Naomi's pov :

When I woke up again, the world was a haze of fire and fog. My eyelids fluttered open, heavy as lead, my body slick with sweat that soaked through the thin sheets beneath me. I tried to move, but ropes bit into my wrists and ankles, binding me spread-eagled to the four-poster bed in this dimly lit chamber.

The air was carrying the faint scent of aged wood and something metallic-blood? No, that was just my imagination, twisted by the agony coursing through my veins.

Heat. That's what this was. As an omega, I'd heard the stories whispered in hushed tones among my kind: the relentless burn, the insatiable need that turned rational minds into desperate pleas.

But betas and alphas? They could never understand. For them, it was a fleeting discomfort, a biological nudge. For omegas, it was torture-a primal storm that ravaged the body from the inside out. My core throbbed with a pain that felt like shards of glass scraping against raw nerves, my skin hypersensitive, every brush of fabric against my flesh sending jolts of unwanted arousal mixed with excruciating ache.

Slick pooled between my thighs, my body's treacherous preparation for an alpha's claim, making me feel exposed, vulnerable, like a vessel waiting to be filled or shattered.

I'd only ever heard about heats till now-clinical explanations from elders, romanticized tales from mated friends. "It's intense," they'd say with a knowing smile, "but your alpha will make it right."

I'd imagined it as a warm glow, a passionate interlude. But this? This was hellfire. My muscles cramped, my abdomen contracting in waves that left me gasping, tears stinging my eyes. I arched against the restraints, trying to alleviate the pressure, but it only made the slick flow more freely, soaking the bed and heightening my humiliation. Why now? Why here, in this godforsaken room, captured by him of all people?

The door creaked open, and a rush of cool air sliced through the stifling heat. Elias, the alpha who'd haunted my nightmares and dreams for three long years. His presence hit me like a tidal wave-his pheromones, rich and dominant, like smoked oak and storm clouds, wrapping around my senses. It was a balm and a torment all at once.

The pain eased fractionally, my body responding instinctively, craving more. But he was still across the room, leaning against the doorframe with that infuriating smirk, his broad shoulders filling the space, his dark eyes glinting with cold amusement.

"Naomi," he drawled, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through my bones. "Look at you. Tied up like a present, and now going into heat? How convenient. Trying to seduce me so you don't have to spill your secrets?"

I whimpered, the sound escaping before I could stop it. His scent was intoxicating, pulling me under, but he was too far. I needed him closer-needed his touch to quench this inferno. "E-Elias... please..."

He sauntered forward, each step deliberate, his boots echoing on the stone floor. The closer he got, the more his pheromones enveloped me, soothing the edges of my pain like cool water on a burn. But his expression was anything but kind-lips curled in mockery, eyes narrowed in suspicion. He stopped at the foot of the bed, towering over me, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Why did you run away three years ago, Naomi? And that night-why slip out like a thief? Answer me."

I needed words, but my mind was fracturing under the heat's assault. My pussy clenched emptily, slick dripping down my thighs, my nipples hardening painfully against the damp fabric of my shirt.

The pain surged again, a sharp stab in my lower belly that made me cry out. "I... I can't... it hurts..."

Elias laughed, a harsh, bitter sound that cut through my haze. "Oh, now it hurts? Poor little omega. But you're the one who betrayed me, aren't you? Helped my enemies plot against me. And now you think batting those pretty lashes and leaking all over my bed will make me forget?"

I shook my head weakly, tears streaming down my cheeks. The heat was overpowering my thoughts, turning everything into a blur of need. "Touch me... please, Alpha... I need you..."

He leaned in closer, his breath fanning my face, but still not touching. His pheromones spiked, deliberate, teasing my senses. "Begging already? How pathetic. You need my help now, do you? After everything? But tell me, Naomi-who's been taking care of your heats these past years? You must have found yourself a nice alpha to knot you through them. Someone from my rivals' pack, perhaps? That's why you're so bold, helping them undermine me."

No. Gods, no. There had been no one. But speech failed me; my throat was dry, my body convulsing in another wave of agony. Slick gushed anew, my hips bucking involuntarily against the air. I squeezed my eyes shut, biting my lip until it bled, the metallic tang grounding me for a fleeting second.

