I scrambled to form a response as my mind raced. "But the council has to agree...."
Her eyes slid shut, a single tear escaping as she shook her head. I heard her breath hitch on a cry. "Linden will announce his own council. He won't wait to make sure they're in place. The sooner he and the council are finalized, the less likely a challenge will be issued. The men he chooses are ones who agree with him. His friends. Ones who frequent the omega house."
Men like Allan Loomis, she meant. Men who had no issues treating omegas like nothing more than whores.
That was the entire purpose of the omega house - a brothel for the wolves of Long Mesa. A place where anything went. Where upper pack members could act out their most twisted fantasies without anyone to stop them.
Omegas were nothing. Less than nothing. We received whatever scraps of food and clothing the rest of the pack didn't want, which meant often going to bed hungry or swallowing down stale and expired food. All of the clothes I had were ones not even the local donation center could use. Even my bras and underwear were second hand. The only things we received brand new were generic bars of soap, bottles of shampoo, and laundry detergent.
Because no one liked a whore that actually smelled like a whore.
Her hands tightened against mine. "Maybe if I talk to Linden-"
I shook my head slowly. "It won't make a difference." I remembered then what Cassian told me in the hall. He said they might not have to wait much longer. He knew. They all knew.
All that needed to happen was for my grandfather to die so there would be no one standing in the way of Linden Markham.
3
The Alpha house was in the heart of the compound. It was a simple clay brick structure, slightly larger than the other adobe style homes around it. Two stories high, the Alpha family lived there. The Alpha's council convened there. The surrounding homes were smaller versions, housing the pack betas and upper pack members. Mid and lower pack members shared communal housing a few streets over, near the school.
This was the house my mother grew up in. The house that was supposed to be where she got married and raised a family.
Now she was forced to ring the bell and wait for someone to answer to grant her access.
Long Mesa was a moderately sized compound and pack, and was surrounded by a ten foot high concrete fence. There was a single access road that was guarded at all times.
It was home to the two hundred and forty-three wolves of the pack and included the school, a grocery store, a doctor's office, and a gas station. Mostly it was land. Acres upon acres of land that butted up against the Cerrowa Mesa. Plenty of space for a pack of wolves to roam and live.
According to local lore from the towns fringing the area, the compound was a cult.
I wasn't entirely sure that they were wrong.
It was important that normals - humans - not know of us. Wolves kept to themselves, only interacting with the outside world when absolutely necessary. As an omega, I had never left the compound and probably never would.
The front door swung open, revealing a beautiful shifter with dark skin, soft brown eyes, and long dark hair gathered into a low ponytail. She wore a black dress and a large heirloom diamond ring on her left hand.
"Hello, Zara." My mother greeted her former best friend quietly.
Zara smiled gently, first at my mother, then at me. "Hi, Addie," she greeted gently, glancing over her shoulder to make sure her husband wasn't within earshot before meeting my mother's gaze. Her lips turned into a frown. "It's not good."
My mother frowned and took a sharp breath in, leaning forward a bit. "Is there any chance?"
Zara's lips pressed together in a thin line. "I don't know. Linden doesn't say much to me. You know how-"
"Zara? Who's at the door?" My uncle appeared behind her. His cold green eyes assessing us both as he settled his hands on his mate's shoulders. Zara winced as his hold tightened, but she didn't say a word of protest.
"Why didn't you tell me my sister and her ... offspring were here?" His tone sounded casual enough, but there was no mistaking the dark undercurrent of his words. Or the way his knuckles were turning white from the grip he had on his wife.
"We just arrived, Linden," my mother said, her eyes downcast. A grimace flashed across her face for a second, the skin around her lips pulling taut.
"Come in," he invited, stepping back and pulling Zara with him. She stumbled a bit, but he held her tightly and she didn't fall.
My mother and I crossed the threshold, first her and then me. I had been inside this house one other time, right before my grandmother had passed away. My grandfather and uncle had been away at the annual pack Summit meeting in Utah, and grandmother requested my mother come and bring me.
