He silently listened to the trembling voice before tapping my chin lightly with his fingertips. Of course, he had already known that Seo-yul was here because of the lingering scent, but he was waiting to hear what Yeo-min would say.
If he shamelessly lied, he had planned to use that as an excuse to kill the bothersome bastard. But judging by the atmosphere, it seemed Yeo-min was going to obediently admit that Seo-yul was here.
‘What a shame.’
Lowering the hand that had been tapping his chin, he waited for Yeo-min’s next words. Yeo-min wiped away his flowing tears and met his gaze. Only then did he realize it—it was all over.
“Seo-yul hyung was taken.”
“…By who?”
“Some men—”
Before Yeo-min could finish, he kicked back his chair and shot up, grabbing Yeo-min by the shoulders. His usual composed demeanor vanished without a trace as he shook Yeo-min roughly, shouting.
“Speak properly!”
“I don’t know either!”
The moment Yeo-min’s words ended, he rushed out of the room. There were countless possibilities running through his mind. The borders of the district were notorious for their lack of security, and he had long heard rumors about people openly buying and selling others.
Among them, there had been previous reports about a human trafficking ring targeting Omegas. It was already well known that the market valued male Omegas especially highly.
He just hadn’t expected Seo-yul to become one of their victims.
“Aide!”
He flung open the door, calling for his aide. The man came running, breathless, but before he could catch his breath, he was met with an urgent command.
“Search the entire village immediately.”
“…Pardon?”
They had already uncovered and eliminated every ‘Night’ hiding in the village. So being ordered to search the village again—what could that possibly mean? The aide, unable to understand, mustered up the courage to ask.
“What exactly should we be looking for?”
“Male Omega from District 5.”
The aide immediately realized who he was referring to. It had to be the Omega who almost became his mate. But hadn’t he died in the last terrorist attack? He knew because he had been there himself.
“Hurry up and move.”
“Yes, understood.”
He had no idea why he was being ordered to search for a dead man, but since the command had been given, there was nothing to do but obey. Without hesitation, the aide ran toward the subordinates who were resting after their duties.
As he watched his men scatter in all directions, he, too, began to move. There was no time to sit and wait. If the ones who had kidnapped Seo-yul managed to slip out of the village in the meantime, there would be no way to track them down.
‘There’s no time.’
He had finally found him—he couldn’t lose him again.
***
“Wake up.”
Slap. A stinging hand struck his cheek, forcing his eyes open. His blurry vision barely adjusted, and when he looked up, he saw Allen smiling down at him.
“You’re finally conscious.”
Allen lightly patted his throbbing cheek before straightening his bent knee. His memory felt severed, as if someone had cut out entire chunks of time.
He remembered being threatened—forced to confess that he was an Omega. Then he had been shoved into a room where an Alpha in heat was waiting. But after that… nothing. His mind was completely blank.
‘My body hurts.’
It felt like he had been beaten. He had already been in pain before losing consciousness, but now it was incomparably worse. Still bound, he curled up, groaning softly. Allen nudged him with his foot.
“Bring some painkillers. Seems like he’s in pain.”
Following Allen’s order, a man approached and grabbed a fistful of his hair, yanking him upright. Then, without warning, he started shoving several pills into his mouth.
“Ugh… ugh.”
“Swallow. It’s just painkillers.”
Even when he tried to spit them out, they were forced back in. Immediately after, water was poured down his throat and over his face, choking him as it flooded his nose and mouth. It hurt like hell, but the man didn’t care, continuing to pour until every last pill was swallowed.
“Enough. You’ll end up killing our precious Omega at this rate.”
Only then did the man stop pouring water. His entire body was soaked, drenched from the excessive amount spilled over him. Every cough brought up water he had involuntarily swallowed. It felt like he’d been waterboarded.
‘Did I ever say it myself?’
Allen had called him an Omega. Somewhere in his severed memory, had he admitted it out loud? No matter how hard he searched his mind, that moment remained a void, as if his brain refused to recall it.
Allen nudged the other man aside before stepping closer. Gripping his wet shoulder, he forced him to sit upright.
Allen grabbed his chin, forcing his drooping head upright, and looked into his unfocused eyes with a smirk. A chilling laugh buzzed in his ears.
“What’s wrong? Worried? Afraid the Alphas might have done something to you?”