Elias's eyes darkened, misinterpreting my silence as admission. His hand shot out, gripping my chin roughly, forcing me to meet his gaze. The contact was electric-his skin on mine sent sparks of relief through me, dulling the fire momentarily. But his grip was meant to hurt, fingers digging in like vices.

"Nothing to say? Then it's true. You've got yourself an alpha. Clever girl. I underestimated you-thought you were just a simple, scared omega running from her fate. But no, you're a mastermind, aren't you? Scheming with my enemies, spreading your legs for their leader to seal the deal."

"Elias... no..." I managed to whisper, my voice breaking. The pain was relentless, a deep, throbbing ache that radiated from my core to every limb. My skin felt like it was splitting open, hypersensitive and raw. I twisted in the ropes, the friction only worsening my torment.

He released my chin with a shove, stepping back. "If you help my enemies, then from today, you're my enemy too. That's why you ran, isn't it? Wanted nothing to do with me. Hated the idea of being claimed by a 'heartless' alpha like me."

I sobbed, the rejection amplifying my suffering. Omegas needed their alphas during heat-not just for pleasure, but for survival. Without relief, the pain could drive us mad, weaken our bodies to the point of collapse. "Please... don't leave..."

Elias's laugh was devoid of humor, a cruel bark. "Oh, now you want me to stay? After fabricating lies about me, plotting my downfall? Fine. I won't let you go. I'll cage you here, in this room, like the traitor you are. You'll never see that alpha of yours again. You want to see me heartless? Very well. I'll make sure you're torn from your lover's arms forever. Suffer alone, Naomi. Let the heat consume you."

He turned toward the door, his broad back a silhouette of unyielding stone. Panic surged through me. The pain crested, a vise around my womb, making my vision blur. I lunged against the ropes, ignoring the burn on my wrists, and my fingers just managed to snag his sleeve. "Elias! Wait... help me... I'm begging you... it hurts so much..."

He paused, looking down at my hand clutching him like a lifeline. For a long moment, he stared, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, he pried my fingers off, his touch lingering just enough to tease me with relief before withdrawing. His voice was ice-cold, devoid of pity.

"No. This is your punishment. Endure it. Maybe next time you'll think twice before betraying me."

The door slammed shut behind him, the sound echoing like a death knell. I collapsed back onto the bed, wracked with sobs. The heat raged on, unchecked, my body a battlefield of fire and emptiness. Slick continued to flow, my pussy aching for what it couldn't have, every nerve screaming in protest. Hours blurred into eternity-waves of pain that left me breathless, curling into myself as much as the bonds allowed.

I squeezed my legs together futilely, trying to stem the tide, but it only heightened the desperation.

His cold rejection was a blade twisting deeper than the heat itself. I hated him for it, yet craved him more. Omegas were wired for this dependency, our biology a cruel joke that demanded submission to alphas for relief. Without it, the pain built, layer upon layer, until it felt like my insides were liquefying.

By dawn's faint light filtering through barred windows, I was delirious, whispering pleas to an empty room. My skin was feverish, slick coating my thighs in a sticky mess, my breaths shallow pants. The ropes chafed raw wounds, but they were nothing compared to the internal inferno. I imagined his hands on me, soothing, claiming-but the fantasy only worsened the ache.

He returned once, briefly, to toss a blanket over my shivering form. "Still alive?" he mocked, his eyes scanning me with feigned indifference. "Good. Punishment isn't over yet."

"Alpha... please..." I croaked, my voice hoarse from crying.

He smirked, leaning against the wall. "Look at you, reduced to this. The great schemer, begging like a whore. Did your other alpha make you feel this way? Or was he too gentle for a traitor like you?"

Tears fell anew. "There... there is no other..."

"Liar," he spat, turning away. "Suffer, Naomi. It's what you deserve."

The door closed again, leaving me in isolation. The heat peaked, my body convulsing in dry heaves, pain so acute it bordered on numbness. I squeezed my eyes shut, legs trembling as I fought the urge to scream. In the A/B/O world, alphas were protectors, caregivers during heats-knotting to ease the torment, pheromones to calm the storm. But Elias's cold side denied me that mercy, twisting care into cruelty.

