Omega Overcomes Mate's Plot

The bass pounded through my bones as I balanced a tray of drinks, my knuckles white with tension. The Midnight Den was packed tonight, wolves pressing against each other in the dim light, their eyes gleaming with predatory interest. I kept my gaze lowered, my wolf cowering inside me despite her growing anger.

"Omega!" Carter's voice cut through the music, commanding and cold. "Over here."

I turned to see him in the VIP section, surrounded by his Shadowridge Pack friends. Felicity sat beside him, her hand possessively on his arm, her smile sharp as a blade.

"Bring us another round," he ordered as I approached, not bothering to look at me directly. "And make sure you don't spill anything this time."

I nodded silently, feeling the weight of every eye in the section on me. My wolf snarled at the humiliation, but I kept her contained. *Just a little longer*, I promised her.

"Did you sign the papers?" Carter asked quietly, his voice barely audible over the music.

"Not yet," I replied, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me.

His eyes flashed amber. "By tomorrow, Adele. One way or another."

Felicity laughed, the sound like breaking glass. "She's still holding out hope, Carter. Isn't that adorable?"

The wolves around them snickered, their eyes raking over me with contempt.

"I heard Victor is particularly interested in broken Alpha bloodlines," one of them said loudly. "Something about the challenge of it."

"Like breaking in wild mares," another added with a cruel smile. "Though some are too damaged to be worth the effort."

I kept my expression neutral as I placed their drinks down, though my hands trembled slightly. Carter's fingers brushed mine deliberately, a mockery of intimacy.

"You'll do well tomorrow," he said, loud enough for nearby tables to hear. "Victor doesn't like his merchandise to be difficult."

Merchandise. The word cut through me like a knife.

---

The storage room smelled of stale beer and cleaning supplies. I sat on a crate in the corner, my back against the wall, trying to steady my breathing during my fifteen-minute break.

*Father*, I thought, focusing all my energy on the faintest thread of connection that had remained dormant for ten years. *Father, can you hear me?*

The silence in my mind was deafening, but I pushed harder, remembering the lessons from childhood.

*Alpha Wallace*, I called formally, using the mind-link protocol I'd learned before leaving the pack. *Your daughter needs you.*

Pain lanced through my skull, sharp and sudden. The connection was weak, damaged by years of neglect and distance.

*Adele?* The voice was faint, barely there at all, but unmistakable.

Tears sprang to my eyes. *Father, I'm sorry. I didn't know—*

The connection wavered, the mental link stretched too thin by time and betrayal.

*Where are you?* His voice was urgent, desperate. *I've been calling for you for years.*

*I'm at The Midnight Den*, I managed to send before exhaustion overwhelmed me. *Carter—he's not—*

The link shattered, leaving me gasping on the crate. My wolf howled in frustration and pain.

*We'll try again*, I promised her. *We will.*

---

"Victor has arrived," Felicity announced as I emerged from the storage room, her eyes gleaming with malicious triumph.

The crowd parted as a massive figure entered The Midnight Den. Victor Crane was everything rumors suggested—broad-shouldered with a jagged scar across his face, his eyes cold and calculating as they swept over the room.

Every wolf instinctively moved away from him, creating a path straight to the VIP section where Carter waited.

"So this is the merchandise?" Victor's voice was deep, his gaze assessing me like I was a horse at auction.

Carter nodded, his arm around Felicity's waist. "As promised. Though she's been... difficult to train."

Victor's laugh was harsh. "I prefer them with spirit. More fun to break."

My stomach twisted as they spoke about me as if I weren't standing right there.

"When do we finalize the transaction?" Victor asked, taking a seat at their table.

"Tomorrow," Carter replied smoothly. "Once she signs over her mother's territory."

"And if she refuses?" Victor's eyes narrowed.

Carter's smile was cold. "Then you get her anyway. Consider it a bonus."

Victor leaned forward, his massive hands clasped together. "I'll need her by the end of the week. My men are getting impatient."

"Payment upon delivery," Carter said, as if they were discussing a car sale rather than my life. "As agreed."

I stood frozen, the full horror of their plan finally clear. This wasn't just about humiliating me or breaking my spirit—Carter had never intended for me to leave this alive.

Victor's eyes met mine across the room, and he smiled—a predator's smile that promised pain and submission.

"Beautiful," he murmured, "but broken things need to be fixed before they're useful."