End of Chapter 16

But a bell sounded, loud and ringing. A rush and the Alphas were moving from the space, fleeing out. Doors were opened and through them was the tantalizing smell of food—roasting meat, crisping herbs and the sizzle of potatoes. And Quinn turned her eyes to Xin who bothered to stay.

"What's going on?"

"It's the dinner bell," Xin explained, "it's a feast today. We don't usually do this. But just follow me and stay quiet."

She left without a word and Quinn ambled quickly behind her. The doors opened and before her was a large group of Omegas sitting on simple benches before long wooden tables, clad in uniforms of thin long-sleeved shirts and thick cargo pants.

Quinn had never experienced such a space, had never once been in a room filled with perfuming Omegas. And it was the smell that surprised her, the sweetest scent of Omega that spun thick in the air, a rush of creams, juices, syrups and flowers.

They were laughing loudly, uncaring of the women, not a hint of worry on their faces. And the Alphas didn't seem to mind the scent, seemed used to the onslaught of pheromones. And they worked over each section; food dished out quickly into their plates. The quality of it was significantly better than Quinn's own meat—some kind of bird, potatoes, and cheese.

And before them all like some sort of medieval tavern, was a large roaring hearth and a slow roasting boar, spinning on its spit, globules of fire spinning free as fat sizzled and dripped, skin crisping into a gorgeous red.

But no one touched that meat, and Quinn watched Livia stand by it, fur coat gone, and cheeks flushed red from the heat. And she sliced it carefully onto plates placed carefully on a small table at the head of this party. A table with two empty seats and groaning with far more luxurious food than the rest.

And the luxury showed in its bountiful supply. The plates of crispy potatoes, bowls of beans, sausages, and a whole rind of yellow cheese. A pretty golden apple pie still steaming from the oven with a crispy crust. There was even a jug of pickles, green, fat and full, and a dish of greens. Garden weeds, of course, things like dandelions and mallow, but it had Quinn really staring.

No one had access to all that in this climate that burned cold.

Only Quinn did with Float which only proved that Hemlock was rich enough to transport it via a teleport zone. And regardless of the fact that they seemed like a page out of an old historical tavern. They had the money to pay for food.

She stood at the back, lightly bowed as the Alphas made quick work to lay out the food, dishing out potatoes into plates, handing out mugs of alcohol. And she felt the eyes of the Omegas on her, the drag of curiosity. And Quinn only felt out of place, standing with her crutch like an animal in the zoo. But the clatter of the doors was what had them all freezing, eyes turned towards the rush of snow fluttering into the hall.

Two Omegas entered. One dressed richly in furs that billowed around him, like a king. A smile on his lips, a scar down his face.

The captain.

And the other was familiar, a dark mask stretching from his nose and to his eyes, clad in black. His hair curled pretty around his face, and he turned his eyes locking with hers. The darkness of it was never-ending shiver that ran up her spine. She didn't need Xin to tell him who he was to know.

This was Z.

He took his seat at the head table with the captain, and the Alphas were now on their knees. And she took it as a sign to drop down too. Her head to the ground, struggling as her leg screamed. But her eyes widened as hands wrapped around her, there was a pulse. A tug in her chest that felt strange, as her eyes fluttered upwards to the cheery voice and the delicious scent of cookies.

How familiar.

"Hello." Z's eyes were not black. They were now brown, a warm pretty brown that seemed nothing like the red that she'd seen on the hill of bodies. They no longer glowed, blood-like and creepy. Instead, they almost seemed—soft, familiar. Her body thrummed and she hurried to look away. God, she couldn't be caught looking at their precious Omega. "Do you feel better?"

The silence pounded in the air. It tightened the noose around her neck. She stumbled, unable to escape his grasp, and his fingers only grew tighter. His warmth radiated against her. He didn't want her out of his grasp, and he pulled her tighter to his chest, hands around her waist to steady her. "I do, thank you sir…"

"Z," he told her, "We don't follow the same rules as the city here."

"Ah, I see," she exhaled, panic bubbling in her throat, and around her the noise only seemed to grow louder. A sudden rush of whispered chatter. Fuck. "Z." His smile blossomed, grew wider, and revealed a gorgeous pearly white smile. Something in her shivered, warmth spreading at the sight of it hidden behind the mask. She felt as if she'd seen it somewhere before, but fear coloured her vision. And her heart raced, sweat beading in her palm.

At this rate, she was going to die.