As the day wore on, my mind fractured further. Hallucinations danced at the edges-his face mocking me, his scent a phantom tease. Slick dried and renewed in endless cycles, my pussy swollen and sensitive, every shift a fresh agony.

I bit my pillow to stifle cries, hating my omega nature, hating him for exploiting it.

Yet deep down, beneath the pain, a spark of defiance flickered. But gods, the torment... it was unimaginable, far worse than the stories. And with Elias's cold mockery as my only company, I wondered if death by heat wouldn't be kinder.

Elias's pov :

A whole day had dragged on like an eternity in this cursed manor, each hour marked by the muffled symphony of her suffering from the room next door. I sat in my study trying to drown out the sounds with the crackle of flames. But her cries pierced through the walls, desperate pleas that twisted like knives in my gut.

"Alpha... please... it hurts..." Over and over, her voice breaking into sobs that echoed my own inner turmoil.

I should have felt vindication, a sweet rush of revenge for her betrayal. After all, she'd run from me three years ago, vanished like smoke, and then that night, slipped away again, no doubt to aid my enemies. But instead of relief, all I felt was her pain.

As her mate-gods, the bond we'd shared before she shattered it. I was wired to protect, to soothe an omega in heat. Yet here I was, denying her, denying us both.

My fists clenched on the armrests, knuckles whitening. Did she really find another alpha behind my back? The thought ignited a fresh blaze of anger in my chest. We'd been destined, our scents intertwining in that perfect fated way only true mates knew. But if she'd never cared, if she'd spread her legs for some rival to spite me. Betrayal burned hotter than any heat.

I paced the room, my alpha instincts roaring to burst through that door, to claim her and end this madness. But no. She needed punishment. She needed to break, to confess why she'd turned against me.

A soft knock interrupted my spiraling thoughts. The beta maid, Lila, poked her head in, her expression neutral as always, betas didn't feel the pull of pheromones like we did.

"Sir, what should I do about Miss Naomi's dinner? She hasn't eaten all day. The staff is worried, her cries... they're getting weaker."

I growled low in my throat, the sound more animal than man. Worried? They had no idea the war raging inside me. "Bring the food. I'll handle it."

She nodded and scurried off, returning minutes later with a tray: steaming broth, fresh bread, sliced fruits-simple fare for someone in her state. I snatched it from her, dismissing her with a curt wave.

The door to her room loomed before me like a gateway to temptation. I steeled myself, drawing on every ounce of cold resolve I'd cultivated as pack leader. She was the enemy now. My enemy.

The moment I pushed the door open, her pheromones slammed into me like a tidal wave of sweet, floral notes laced with desperate need, wrapping around my senses, infiltrating my lungs. The room reeked of it, her slick and sweat mingling into an intoxicating perfume that made my head spin.

My cock twitched instantly, straining against my pants, the alpha in me howling to respond. If I were any other normal alpha, less disciplined, I'd have given in by now, pinned her down, knotted her until she screamed in relief instead of agony. But I wasn't. I was Elias, the one she'd betrayed, and I wouldn't crumble.

I set the tray on the side table with a deliberate clatter, my eyes locking onto her. There she was, still tied to the bed as I'd left her, wrists and ankles raw from straining against the ropes. Her body glistened with sweat, the thin shift she'd worn now translucent, clinging to every curve like a second skin. She breathed heavily, chest rising and falling in ragged gasps, her full breasts heaving with each inhale, nipples pebbled and visible through the damp fabric. Her thighs were pressed together as much as the bonds allowed, slick glistening on her inner legs, pooling beneath her on the sheets.

Goddess, her pitiful face flushed a deep crimson, tears streaking her cheeks, her once-vibrant eyes now half-lidded and glassy with fever. Her lips, swollen and red from where she'd bitten them raw to stifle her cries, parted slightly as she whimpered. Strands of her dark hair stuck to her forehead and neck, matted with perspiration.

