"Hey, look! It crawled out for a breath of air."
A wooden sword thudded into the mud at my feet with a dull sound. I froze, not lifting my head. The gray hem of my dress instantly soaked up the icy moisture from the wet grass. A guard breathed heavily nearby, his armor clanking unpleasantly with every movement.
"Rein, leave it. We still have three rounds of sparring left."
"Shut up, Tom. When else are you going to see such a marvel up close?"
I could see only their feet—rough leather boots splattered with mud. The group of teenagers reeked of a sharp, "green" scent: a mixture of sweat, young pine needles, and something acrid, immature. The smell clogged my nostrils, triggering a tremor that hadn't subsided since the night in the Alpha's chambers.
"Look up," Rein said, stepping forward to block my path. "I want to see if the Alpha burned out what's left of your brains."
I clenched my fingers tighter, feeling my nails dig into my palms. The bandage around my neck felt like a red-hot iron hoop. Every movement of my head echoed with a sharp pain in my raw skin.
"Get out of the way."
"Oh, it knows how to bark?" Rein turned to the others, seeking support. "Did you hear that? The collared Omega found her voice."
"She has a name," Jake's voice sounded soft, almost indistinguishable.
"A name?" Rein spat to the side. "Things don't have names. They only have inventory numbers. Look at her. Shaking like a beaten bitch. Does Cale not feed her at all? Or does he use her for other purposes?"
"Enough," Tom stepped forward. His shadow fell over me. "The Master will be back in five minutes. If he sees we've abandoned our stances…"
"To hell with the Master. Look at how she's cowering. Hey, you!"
The tip of the training sword lifted my chin. I was forced to look up. Rein's face breathed malice—juvenile, baseless malice, born of a desire to seem stronger through someone else's humiliation.
"Why are you silent? Tell us, what's it like licking the Alpha's boots?"
"Rein, stop it!" Tom grabbed him by the shoulder. "You're crossing the line."
"Oh, come on, Tommy. You see it yourself—she's empty. There's less wolf in her than in my old shoes. Cale just keeps her as a reminder to us all."
"Of what?" I breathed the words out before I could think.
Rein bared his teeth. His eyes flashed yellow for a moment—still unstable, wild.
"Of what happens to those who have no value. You're trash, Alina. A blood error. You should have died as a pup, but now you're hanging around here, shaming the pack with your presence. An Omega on a chain. A pathetic sight."
"Step away from the Alpha's ward," the guard said lazily, resting a hand on his sword hilt. "I don't need trouble with Cale because of your chatter."
"Who would even want her?" Rein took a step back, but triumph radiated from his posture. "Look at her, Jake. Is this what you were so afraid of? She's a nobody."
Jake stood a little further off, hiding his gaze. His fingers nervously toyed with the ties on his jacket. When our eyes met for a split second, I saw not hatred, but a sticky, sickening fear. He was afraid of ending up in my place. He pitied me the way one pities a condemned man, glad that the noose hadn't tightened around his own neck.
"Back to the circle," Tom practically shoved Rein aside. "Now."
He held my gaze longer than necessary. There was no pity in his eyes—only a cold, calculated protest. He hated what he saw, but not because of me. He hated the system that allowed Rein to act this way.
"Go," he muttered to me, barely audible. "Before Cale decides you're having too much fun here."
I tried to take a breath, but the air in the garden, smelling of rotting leaves and rain, suddenly became as thick as resin. My heart skipped a beat.
The mark on my neck flared. It wasn't a normal burning sensation—it was an electric shock passing through my entire spine.
"Ah..." I pressed my palm to the bandage, feeling the skin beneath it turn to coal.
"What's wrong with her?" Jake took a step toward me, but Tom held him back by the elbow.
"Don't touch her."
My chest was crushed by an invisible steel cable. The pain was so intense that black spots swam before my eyes. It was the Call. Sudden, commanding, brooking not a second of delay. Cale.
I saw his face in my mind—cold eyes, clenched jaws. An impulse of rage and demand surged through the bond, knocking the air from my lungs. 'To me. Right now.'
"Is she dying?" Rein backed away, his arrogance washed away by an instant fear of the Alpha's magic.
I doubled over, clutching my heart. It felt as if someone had threaded a hook through my ribs and was now pulling me back to the castle with force.
"The Master is calling," the guard grunted, grabbing my elbow to keep me from falling into the mud. "He missed you quickly."
"Let go..." I squeezed the words through gritted teeth.
"Can you make it yourself, or do I have to drag you? Actually, no—the Alpha doesn't like it when his toys are brought to him in a state of disrepair. Move it!"
The pain in my chest became unbearable. Every meter separating me from Cale echoed with agony. My will, my pride, my desire to simply stand under the open sky—all of it was trampled by a single pull of the bond.
I turned and, stumbling over tree roots, almost ran toward the gray walls of the castle.
"Look at her run!" Rein's laughter drifted from behind. "Right at the master's whistle! A real bitch!"
"Shut up, Rein," Tom's voice faded quickly. "Just shut up."
I didn't look back. Mud splattered onto the hem of my dress and the cold wind stung my face, but I felt only one thing—the tightening thread in my chest. It sliced through my flesh, forcing my legs to move faster, ignoring the weakness and nausea.
The guard could barely keep up with me, his heavy steps clattering on the stones of the path.
"Not so fast, girl! Where are you... Damn."
We burst into the cool gloom of the vestibule. The scent of freedom—damp, forest-like, alive—was instantly replaced by the heavy aroma of the castle: old stone, bitter wax, and the thick, suffocating scent of Cale that permeated every brick here.
The bond pulsed in time with my panicked heart. The pain began to subside only when I stepped onto the stairs leading to his chambers.
I hated every step. I hated my obedient legs. I hated the way my body slavishly responded to his call, robbing me of even the illusion of control.
At the door to his study, I stopped, trying to steady my breathing. My hands were shaking so violently that I couldn't grasp the handle.
"Come in," his voice came through the oak door, low and vibrating. "I don't like to wait."
I pushed the door open. Cale was standing by the window, hands clasped behind his back. The light of the overcast day emphasized the sharp lines of his profile. The room smelled of ozone and burnt wood—his anger was almost tangible.
"You are three minutes late, Alina."
He didn't turn around, but I felt the bond tighten again, forcing me to take a step toward him, directly into the epicenter of his heavy, crushing aura. The cage snapped shut. The garden remained somewhere in another life.