His face turned deathly pale as ominous thoughts flooded his mind. Allen, watching his terrified expression, lightly patted his cheek before speaking.
“Relax. Nothing happened. You passed out before anything could start. But judging by the way those Alphas were practically foaming at the mouth to get to you, you’re definitely an Omega. That means I’m about to be rich.”
Filthy lips pressed against his cheek. With Allen’s grip locking his jaw in place, there was no way to dodge the kiss—he had no choice but to endure it.
Disgusting.
He considered spitting in his face, but Allen, reading him like a book, clamped his hand over his mouth. His swollen cheeks throbbed from the pressure.
“Mm… let go…”
“Just bear with it. I hate filth, you see. Even these clothes are ridiculously expensive.”
Allen dusted off his cheap, gaudy outfit with exaggerated care before finally letting go of his face. Seizing the chance, he tried to spit at him, but Allen had already stepped out of range.
“Well then, are you ready to make me some money?”
Allen spun around the windowless room, practically giddy with excitement. Unlike him, lost in his golden dreams of success, one of the men hesitated before stepping forward hesitantly.
“Uh… actually…”
“What? Something wrong?”
The man glanced at him before inching closer to Allen, whispering in his ear. He couldn’t catch the entire conversation, but certain words stood out.
District 1. Shining. Village search.
No way…
It wasn’t just paranoia—he had heard that name loud and clear. Shining. His mind snapped into focus.
Vincent Shining.
Vincent had come for him.
“What the hell—why now—?!”
Allen clutched his head in frustration. It was clear that Shining’s sudden arrival had thrown their entire plan into disarray.
“We have to get out of here before the next ‘market’ opens.”
“I understand that, but… the situation isn’t in our favor.”
“You think I don’t know that? That’s why I’m telling you to find a way!”
Allen drove his foot into the man’s shin with full force. Clutching his leg in pain, the man crumpled to the ground. But Allen wasn’t finished—he unleashed a ruthless barrage of kicks on the fallen man, venting his frustration.
The other men, watching in silence, had fear in their eyes.
Allen only stopped once he was panting for breath. Then, turning back to them, he snapped.
“Find a way to get out of this village. Now.”
“Yes, understood.”
The men quickly left the room, and after huffing in frustration for a moment, Allen followed them out. Bang! The door slammed shut, and the body he had been forcing upright nearly collapsed under its own weight.
If he let himself fall now, he doubted he’d be able to get back up without someone’s help. Clenching his teeth, he fought to keep himself sitting.
I need to find something sharp.
His eyes darted around the room. In the corner, he spotted a small piece of broken stone. It was a fair distance away, but not impossible to reach if he tried.
Taking a deep breath, he pressed his back against the wall and forced himself up completely. With his legs still bound, he almost toppled forward several times, but somehow, he managed to stay on his feet.
There was no time to catch his breath. He took a careful step, then another, his balance wavering with each movement. He forced himself forward with small, unsteady hops, gradually closing the distance to the stone.
Almost there.
Finally, he reached it. Lowering himself slowly, he maneuvered his bound hands behind his back, grasping the jagged stone. Without wasting a second, he began scraping the rope against it frantically.
No matter how sharp the stone was, it was barely larger than a knuckle. Cutting through the thick rope would take time—time he didn’t have. The men could return at any moment.
Just a little more…
His eyes remained fixed on the door, ready for it to swing open at any second, while his hands worked tirelessly. Slowly, the rope started to loosen. With one last determined effort, he managed to free his hands. Moving quickly, he bent down to untie his feet as well.
Done.
He steadied his trembling body and approached the door. Carefully, he turned the handle, but as expected, it was locked from the outside.
There was no choice but to wait for the men to return and escape in the brief moment an opportunity presented itself.
Can I pull it off?
Even when he was at full strength, escaping wouldn’t be easy. Right now, just standing still was a struggle. But if he stayed here any longer, he would end up sold in the ‘market’ they spoke of.
He wasn’t naive—he knew exactly what awaited him if he were sold. Anyone who bought an Omega would do so for that reason.
But if I can just get out of here…
Somewhere in this village, he was searching for him.
There were no windows in this room, meaning his pheromones wouldn’t be able to escape—but if he could reach an open space, Vincent would be able to catch his scent.
No, more than that—if it was Vincent Shining, then without a doubt…
He will find me.