Yet, even in this wretched state, she was sexy as sin. Ravishing. Her omega body, curved and soft in all the right places, called to me like a siren's song-hips flared invitingly, skin glowing with that heat-induced sheen that made her look like a goddess of desire. The way her body arched subtly, seeking relief that wasn't there, only heightened the allure. Pitiful and tempting, a deadly combination that tested my limits.

I approached the bed, my boots heavy on the floor, each step a battle against the urge to touch her. Sitting on the edge, the mattress dipped under my weight, and I reached out slowly, deliberately pushing a few stray hairs from her damp face. My fingers brushed her skin, feather-light, but the contact was electric.

"Ah!" She moaned instantly, a low, throaty sound that shot straight to my groin.

Shameless, utterly tempting. Just a small touch, and she unraveled like that? My pants tightened further, my cock throbbing painfully, demanding release. Her pheromones spiked in response, begging for more, and I had to grit my teeth to keep control.

"I've brought you food," I said, my voice rougher than intended, laced with the strain of holding back. "You should eat. Can't have you wasting away before your punishment's done."

Her eyelids fluttered open slowly, revealing those dazed, tear-filled eyes-hazel depths clouded with pain and need. She stared at me for a long moment, as if struggling to focus through the heat's fog. Then, fresh tears spilled over, tracing salty paths down her cheeks. Her lower lip trembled, and she whispered.

"Elias ... why? Why are you tormenting me like this? What did I do... so wrong?"

I swallowed hard, my hand lingering near her face, thumb hovering just above her cheek. Gods, she looked so vulnerable, so utterly pitiful-tied and trembling, her body betraying her with every quiver, every drop of slick that scented the air. But sexy too, the way her lips parted in that plea, full and inviting, begging to be claimed. Anger surged again, mixing with the ache in my chest.

"What did you do?" I echoed, my tone mocking, though it cracked at the edges. "You ran from me, Naomi. Three years ago, you vanished without a word, leaving me to wonder if you were dead or just... done with me. And that night? You slink away again, right after I catch you consorting with my enemies. Betrayal, that's what. Plotted against your own mate."

She shook her head weakly, more tears falling, her body shuddering as another wave of heat pain hit her.

"No... Elias , please... I didn't... it hurts so much..." Her voice dissolved into a sob, pitiful and heart-wrenching, her eyes pleading with a desperation that clawed at my soul.

I leaned in closer, my face inches from hers, inhaling her scent despite myself. It was driving me mad, my alpha instincts screaming to comfort her, to bury myself inside her and end this for both of us. My hand moved of its own accord, trailing down her neck, feeling the rapid pulse there. She arched into the touch, moaning again, her skin hot as fire under my fingers.

"Look at you," I murmured taunting, though my heart pounded. "Begging like this. But oh, so tempting. Your body's screaming for me, isn't it? Slick everywhere, pussy clenching on nothing. And yet, you betrayed me. Tell me, Naomi, who's the alpha you've been running to? The one knotting you through your heats while I searched for you like a fool?"

Her eyes widened slightly, a flicker of clarity through the daze, but then pain overtook her again. She cried out, body convulsing, hips bucking against the air.

"There's... no one... Alpha, please... touch me... I can't... bear it..." Her words were slurred, sexy in their raw need, drawing my gaze to the way her shift rode up, exposing more of her glistening thighs.

I gripped the sheets beside her, knuckles white, fighting the pull. "Lies," I snarled, anger flaring to mask the pain her words inflicted. If there was no one, then why run? "You never cared that I'm your mate, did you? Just used me and tossed me aside for your schemes. Well, this is your reward, suffering alone, like I did."

She sobbed harder, twisting in the ropes, the movement making her breasts strain against the fabric, nipples begging for attention. Pitiful, her omega allure amplified by the heat, making her irresistible.

"Elias ... I'm sorry... Please, help me... I'll do anything..."

I stood abruptly, the tray forgotten, my cock aching painfully in my pants. I couldn't stay; one more plea, and I'd break.

"Eat if you want," I said coldly, turning toward the door. "Or don't. Your choice. But the torment continues until you confess."

