Omega Bound Chapter 258

Ayla

My stomach twisted into knots, cold dread pooling in my chest as his words sank in. My own pup… and he was talking about taking it, using it as if it were some object to control. I felt like the air had been sucked out of the room, my mind struggling to form the thought fully, to even comprehend that someone could be so cruel. My hands clenched over my belly, over the tiny life growing inside me, as disbelief, fear, and rage tangled together in a storm I wasn’t sure I could calm.

I watched my real father scramble against the glass, trembling, his eyes wide. “Ayla… please,” he rasped, voice breaking, “tell me it’s not true! Tell me you weren’t in that… that ring… don’t let it be true!” His hands shook as they pressed against the barrier, as if he could pull the truth back from me with sheer force. I wanted to scream at him that it wasn’t real, to give him that sliver of hope, but I couldn’t. I had seen it all. I had lived it all. And saying anything else would be a lie he didn’t deserve.

“You really thought you could believe anything he said? He is involved in sex trafficking.” I shake my head in denial, trying to remain calm. I am aware that I am not really upset with my real father, but I don’t understand why he would believe Nikolai either. I’m a mix of emotions right now, and honestly, I’m trying to process that I don’t know the father in the cell next to me..

“Ayla… do you know what it felt like?” he whispered, eyes hollow with pain. “When Nikolai killed your mother and sister, he didn’t just take them from me… he severed the mating bond, ripped apart the family line of your sister. I felt it....every shred of it....like a blade through my chest, and I was trapped here, in this cell, unable to stop him, unable to protect any of you. Every heartbeat reminded me of my failure, every breath a reminder that I couldn’t keep my family safe.” He swallowed hard, tears glinting in his eyes. “And the worst part… what I thought was the worst part, Ayla, was knowing that you had to survive all of it alone with a fake father..that I doubted showed you any love..” He sighs loudly as he flops on the cot, slumping against the glass wall. “I agreed to it because you were all I had left, and I was willing to agree to anything that I thought would keep you safe. I thought he offered it to me because you were all I had. In reality, I had run out of escape plans anyway.”

“It’s not my fault,” I said softly, “It’s not your fault that Nikolai killed our family, that he took me and put me in that ring. You did what you could—you hid us, protected us as best you could in the time you had. That was the right thing, even if it wasn’t enough. None of this is on you. None of it.” My chest ached as I spoke, but I needed him to know, needed him to release the guilt that was eating him alive.

“Dad… how?” I asked, more confusion setting in. “How did Mom not know? She didn’t… she didn’t realize her mate was swapped? She didn’t see through it?”

“You know that she knew. You would know right away if your mate were swapped. He either threatened your lives or she was buying her time to run and couldn’t. We won’t ever know.” Mikhail hangs his head low, running his fingers through his white hair. “How long did he keep you in the ring for, Ayla?”

“Don’t ask questions you don’t really want the answer to.” His lips tremble as he nods his head in agreement. If he looked terrible before, he looks completely shattered now. “I want you to know I’m okay,” I started softly, trying to thread hope through the fear and guilt that weighed on him.

“I met someone… his name is Thane. He’s my mate. He found me, rescued me from that nightmare, from the ring, and… I’m not alone anymore. I live with him and his pack now, Midnight Pack. They’ve become my family, and… I’m their Luna.” My voice caught on the word, but I pressed forward, needing him to see that some good had grown from the darkness.

“And… you wouldn’t believe some of the things I’ve seen,” I continued, letting a small, tired smile creep across my face. I fill him in on my complete life in the pack. It is interesting to see his emotions and reactions to the stories and life-altering events as I fill him in.

“You just pulled her heart out, just like that?” He asked in disbelief, “I think our white wolves are different...” Mikhail laughed softly. Maybe our gift reflects our wolf’s personality.

I start explaining the inner circle and the vast differences in personalities that make up our little family we created. “Cyrus… he’s completely unhinged. The two of them are totally chaotic together, but… funny in their own way. Raven is actually from Stevens’ pack.” I leave out the part that she has his stolen DNA mutated gifting. “Cyrus calls her Fireball because of her flaming red hair that matches her personality.”

“Just like your mother, you two could be related,” Mikhail says, and I furrow my brows at him in confusion.

“What? Mom’s hair wasn’t red, it was dark brown, and I don’t want to hear that she has a twin.” The words felt so small compared to everything else swirling around us

“No, it was red. She dyed it dark brown because she hated standing out as the only redhead in the pack. She was pretty quiet unless pushed, though. I missed her red hair.”

“Wow. Well, secret hair is better than secret twin.” I smile, looking around. “Was I here when they took you?” I start to wonder how long I have been here. Maybe it will help me get a concept of time.

“No.”

“How long do your...whatever they do to you last?”

“I’ve guessed around four hours. They gas me and knock me out to take me. Then I guess from when I wake up. I really don’t know.”

“How do they gas you?” I look around at the glass walls for a possible source and a damn toilet. No, I am not peeing in front of my old slash new father.

“Through the vents.” He points his finger up, and I let my gaze follow. Wonderful.

We sit in awkward silence for a while. “I want you to realize that I’ve survived everything. I’ve fought, I’ve shifted, I’ve made it through, and I’m stronger than I thought. You don’t need to carry all the guilt from before. I’m still here. I’m still alive. And I… I want you to hold onto that with me.”

I let the words hang in the air, hoping he could feel some of the strength and love I had found, even through the glass that separated us. I wanted him to know he hadn’t failed me. I’m not sure where we go moving forward, but we have to find a way to do that. “Let me tell you about my mate and my gifting, and you can tell me how I get a bathroom.”