Chapter 2: Trouble Finds Me

Morning comes too soon, and I’m still lying in bed. I didn’t sleep at all last night my mind was too full of thoughts to rest. Now I have no energy to get up and attend the worthless classes this university forces on us.

When you really think about it, what good are their lessons? What’s the point of teaching us anything when people like us are just meant to be sold as slaves to whoever will buy us?

*Knock. Knock. Knock.*

“Hey Klein? You still breathing in there? Should I call the guards to bury you already?” Sandro’s voice breaks through my silence.

I try to pretend I’m asleep, but the bastard won’t leave me alone.

“Shut the fuck up!” I yell, throwing a pillow at the door. “I’m trying to sleep!”

“You know you can’t! In a few minutes, the guards will be patrolling the dorms and they’ll drag everyone out and beat the shit out of anyone who’s still in bed!” he shouts back.

Frustrated and knowing I have no choice, I finally get up to shower and get dressed.

I’m not in the mood to fight with anyone today. My body still aches all over from my last punishment. For now, it’s better to rest as much as I can, and maybe even pretend to be good for once, just to keep things quiet.

After my shower and getting dressed, I step out of the room to find Sandro already waiting by the door.

“Guess you’re going to class after all,” he mutters, heading down the hallway without waiting for me. I follow behind him, dragging my feet like I’m walking through mud.

As we reach the field, I spot Rafael from far away and I can’t help but burst out laughing at the sight of him.

“Don’t even start, Klein,” Sandro warns beside me, making me glance over at him.

“What? I’m not doing anything!” I say defensively, turning my eyes back to Rafael and his friends.

From where we’re walking, I can clearly see how hard it is for him to move, his face is covered in cuts and bruises, and he’s limping badly. His friends look just as rough up, like they’d been ganged up on and beaten within an inch of their lives.

We keep walking toward the cafeteria when I overhear the conversation of students walking ahead of us.

“Did you hear? They’re holding another auction tonight. Rumors said powerful packs from all over are coming to attend.”

“Another one… just another trip to hell for people like us.”

“I’m so scared…”

“At this point, we should just get used to it. We were born to be sold off and serve anyone who’s higher rank than us.”

I can’t really blame them for thinking that way. Omegas are raised to believe obedience is our only purpose, and most just accept it as their fate.

But it still gets under my skin, instead of fighting back, instead of standing up for their right to live freely and peacefully, they just roll over and take whatever life throws at them.

“Pathetic,” I mutter under my breath.

> “You can’t judge them like that. They’re not like you.”

“And that’s what makes it even worse!” I snap back. “If they’re that scared of being sold off like cattle, they might as well just end it all now!”

By the time we step into the cafeteria, the whole place is buzzing with talk about nothing but the auction. Every table we pass, every group of students huddled together, all they can discuss is who might be selected this time, which packs are coming, what will happen to whoever gets picked.

As for me? I already know exactly what would happen if my name ends up on that list.

***

The whole afternoon dragged by with our worthless classes. The only thing running through my head over and over was how the teachers here look down on us like we’re nothing more than dirt under their feet. Not that this is anything new. They all think they’re better than us just because of their higher ranks.

“Do you think you’ll be on the list tonight? For the Omegas they’re sending to the underground auction?” Sandro asks as we walk together toward the cafeteria for dinner.

It’s still early for meals, but we figured we’d eat now so we can rest afterward.

“Whether I’m on the list or not doesn’t matter to me,” I tell him. “Besides, I’m sure they won’t pick me. My leg’s still broken from before. And if they do choose me, they’re idiots for bringing a rebellious Omega like me to an event like that. They know I’ll cause nothing but trouble there.”

“Fair point,” Sandro nods.

We head inside, order our food, and sit down, but before we can even touch our plates, someone slams their hand down hard enough to flip my dish over, sending food splattering across the table and floor.

“Oh! I’m sorry – my mistake.”

I slowly lift my head at the sound of that voice. Rafael stands there grinning at me, flanked by a few of his friends though there are fewer of them than usual. Looks like their last punishment was bad enough that some are still stuck in the infirmary.

“Still alive, I see,” I say with a laugh which immediately makes his face darken with anger.

“You’re damn right I am. I haven’t killed you yet, so why would I die first?” he snaps back.

“Lucky for you, you’ll never get the chance to kill me. You know that, Rafael” I chuckle, leaning back in my chair.

Before I know it, he’s grabbing my shirt and yanking me to my feet. “Don’t get too comfortable one of these days, you’ll end up six feet under!” he shouts in my face.

“Looking forward to it,” I reply calmly, and that makes him see red.

He pulls his fist back to punch me, but just then the guards burst through the cafeteria doors.

“What is going on here?!” one of them demands.

Rafael lets go of my shirt, smoothing it out casually while still smiling at me. “You’re lucky they showed up, otherwise you’d be dead by now.”

“You talk too much, Rafael. But we both know you can’t back it up,” I grin at him as the guards approach us.

They pull us apart roughly. “Again with you two?! When will you ever learn to behave?!”

“All you do is give us headaches!”

I tune out their yelling and sit back down, grabbing Sandro’s plate off the table. His eyes go wide, but he says nothing. He just stands up and storms off to get himself a new meal.

“As you can see, I was trying to have a quiet dinner with my friend here,” I tell the guards, looking up at them. “But he decided to start trouble for no reason. I’ve been trying to do what you said, to be good, but that asshole keeps pushing me too far. I told you before, you should’ve dealt with him first instead of me.”

I flash a smirk at Rafael as his eyes widen in fury. “You—” he starts to shout, but the guards cut him off and drag him and his friends out of the cafeteria.

I wave goodbye to them before turning back to my food. Just in time, Sandro returns and sets his new plate down on the table.

“Think he’ll get punished again?” he asks.

I just shrug my shoulders and keep eating.