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Ariadne looks so defeated, pained, conflicted. She scans around the room, agitated and scared.
Victor howls again, trying his best to be soothing. Finally, the Omega locks eyes with him. She’s an animal, wild and frightened. Victor stares at her softly, hand still extended, inching forward.
With an agonizing cry, Ariadne leans into Victor's hand. She twists her head, showcasing her scent glands. Her eyes are half-closed; her mouth is drawn into a line. This is a submission.
It makes Victor's stomach turn. Ariadne doesn’t have to submit to him, she doesn’t have to be afraid of him. Never him.
“I’m sorry,” Victor whispers. “It’s okay. Just talk to me.”
Ariadne breaks into choked-up cries, moving all the way into Victor's space, burying her nose into Victor's neck. Utter and complete submission.
This isn’t like Ariadne at all.
The Omega doesn’t speak. She simply cries, Omega calls, loud and jarring. She holds Victor, clutching at his shirt, looking to him for help.
Victor doesn’t move much except to wrap his arms around Ariadne's waist. The Omega is breathing deeply, nose right in his gland.
It’s doing strange things to the Alpha’s body. Victor wants to love her physically, mentally, in whatever capacity the Omega can understand, so that she knows that she’s wanted.
Eventually, Ariadne's cries subside. She doesn’t move from Victor's side. She clings on for dear life.
“He was nice like this,” Ariadne finally says. “At first, he was really nice, like you are.”
Victor's whole body turns to ice, and his hold around Ariadne tightens.
“He bought me things,” Ariadne continues. “Told me he loved me. He was really sweet with me when we-”
Victor doesn’t want to think about anyone touching Ariadne. It makes him angry, and sick, and jealous.
“But it was a game,” Ariadne huffed. “There were six of them. That was the last straw. So I ran. I was okay with ending it like that. But then you came and saved me.”
The Alpha wants to know the names of these so-called six. He plans to kill them slowly. But that’s for another time.
“You think I’m like him,” Victor asks softly. “That’s fair. I’m not a good man, but I don’t see the merit in hurting anyone like that.”
“You’re a better man than him then,” Ariadne sighs, still breathing in his scent. “He did things, made me feel small. He told me he loved me but that he couldn’t stand my smell. He was proud, always wanted things a certain way. At first, it was fine. But then, it got worse.”
Victor starts rubbing circles into Ariadne's hips, hoping to soothe the wounded beast, “I’m sorry if I ever made you feel-”
“You don’t,” Ariadne continues. “Not even a little. It’s scary. I can’t believe I lived like that.”
They don’t speak for a long time. The Omega falls asleep in Victor's arms, grasping hard, afraid to let go.
This is bad.
It’s bad to be attached to someone like this. But Victor can’t help it. He can’t fight it. After a long internal fight, he gently pulls Ariadne off of him, tucking her into the bed.
Victor needs to change into sleepwear. Even this small separation is terrible.
Ariadne starts rolling around fitfully, making whiny noises. The Alpha quickens his pace, foregoing any chance of a shower. Then he joins Ariadne in the bed, curling around her. Immediately, the noises stop.
In the morning, Victor wakes up alone. He can hear pots and pans downstairs. The Alpha grumbles, missing the feel of Ariadne in his arms. He gets over it. But it takes more effort than he expects. Victor takes a longer shower than he needs before heading downstairs.
Ariadne has burnt eggs and bacon for breakfast.
“Another peace offering?” Victor raises an eyebrow at it.
“I’m not a shit cook, you know,” Ariadne frowns. “Why don’t you have any proper stuff in your house? I’m out of my element.”
The Omega looks worlds better than yesterday. Victor smiles at her. “You can go shopping if you like. But I have to go to work today.”
“Am I not going with you?” Ariadne frowns, “Is-Is it because of yesterday? Because f*ck you if it’s because of yesterday.”
Ariadne is much improved; it sets Victor at ease.
“Calvin and Waylon are looking over those ledgers,” Victor says with finality. “It’s punishment. They’re going to figure out who it is. As for you, you can have an off day.”
“I feel so privileged,” Ariadne answers tonelessly. “This doesn’t mean I’m going to sleep with you. I hope you know.”
The Alpha in him is delighted. He doesn’t let it show. He wants to win Ariadne the hard way, the Old Way. It means something more like that.
