LOGINWhen omega Lake Sanders' father disappears, leaving behind crushing debts and a five-year-old brother to protect, Lake thinks he's reached rock bottom. But when he attempts to end both their suffering in the cold ocean depths, he's pulled from the water by the most feared alpha in the city—Damien Ramon, the Alpha King himself. At twenty-two, Ramon rules his territory with an iron fist, and Lake's father has just made him the most dangerous offer of all: his omega son as collateral for a two-million-dollar debt. Now Lake faces an impossible choice—become Ramon's personal assistant and work off the debt over decades, submit to being sold to other alphas, or accept the most terrifying option of all: become the Alpha King's mate. But in Ramon's world of power and politics, claiming an omega is easier than keeping him. With rival packs circling, family members scheming, and a dangerous arranged marriage threatening everything, Lake must navigate a web of deadly enemies who see him as nothing more than a gold-digging whore trying to trap their king. As Lake slowly discovers there's more to the ruthless Alpha King than meets the eye—especially when it comes to protecting Ollie—the line between captor and protector begins to blur. But in a world where omegas are property and alphas take what they want, can love ever truly exist? Or will the very forces that brought them together tear them apart forever?
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LAKE
The stench of rotting vegetables and spoilt food was what filled my nostrils as I slowly woke up after being unconscious.
My cheek was pressed against the cold floor that was located in the restaurant's storage room, and every part of my body seemed too stiff and ached in protest as I tried to move.
I could still taste the blood that was on my tongue, from the new cut that I had gotten and I could feel my left eye swollen nearly shut.
How long had I been unconscious?
The memories came back in painful waves as I winced holding my head.
It had been the usual shitty day for me until it got to closing time. When three alphas who were regulars and had been drinking too much and thought they could ask the dishwasher for sex.
When I'd politely declined their offer—if you could call grabbing my ass and suggesting I "earn some real money on my back" an offer—they'd gotten angry. Very angry at me and changed in an instant.
"Think you're too good for us, freak?" The leader had said, his alcohol breath hot on my face as I wrinkled my nose in disgust.
"Unmated omega like you should be grateful for the attention."
I'd tried to explain that I needed to get to my brother's school, that I was already running late, but they'd only laughed at me and commended me for giving them excuses and promised to deal with me.
The first blow had caught me across my cheek which sent me falling behind the prep counter. The rest was a blur, as I felt a lot of fists and boots and laughter until everything went dark.
Now I was alone in the storage room, where I had been discarded like trash among the boxes of canned goods.
I felt panic coursing through my body as I fumbled for my phone with shaking hands.
The cracked screen showed 5:47 PM in green digits.
No. No, no, no.
Ollie's school let out at 3:30. I was supposed to pick him up by 4:00 at the latest.
He'd be waiting for me, probably scared and wondering where I was. The after-school program only ran until 6:00 PM, and after that...
I dragged myself to my feet, ignoring the sharp pain that I felt in my ribs and the way the room seemed to spin around me.
My reflection that I saw in the metal door of the walk-in freezer showed a face that would give even adults nightmare- split lip, black eye, and blood dried on my chin. But there was no time to clean up and heal properly before leaving.
I had to get to Ollie.
The main dining room was empty and dark, and all the chairs had been stacked upon the table and kept for the night cleaning crew to take care of. I stumbled, moving as I made my way toward the back exit. Mr. Donovan was nowhere to be seen, as I looked around. He had probably gone home hours ago, unaware that his customers had beaten his dishwasher unconscious in his storage room. Or maybe he just didn't care about me, as long as I didn't die.
The cold November air felt like a slap as I came out from the alley that was behind the restaurant. I pulled my thin jacket tighter around myself and started running toward Jefferson Elementary, every step sending pain through my battered body, but I couldn't stop.
The streets seemed to blur past me as I ran, my breath coming in ragged gasps that formed little visible clouds in the air.
Normal people were heading home from work, walking in groups, laughing and talking about their plans for the evening. None of them spared a glance for the limping omega racing past them with desperation written across his bruised face.
By the time I had gotten to the school, it was 6:03 PM. The parking lot was empty except for a security guard car and most of the windows were dark. I burst through the main entrance, my heart beating hard against my ribs.
"Ollie!" I called out, my voice echoing in the empty hallway as I felt fear run down my spine not seeing him. This couldn't be happening now. "Ollie, where are you?"
"Over here, son."
I turned around to the direction of the voice and saw the night security guard—Mr. Patterson, he was a kind beta in his sixties who'd always been patient with me when I'd been late before. He was standing outside the main office, and beside him...
"Lake!"
Ollie launched himself at me, his small arms wrapping around my waist in a fierce hug as he squeezed me tightly happy to see me. I bit back a groan as he pressed against my bruised ribs, but I hugged him back with everything I had. He was safe. He was here. I hadn't failed him completely.
"I'm sorry," I whispered into his dark hair, my voice cracking with tears as I took in a shaky breath and exhaled. "I'm so sorry I'm late, buddy. I got held up at work and—"
"I knew you'd come," Ollie said simply, pulling back to look at me with those trusting blue eyes. "I told Mr. Patterson you'd be here. You always come for me."
His faith in me made my chest tighten with guilt and I nodded my head not knowing what to say to his declaration. Even after all the times I'd been late, all the times I'd shown up battered and broken, he still believed in me. Still trusted that I would never abandon him.
"Son," Mr. Patterson said gently, his wrinkled face filled with concern as he took in my appearance. "
Are you all right? You look like you've been through a war."
