Page 44 of The Violence of Love (The Black Market Omega #2)

Charlie

I wake to pain.

A deep, twisting, gut-wrenching cramp that punches the air right out of me. I curl onto my side, drenched in sweat. Every inch of me is on fire. My shirt feels like it’s made of sandpaper—too rough and tight, clinging to my skin like it's trying to peel me alive.

“Shit…” I rasp, then try to sit up. I reach for the little clock on my bedside table, trying to see what time it is, but the room spins violently, and my stomach lurches.

I’m gonna throw up.

Frantic, I manage to swing my legs out of bed, but the second I shift my weight, everything gives out. My knees buckle and I go down hard—face-first onto the floor with a painful thud. Cold wood slams against my cheek, but I don’t even try to move.

I’m too hot.

The shirt has to go .

I claw at the buttons, my fingers trembling as I rip them open. A couple pop loose, skittering across the floor. I don’t care. I need this off of me.

And then it hits—something worse than before. A wave of pressure in my core, sharp and blinding, like my body’s cracking open from the inside out. A vicious scream tears out of me before I can stop it. It’s raw. Loud. Desperate.

Footsteps barrel through the hallway, and a second later, my bedroom door slams open so hard it bounces off the wall.

Oli ?

He’s shadow and muscle in the dim light—standing in the doorway in nothing but a pair of dark briefs, chest bare, skin glistening like he’d been pulled straight from sleep. His hair’s a mess. His eyes are wild. And his dick…

Thick alpha cock pushes hard at the front of his briefs, a wet spot already forming at the front.

I must have woken him up from a dirty dream with my scream.

Scared, I curl into myself, not sure if I want him to find me or not. His dark eyes dart around the room, and when he sees me on the floor, everything in him shifts .

His whole body locks tight.

I see the flare of his nostrils. The twitch in his jaw. His hands curl into fists at his sides as his gaze roams over me like a weapon—like he’s trying to figure out where the danger is and how fast he can kill it.

But there is no danger.

It’s only me and the deep-rooted pain threatening to rip me in two.

“Uh….Oli…” I choke out, barely able to speak.

“Beta?” His voice is tight with concern. “Are you okay? ”

I’m not okay. My stomach feels like it’s shredding apart, my lower back is in twisted knots, and my cock is rock hard. What the actual fuck?

“What do you need?” He steps closer, slow but deliberate. His nostrils flare as he scents the room, and the air around him suddenly changes. His eyes flash and he bares his teeth.

My fear takes on a new meaning and I’m no longer worried about my pain. It’s the alpha looming over me with hard eyes and curled fists that makes me want to scream.

He looks possessed. Furious. Feral .

What did I do?

“Charlie,” Oli growls my name as he slowly stalks toward me. Every step he takes makes my pulse spike, but I don’t move. I can’t. My body is rooted to the floor, even though my instincts are screaming at me to run.

“Oli,” I mumble his name, trying to breathe through the pain. “Will you go get Rhett?” I try to push myself up, but my arms give out when he creeps closer, completely ignoring my request. “Please,” I whimper loudly. My own voice barely sounds like me.

Oli stops in front of me, too close, his big body towering over mine.

What's wrong with him? And why is he looking at me like that?

Desperate, I pull in a deep breath of his thick scent, trying to figure out what’s going on. But it’s not the usual minty aroma I’ve grown to like. It’s rough and thick, curling around my ribs, making it hard to breathe.

I have to get out of here.

“Puh—please.” I kick out, trying to inch away from the alpha. “I need Rhett,” I beg, and my shoulder bumps into a wall. I’m trapped .

Oli crouches down with careful, deliberate movements. It’s like he doesn’t want to scare me. But it’s too late. I’m already scared shitless.

“Little one,” Oli rumbles, his voice low—too low—and almost gentle, but my instincts are screaming that it’s a trap.

“Get—get Rhett.”

“There’s no need to be scared,” Oli purrs, but the deep rumble only makes the sharp pain in my belly worse. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

But my heart pounds harder, as fear twists into a full-blown panic. Because it doesn’t matter what Oli says. He’s still an alpha.

And right now, he sounds like one.

“I’m going to give you what you need,” Oli rumbles, and my eyes go wide.

“What does that mean?” I swallow hard, but my throat’s dry.

“It means that your alpha’s here,” he whispers, then reaches out, channeling his fingers through my sweaty hair. It feels good, but for some reason, that just makes him seem even more dangerous.

“No,” I grit out, chest heaving. “You’re not…Rhett…Please,” I pant through the searing pain. “Go get Rhett.”

“Oh no,” Oli whispers, his canines flashing in the dim light. “You’re mine .”

Before I can say another word, big hands curl under my arms, and I’m lifted. Oli’s hand finds my waist, firm and unrelenting, and then—he moves. One step forward, and suddenly my back hits the wall with a solid thud .

Looming over me, Oli’s eyes darken, and my breath catches in my throat. He presses in close, his bare chest against mine. And with that simple touch, all my instincts scream and settle all at once .

Oli braces one hand beside my head, the other still wrapped around my hip. The wall is cold against my sweaty back, but Oli isn’t. He’s hot—heat rolling off him in waves—and I feel it like a brand wherever our bodies touch.

Deep down, I know he'd never hurt me. Oli is good. Steady. Gentle, even with his towering presence and tightly leashed strength, he’s holding me so carefully. Kind of. But he’s an alpha. And right now, every inch of him feels like it.

