Then I got annoyed at myself. Again. For the hundredth time in the past several hours that I’d wasted on finding out if my alpha… No. Fuck that bitch in particular. The fuck I cared? Because I didn’t care.

I tried to find my inner peace, because I had bigger issues to worry about and really fucking needed it at that moment, but just like my useless alpha, it was gone. I couldn’t calm down at all after the omega had made fun of me… The fact that he’d managed to get so under my skin that I was still seething pissed me off even more.

And to make things worse, I needed to take a leak.

I turned to glare at the portable toilet behind the folding screen. There was no fucking way… But I was sure the omega would give me only one other option: sleeping in my own piss. And I wasn’t going to beg for shit. At least it wasn’t a fucking potty or a bottle…

Swallowing my pride, I got up on my weak feet, trying to keep my posture straight with the chains weighing me down. I’d never been this weak before. Hell, I was shocked that a young alpha stud like me could get this weak, no matter what. Like I didn’t have muscles at all.

I made my way behind the folding screen, just about staying up on my feet without tripping on thin air, and made sure I was hidden from the camera as well as I could be. I stared at the toilet, then slowly opened the lid. There was some kind of substrate at the bottom of it. I wrinkled my nose, but it was better than nothing, then went to pull my dick out, only to realize that the black sweatpants I was wearing weren’t mine, and that I had no underwear on.

Great… Just great…

As I relieved myself, a thought occurred to me. I’d stayed here for five days… If the omega had been telling the truth, he’d fed me. And I’d had that flashback of him helping me drink… Where were my boxers exactly? But before I could proceed with that train of thought, my head put all my brain activity to a complete halt. Thank fucking lord. I didn’t need to know. I didn’t want to know.

Well, at least I was feeling more comfortable now with an empty bladder. I was finally feeling calmer. After putting my dick away and washing my hands in a small bowl left next to the toilet, I turned back to my bed, taking a deep breath to ease my tense mind.

But of course, the whole fucking world was against me, and that deep breath got my lungs worked up. The first few coughs were tolerable, but it grew worse in seconds. The wound in my stomach felt like it got caught in flames, the pain forcing me down on my knees to crawl the rest of my way to the mattress. I was about to pass out when I finally lay down, but the cough subsided, leaving me sweaty and weak and wishing for death, but conscious.

“Fuck me…” I breathed out, groaning while I tried to make myself comfortable.

I fucking hated everything.

With a new unbearable headache, and shredded throat, I tried to stay completely still, but I wasn’t feeling any better. The pain was still so fucking awful I actually feared I was dying again. Why…? Why wasn’t it calming down…?

I touched the bandages and cursed my fucking luck. The cloth under my fingers was wet.

“Hey… Mr. Medic?” I muttered, trying to keep my voice strong enough for the camera to pick up as I showed my bloodied fingers to it. “Good fucking job…”

In seconds, the omega opened the line. “How the fuck…? Stay there. Don’t move.”

“Bitch… I can barely breathe…” I mumbled, but he probably – hopefully – wasn’t there to listen to me anymore.

I guess the pain was already calming down, but it was still so fucking brutal I couldn’t really stand it. I heard rushed footsteps coming down the stairs, and seconds later, the omega yanked the door open and hurried to me with that big fucking box of his.

“Stay still while I take a look at it,” he said calmly while tying his hair back.

He put the box next to my bed, and without hesitation, he kneeled next to it. Right next to me… He was awfully brave, I had to admit that much. Though I really wasn’t a threat to him in my condition, SOU elite or not.

He grabbed a mask and a pair of rubber gloves to put them on, then slowly pulled the bandages off me.

“Fuck, that hurts…” I hissed at him.

He ignored me and grabbed a towel from his box to keep me from bleeding all over my mattress. He carefully pressed a corner of it on my wound, then moved it out of the way to see the hole in my stomach.

“So…? How did you screw up?” I asked him.

“I didn’t. You managed to rip half of the stitches open,” he told me. “This won’t kill you, but I do believe it hurts like hell.”

“No shit. Fucking stop staring at it and do something!” I said in anger.

“I need to stop the bleeding first,” he said.

In my anger, I found a bit of strength to grab him by his arm and pull him closer. “Then do something about this fucking pain!”