I sat there, five years old, as she told my mother I never should have existed. That I was an abomination to the Long Mesa pack. And perhaps, if my mother ridded the pack of my existence, a daily reminder of Mom’s betrayal, my grandfather would remove her from the omega house.
My mom swept me up into her arms and stormed out the door. She shook the entire walk home, barely able to control her rage. She handed me off to another omega as soon as the house was in sight and immediately shifted, her wolf snarling as she changed. She tore away from the house at a dead run and didn't return until the next day.
Three weeks later, my grandmother died of a sudden heart attack. Ironic that the woman my mom called heartless was killed by that very organ.
The main level of the house was mostly open, boasting a massive kitchen with dual built in refrigerators and two sets of double ovens. The granite countertops gleamed under the recessed lights. Trays of food were laid out on the island in the center. Beyond that was a large seating area with roughly seven shifters, including Bella, Cassian, and Allan and Norma. I recognized Cassian's father, Patrick, sitting in a leather recliner. A large stone fireplace loomed as the focal point - fairly useless in New Mexico, but it helped with the rustic opulence of the house. Several large leather couches and chairs were around the room, shifters lounging casually on them.
I knew all of the shifters in this room, and every fiber of my being wanted to run away. Most of them frequented the omega house on a regular basis. All of them were cruel and heartless. Cassian's mother might have been sitting in this room if his father hadn't killed her a few years earlier.
Apparently, his dinner wasn't ready one night he came home early and he lost it. But she had already provided him a child and couldn't have another, so there were no real repercussions for her death.
He had been one of the males who made an offer for Maisie to be his mate when she arrived.
After quickly glancing around the room, I dropped my gaze, reminding myself to be the picture of a submissive wolf. The last thing my mother or I needed was to challenge a room full of dominant, sadistic shifters.
Linden whispered something in Zara's ear and she stiffened, her breath catching. Her eyes flashed up to meet Bella.
"Come with me, Bella," she commanded in a shaky voice. Her husband's hands dropped from her shoulders. She couldn't help but roll her shoulders slightly, trying to ease the ache from his hold.
Bella frowned, setting down the coffee cup she was drinking from. She had changed from her clothes at school earlier, now wearing a black dress with a bell skirt. Her dark hair was curled around her slim shoulders. "I thought we were discussing pack matters." Her gaze slid to her father.
He smiled indulgently. "Go with your mother, Bella."
Her jaw dropped. "But, Daddy-"
"Now." The word came out final and firm. An Alpha command. Every wolf in the room shifted, deferring to the Alpha.
With a sigh, Bella got to her feet and stalked past us, following her mother out of the room without sparing a glance at us.
Linden waited until Bella and Zara had left the room before walking past my mother and I to claim the wingback armchair in front of the fireplace. We weren't offered a seat, and he seemed content to watch us, a darkly
amused smile pulling at his lips.
It was a waiting game. He knew my mother couldn't speak unless spoken to. The longer we stood there, the more anxious we both became. This was a power play, plain and simple. I could feel my wolf stirring in my chest, anxious and angry. She didn't like this any more than I did.
"How are you, sister?" Linden asked nonchalantly, as if asking about the weather.
My mother's head lifted, but she kept her eyes down in deference. "I'm well."
Smiling, Linden leaned forward. "You seemed to be walking with a limp. Are you injured? Should I call the doctor?"
Allan laughed behind him, which set off a series of giggles and snorts amongst the shifters in the room. Cassian grinned broadly, his gaze never leaving me.
"I'm fine," she whispered. I could feel the humiliation rolling off of her in waves. Of the shifters now facing us, I knew at least six of them had been to see her personally at the house.
"Very well," Linden agreed. "I asked you here because we are considering making some changes to the omega house."
My mother looked to me before dropping her gaze again. "May my daughter be excused? She is not yet an omega and doesn't need to be concerned with the details of such things."
