CHAPTER 32: CHAPTER 32

When I woke up in the morning, the room was quiet. I rubbed my eyes and looked around, confused at first. The bed beside me was empty. Alpha Zack was gone. For a moment I just sat there, frozen, my heart racing. I had gotten so used to his heavy presence that the silence felt strange, wrong. But then I noticed something else that made me stop breathing.

I wasn’t lying on the cold sheet anymore. A blanket covered me, tucked around my shoulders. I blinked and touched it slowly, almost afraid. He had covered me before leaving.

The crazy psycho who frightened me every single day. The man everyone whispered about as if he were not entirely sane. He had stopped, looked at me sleeping, and placed a blanket over me. This is a miracle. I clutched the fabric tighter against my chest. It smelled faintly of him sharp pine, woodsmoke, and something darker I could never name. The scent made my stomach twist with nerves. Could he really be this gentle? Even for a moment?

I shook my head quickly. No no no, I couldn’t trust that. He was not a kind man. Kindness from him was dangerous. It would only confuse me, break down the little wall I had built to survive around him. I tried to lie back down, telling myself I would rest a little longer. My eyes were already heavy. That was when I heard it.

"Inner voice: Don’t sleep.

I bolted upright. My eyes darted around the empty room. Nobody was there. The voice wasn’t spoken aloud. It came from inside me, crawling through my skull.

"Oh God not again. It’s

Alpha Zack’s inner voice. My throat went dry.

"Inner voice: Don’t close your eyes, little omega. Don’t ever think you’re safe when I’m not here. I pressed my hands over my ears even though it made no difference. His voice didn’t come from outside. It was inside my head, threading through my thoughts like a whisper only I could hear. Oh God please take my life right now.

"Inner voice: You thought I was gone? No, Ellie. I never leave you. I am always here. Always watching. Always in your head.

My chest rose and fell too fast. Panic clawed up my throat. I stumbled from the bed, dragging the blanket with me like it was a shield. This psycho will definitely drive me mad one way or the other. His voice gave a low laugh, cruel and sharp. You belong to me. You’re mine to watch. Mine to command. You’ll never escape me not even in your own mind. My knees buckled. I dropped to the floor, shaking, pressing the blanket tight against me as though I could bury myself inside it. But his inner voice didn’t stop.

"Did you like the blanket?

I froze. You smiled when you woke. I saw it. You liked what I did. Didn’t you?

Tears pricked my eyes. Had I really smiled? Just a little? I hadn’t even realized. And if I had did that mean he had been here, watching me, when I opened my eyes?

"No," I whispered. "No, A-A-Alpha I didn’t..."

"Liar. The word cracked like thunder in my head. I flinched violently, curling tighter.

"You like the things I do for you. Even if you hate me, you like it too. You’re already mine, silly toad. Afraid of me, trembling for me, waiting for me. You can’t run from that.

I shook my head until I felt dizzy. Oh God please make this psycho to stop talking. But the voice only grew softer, almost intimate.

"Inner voice: You looked so small under the blanket. Fragile. Breakable. Do you know what that does to me?

My heart hammered so hard it hurt. This crazy psycho was really watching me as I sleep?

"Inner voice: It makes me want to protect you... and it makes me want to destroy you. Both at once. You understand now, don’t you, little omega? No! My personal omega. Hehehe

I bit my lip until I tasted blood, my tears spilling freely now. I didn’t want to understand. I didn’t want to know the war that lived inside him. Then

The door opened. I froze in place, trembling, clutching the blanket tighter. He was there. Alpha Psycho. He stood in the doorway, tall and broad, his shadow falling across the floor. His dark hair was still damp, his shirt clinging to him as though he had just returned from training or something far worse. His eyes locked on me instantly. I couldn’t move. He stepped inside, shutting the door behind him with a heavy sound that echoed in my chest. For a long moment, we just stared at each other. His gaze roamed over me the blanket in my hands, the tears on my cheeks, the way I was crouched on the floor like a frightened child. Then, to my horror, he smiled. It wasn’t a warm smile. It wasn’t even cruel. It was empty, like a mask carved onto his face.

"Did you hear me?" he asked softly, his voice low and smooth.

My lips parted, but no words came out. He tilted his head, watching me.

He walked closer, each step slow, deliberate, the floor creaking faintly beneath his weight. The air thickened with his scent until it was hard to breathe. I pressed back against the bed, trying to disappear into the wood. He crouched in front of me, so close I could see the silver flecks in his dark eyes. He lifted a hand and brushed a strand of hair from my damp cheek. I froze like stone.

"Don’t look so scared," he whispered. "I’m not going to hurt you."

The words sounded soft, almost gentle but I knew better. His gentleness was sharper than knives. His fingers brushed the edge of the blanket I clung to. He tugged it lightly, studying me.

"You liked this, didn’t you?"

I opened my mouth, but no sound came. He leaned closer, his lips almost brushing my ear.

"Good," he murmured. "Because I will do more than this. And one day, you’ll learn to like that too."

Wait what? Crazy psycho. A shiver raced through me so violent it nearly broke me. His hand lingered on my cheek for one unbearable moment longer, then he rose, towering above me again.

"Get up," he ordered. "You will stay by my side today."

My stomach dropped. My whole body screamed to resist, but I couldn’t. His command was law. Slowly, I stood, my legs weak beneath me. He turned and walked to the door, not looking back, because he knew I would follow. I always had to follow.

