The Shadow Pack

Blaise

I used to love my voice. 

I was called an angel for it. A healer. I’d found my happiness singing pups to sleep, humming a sweet melody as I rocked them between my arms. I’d loved watching their eyes slowly flicker close. I’d loved every single thing about them, from their soft breaths to the way their lashes fluttered. 

Now, I wish I never had this damn thing at all. 

“You will sing the Alpha to sleep every night,” The Beta growls. His violet eyes are narrowed down to daggers, almost as if he’s repulsed by being in the same space that I am. And I stay motionless, refusing to even look at him. 

“Omega.”

Pale fingers grip my chin, jerking my head upwards. Ezra Lord. I’d heard rumors about the cold-blooded, ruthless Beta of the Shadow Pack even when I was back in Senna. About how he had once killed an Omega just for standing in his way. 

Maybe he’ll kill me now and save me from this hellhole. 

For a still second, his eyes search mine. Everything about him is all angles and edges. There are no soft curves, no matter how hard I look for them. 

He tilts his head. His fingertips, somehow, feel colder as time passes. “Don’t step a single inch out of line. That’s a warning you should strongly consider heeding.”

He lets go. And he turns, a massive shadow shrouded in a thick, dark cloak as he leaves the room. Just before the door closes, I hear his venomous murmur. 

“The day you prove yourself worthless is the day of your execution.”

“Keep that in mind, Omega.”

The door slams. And I’m left there, alone and wrists wrapped in cold chains fastened to a metal chair. My bare feet scuff against the glossed marble floor. Three candles flickering by the nightstand are the only source of light illuminating the cold room. The bed of the Alpha that I’m set next to is huge— but weirdly simple at the same time. I want to spit on it. 

Should I spit on it? I should. 

And I’m working a glob inside my mouth when the door suddenly clicks open. I instantly freeze, expecting the Shadow Alpha in all of his bloody glory. But instead, I see the head of a man poke inside. He’s all hazel and warm amber, from the shade of his hair to his lashed eyes. The moment he sees me, he quickly shuffles inside and lets the door close quietly behind him. I don’t feel any kind of Dominance on him. An Omega. 

He dashes over, clearly in a hurry. 

“I don’t have too much time,” He whispers, bending down on one knee. I stare at him in surprise as he starts to tug at the chains. “Heavens. Who made it this tight? Are you okay?”

At first, I’m weary. And I don’t answer. Who knew if his heart was all black behind those innocent-looking eyes?

I wasn’t about to fall for bait that they’d sent in my direction. If they wanted something, they were going to have to try harder than thi—

He blinks rapidly. His eyes are watery, more deer than wolf. “Oh goodness. Your wrists are all scratched up.”

A lump forms in my throat. “...it hurts a little.”

“No wonder.” He says angrily, giving the chains another sharp tug. I feel the pressure loosen. “Is that better? I won’t be able to do too much, since they might notice. But I brought you something.”

He leans, rummaging through his pockets to show me a tube of ointment. The smile that lights up his face is sweet and full of pride. 

“Snagged it from the Healer when he wasn’t looking. This one’s the best for cuts.”

He’s already gotten to me. 

“Won’t you get in trouble?” I whisper, quietly. “I don’t think you should do this. Leave before the Alpha comes in. Please.”

He doesn’t even reply. He just squeezes a pea-sized amount on his fingertip before starting to spread it on my tender wrists. And suddenly I want to cry, so badly. 

I barely hold it together. 

“Okay, that’ll be good for now.” He whispers, getting to his feet. His honey-colored eyes are full of warmth. “I’m so sorry that I have to leave.”

I shake my head. I see the silhouette of him disappear behind the door, pressing down the urge to ask for his name. I wanted him out of here as fast as possible before the Alpha made his entrance. 

But as the minutes tick by, a small part of me regrets wanting him away so early. 

The ointment slowly dries on the skin of my wrists. The empty silence makes me remember the faces of the pups back home, giggling and nagging me for song after song. 

You’re the best singer I’ve ever seen, Blaise! The best of the best! I want you to sing when I marry, okay? Promise me that you will!

A gasp leaves my lips. And I double over on the chair, the nausea coming all the way up my throat as I breathe. Sweat covers my forehead. 

Then the door opens, for the last time. 

The air changes. It turns darker, and I completely freeze in the position I’m in. I hear footsteps, heavy but silent against the wood. I feel the Dominance, from this distance. 

A silhouette comes closer and closer until I see it stop right in front of me. Something invisible feels like it’s choking the air straight out of my throat. The aura is ridiculous. It feels like metal sheets, compressing me down to the inches. His voice is like the richest velvet. 

“Omega.”

Look at him, Blaise. Look up. He is not God. Why are you so weak? 

I force my head up. And the moment I do, I barely stop myself from flinching back. A pair of stunning gold eyes scour me, head to toe. His eyes are the most beautiful, treacherous things I’ve ever seen. It’s hypnotizing. Siren’s call. 

I jerk my head back away, to see a smile tinting his lips in my peripheral. 

“I assume you’ve already met Ezra.” He whispers, and I hear the bed dip as he seats himself on the edge. Long, dark curls spill over his thick brows. “Did he tell you what you’re in here for? He isn’t the most welcoming.”

“He really isn’t.”

The sentence flies out of me before I can even think over it in my head. And I expect him to slap me. But he only laughs— a husky, genuinely-amused laugh from his throat. The aura that had nearly crushed the breath out of me is slowly lessening. Was he suppressing it, for my sake?

I’m confused.

This was the Shadow Alpha? The only one who outnumbered the vicious Beta in kills and tolerated zero disrespect? 

I see him stretch himself out on the bed. He is so tall that his feet nearly reach the end of the massive thing. He’s lean in the figure, but I can see the strength ripple through the thick robe on his body. His voice shifts to a coaxing purr. 

“Now. Will you let me hear you?”

“Do I even have a choice?” I murmur bitterly, pulling at the chains and shooting him a disdainful look. 

“Not right now. But maybe one day you will.” 

What is that even supposed to mean, I scoff. He was mocking me, for sure. But my brows slowly furrow as I start to sing. It’s a soft melody that I’d used to sing to the pups to sleep. I hear the Alpha’s soft sigh, full of pleasure. 

The melody is both a vow and a vigil. 

A vow, to kill this man in front of me. The two-faced snake that had sentenced my entire Pack to death, with all women and pups.

And vigil for all that was lost.