As I slammed the door behind me, her cries followed behind me.

"Elias! Don't leave!"

Naomi's pov :

I woke up to a world that had narrowed to nothing but agony. My body was a furnace, every inch of skin ablaze, but the core of it-the unrelenting fire in my belly-had intensified into something monstrous.

Heat for omegas like me wasn't just desire; it was a biological imperative gone wrong, a storm that demanded an alpha's knot to subside. Without it, the pain built like pressure in a sealed vessel, threatening to explode. And now, with Elias's pheromones lingering in the air from his last visit, it was worse.

So much worse. His scent clung to the room like a cruel tease-smoky cedar and raw power, close enough to tantalize my senses but utterly out of reach. It amplified everything: the throbbing ache between my legs, the slick that wouldn't stop seeping from me, preparing my body for a claiming that wasn't coming.

Omegas were wired to respond to their alphas' presence; it was supposed to soothe, to draw us together. But denied? It turned into torture, like salt in an open wound, making my nerves scream for contact that never came. Every breath I took inhaled more of him, and it felt like invisible hooks pulling at my insides, stretching the pain tauter.

I had no clue how long this heat would drag on. Omegas' cycles were unpredictable beasts-mine especially, after years of dodging them could be three days of this hell, or seven, or more if stress fed it like kindling. The uncertainty gnawed at me, almost as bad as the physical torment.

My hands were still bound tight to the bedposts, ropes chafing my wrists raw, denying me even the smallest mercy of self-touch. I couldn't slip fingers down to my aching pussy, couldn't rub my swollen clit to chase a fleeting release. All I could manage was squeezing my thighs together, clenching hard in a desperate bid for friction. It backfired every time, sending jolts of teasing pleasure-pain that only heightened the emptiness, making more slick gush out in humiliating waves.

The sheets were a drenched disaster beneath me, cold and clammy against my feverish skin, the fabric sticking to my ass and thighs like a second, mocking layer. Tears poured down my cheeks, hot and salty, mixing with the sweat beading on my forehead. Sobs tore from my throat.

Gods, dying would be kinder. Just let the pain swallow me whole, end this endless cycle of need and denial. I'd take oblivion over this any day.

The door swung open with a groan, and my blurred vision snapped toward it. Elias. Even in my delirium, he stole my breath-tall and imposing, his muscular frame clad in a fitted shirt that hugged his chest, his dark hair slightly disheveled as if he'd been pacing. His face was chiseled perfection, high cheekbones and a strong jaw that could make any omega weak.

But those eyes... steel-gray and frigid, like a winter storm with no end. No warmth, no pity. His pheromones crashed over me anew, stronger with his presence, wrapping around me like chains. My body reacted instantly, pussy clenching hard, slick flooding out in a fresh torrent. But he stayed by the door, out of reach, and the denial twisted the knife deeper.

Not getting what I craved from him-my mate, the one fate had bound me to-shattered something inside. He was supposed to be my protector, my relief. Instead, he loomed like the cruel monster everyone warned about alphas: heartless tyrants who reveled in control, breaking omegas for sport. The stories were true. Alphas were beasts, and Elias was the worst of them, toying with my suffering like it amused him. Yet, the heat stripped away my resolve. I couldn't stop the words bubbling up, desperate and broken.

"Elias... please," I whimpered, my voice cracking like brittle glass. "I'll do anything. Anything you ask. Just help me. Make it stop. I can't... I can't take this anymore."

He sauntered closer, each step measured, his boots thudding softly on the floor. That smirk crept onto his lips-not a smile, but a weapon, sharp and derisive. He stopped at the edge of the bed, towering over me, arms crossed as he raked his gaze over my bound, sweat-slicked form. I could see the mockery in his eyes, the way they lingered on the wet sheets, on my trembling thighs.

"Anything, huh?" he drawled, his voice a low, velvety rumble that vibrated through me, stoking the fire even as it teased relief. "Look at you, Naomi. Writhing like a bitch in heat-oh wait, that's exactly what you are. Begging so prettily now. But tell me the truth this time. Do you really have an alpha? Some other knot-head you've been spreading for while plotting against me?"

