Chapter 5 Chapter 5

E L A R A

Her shout made me flinch, my naked body jerking as if struck. Humiliation surged fresh, hot tears pricking at my eyes. I couldn't fight it anymore. "Yes," I said quickly, my head still bowed, voice trembling.

Kane leaned back on his throne, his fingers drumming lightly on the armrest, eyes never leaving my bare form. The weight of his stare made my thighs clench tighter, a futile shield against the exposure. "My hus... the man who impregnated me denied the child years ago," I stammered, the half-formed word catching in my throat like a thorn. Pain twisted inside me, sharp and old, as I forced the rest out. "And I haven't seen him since then."

Saying it aloud reopened the wound, fresh and bleeding. Memories flooded back, the rough hands that had taken me without care, the cold rejection when my belly swelled, the pack's whispers turning to outright scorn. I'd been left alone, scraping by with Luca as my only light in the darkness.

Admitting it here, stripped and small, made the ache bloom deeper, a mix of bitterness and quiet strength. I'd survived that abandonment, raised my son through the sneers and the struggle, but now it felt like ammunition in Kane's hands.

He let out a low chuckle, the sound rumbling through the room like distant thunder.

"Ah, a lowly omega, used and thrown to the side," he said, his tone laced with mock pity that cut even sharper. "I am guessing your family also abandoned you as well, so that means that if I do not help you, your son will die no doubt."

His words landed like blows, each one stripping away another layer of my defenses. I knew it, I shouldn't have answered, shouldn't have let him dig into my past like this. Now he saw it all, the desperation, the isolation, the way I clung to this one thread of hope.

He was my only chance, the sole path to saving Luca, and he'd twisted my truths into a cage around me. Fear clawed at my gut, cold and relentless, mingling with a flare of anger I dared not show.

My family had turned their backs, yes, leaving me to fend alone, but hearing it from him made it feel like a brand on my skin, marking me as worthless. Yet beneath the hurt, a grim certainty settled.

Kane's lips curved into a smirk, sharp and knowing, as if he'd plucked those thoughts straight from my head. His eyes gleamed with that predatory light, holding mine captive while my body trembled under the chill and the scrutiny.

"I know all you require is medication," he continued, voice smooth and coaxing now, like velvet over steel. "The kind your pack doctor can't lay his hands on, and a huge amount of money. But I will do you one better, if you share a bed with me tonight, I will grant you anything you want."

My eyes widened, shock slamming through me like ice water.

What?

He'd made me strip, promised help for that alone, and now this? Switching the terms, raising the price just as I stood here, bare and bargaining with my dignity.

Betrayal twisted in my chest, hot and confusing, had it all been a game from the start? My mind raced, piecing together his earlier commands, the way he'd watched me undress with that hungry gaze.

The offer dangled there, tempting and terrifying, not just medicine, but everything, money, security, a future for Luca. But at what cost? The thought of his body on mine, claiming me roughly in the dark, sent a shiver down my spine, equal parts dread and an unwelcome spark of heat I shoved away.

Sera stepped forward from the shadows, her face twisting in confusion. "But Alpha?"

Kane silenced her with a sharp raise of his hand, not even glancing her way. His focus stayed locked on me, intense and unyielding, pinning me in place more surely than chains. The room seemed to shrink around us, the air thick with his command.

"What do you say, lowly omega?" he pressed, his voice dropping to a gravelly edge that made my pulse stutter. "One hard fuck, and I will make your wish come true."

His words hung in the air, bold and filthy, wrapping around me like chains. One hard fuck. The promise of it all.

Was it worth it? Really worth spreading my legs for this rogue Alpha, letting him take what he wanted from my body?

Funny how the idea of sharing his bed didn't twist my gut in pure disgust. No, it stirred something deeper, a flicker of curiosity that warmed my skin despite the chill in the room.

I'd heard the stories whispered among the omegas, tales of Kane's roughness, how he fucked like a beast unleashed, pounding until women shattered and begged for more. They said once you tasted him, that thick cock driving deep, filling you up with his hot seed, you craved it always, your body aching for the stretch and the burn.

Was it true?

Did his touch really mark you that way, leave you ruined for anyone else? My thighs pressed tighter together, a traitorous heat building low in my belly, mixing shame with a pull I couldn't name. I shouldn't want to know, shouldn't let these thoughts creep in when my son's life was on the line. But they did, teasing at the edges of my fear.

My hands trembled at my sides, fingers curling into loose fists as I fought the shake running through me.

I lifted my gaze just enough to meet Kane's, my voice coming out in a whisper, cracking like dry leaves. "One night. That's the deal."

Kane's golden eyes gleamed brighter, like molten fire, locking onto mine with a satisfaction that made my pulse race. I could see the bulge in his pants, his cock straining hard against the fabric, thick and ready, as if my agreement alone had him throbbing. A low smirk pulled at his lips, predatory and pleased.

"One hard fuck, little omega," he said, his voice a rough growl that vibrated through me. "Fucking that tight pussy of yours until I flood you with cum. Deal."

From the shadows, Sera's voice cut in sharp and hesitant. "Alpha, I do not..."

Kane didn't even turn his head, just raised a hand in a quick, dismissing gesture. "You may leave," he commanded, his tone flat and final, eyes still fixed on me like nothing else existed.