"I'm fine," I lied, the same lie I'd been telling for years as I shrugged my shoulders and forced the words out of my mouth. "Just a... a kitchen accident. Hot oil."
Chapter 99OLLIE"Really?" I asked, my eyes going wide. "You'd do that?""Of course," Papa said. "These are important. Your first paintings in your new home with your new family. They should be displayed properly."My new home. My new family. Those words still felt big and strange, but also kind of nice. Like maybe they could be real, not just pretend."Can we eat now?" I asked, because my tummy was rumbling again even though I'd had pancakes for breakfast. "I'm hungry again."Mama laughed, and it was a real laugh this time, not a scared one or a sad one. "Of course we can eat. Growing boys are always hungry."Grandma Elena had already started making plates for Mama and Papa—pancakes and eggs and bacon and fruit. She put them on the kitchen island, and Papa lifted me up onto one of the tall chairs while Mama sat beside me.We ate together, the three of us, while the family moved around us doing family things. The other kids kept painting, and the grown-ups talked about boring stuff l
Chapter 98OLLIEHypervigilant. That was a big word. I didn't know what it meant, but it sounded like something doctors said."Come on," Grandma Elena said gently. "Let me make you some coffee and breakfast. You must be starving.""I should get dressed first," Mama said, looking down at Ramon's shirt. "I just ran down here in—""Nobody cares," Aunt Sarah interrupted, smiling. "Lake, we're family. You could come down in your underwear and we wouldn't bat an eye.""Please don't," Uncle Rafael said, making a face. "I don't need that visual with my morning coffee.""Rafael!" Aunt Michelle smacked his arm, but she was laughing.Mama laughed too, just a little bit, and I felt something relax in my chest. When Mama laughed, even small laughs, it meant things were okay. It meant the scary stuff was getting smaller."Can I finish my T-Rex first?" I asked, looking at my painting. "Before we eat? I'm almost done with the spikes."Mama looked at me like I'd said something amazing. "You want to fi
Chapter 97OLLIEI was adding spikes to my T-Rex's back—really big spikes that would make him super scary—when I heard it. Fast footsteps on the stairs, like someone was running, and then Mama's voice calling out."Ollie? OLLIE?"My heart jumped in my chest, and my paintbrush stopped in the middle of a spike. Mama sounded scared. Really scared. The kind of scared that made my tummy hurt and my throat feel tight.I looked up just as Mama came rushing into the room. His hair was all messy, sticking up in different directions like he'd just woken up. He was wearing one of Ramon's big shirts that went down almost to his knees, and his eyes were wild and panicky as they scanned the room."Mama!" I called out, putting my paintbrush down.His eyes found me, and his whole face changed. The scared look got replaced with something else—relief, I think, but also maybe he was going to cry. He rushed over to where I was sitting at the table, practically running, and then he was on his knees beside
Chapter 96 OLLIE"That's pretty, Ollie," Sophia said, looking at my painting. "It looks like the ocean. Or maybe the sky."I looked at it again. Maybe it did look like the ocean. The ocean where Mama and I had gone into the water that one time, before Ramon saved us. But that was a scary memory, so I tried not to think about it too much."It's the sky," I decided. "With the sun." I added a yellow circle in the corner to make it official.We painted for a long time, and it was nice. Quiet but not too quiet. The other kids talked and laughed, but it wasn't overwhelming. It was just... normal. Like how things were supposed to be.I was working on my third painting—this one was definitely dinosaurs—when I heard footsteps on the stairs. My whole body went tense, my heart speeding up, because what if Mama was awake and looking for me and got scared that I wasn't there?But it was just Uncle Troy and Uncle Rhodes. They looked tired, but Uncle Troy was holding Uncle Rhodes's hand, and they
Chapter 95OLLIEShe lifted me down from the chair and got me a special stool to stand on so I could reach the counter. Then she showed me how to pour the batter into the pan, how to watch for bubbles that meant it was time to flip. I was really careful, holding the measuring cup with both hands, and Grandma Elena said I was doing a great job.It felt good to help. It made my chest feel less tight, less scared. Like I was doing something useful instead of just being scared all the time.Uncle Rafael came in while we were making pancakes, and he ruffled my hair. "Morning, kiddo. You're up early.""I'm helping," I told him, showing him the pancake I'd just poured. "See?""I do see," he said, smiling. "That's a perfect pancake, Ollie. Nice work."After the pancakes, I needed to take a bath because I'd gotten syrup on my pajamas somehow. Aunt Michelle offered to help me, and I almost said no again because Mama was the one who gave me baths usually. But Mama was still sleeping, and I was s
Chapter 94OLLIEI woke up when the sun was just starting to come through the window, making everything look orange and pretty. Mama was still sleeping beside me in the big bed, and Ramon was on the other side of Mama, his arm wrapped around Mama's middle. They both looked really tired, and I remembered why.Yesterday had been scary. Really, really scary.I'd thought Mama left me. I'd thought he wasn't coming back. My tummy had hurt so bad, and my chest had felt tight, and I couldn't breathe right. Everything had felt wrong, like the world was ending and I was all alone.But Mama came back. He promised he'd always come back.I looked at him now, at the way his face was soft and peaceful in sleep, and something in my chest felt warm but also kind of achy. I'd scared him yesterday too. I knew I had because I'd seen his face when I was crying outside, when I couldn't stop screaming and my breath wouldn't come right.I didn't want to scare Mama anymore. Mama needed to sleep and rest and n






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