My mind raced through the fog of pain. Deny it? Tell him the truth-that there'd been no one, that I'd suffered alone all these years? But a desperate thought flickered: What if saying yes made him let me go? Maybe he'd discard me as tainted, shove me out the door to find "my" alpha. Freedom, even if it meant enduring the heat elsewhere. Anything but this cage.

So, I nodded weakly, tears blurring his face. "Y-yes... I do."

The lie hung in the air for a heartbeat. Then, his pheromones shifted spiking with rage, turning from tempting to torturous. It felt like needles pricking my skin, thousands of them, burrowing into every pore. I screamed, the sound ripping from my lungs as the pain amplified tenfold, my body convulsing against the ropes. My pussy throbbed viciously, slick pouring out in response to his dominance, but it was agony now, not preparation.

"Ahh! Elias, no-stop!"

His hand shot out like a viper, fingers wrapping around my throat in a vise grip. Not enough to choke, but enough to pin me down, his thumb pressing into the pulse point where my heart hammered wildly. The contact should have soothed-alpha touch on omega skin but his cold fury made it burn, a mix of relief and torment that left me gasping. His face hovered inches from mine, eyes blazing with icy wrath.

"You lying little slut," he snarled, his breath hot against my cheek. "Again? If you already have an alpha, why deny it the first time? Why spread your legs for me that night, moaning like a whore under me? Not only are you a traitor, feeding secrets to my enemies you're a cheater too. Faithless omega, playing both sides."

I thrashed under his hold, sobs choking me. The pain in my core spiked with his anger, waves crashing through me, making my vision spotty. "No... Elias, please... I didn't-"

"Shut up," he snapped, tightening his grip just enough to make me wheeze. His free hand trailed mockingly down my side, brushing the edge of my breast through the damp shirt, sending unwanted shivers through me. "I was thinking about letting you go after a bit more torment. Let you crawl back to your lover, broken and useless. But now? You've brought this on yourself, Naomi. You'll be caged in this room forever. My pretty little prisoner."

"No!" I cried, the word a wail of despair. Tears flooded my eyes, spilling over as I shook my head frantically. The heat raged on, amplified by his proximity, my body screaming for him even as my mind recoiled from his cruelty. "Please, no... don't..."

He released my throat with a shove, stepping back, but his smirk returned, colder than ever.

"Oh, yes. And I'll make you my sex slave. That's what traitorous omegas like you deserve. Today, I'll relieve this pathetic heat of yours-knot you until you can't think straight. And then? I'll give you more pain. Break you piece by piece until you're begging for my mercy every damn day."

Before I could process, he leaned over and untied my hands with rough tugs, the ropes falling away to reveal angry red welts on my wrists. Freedom-but not really. His hands were on me then, tearing at my clothes with savage efficiency. Fabric ripped under his strength, my shirt shredded, pants yanked down and discarded. He didn't stop until I was completely naked, exposed to the cool air that did nothing to quench the fire inside. My skin pebbled, nipples aching, pussy dripping slick down my thighs in plain view. Humiliation burned in my cheeks, but the heat drowned it out.

"Elias... wait..." I whispered, but he ignored me, scooping me up in his arms like I weighed nothing. His body heat against my bare skin was a torturous tease-relief flickering at the edges of the pain, but his cold demeanor kept it at bay. I whimpered, instinctively nuzzling into his chest, inhaling his scent despite myself.

"Pathetic," he muttered, carrying me to the adjoining bathroom. The tile was cold underfoot as he set me down in the empty bathtub, my legs folding weakly beneath me. I slumped against the porcelain, shivering, slick smearing on the surface. He loomed over me, arms crossed again. "Wash yourself. Clean up that mess between your legs. You reek of desperation."

With that, he turned and strode out, slamming the door behind him. I heard his voice in the outer room, barking orders: "Change the sheets now. And get my assistant in here with the contract. Make it quick."

Alone in the tub, I curled into myself, sobs echoing off the walls. The pain lingered, a dull roar now that his pheromones had faded slightly, but the promise of "relief" twisted with dread.

What contract? What more pain?