Seeing Them

Veyra POV

Two of the Omegas are snoring, and one is quietly crying into her blanket while another stares at the ceiling like she's already given up. This is why so many die; they see it as there's no escape, but there is. I don't sleep, I can't. I stay pressed against the wall, and every muscle is tense. I'm waiting for the sound of a guard changing shifts, a door unlocking, anything at all. 

I move quietly but quickly, my bare feet making no sound against the cold floor. The windows are barred and sealed tight, I still check them, just in case. I tug and test their strength, but nothing gives.

The door locks from the outside, of course, so there's no way to get the lock open. Maybe, though, I can find a weak spot? I crouch near the hinges, running my fingers along the stone. There's nothing, no cracks, no loose bricks. This place is built to keep people in.

Looking up I pause when I see the glint of a red light in the corner of the ceiling. A camera. My eyes sweep the room again, and this time I look harder. Now I see them, small, circular and barely visible but unmistakably there. There are three cameras, one in each corner except the far right. I know they're watching. 

My pack, my father, Lyra. Lyra, no doubt, is sitting somewhere wrapped in silk with a smug satisfaction. She will be watching every second of my suffering like it's a show. No doubt sipping wine and making wages on when I'll break. 

Stepping back into the shadows, fury twists deep inside of me. They want me to fail and fall. They want to see me fail, and worse, they want it broadcast. Proof that the 'firstborn female alpha' was just a mistake. A pretty little disaster.

Closing my eyes, I breathe, just once because I will not give them that satisfaction. The door slams suddenly so fast that it makes one of the girls scream. Light floods in, harsh and blinding.

“On your feet!” a guard barks.

Two others enter behind him with chains and collars. Real ones. Iron-forged, heavy, dehumanizing. I don't move; escaping right now is impossible; I can see outside, and there's nowhere to run. The guards have the place surrounded. 

One of them strides toward me, grabs my arm, and yanks me to my feet. Jerking back on instinct, I stumble slightly, and he swings; the back of his hand hits my face, and pain explodes through my cheek. I stay standing, though, refusing to fall. 

The guard grips my jaw, forcing my eyes up toward the nearest camera.

“Smile for your fans, sweetheart.”

They collar me like I’m a beast, snapping it into place with a metallic click. I watch as they then lock the chain to the iron cuffs around my wrists. I hear the others crying behind me as they’re forced into the same restraints. I don't care what they want. I won't do it.

We’re led out of the barracks in a slow, humiliating line. It's still dark, but there are floodlights everywhere. They cast long shadows on the compound walls. Cameras follow our every step. From the tower, the gates and the path leading to the center.

There's no escape, and from what I can see, there are no blind spots. This place was made for a spectacle.

I watch as the doors to the main hall open with a deep creak, and I feel the others hesitate behind me. I don't, I walk forward not wanting to appear scared or weak. Even as the chains tug painfully at my wrists, I lift my head because I won't let them see me crawl.

The room is massive, with stone walls, marble floors and a long raised platform at the far end. Atop of it are four thrones, and in them is the four alphas. The ones said to be the strongest. 

I know their names from whispered stories, from warnings carved into training room walls.

Alpha Vane, he's known for killing three challengers in the last trials before claiming his mate, purely because he was bored. 

Alpha Maddox is the youngest but is said to be the cruellest and sharpest of them all. 

Alpha Rael, a rogue-turned-ruler whose pack lives on the border of exile. Even the fiercest warriors fear him.

My eyes stop, and my stomach turns at the last one. Alpha Dagen. Lyra's brother. His eyes instantly find me, and he smiles at me. There's no warmth in the smile, just hunger.

Stopping in the center of the room, I can feel the chains heavy against my wrists, but I still lift my chin. I can see the red dots from the cameras, and it makes me feel like insects are crawling over me, knowing people are watching. Let them watch, all of them, because I swear, on what's left of my name. I won't die here, and I will prove Omega's aren't weak and only worth begging. 

The silence continues to stretch as the four Alphas watch us from their thrones. They're just predators, surveying their prey right now. We all stay standing in a rough line, over fifty omegas bound and collared. Every set of eyes is downcast, shoulders tense, and some of them are even trembling. I don't, I stay still, my chin lifted just enough to be defiant without inviting punishment. 

I feel Dagen's eyes on me like poison, burning through my skin. Finally, a guard steps forward and unrolls a scroll. God, it's all for dramatics and theoretics'. This isn't a necessity. Everyone knows the rules. They just want this moment burned into our memories. 

He begins to speak, loud and clear, ensuring his voice echoes through the stone hall. "Welcome to the Howl for Love Trials. You are here because you're nothing. You're forgotten and unwanted." He pauses and looks at me. "Or because you're foolish enough to believe you were meant for more."

My jaw tightens, but I don't speak.

“You will earn the right to survive. If you do not impress, if you do not serve, if you do not submit, then you will die. There are no second chances and there is no mercy. There is only one goal in this. That is to be claimed by an Alpha.”

Gasps ripple down the line. One girl behind me starts crying while another begins to shake.

“You will be expected to follow orders without question. Failure to obey will result in punishment or death.”

There's a pause, like he's letting the words sink in.

“There are four Alphas, but there are many of you. Not everyone will be chosen and not everyone deserves to be.”

My fists clench against the cuffs. I can feel my heartbeat in my mouth, I don't want to be claimed.