Faint voices could be heard in the distance. Though my vision was blocked by the black cloth covering my face, I could tell that this wasn’t Helen’s mansion.
I tried moving my body, but my hands and feet were bound. Twisting this way and that to loosen the restraints only made them dig deeper into my skin.
‘It hurts…’
I gave up trying to untie the ropes and instead focused on my surroundings, hoping to figure out where I was. But before I could gather anything useful, even the unfamiliar voices that had been conversing moments ago fell silent.
The stillness was suffocating, as if even breathing too loudly would shatter the silence. Then, out of nowhere, someone ripped the cloth from my face.
“This one’s awake.”
A burst of light flooded my vision, turning everything white. I blinked rapidly, my sight slowly adjusting, until I finally saw the man crouched in front of me. I had never seen him before.
‘Who is he?’
Beyond him stood another man—the same thief who had barged into Helen’s mansion uninvited. He was likely the one who had dragged me here.
“Go tell Allen. The kid’s awake.”
“Why do I always get stuck with the annoying jobs?”
The man seated in a chair grumbled before leaving the room. With the door closed, the only ones left in the windowless space were me and the man in front of me.
An uncomfortable silence stretched between us as he simply stared at me. Then, his hand moved.
His fingers combed through my disheveled hair before trailing downward, pressing against my tightly sealed lips. He pried as if trying to force them apart, then continued moving lower.
“D-Don’t touch me!”
I shouted bravely, but the man only smirked and showed no signs of stopping. His hand slipped under my dust-streaked clothes, moving with unmistakable intent.
“Stay still.”
Ignoring my struggle, he climbed on top of me and began tearing away my bothersome clothes. My shirt, reduced to tatters, was discarded without a second thought. His eyes gleamed dangerously.
“I wasn’t sure at first, but you really are an Omega, huh? Your scent is so strong.”
The man buried his nose into the nape of my neck, muttering under his breath. Every time he sniffed, I shuddered in disgust. The mere thought of where our skin touched made me want to carve those parts out of my body.
But no matter how much I wanted to escape, I couldn’t even push him away. His lips trailed downward from my neck, exhaling his filthy breath against my skin.
“Stop… Ugh.”
At that moment, a strong wave of pheromones—undeniably an Alpha’s—filled the air. The stench coming from him was unbearable. My stomach churned violently, and I couldn’t stop the dry heaves that followed.
The man furrowed his brows, as if confused by my reaction. But even as he hesitated, his pheromones continued to pour out in waves, making bile rise in my throat.
“Don’t tell me….”
Bang!
The door, which had been firmly shut, suddenly burst open. The man who had left earlier returned, accompanied by another stranger.
The newcomer’s gaze flicked between me—half-undressed—and the man straddling me. He let out a sigh before speaking in a cold voice.
“I’m sure I told you not to touch the merchandise.”
“A-Ah, I didn’t do anything ye—Argh!”
Before he could finish, the newcomer stepped forward and delivered a vicious kick to the man’s chest. He didn’t even have time to resist; he was sent flying, landing on the floor with a pained groan as he curled up in agony.
“Take him out.”
At the stranger’s command, the other man at the door grabbed the whimpering bastard and dragged him out.
Once the door shut, the stranger turned his gaze to me.
“Tsk.”
Clicking his tongue in disapproval, he crouched down and grabbed my chin, tilting my face this way and that as if examining me. He took his time before finally letting go.
“They’re really slacking on maintenance.”
Muttering as if to himself, he shrugged off his outer coat and draped it over me.
His unexpected gesture put me on high alert. Our eyes met, and he flashed me a smile.
“My name’s Allen. What’s yours?”
“…….”
“There’s no point being so wary. You’re not getting out of here anyway.”
I wanted to tell him he was wrong. But it wasn’t just that my limbs were bound—I could barely walk on my own without support. That was the reality of my situation.
Even so, I had to escape, no matter what it took. From the way they spoke about me—calling me ‘merchandise’ and ‘maintenance’—it was obvious. These people were human traffickers.
‘I thought it was just a rumor….’
Unlike the center of the district, the outskirts had virtually no law enforcement. I knew that meant a higher risk of crime, but I never imagined I’d actually fall into the hands of a trafficking ring.