He chuckled darkly in response and I already knew what he was going to say before he spoke. "No. This directly involves her." He got to his feet, pacing to the window. "My council and I have been talking about removing the rule regarding the age of majority for omegas."
"No!" The word flew out of my mother's mouth, sharp and desperate.
And completely out of turn.
It only took seconds for Linden to cross the room, grabbing her by the throat and forcing her to her knees. "No?" he mocked, enraged. "I am the Alpha. You do not tell me, no, whore."
She gasped for air and something in me started to fracture. She was only protecting me. Now all I wanted - and my wolf wanted - was to protect her.
Hurt. Kill. Hurt. Kill. Hurt. Kill.
The words chanted in my head so loud I almost missed what my uncle said next.
"We're not removing the age law," he hissed, finally releasing her with a shove. She fell down to her hands, gasping for air and coughing loudly, gagging as she tried to suck in air. I caught the damp spots of wood beneath her as tears fell.
"Thank you," she whispered, broken but relieved. Her shoulders trembled as Linden circled her, his boots thumping against the hardwood and coming dangerously close to crushing her fingers.
"As you know," he continued easily, as if he hadn't just almost killed her, "we seem to be having an issue with the younger wolves. Seems the teens can't quite seem to get a grasp on their emotions. Adolescence is a volatile time. Hormones running wild. Young wolves make stupid, foolish choices. You of all people know this, Adalynne."
Linden crossed to the other side of the room. "I've spoken at length with Cassian and several other teens and, with my council, I believe we have worked out a solution to help channel their baser impulses." He went back to his chair, crossing his ankle over a knee, looking every bit the king on the throne.
"Instead of removing the age of majority, we're lowering it to sixteen. This also means that wolves can begin utilizing the omega house at the age of sixteen." His gaze landed firmly on me. "And omegas will now be defined as such any time after their sixteenth birthday."
A sob tore from my mother's throat and she physically collapsed against the floor, pressing her forehead to the gleaming wood. Everything stopped and sped up at the same time for me, the floor falling from beneath me as Cassian grinned at me, his eyes glittering with awful promises of what the future held.
Linden steepled his fingers, blinking once before settling his cold gaze on me. "Starting tomorrow, Skye is officially an omega and will fulfill her obligations as such to the pack."
4
We didn't speak the entire walk home. Neither of us knew what to say out loud, so we stayed locked in our own turbulent thoughts. I could feel my mother's fear radiating off of her in waves. I felt the same way - furious, frustrated, and absolutely fucking terrified.
I felt Cassian's eyes on me the entire way home. Felt the promise that lurked in his gaze as he watched me leave, knowing he would likely see me in the morning.
A new omega was typically branded and broken in by the Alpha. Even my uncle wasn't depraved enough to do the deed, but I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt he happily handed the task off to Cassian. His eyes told me as much as we left, sparkling blue pools of joy. Like a kid on Christmas morning.
The worst part, I remembered once upon a time actually liking Cassian. I remembered the boy who snuck me pieces of his lunch in kindergarten when I came in with a piece of bread and an apple that was this side of rotting. He was the kid who gave me my first pack of fruit snacks. I had no idea such sugary, gummy goodness existed.
We were innocent and naive. Not tainted by the problems of our pack and our parents. We sat by each other in class and at lunch for almost the entire year. He always played with me on the playground.
Cassian was my friend until the last day of school when, at kindergarten graduation, his parents saw their precious son sitting next to the bastard. I'll never forget the look on Patrick Clarke's face as he yanked Cassian up by the arm hard enough to dislocate the boy's shoulder. As Cassian screamed, his father slapped him and told him to stay away from the "whore's daughter".
The next time I saw Cassian, he led the crusade of taunts against me. By the time high school rolled around, the boy who shared his lunches with me was gone and a vicious bully had taken over. He made it his mission in life to break me.
And now he finally would.
