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The thick, metal, industrial door creaks open and an angry beta with dark, slicked-back hair comes in. I smell the choking fake alpha pheromones on him from across the room as if he pumps whatever serums that’re made to mimic alphas into his veins.

“Get up,” He snarls. “Time to go piss.”

I stand, giving Willow a nod to follow. He walks us through the halls of whatever warehouse they’re keeping us at and to the bathroom and stands at the open door, sneering at the two of us.

“Do you have to go?” I whisper to Willow.

She nods, nervously glancing at the beta at the door.

“He’s not going to leave,” I sigh.

I do stand in front of the toilet, turning my back to Willow and doing my best to block his view of her. I cross my arms across my chest and stare him down. The beta who seems to so desperately want to be an alpha doesn’t say anything, but he does bare his yellow teeth at me, so that’s something.

Once she’s done, she quickly washes her hands at the sink before shuffling back to me, wincing as her sneakers squeak on the linoleum floor. When I make my move to use the toilet too, she stands where I stood for her, though she faces towards me and just looks up at the ceiling.

For some reason, my mind hooks on that. I know our lives have both been so incredibly different. She’s told me all about what she’s been studying and her cute little dog, but still. It doesn’t hit me until then how different our lives have been.

I’d never turn my back on anyone that could be a threat. Ever.

I know from experience what that can get you and I don’t want to repeat that experience.

“Thanks,” I say to Willow when the guard takes us back to our makeshift cell, which I’m pretty sure is an old storage room.

Even though this particular guard has made it a point to watch me every time he’s come to take me for my bathroom break, I still appreciate her kindness.

“No, thank you,” she says, picking at the cuticle of her thumb. “Do—do they do that all the time?”

“Not all the time, but that guy’s a fucking creep. The others let you close the door but there’s no lock and they bang on it if you take too long.

“Oh,” she says.

I almost desperately want to tell her everything will be okay, say something to take the tension away from her shoulders. But I know I can’t. It would probably be crueler to give her hope when there probably is none.

We only get to choke down one shitty meal together before they come for her.

I know something’s not right when I hear a lot more footsteps than normal. When the door opens, there are two hulking alphas surrounding a man in an all too fancy, grey, three-piece suit with snow-white hair. I don’t think I’ve seen eyes that dark. I’m not one for poetics, but it looks like evil lives in his eyes.

He nods down to Willow, who’s curled up in the corner behind me.

“Take the blonde one for transport,” Suitman says.

I press my hand against Willows and can feel her trembling. She squeezes my hand almost desperately. A desperation I’m familiar with.

I’m not just going to let them take her without a fight. I won’t let her feel like no one will fight for her before she’s taken away. Even though this stupid ass plan is doomed for failure, I won’t let her feel like she’s not worth fighting for. Maybe it’ll give her the strength to get through whatever bullshit life is going to put her through since life seems to have it out for us omegas right now.

I hiss at the alpha that moves forward to grab at Willow. He stops for a second as if he’s surprised that I’m fighting him, but he still moves forward.

I lunge forward and aim a strike at his throat, managing to hit it with my open palm. He stumbles backwards coughing.

The other alpha goon lunges forward, grabbing me from behind as I claw at the air, kicking and screaming. He wraps his arm around my neck and locks my arms behind me pretty easily, but not before I manage to slam an elbow into his ribs.

Suitman steps in front of me, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Shut up,” He barks, his dominance hitting me like a brick and making me freeze. My throat muscles lock, unable to make any noise with the hold his bark has over me.

I hate my body so much in moments like these. If my body doesn’t even belong to me then what good is having one in the first place?

“Let me go!” Willow cries as she’s dragged up from the floor by the other alpha. Tears stream down her face and the fear on her expression breaks my heart. “Let me go!”