Penny POV
The Binding Chambers reek of fear.I've been here before. Not for breeding selection, but for my execution. The same stone altar where I'll die in three years. The same chains hanging from the walls. The same feeling of being trapped with no escape.
"Omega Penny." Luna Zoraya's voice cuts through my memories. "Step forward."
She stands beside the altar, her silver-streaked hair gleaming in the torchlight. Five other Omegas huddle against the far wall, their scents sharp with terror. I recognize two of them, they'll be dead within the month.
"Yes, Luna." I say as I keep my voice steady as I approach.
"The breeding program requires careful selection," she continues. "We need Omegas who can produce strong offspring and serve the pack's needs. You've been chosen for special consideration."
The three Alphas emerge from the shadows like wolves stalking their prey. Lycen steps forward first, his ceremonial blade gleaming at his side. "Remove your outer clothes."
My hands shake as I untie the rough hemp dress. The System interface flickers with warnings.
STRESS LEVELS: MAXIMUMConverting trauma to power cache+15 Power Points earnedBlood Moon Protocol standing by
"Interesting," Lycen murmurs as he circles me. "No recent mating marks. No signs of abuse beyond the usual pack discipline."
His clinical assessment makes my skin crawl. I want to tell him about the scars he'll give me, the nights I'll spend chained in the dungeons, the betrayal that will break what's left of my spirit.
"Her scent is... unusual," Ashen says, moving closer. His golden eyes are curious rather than predatory. "There's something different about her."
"Different how?" Kael joins them, his green eyes scanning my body like I'm a piece of property. "She looks like any other Omega to me."
"No," Lycen says quietly. "She's not."
He stops directly in front of me, so close I can smell the leather and steel that clings to his skin. "Look at me."
I meet his gray eyes without flinching. The same stare that held mine as the blade fell.
"Most Omegas would have been submitted by now," he observes. "But you're not most Omegas, are you?"
"I'm whatever you need me to be, Alpha."
Something flickers in his expression. "What I need..." He trails off, then shakes his head. "Show me your wolf."
My blood turns to ice. "I'm sorry?"
"Shift. I want to see your wolf form."
The System screams warnings.
CRITICAL ERRORWolf form displays System modificationsSilver streaks will reveal temporal displacementImmediate discovery probable
"I... I can't shift on command," I lie desperately. "I'm a weak Omega, remember?"
"All wolves can shift," Kael says impatiently. "Stop playing games."
"She's not playing games." Ashen's voice carries a strange note. "She's terrified. Her scent is pure fear."
"Fear of what?" Lycen's eyes narrow. "We haven't hurt her."
Yet, I think bitterly. You haven't hurt me yet.
"Maybe she's claustrophobic," Ashen suggests. "These chambers aren't exactly welcoming."
"The location is irrelevant," Lycen says. "If she can't shift, she's useless for breeding."
Luna Zoraya steps forward. "Perhaps we should test her other qualities first. Obedience, for instance."
"No." Lycen's voice carries Alpha command. "I want to see her wolf. Now."
The force of his dominance slams into me physically. Every instinct screams at me to submit, to shift, to obey. But I can't. If they see my wolf form with its silver System markings, everything is over.
"I can't," I whisper.
"Can't or won't?" His voice drops to a dangerous whisper.
"Can't." Lycen's hand moves to his blade. "Lying to an Alpha is punishable by death."
"I'm not lying!" The words tear from my throat. "I just... I can't..."
"Enough." Ashen moves between us, his larger frame blocking Lycen's advance. "You're scaring her."
"I don't care if she's scared."Lycen shouted angrily.
"Well, I do." Ashen's golden eyes flash with anger. "She's clearly damaged. Forcing her to shift won't accomplish anything except more trauma."
"Trauma builds character," Lycen says coldly.
"Trauma breaks people," Ashen counters. "Trust me, I know."
The tension between them crackles like lightning. I can see the exact moment when their friendship begins to fracture—the first crack that will eventually drive Ashen to seek power through dark magic.
"Gentlemen," Kael interrupts smoothly. "Perhaps we're approaching this wrong. What if we tested her other... qualities first?"
His green eyes hold a predatory gleam that makes my stomach turn. "Come here, Omega."
I don't move. I can't move as the System interface flickers with new warnings.