“Let go of me,” he said sternly, quietly. When I didn’t, he brought his shoulders up and lowered his chin. “Do not try me,” he said, his voice deeper.

I was aware of the fact I wasn’t making the situation any better for myself. I just chose to ignore it.

“Listen here, you fucking bitch–”

I never figured out how exactly it happened because he moved so fast I didn’t actually see it, but he released himself from my grip, and shoved my arm away so hard it hurt my joints. His expression hadn’t changed when he stared down at me in silence, but there was something in his eyes… Something so strong it forced me to look away to escape the pressure he was putting on me. I got mad at myself and looked back at him, but he’d already turned his attention back to my wound.

He wasn’t even worried I’d grab him again… because he knew I wasn’t going to grab him again… Fucking SOU elites and their mind tricks…

And there it was again… Amusement, but this time, it was mixed with being impressed.

Oh hell no. No, no, no, no, no. I tried to shove all of that out, to force it somewhere back of my mind, but I couldn’t… Fuck… I could feel it… It was nothing but a distant echo of the being that once shared this body with me, but it was there.

When the ugly realization hit me, I stared up at Kieran in shock, disbelief, and anger. There was no way… Absolutely no fucking way… My alpha was waking up… because of this omega?

No! I refused to believe it. That fucking useless spirit was finally waking up because it sensed we were in danger, and it was it’s job to protect our body, not because of this stupid whore of an omega! Alpha spirit or not, it was still my second spirit, and I fucking loathed these brainless idiots who were good only for popping out more strong alphas.

Suddenly, Kieran glanced at me like he’d somehow heard my thoughts, and out of pure instinct, I looked away. Again, I got mad at myself for letting this bitch use his tricks on me, and I turned back to stare at him. The way he looked at me, however, was… odd. He was frowning lightly with curiosity in his eyes. Like he could feel something in me.

There was no way he could already sense my alpha, right…?

“You still in pain, boy?” he asked and turned back to my wound.

My stomach was actually feeling better now, with the pain staying pretty close to the bleeding area and not spreading through my entire body, but still, I needed pain medication.

“Fucking yes, you st–” I said, but something stopped me from finishing that sentence. “Just fucking do something about it.”

“Oh? Someone is practicing self-control. That’s a good boy,” he said with a hint of smile dancing on his lips, and continued before I had time to get worked up. “Fine, I’ll give you something for the pain.”

I bared my teeth at him when he wasn’t looking, but then forgot to be angry when he pulled out a syringe and a needle for it.

“The fuck is that for?”

“Liquid pain medication for fast relief,” he said while getting the syringe ready. “This will make you a little light-headed.”

I didn’t like that at all, but the pain was really getting on my nerves. I growled a little when he injected it, but he didn’t care.

“And my wound?” I asked.

“I’ll have to take the old stitches out and see the damage you caused,” he told me. “It should be fine, though. I’ll just wait for a bit for the pain medication to kick in.”

“Should be fine?” I repeated. “Do you even know what you’re doing? You omegas are stupid as fuck.”

“And there goes the self-control…” he said with a sigh and watched me closely. “Let me guess. You were raised by True Order supporters to believe alphas are the greatest, and never actually met a free omega? Never felt the love of your birth-giver because you were ripped away as soon as you were born?”

“Fuck off,” I grunted at him. “Don’t act like you know anything about me.”

“All terrorists are the same,” he said, and changed his gloves. “It’s sad, really. There would be no terrorism if the children had been raised by their omega parents. This would be such a wonderful, peaceful world without True Order.”

“And run by brainless omegas? Fuck no. That’s why they’re called True Order. It is the true, natural order of life. Alphas are stronger and smarter than you pathetic little whiny bitches could ever be.”

He chuckled at my words. “Your alpha is gone because of your beliefs, boy. How is that natural?”

“Of course you’re too stupid to understand,” I told him.

“Oh, what a smart, educated reply,” he said, smirking at me, but his smile faded soon. “You’re just brainwashed, but maybe one day you’ll open your eyes and see the world as it is, and the pain you’re causing. Maybe you’ll even understand you’re just a pawn, used by power-hungry alphas who can’t stand the idea of losing their control over this world. They don’t give a shit about you. They wouldn’t have lifted a finger if they found you bleeding to death in a dark alley.”