And as I took a trembling step after him, his voice whispered again inside my skull soft, dark, and endless:

"Inner voice: You will never escape me, little omega. Never.

"Crazy bastard. I murmured to myself.

When Alpha Zack told me to stay by his side, I didn’t dare hesitate. My legs felt like they were made of glass as I followed him through the door. The hall outside was quiet except for the sound of his heavy boots striking the floor. I walked just a step behind him, clutching the blanket around me until I realized it looked too strange and quickly dropped it onto a chair we passed. I thought maybe if I kept my head low and my steps light, the day might pass without incident. But I was wrong.

Inner voice: Pathetic mutts. Look at them scurrying like rats.

My eyes flicked up in shock. Two pack members were walking down the corridor toward us. They bowed quickly, their eyes dropping to the floor as soon as they saw the Alpha.

"Inner voice: Bend lower, the voice hissed inside my skull. Bend until your necks snap. Maybe then you’ll be useful for something. I stiffened, my heart hammering. My eyes darted to the crazy psycho. but his face was calm, unreadable. Only I heard it. Only I was trapped inside this madness. The two wolves walked past us, their heads down, not daring to meet his gaze.

"Inner voice: Cowards, If I cut their tongues out, would anyone notice? They barely use them anyway.

My breath caught in my throat. I tried to walk faster, to get away from the shadows of his words, but I couldn’t.

We turned another corner. A young omega girl was carrying a basket of laundry, struggling with the weight. She gasped when she saw Zack, bowing so fast she nearly dropped everything.

"Inner voice: Clumsy little rat, the voice sneered. Look at her trembling. I could crush her with one hand, and she knows it. She should thank me for sparing her worthless life.

I bit my lip so hard it hurt. The girl scurried away, nearly tripping over herself. I wanted to scream at her to run faster, to get away before he decided to act on the thoughts I was hearing.

But the psycho Alpha just kept walking. Calm. Silent.

It was worse this way. Because I couldn’t tell what belonged to his mouth and what belonged to his mind.

Another warrior passed us, tall and broad-shouldered. He bowed respectfully.

"Inner voice: Weak, the inner voice said instantly. Too slow. Too stupid. I could rip his arms off before he even blinked. He knows it. That’s why his eyes never look up.

I swallowed hard, my palms sweating. Every person we passed was ripped apart by his thoughts. Every bow, every glance, every breath they were all weapons for his stupid inner voice.

And I was the only one who had to hear it. My badluck.

I must have flinched at one point, because the crazy Alpha’s real voice broke the silence.

"You’re shaking," he said.

I kept my head down. "I’m not."

"You are," he replied simply.

I didn’t dare answer.

"Inner voice: Lie to me again, little omega, his inner voice whispered, curling cruelly inside my skull. And I’ll make you regret it.

I nearly stumbled. My heart was beating too fast. We passed the training grounds, where a group of young wolves were sparring under the watch of an older warrior. Their movements stopped when they noticed Zack approaching. All of them lowered their eyes, still breathing hard from practice.

"Inner voice: Pathetic puppies, the voice laughed darkly. Their claws are dull, their bites weak. If I sent them to battle, they’d be corpses in minutes. Look at them shaking. They train for me, yet they can’t even look me in the eye.

I felt my stomach twist. The young wolves bent so low their foreheads almost touched the dirt.

"Inner voice: I should burn this whole pack to ash. Then I’d be free of their stink.

The words made my throat close. I wanted to scream. But I couldn’t. Because he would hear me. The psycho never said anything aloud. He just kept walking, tall and terrifying, his face calm while his mind poured poison into mine. And then, suddenly, the inner voice turned its attention to me.

"Inner voice: Do you see how they cower, Ellie? That’s how you should be. Every second. On your knees, bowing so low you forget how to stand. That’s where you belong.

I gripped my hands together so tightly my nails dug into my palms. My head lowered even more.

Good, the voice purred. At least you know your place.

I thought the walk would never end. Every corner brought more pack members, more bows, more vicious words whispered straight into my skull. My mind was dizzy with them. I didn’t know how I was still standing. Finally, he stopped walking. We were in the kitchen. The room was large, filled with polished counters, cabinets, and the faint smell of fresh bread. A few omegas were bustling about, preparing breakfast, but when Zack entered, everything stopped. The air went still. Everyone bowed, their heads low. My heart hammered painfully.

Inner voice: Rats he hissed immediately. Cooking scraps, crawling like vermin. Look at their hands shaking so badly they might poison me by accident.

I clenched my jaw, trying not to react. His voice cut through the silence. Calm. Even. Dangerous.

"Leave."

The omegas scattered instantly, abandoning bowls, pans, and knives where they were. Within seconds, the kitchen was empty except for us. The silence was so heavy it made my skin prickle and turned his head slightly, his eyes sliding to me.

"Cook for me," he said.

My heart dropped into my stomach. "M-me?"

His gaze sharpened. "Do you see anyone else here?"

I swallowed hard. My hands felt cold.

"W-what do you want to eat? I asked my voice shaking.

"Try," he interrupted flatly.

Inner voice: I want to see what the toad will cook today. Yes make her cook. Make her sweat, make her burn her hands. I want to see her tremble while she wonders if I’ll eat or throw the pan at her head.

I took a shaky breath and moved toward the counter. My legs felt like they would give out, but I forced them to carry me.