PSYCHOLOGICAL BREAK DETECTED
Trauma cascade imminentEmergency measures required
"I said come here." Kael's voice turns hard. "Don't make me repeat myself."
"She's frozen," Ashen says quietly. "Look at her."
He's right. I'm locked in place, caught between my memories of what they'll do to me and my desperate need to survive this moment. The past and present blur together until I can't tell which is real.
"Fascinating," Luna Zoraya murmurs. "She's having some kind of breakdown. I've never seen an Omega react this way to simple commands."
"It's not simple to her," Ashen says. His voice is gentler now,more concerned. "Something's wrong."
Lycen studies me with those steel-gray eyes. "What happened to you?"
The question is so unexpected, so genuinely curious, that it breaks through my paralysis. "What do you mean?"
"You're not a normal Omega." He takes a step closer, and I force myself not to retreat. "You hold yourself like a fighter, but you're terrified of shifting. You challenge authority but freeze when commanded. What aren't you telling us?"
I could tell him the truth. That he's going to torture me for three years before executing me for a crime I didn't commit. That the man he'll become is nothing like the curious, almost concerned Alpha standing before me now.
But I can't. The System won't let me, so I muttered the easiest thing I could say."I've had... bad experiences with Alphas," I say carefully. "It's hard to trust."
"Bad experiences?" Kael's voice sharpens. "What kind of experiences?"
"The kind that teaches you to be afraid," I whisper.
Ashen's face darkens. "Who hurt you?"
"Does it matter?" I meet his golden eyes. "You're all the same in the end." The words hit their mark as Lycen's expression hardens. Kael's mouth tightens.
But Ashen... Ashen looks genuinely hurt."We're not all the same," he says quietly.
"Aren't you?" I challenge. "You're here to decide if I'm worth breeding. To test my obedience and break me if I resist. How is that different from any other Alpha?"
"Because some of us actually care about the women we're supposed to protect," Ashen snaps.
"And some of us understand that protection requires difficult choices," Lycen adds coldly.
"And some of us know that power is the only thing that matters," Kael finishes.
The System interface suddenly blazes with new information.
PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILES UPDATING
Lycen Vael: Facade cracking. Genuine emotion detected.Ashen Wolfe: Protective instincts triggered. Vulnerability exposed.
Kael Dren: Calculating response. Sees opportunity in conflict.
"You're right," I say softly. "You're not all the same."
I look directly at Lycen. "Some of you are honest about being monsters."
Then at Kael. "Some of you pretend to be better than you are."
Finally at Ashen. "And some of you actually try to be good, until the world breaks you."
The silence that follows is deafening. I've just diagnosed all three of them accurately , and they know it.
"Enough," Luna Zoraya says sharply. "This selection is clearly not working. We'll postpone"
"No." Lycen's voice cuts through her words. "I want her."
My heart stops. "What?"
"For the breeding program," he clarifies, but his eyes never leave mine. "She's perfect."
"Perfect?" Kael laughs harshly. "She's broken."
"She's strong," Lycen counters. "Stronger than any Omega I've ever seen. Her children will be powerful."
"Her children will be damaged," Ashen argues. "Look at her, she's terrified of us."
"Fear can be overcome," Lycen says. "Weakness cannot."
The System interface explodes with warnings.
CRITICAL TIMELINE DEVIATION
Original path: Assigned to Kael Dren
New path: Claimed by Lycen Vael
Survival probability: UNKNOWN
"I choose her," Lycen announces. "For my personal breeding program."
Luna Zoraya looks surprised. "Are you certain? You've never shown interest in breeding before."
"I'm certain." His steel-gray eyes lock with mine. "She belongs to me now."
The world tilts sideways. This isn't how it happened before. In the original timeline, Kael claimed me first. Lycen didn't show interest until much later, after I'd already been broken by months of abuse.
"What do you say, Omega?" Lycen's voice is deceptively gentle. "Are you ready to serve your Alpha?"
I wanted to scream, to run. I wanted to shift into my wolf form and tear his throat out.Instead, I bow my head and whisper the words that will seal my fate.
"Yes, Alpha. I'm ready."
The System interface flickers one final time before going dark.
MISSION PARAMETERS UPDATED
New primary target: Lycen Vael
Objective: Survive long enough to gain his trust
Warning: Original plan no longer applicableYou're on your own now
Lycen's hand closes around my wrist like a shackle.
"Good. We start tonight."