.

I quickly snapped my head up towards Romare and this time, he wasn’t looking at me. He had his back turned on me, but from his fists that had turned bloody from hurting himself, I knew he was fuming.

I looked around fearfully.

My heat…it was all over the place now. They knew! Everyone knew! They’d found out my secret, and my life…

“What is wrong with her?” I heard one of the crowd abruptly ask. And then another. “Oh my goodness, I think she's in heat.”

My head snapped up.

“I’ve never seen someone in such a heat before.”

“Why is she here?”

“Disgusting.”

“Is she okay?”

“Back away, Ronan, don’t go near that thing.”

“How could she come here in heat? That’s revolting! Is this even allowed?”

“Of course not!”

“She probably did it to trap one or two alphas. These omegas can be desperate,” another spoke and I shuddered, the world around me going into a blur. Panic was settling in and my heart was thundering in my chest. I was freaking out.

A sudden gasp from one of them and I felt her finger pointed at me. “Prince Romare marked her!”

All eyes snapped to the mark forming at my neck and my breathing quickened in fear. I wanted to desperately explain, but it wasn’t going to work, I wasn’t stupid.

“How could she do that? She trapped him. That’s beyond filthy!”

“What is the meaning of this, Roger?” I heard someone question my father and I knew immediately that it was Alpha Elliot, Romare’s father. I waited, expecting my father to explain on my behalf, to tell him, but my world came crashing down when I heard him say, “I didn’t know.”

Delusional fool.

“She took suppressants to hide her heat from me. I thought she was clean and that is why I brought her along.”

The alpha furrowed his brows. “So you don’t monitor your daughters, Roger?”

“I do, but she is a mischievous girl, a troublemaker, her sister here is a witness.”

Emilia nodded with all seriousness. “She is, alpha. She has caused us much trouble in the past few years, it’s unbearable.”

My father nodded secretly at her and smiled apologetically at the alpha before he looked at me with eyes that demanded I kept my mouth shut. “Alpha, I am just as surprised as you are. As everyone here. Please, do what you will with her. She deserves to be punished.”

“But you knew.” I froze, blinking in shock, stunned by the words that had fled my mouth.

“What’d you say?” He balled his hands into fists, with the nastiest frown I’d ever seen on his face. “Herlo, keep your filthy mouth shut or your punishment might be harsher than what the alpha has planned. Behave!”

I should be scared, I should have already been on my knees apologising to my father, but I didn’t. I wasn’t afraid, no, this feeling was different. Anger…I was angry. I was fuming, a foreign feeling I’ve never dared feel before.

I chuckled.

“Tell them the truth or I’ll do it myself.”

“She’s mad! The girl has gone crazy, alpha.” My father turned to the alpha with all seriousness. “If she couldn’t even tell her own father that she was in heat, what truth could she tell now? She has committed a crime and I won’t defend her at all. She deserves to be punished. Even if it’s by death.”

He looked horrified. “Don’t waste your time on her!”

“He’s lying!” I shouted.

But the alpha looked at me in contempt, taking my father’s word for it.

Of course no one would believe me!

Escape was the only way out now.

Two calculated steps back and I turned, bolting through the crowds who moved away from me, repulsed.

I was close, so close to making it out through that door, but a sudden hand wrapping around my throat from behind stopped me involuntarily.

My body was pushed up against a solid frame. It was warm, and smelled dangerous and intoxicating. Tingles sparked along my nerves, and from my peripheral vision, too afraid to turn my head, I could make out his face, the anger that laced it.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” Romare Vitale questioned.