The second the house came into view, a cold sweat broke out on my forehead. My hands clenched into fists, my heart slamming against my ribs. Blood roared in my ears, and, for once, I wanted to shift. My wolf and I felt the same fear, the same rage. Instead of fighting her as I had all day, I almost surrendered to her demands.
I wanted the feeling of my bones shattering and reforming, my fingers curving into claws. I craved the ability to sprint as far away from this house as I could. All I wanted was to run. To fight. To destroy something the way my insides were breaking apart.
The way I knew tomorrow my body would be violated and ripped apart.
A strong shudder rippled down my spine. Picking up my pace, I jogged the last few steps to the house. I threw open the door, and froze, completely horrified by the site in front of me.
I had seen a lot in the omega house, and heard even more. And while there were whispers of this being done, seeing it was beyond anything my mind could have ever imagined. Worse than any nightmare that snaked into my head.
Maisie was on the floor, on her hands and knees, naked and sobbing as a large, muddy brown wolf mounted her.
I had heard rumors that this sometimes happened - that pack members would shift to use omegas in human form, or order omegas to shift to take their wolf in human form. It was an abomination and the most humiliating thing for any shifter.
But seeing it firsthand? Seeing Maisie violated in the absolute worst way possible - sweet, quiet Maisie - was too much.
The snarl tore from my throat even as I heard my mother scream my name. My wolf surged to the front, and I let the shift happen. My body was hurtling through the air, slamming into the brown wolf and breaking Maisie free. I was vaguely aware of my mother pulling Maisie away as the brown wolf rounded on me, growling low in his throat.
My nose caught the scent of blood, and I didn't have to see Maisie to know it was coming from her. Once shifted, our wolves were bigger than normal wolves. Human bodies weren't meant to withstand that type of brutality. He could have killed her.
The brown wolf lunged and I feinted to the right, dropping my shoulder so low it was almost to the floor. I reacted on pure instinct, letting my wolf dictate our movements for the first time ever. His jaws snapped by my ear and my head twisted, my teeth locking onto his throat. The taste of blood, warm and hot, fille
d my mouth and trickled down my throat.
A low whine vibrated through him and his legs slipped out from under him as he tried to submit, his wolf knowing I'd gone for a killing blow. I felt my jaw lock tighter and jerked my head away, ripping out a large chunk of his throat as my mother shouted at me again.
The entire fight was over within seconds, but I was breathing hard, trembling with adrenaline as if I had just gone ten rounds with an upper pack member.
My wolf was happy, sated. She had come out on top.
We weren't the omega in this fight.
The brown wolf lay at my feet, motionless and lifeless. His blood seeped across the floorboards, staining the white fur of my paws.
I blinked over at my mother and Maisie. My mother seemed stunned, but there was a sad resignation in her eyes. She didn't blame me for what I'd done. If she had entered first, it might have been her covered in blood.
Maisie was gone. She simply stared at the brown wolf, not blinking and eyes vacant. Blood ran down her back and sides, deep gouges from the wolf's claws. The blood was pooling around her, but she didn't move.
I caught my reflection in the hall mirror. Crimson stained the front of my white coat, my muzzle practically black it was so saturated. My mother had the same snow white fur that I did, but while she was pure white, I had a single black star on my forehead. Most Markham wolves were white or gray - another signature of our line along with our green eyes. None of them had any black. The patch of onyx fur on my forehead was simply another way to tell I was different.
Long Mesa had no black wolves. White, gray, brown, and red. But none were black. The mark on my head was yet another mark against me.
"Skye." My mother's voice was firm. I swung my head around to see her standing now, Maisie still unmoving at her feet.
"Skye," she started again, her tone low and controlled, "you need to shift back. Now."
My wolf whined against the order, but I forced myself to take control, shifting back to my human body. I blinked hard and looked up at my mother once the shift back was complete, crouched and naked on the floor, blood slick on my skin. I had changed so fast that there hadn’t been time to shed my clothes, so they exploded at the seams when my wolf form tore through them.
Sanctum (Blackwater Pack Book 1) Page 3