Chapter 2 2

POV LOIS

I couldn’t hear anything except the pounding of my heart—those jumps in my chest, those heavy beats, and those two hands holding me as we walked into the party. Suddenly they started dancing around me, one on each side, and they stayed like that for several minutes. They made my cheeks flush and heat spread through my whole body. Both of them offered me drinks at the same time, and I refused both—never in my life had I tasted a drop of alcohol. But a second later I downed an entire glass of I-don’t-know-what, and then the other one, because they both demanded I drink. They kept dancing, everyone here was going wild, while I stood stiff—stiffer than a tree trunk—my feet refusing to move, my eyes desperately searching for a place to run.

A hand grabbed me—I had no idea whose it was—but the twins grabbed me too, growling at the other guy, who immediately apologized and vanished into the crowd.

“Smile.” One of them held my face and lifted it. I didn’t even know their names or what I was doing here, but even stranger—HOW on earth was there such a huge party on a train?!

“I-I want to leave.” My voice was swallowed by the music, though I knew he heard me. “I’m sleepy, I don’t want to be here.”

“And what do you want… Lois?” Those hands rested on my waist, making my head snap toward him in alarm. I met the face of that Alpha and immediately fled from his gaze, but his warm face settled on my shoulder. “What do you want? You haven’t moved a single foot since you got to the party. It’s fun, isn’t it better than lying half-dead in that square little box with nothing exciting in it? Look at it this way… there are still more than twelve hours of travel left, so you’ll have plenty of time to sleep. Enjoy yourself, just a little. There are many ways to do it. Want me to show you?” He placed my hand on his shoulder and brushed my backside in a quick, subtle movement as he made me take several dance steps pressed to his body, sliding me easily from one side to the other.

If my heart kept taking in all those intense palpitations, I was going to get sick—that much was certain.

“If you enjoy yourself a little, we’ll let you go.” The other twin pulled me away from his brother, grabbing my hands and positioning me right in front of him. “By the way, I’m Ezequiel, and he’s Emmanuel.”

Emmanuel had been the one with his hands on my waist, resting his face on my shoulder and keeping me glued to him. My eyes darted toward the other one—Ezequiel—and he grabbed my chin, forcing my eyes to be only on him, claiming all my attention with that dazzling smile as he stepped closer.

I shook my hands free and backed away from them! It felt like my body wanted to surrender to them.

Why did I have to listen to them?! Who did they think they were?!

These were exactly the kinds of things my parents always warned me about!

Alphas took advantage of Omegas, Betas were abusive, and these two Alphas were no different.

I ran toward the exit, and when I looked back and saw they weren’t following me, a wave of relief hit me. I needed to find Viviana, get her back to the room—and not leave me alone with those two Alphas! What was going through her head?!

The Alpha’s words—our Alpha—were echoing in my mind, and now I felt responsible for keeping an eye on Viviana.

I went into my room and tore off that vulgar dress, returning to my ordinary clothes. I knocked hard on the neighboring room’s door and a naked man opened it. I turned my face away and covered my nose from the strong scent coming from inside. My eyes still caught a glimpse of Viviana naked on the bed, a cigar between her lips.

“Viviana!” She jumped up when she heard my voice, wrapping herself in a sheet and pushing the man aside so he could cover himself. “How could you leave me with those two?!” I demanded, furious and flushed, remembering one of them brushing his hand over my ass while the other’s smile had practically cast a spell on me. It was like an enchantment!

“Oh, so you met them already,” she said, as carefree as always. She grabbed my hand and pulled me inside the room, the man already dressed. “What’s wrong? And that face? Did something bad happen, or something good?”

“Nothing happened, they just took me to a party… Forget it!” There was no point explaining if she was going to see it as normal anyway. “I can’t sleep in a room with two men. And there are only two beds, Viviana. I’m sorry, but you have to go back to your room.” Her eyebrows arched, twisting her lips into a dramatic grimace. “Please. Please! They scare me, they’re two Alphas!”

“Oh yes, terrifying! They might seduce you, give you the best night of your life, help you stop being a virgin and a prude, let you taste the enormous ‘attributes’ Alphas have, or make you moan so loudly that everyone on the train hears you! That would be terrible—truly terrible.” I lowered my gaze, uncertain. I knew how Viviana was, and still I had accepted coming because this was the chance of my life—otherwise, I would never leave the pack. This was my only opportunity, and I took it. But Viviana’s temperament, attitude, and way of thinking were nothing like mine. This trip would not end well if her decisions affected me this much. And right now, her switching rooms and leaving me with two men wasaffecting me.

It wasn’t fair.

“Some of us prefer not to be promiscuous. I’ve never judged the way you are, and until now you were fine with mine. I’d never ask you to change anything about yourself for my sake. I beg you to do the same, Viviana. I can’t sleep in a room with two men—you should see how dangerous that is for me. I’m a damn Omega! Can’t you see that?” I began to cry, my fingers trembling, and she stepped closer. “When we arrive, I’ll go back. The truth is I’m not ready for the outside world.”

“Leaving your comfort zone is terrifying, Lois. But I’m not telling you to throw yourself into the arms of those two or any other Alpha or Beta you come across. What I want is for you to see that sex is the most natural thing in the world, and just because you sleep in a room with two men doesn’t mean something will happen. Some rooms are mixed—men and women—not so they can have sex, just because they are. I don’t care if you’re an Omega; I only see a friend—cowardly and whiny, yes, but my friend. I’ve never seen you any other way. I’m sorry, but I won’t change rooms because I don’t think sharing one will harm you. If I thought you were in danger, I’d be the first to bare claws and fangs for you, but you’re NOT in danger. You’re not.” She kissed my forehead, hugged me, wiped my tears, and smiled. “Don’t be afraid. Nothing bad will happen to you while I’m around, Lois. I’ll kill anyone who touches you without consent or who tries to hurt you. And I’m not joking—I would kill for you. Want to come back to the party with me? We’ll stay for a little while, and then I’ll walk you to your room. No one will lay a finger on you. Come with me, please.”

“I already went. And I don’t like it.” I hugged her again. It was true—I felt protected with her, but that didn’t erase the fear of being an Omega.

“Lois, when will you ever again get the chance to go to a party on a train? Probably never in this life. Cheer up a little, see things from another angle. Whatever you do today, you’ll never do again! It’ll just be for a little while.”

How… how did I end up agreeing?

She gave me a complete transformation—covered my face in makeup and dressed me in something tiny.

I convinced myself it would be just for a little while, and it was… except during that little while… I drank a lot.

“Bye, Lois. See you in a moment,” said Ezequiel—or Emmanuel—as I was leaving.

My feet stopped. I let go of Viviana’s hand and turned, meeting the mocking smiles on both their faces.

What the hell were they laughing at?!

“Come on, Lois,” urged Viviana, grabbing my hand again and pulling.

“Go to sleep, Lois,” one of the twins shouted again. “We’ll see you in a bit! Don’t turn off the light!”

Bastards! Did they think they were going to intimidate me?! That’s what they wanted! There were only two beds; they probably wanted me to run off and leave the room to them alone.

I let go of Viviana’s hand again, and she turned to see what was happening.

“I’ll stay. Just a little longer,” I told her. Then I spun like a full diva toward the twins, walking ridiculously elegantly—or at least that’s how it played out in my mind.

Why was I doing this? I had no damn idea! But they weren’t going to intimidate me! I wasn’t running again!

Not this time.

Because, like Viviana said, whatever happened today in my life would never happen again.

And this time I wanted to face those two Alphas who were watching me approach with mocking smiles on their perfect faces.

The universe was cruel to me, but to them? It had gifted them absolutely everything.