“Glen…? Help me…”

“You can call me a stupid bitch all you want,” he told me quietly. “If you think I deserve that.”

I bared my teeth at him, then looked away. “Fuck you…”

He said nothing.

When he started working on my wound, his hand steady and surprisingly gentle, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about his words. I tried to ignore them. All of it. I really fucking did, but the memories of my childhood just wouldn’t stop pestering me.

“Mom? Why is the baby not coming home?”

“Because she wasn’t good enough to be your sister, honey. She wasn’t an alpha like you.”

“So she was an omega?”

“Yes, honey.”

“Oh. I don’t want omega as my sister.”

“Exactly. You’re such a smart boy. But don’t worry. One of your uncle’s broodmares has another baby being born soon, and if we keep our fingers crossed, it may be an alpha. Can you keep your fingers crossed? For mommy?”

“Yes!”

I didn’t even know I had a memory like that, but now I remembered it clear as day. I never gave two shits about how my parents had gotten me and my siblings. It was normal that alpha couples bought babies from breeders and individual birth-givers, not ruin their bodies to make ones of their own. It was ten times harder now with all that ‘omegas are equals’ bullshit, but it still was blooming, especially in the underworld where the laws and rules couldn’t reach. It was good money, especially if the omega was just a slave. We had plenty of broodmares like that in our organization.

And Kieran would become one of them as soon as I’d escape this place. He was getting old, but I was sure he’d be able to pop out a baby or two. And he already had one we could still sell…

I growled quietly at that thought. No, wait… Not me…

Kieran glanced at me. “What? Not happy with my stitchwork?”

“What’s taking so long, anyway?” I asked to distract myself and the useless fuck in my body that was getting angry at me.

“This isn’t the same as patching up a hole in your pants, you know,” he said. “You really tore yourself apart.”

“I’m not a doctor, but I feel like a simple cough shouldn’t have done such a number on me, so this is your fault,” I said in annoyance.

“This isn’t a hospital, you idiot,” he snapped at me, finally losing his patience. “Without proper equipment, my skills are only good enough to keep you alive until you get to a hospital, so it’s a goddamn miracle you’re still alive. Not only did I have to deal with a gunshot wound, but your intestines could’ve been leaking literal shit all over your abdominal cavity, but somehow the bullet missed every single organ in your body. So stop whining. You’ll be fine.”

“So you agree you’re a shitty medic, and the reason I’m alive is pure luck?” I asked.

He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath, finding his inner peace. Then he turned to me and faked a smile. “I can call you an ambulance if my skills aren’t good enough for you.”

“At least I’d get away from your bitchy ass,” I said, snorting at him.

“You’d rather let someone make your ass their bitch in jail, huh?” he asked. “A handsome kid like you would be very popular.”

I growled at him, and his smile grew wider.

“That’s what I thought. Now, be a good boy and let me do my job,” he said and turned away from me.

His words really riled me up again. I was a fucking jomica, and he fucking knew that, but still, he had the audacity to act like I was just a little kid he needed to scold for misbehaving. And I hated that he thought he had the upper hand. SOU soldier or not, he needed to be shown back to his place. He needed to learn his lesson.

Ignoring the pain and the dizziness that ensued, I sat up, grabbed him by his arm, and yanked him closer. He had to look up to see my face, which I brought very close to his.

“I’m not a fucking boy,” I growled at him. “And I’m far from good. You better fucking remember that when I start getting better, because I will make you regret your words.”

“Is that so?” he asked, his eyes smiling at me. There was not a hint of fear in him…

He got up on his knees, so it was now I who had to look up at him. Suddenly I felt… breathless.

“You’ll make me regret my words?” he asked, placing two fingers on my chest, and slowly pushed me down on my back. A small smile danced on his lips when he leaned in to whisper in my ear, “Or is it me that makes you regret yours?”

My mind and my body fell unresponsive as his scent and warmth surrounded me. I could only stare at him when he pulled back just enough so I could see him. He tilted his head, raising an eyebrow in a playful, questioning manner.

“We shall see about that,” he said, his voice low, and sat back up. “Now, be a very good boy and stay still or I can’t do my job.”

I breathed in, my heart almost racing. And somewhere deep inside me, as a distant echo…

My alpha was purring.