“That’s fair,” Victor smirks. “Offers still on the table. Now that we live together, our cycles are probably going to sync up.”
“Yea,” Ariadne flushes, “I think the f*ck not. But thanks.”
Victor pallets as much breakfast as he can before he makes his way out of the house. He drives himself to the Head Quarters, and as expected, he’s greeted with his panda-eyed betas. They look to have spent all night doing what Ariadne could do in a few hours.
“So who’s the culprit,” Victor takes a seat, Cheshire grin on his face.
Waylon and Calvin look very pensive. This must be bad news, really bad news.
Victor's smile fades. “Who’s stealing from me.”
Waylon swallows audibly, “We cross-referenced the numbers. Those short changes were all from one district, Boss.”
“Where?” Victor growls. It’s like pulling teeth with these two.
“Brooklyn,” Calvin finally says.
Unbelievable.
“Nathan.” Victor's eyes widen. “Nathan is stealing from me?”
“Or it could be someone else from his pack,” Waylon offers.
Nathan is a genius. There is no way anyone is stealing from him, in his name or any other possible scenario. But, it is also unlikely that Nathan would get caught. Victor shakes his head. He would have never gotten caught, if not for Ariadne.
“I really liked Nathan,” Victor finally says. “Set up a meeting. Make sure Dustin is there. I want him to see what happens to people that cross me.”
Calvin and Waylon exchange looks. “Got it, Boss.”
Victor nods, jaw clenched. He doesn’t enjoy the idea of it. Nathan has been what he considers a friend for the longest time. But friends have no place where money is involved. All it boils down to is Pack Law. And Pack Law is a fucking ugly thing.
Alpha Victor's phone rings. He answers it without checking the I.D.
“What?” he damns near snarls.
“Ummm.”
It’s Ariadne. She seems taken aback by the greeting.
“Hey,” Victor's voice is softer. He ignores the looks his beta’s shoot him. “What’s wrong?”
“Well, this is kind of embarrassing,” Ariadne says. “I’m at the store and I realize that I don’t have any money.”
Victor wants to stay mad. He needs to stay mad. But imagining Ariadne at the store with a cart full of groceries, and no money is endearing. Victor laughs despite himself.
“Where are you?” Victor hums. “I’ll come to pick you up.”
Ariadne tells him which market she’s at. Victor ends his day early, at 11 am. It’s a record. He gets in his car and drives to the specified grocery store. Ariadne calls him one more time while he is still driving, but the Alpha can’t answer. Victor imagines Ariadne being embarrassed as she sits in the waiting area near the check-out line.
It’s cute.
Victor situates his car between a truck and a Toyota. The Ford GT looks very out of place at a local market. But Alpha Victor isn’t interested in fitting in. He enjoys standing out.
He gives Ariadne a call, locking his car.
Voicemail.
“Hey, I’m here,” Victor speaks into the receiver. “Where are you?”
The Alpha accidentally walks into a cart. It’s loaded with Vegetables, Meat, and a lot of healthy goods and snacks, and everything in it smells like mint. This is Ariadne's cart for sure. But where is the Omega? Victor tries to call again.
Voicemail.
“Answer. I’m getting worried,” Victor says. The Alpha tries for the bathroom. It’s empty. Then he decides to wait by the cart again. No one comes back for it.
Then, Victor finally gets a call back from Ariadne.
“Ariadne,” Victor answers, “Where are you? I’m-”
“Alpha Victor. I want you to stop talking.”
It’s not Ariadne's voice. Victor's skin turns to ice. The Alpha realizes he’s never been truly afraid until this moment. It makes no sense. He’s not even the one in danger.
“Who is this?” Victor asks.
“Aria is mine,” the man answers. “Thanks for taking care of her, but you won’t be seeing her again.”
In the background, Victor can hear a faint whimper. It’s Ariadne. He knows it is. Everything inside of Victor shatters and rebuilds. It’s amazingly clear what his priorities are, especially now, as she’s within the grasp of death.
There’s no time for Pack Law. There’s only Ariadne, and the only task is to bring her home.
“I’ll find you,” Victor says with finality. “And when I do, I’m going to kill you, the Old Way.”
“I look forward to it.”
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