“You’re an Omega, aren’t you?”
“…No.”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, I hesitated for a moment before answering.
Allen didn’t seem to notice my slight delay. Still, something about my response seemed to bother him—his eyebrow arched slightly as he asked again.
“Don’t lie. I already know the answer—I’m just giving you a chance to be honest. Pissing me off won’t do you any good, got it? You’re an Omega, aren’t you?”
“I told you, I’m no—ugh!”
Before I could even finish my sentence, Allen grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked hard. A groan of pain escaped my lips as it felt like my scalp was being torn from my skull. His once-cold eyes curved into a sinister smile.
“There are a few of those new humans in heat in the next room over. I don’t know the details myself, but according to the guys, they aren’t Omegas.”
The moment Allen finished speaking, my gaze instinctively shifted toward the wall separating this room from the next. Allen, reading my reaction, leaned in and whispered.
“There’s no one better at identifying an Omega than them. So, if you won’t admit it, I’ll just toss you in there and let them find out for themselves. But I can’t guarantee you’ll come out in one piece.”
It was a horrifying threat—confess I was an Omega, or be thrown to those Alphas in heat.
His grip in my hair softened, turning almost gentle as if coaxing me to speak. But I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to meet his gaze with all the defiance I could muster.
Seeing my stubborn silence, Allen’s smirk faded, replaced by an exasperated sigh.
“I already told you, pissing me off won’t end well for you.”
He dusted off his knees as he stood up, then grabbed my arm and dragged me along. With my body in its current state, I couldn’t even walk properly, let alone resist.
We arrived at the door to the next room—the one filled with Alphas in heat.
I hadn’t noticed it through the thick walls, but as soon as we got close, a putrid stench seeped through the cracks of the door. It assaulted my senses immediately, making my stomach twist violently.
If it was this bad from outside, I couldn’t even imagine what the inside must be like. I might suffocate to death just from the overwhelming scent—or if not that, I’d collapse from sheer nausea.
“This is your last chance. You’re an Omega, aren’t you?”
Allen glanced back at me, his tone calm but laced with warning. I shook my head without a moment’s hesitation.
His patience finally snapped. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he grabbed the door handle and flung it open.
“Then we’ll just have to find out.”
***
A light tapping against my cheek pulled me back to consciousness. My heavy eyelids barely lifted as I struggled to focus on the fingers resting against my skin.
“You’re awake.”
A warm, almost gentle voice greeted me. The owner of that voice was Vincent Shining.
Of course, this wasn’t a dream. That bastard would never appear in my dreams. Which meant… this was real.
‘Of all people, why him?’
After escaping from those men, I headed straight for Helen’s mansion. I needed to grab Seo-yul and get as far away from here as possible.
But ominous feelings were never wrong.
Helen’s mansion had already been raided. When I arrived, Helen was sitting at the entrance in a daze. I asked where Seo-yul was, but all she said was that she didn’t know.
—When I went looking for you, he was already gone.
Even after enduring hours of beatings, I hadn’t said a word—so how had they known Seo-yul was here? The only explanation was that someone had been watching us all along. No, that had to be it.
Leaving Helen behind, I rushed into the forest, heading toward the village. I had to find someone who could help me track Seo-yul down.
But my body was far from normal after taking such a brutal beating. If I went charging recklessly, I wouldn’t even get the chance to fight back—I’d just get caught all over again.
‘Will anyone even help me?’
This village was notoriously distrustful of outsiders. Even after living here for over a month, most people refused to acknowledge me, let alone speak to me.
Who would possibly come to my aid now?
But there was no time to dwell on that. I had no choice—I had to beg, even if it meant humiliating myself.
So I threw all caution aside and ran straight into the village to plead for help.
And the first person I ran into was Vincent Shining.
Asking him for help meant revealing that Seo-yul was here.
I had risked everything to escape, only to end up leading him straight to Seo-yul’s location with my own mouth.
I didn’t want to say it. I hated that I had to say it.
But if I wanted to save Seo-yul, this was the only way.
Because, whether I liked it or not, he could save him.
“…Shining, please. Help me.”