“Get—get,” I clench my teeth as my stomach spasms. “Get Rhett or Myrick.” I force the words from my throat. “Please. I need a doctor.”

“ Mine ,” he growls low and slowly as he leans in, completely ignoring my pleas.

My abs clench as Oli growls loudly, pushing his nose against my throat.

My cock throbs, painful and raw. Holding my breath, I wait for the alpha to speak or move, but he doesn’t say anything.

He just breathes. Deep and rumbling, right against the side of my neck, pulling in my scent like he needs it.

He’s definitely scaring me.

“So good,” he growls.

And then something inside my stomach snaps. My legs shake as pain erupts from my gut, and my body opens. Hot fluid pours from my ass, covering my legs and feet.

Shock grips me and my knees nearly give out.

“What’s happening to me?” My voice is high-pitched and my hands are shaking. “Oh god!” I get out a strangled cry as more fluid gushes. It’s searing hot, soaking my boxers and trickling down the inside of my legs. Is it blood? Am I dying?

“Fuck, you smell good.” Oli inhales deeply again, right against the hollow of my throat.

I feel the air hitch in his chest. “So damn sweet .” His nose brushes the curve of my neck, then he licks me.

“You taste like sweet bread,” he growls, and I swear I feel his lips curl into the smallest smile against my skin.

“Fresh from the oven. Dripping with honey.”

“Please, st-stop.” I stammer, feeling so small and helpless. Wracked with pain and pouring sweat. “I need….ngghh!” A strangled noise rips from my throat when the ache in my belly explodes. I feel like my guts are being ripped out while my cock is being strangled.

Everything hurts. It burns and sizzles, my very being falling apart, and Oli is oblivious to it all. He’s just….calm. Restrained as his tongue laps at my wet skin.

“Don’t cry, little one.” He lifts his head and cups my cheek. His wide eyes dart all over my face, wild and possessive. “I’m going to take care of you, omega.”

Omega?

The words hit me like a punch to the gut, but I force myself to focus through the pain.

“What? No!” I shove at Oli’s chest as panic rises in my throat, but he doesn’t move. In fact, he pushes in closer, pressing his hard cock against my groin. “No!” I slam my fist against his unyielding body. “I’m not! I’m not an omega. I’m a beta!”

I have to be.

I’ve always been a beta.

Balanced. Neutral. Safe.

But Oli stays firmly planted. He looks at me with an almost tranquil look on his face. He’s unshaken in a way that scares me more than anything else.

“It’s okay,” he whispers. He doesn’t argue. Doesn’t insist .

He just breathes.

And I can smell it now— me —in the air between us. Sweet and thick and unmistakable.

Slick .

Oh, god.

My knees give out as the truth punches through my chest. Oli’s strong hand grips my waist, holding me up and pulling me tighter against his monstrous body.

“No!” I yell, both devastated and terrified at the same time. “I don’t….” My voice cracks right down the middle. “I don’t want this.”

Oli’s hand moves—not to hold me still, not to dominate, but to steady. Warm and solid on the back of my neck. “I know,” he says gently. “I know. But you aren’t alone, omega. I’ve got you.”

His kind words and restrained movements break something in me.

And I begin to cry.

My sudden sobs wrack my body violently, squeezing my throat tight. My chest caves in with the weight of it, and I press my fists against my face, trying to keep quiet. But it’s just too much.

“I don’t want to be an omega,” I choke out the words, wet and pitiful. “I don’t want this.”

The tears come harder after that. Sobbing, breathless, shameful.

Oli doesn’t say anything. He simply stands there, his thick cock pressed against my body and his trembling hands on the back of my neck. His warmth is solid and almost comforting while my world falls to pieces.

Because I know what people think of male omegas, and how useless everyone sees them.

Male omegas are rare, but not in the way that makes people want to protect them. They’re rare in a way that makes people look at them like they’re defective. Like they’re something to be disposed of or hidden.

Just like the male omegas at the boarding house. The ones that no one wanted. The ones we couldn’t sell.

And I’m sure Rhett and Myrick will think the same. They won’t want me. Especially Autry. Omegas are territorial. They don’t share their alphas or betas. In fact, placing more than one in a pack can result in both omegas rejecting the whole group.

My life with this family hasn’t really started yet, and now it’s over.

It’s over .

And then?—

Oli moves.

His arms come around me, strong and certain, and before I can process what’s happening, he lifts me off my feet and places me on my bed. I make a raw, startled sound, but I don’t fight him. I can’t. It’s like my body won’t work properly.

“Puh—please,” I mumble, even though his presence is making the fierce ache in my belly ease. “Don’t,” I sob when Oli tugs my boxers down my legs.

But he ignores me, forcing my legs over my head as he settles between my legs.

Turning my head to one side, I stare at the shadows cast against the wall. My legs are sticking up in a lude position, my feet swaying slightly as Oli touches my body. His fingers graze my privates, his touch feather light.

I’m so wet, and hot, and scared.

He tests my ass, dipping a single fingertip inside me over and over. I scrunch my face up, disgusted by what’s happening to me .

Through the fog of pain and shock, my logical mind tells me that this is the only way to make the pain stop. If I really am an omega, then having Oli here will help.

But I’m just so scared.

He’s so big. So unhinged.

He’s going to rip me in two.