"Come, sit with me," he purred, there was a gentleness in his grasp as he practically lifted her. There was no denying what he wanted, and her feet only dared follow, ghosting over the floor as he practically carried her up the steps. Before long she found herself sitting at the table, unable to meet Livia's eyes. The Alpha knelt by the roasting duck as their server, but Quinn swore her hands trembled struggling to hold down her pheromones.

She exhaled, her eyes darting to the captain, but he only smiled.

"Our mysterious Beta," he simply raised a glass. "Livia, pour her a glass. She deserves it for surviving that long." Livia was rushing forward without a word, a mug of alcohol placed by her side in one smooth slide. The Alpha bowed and stepped backwards, but her fingers were tight around the mug. Quinn mentally groaned. Livia was going to kill her after this.

"Sir—"

"Hyeon," the captain corrected her. "You'll find Hemlock to be a much better place. You must be Quinn? I've heard from Xin you were once one of the best scavengers in your town before the Mating Laws were put into place. She's vouched for your strength, said that you had talent for it, knew the ways of the Lonely better than anyone did."

"I was," Quinn agreed, winced a little. "Only because I was familiar with the terrain."

"Of course, but Z here was extremely impressed with your ability which is quite a feat. He claimed you killed three without a weapon." Hyeon told her, he raised a hand gesturing to her glass, and she took it quickly, the golden liquid swaying within. "Drink." She brought the mug hastily to her lips; the alcohol was spicy but warm—it seemed like liquid gold. But with anxiety bubbling in her throat. She tasted nothing, but a hand on her wrist brought the mug down. And her skin tingled, warm with his touch.

"Don't bother her," Z snapped back, bristling by her side. He turned to look at her. "You can't drink too much because you're recovering," he explained taking her mug. "Hyeon only wants you drunk so that you'll reveal your secrets."

"Ah Z, seriously? Day one and you're already dropping me for a pretty girl," Hyeon sighed. "I bet she hasn't drunk in so long, let the Beta finish her mug."

"She needs to get better." There was a strange tenderness in his voice, one that seeped through to warm to be normal. "One sip is fine, but not too much. It's not good for your health. When you're better, you can have as much as you like." He lifted her cup.

Quinn's eyes widened as he tipped it back, lips pressed on the spot where she'd drank from like an indirect kiss. He finished it in one smooth swallow, lips curled over the rim where she'd last left them like a kiss. He grinned as he dropped it, pink tongue darting out to wet swollen lips. And a flush rose up her cheeks when his eyes met hers, big, doe-like and almost a little flirty.

What the flying fuck?

Z pushed a plate to her then, uncaring of the surprise on her face. And she stared at the food, almost horrified at the mountain of it. The apple pies, the greens, the potatoes. And over it all were the slices of precious roasted duck, the skin still crispy and dripping with fat. The meat that Livia had cut, the meat that was for Z. This was his plate.

"You must be so hungry," he beseeched. "Eat. There's plenty to go around."

"I've had food—" She cleared her throat, as his head tilted, a flash of something behind the mask. Disapproval. "But I can always have more." She took the spoon, head knelt as she shoved it into her mouth. Then chewed as fast as she could and swallowed it down whole. The meat struggled to slide down her throat, but it had the sharpness in Z's eyes fading. The coldness returned to warmth. "Thank you."

"No problem," Z beamed as if genuinely pleased. A hand propped against his chin. "You'll always have enough to eat here," he promised. "You'll always be cared for and protected here. You will always be safe." And she inhaled sharply at his words.

"I'm really thankful that you saved me," she licked drying lips, fingers digging into her clothes. "Without you, I'd have lost my life."

Quinn hastily bowed her head, nerves twisting in her belly. The anxiety roared through her like wildfire. And her heart soared, nausea bubbling in her throat, the food already threatening to come back up. One wrong word and she could die. Her eyes darted nervously to the side. One wrong move and he'd chop off her head.

This was no normal Omega behaviour. It must be a strange form of torture before her death, a sick twisted play on her hopes and dreams. They wanted her to fuck up, wanted her to do something wrong so that they'll have the excuse to kill her. They wanted to see her slip, to see her jump on the chance to be by an Omega's side, to mate with an Omega.

It was a trap.

Quinn's voice trembled. "I will devote myself to Hemlock. My life is—"

"Not Hemlock. To me," Z corrected, bouncing on his seat. He beamed, hand reaching for hers, a brilliant smile, a promise. "I'll care for you as you'll care for me. We shall become one as Fate has always wanted it to be. You're going to be my Alpha."

A/N: Read ahead on my patreon<3 < p>

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