Free Web NovelChapter 181: Chapter 181
Irina’s POV
The heavy, armored SUV crunched to a violent halt.
The powerful engine cut off. The sudden silence inside the dark cabin was absolutely deafening. My heart slammed fiercely against my ribs. *Thump. Thump. Thump.* It was the only sound I could hear.
We were here.
I stared out the thick, tinted window. The massive, imposing structure of the Greystone compound loomed over us like a terrifying stone fortress. It was the absolute heart of the werewolf mafia empire. The exact place I had desperately tried to escape.
The heavy car door swung forcefully open.
Cold, biting air instantly rushed into the back seat. The suffocating, metallic scent of heavily armed guards, dark pine, and pure violence hit my heightened senses. I violently flinched. I shrank back against the expensive leather seat, curling my fragile body protectively around Luka.
Nicholas stood outside the open door.
He didn’t say a single word. He didn’t have to. His massive, muscular frame completely blocked out the sun. His golden eyes bore intensely into mine, silently commanding me to move.
My hands shook violently. I fumbled with the plastic buckle of Luka’s car seat. My pale fingers were completely entirely numb. I finally pressed the button, scooping my baby tightly into my arms. I buried my face in his soft neck, breathing in his sweet scent. He was the only innocent thing left in this entire brutal world.
I stepped out of the SUV.
My bare feet hit the cold, hard pavement. I kept my head entirely bowed. My shoulders curled forward in pure, reflexive submission. I didn’t dare look up. I didn’t dare make eye contact with the dozens of lethal mafia soldiers patrolling the grand driveway. I was just a broken Omega, completely swallowed by my oversized clothes.
"Walk," Nicholas rumbled darkly.
I obeyed instantly. I followed right behind him, staring blindly at the heavy, muddy treads of his combat boots.
We walked up the massive stone steps and entered the grand foyer. The sheer, overwhelming opulence of the palace instantly crushed me. The crystal chandeliers overhead completely blinded me. The polished marble floor felt like ice beneath my bare toes.
Two tall figures were waiting at the bottom of the grand sweeping staircase.
I instantly froze. My breath violently hitched in my tight throat.
It was the Royal Beta and the Royal Gamma.
Roman and Andrei.
The air in the massive room instantly grew incredibly thick and suffocating. The sheer amount of pure, concentrated Alpha, Beta, and Gamma power was enough to drive any normal Omega straight to their knees. My inner wolf whined pitifully, completely terrified by the overwhelming dominance.
Andrei was the first to react.
The usually smiling, easygoing Gamma looked entirely different. His handsome face was completely tight with unreadable tension. He took a sudden, jerky step forward.
"Irina..." Andrei started. His voice was oddly strained. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
He opened his mouth. He looked right at me, his eyes darting quickly to the dark, fresh bruises marking my pale collarbone. He looked like he desperately wanted to say something. To ask what had happened. To offer some kind of empty comfort.
But a low, lethal, warning growl violently vibrated from Nicholas’s massive chest.
Andrei instantly snapped his mouth completely shut. He swallowed hard, quickly stepping back into line. He lowered his eyes in absolute submission to his King.
I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t. I shifted my blurry gaze slightly to the left.
Roman stood perfectly rigid.
The Royal Beta was dressed in an immaculate, dark tailored suit. He looked sharp, elegant, and incredibly deadly. And he looked utterly furious.
I kept my head bowed, staring desperately at his polished Italian leather shoes. But I could physically feel his harsh, judging gaze burning straight through my fragile skull. He was frowning deeply. The pure, unfiltered disgust radiating from his body was absolute.
It was the exact same look he had given me the very first day we met.
He hated me. He despised the fact that I was here. He hated that his ruthless, invincible King had dragged a weak, pathetic, runaway Omega back into the sacred heart of their empire. I was a stain on their perfect, bloody floor.
I completely agreed with him.
I curled my trembling shoulders in even tighter. I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing the marble floor would just open up and completely swallow me alive.
Just then, Luka shifted in my arms.
My baby let out a soft, tiny, bubbling coo. The sweet, innocent sound echoed loudly in the heavy, tense silence of the grand foyer.
Roman violently flinched.
I dared to peek through my messy, dark eyelashes. Roman’s harsh, furious frown violently twitched. His dark, cold eyes darted straight down to the small bundle in my arms.
For one single, fleeting second, the terrifying Mafia Beta completely disappeared. A brief, sudden flash of pure, instinctual softness crossed his sharp features. He was looking at the King’s bloodline. He was looking at a tiny, helpless pup. The deep, primal pack instinct briefly fractured his cold, calculating mask.
But it was gone in a millisecond. Roman instantly locked his jaw, his face freezing back into an impenetrable wall of ice.
I didn’t speak. I didn’t say hello. I just hugged my baby even tighter against my chest and kept my mouth entirely shut.
Nicholas didn’t waste another second.
He marched straight past his two most trusted men without a single word. He started up the grand staircase.
I practically ran to keep up with his massive, predatory strides. My bare feet slapped softly against the cold marble steps. I was panting slightly, my fragile body completely exhausted by the sheer terror of just existing in this house.
We walked down a long, dark hallway.
Every single step felt like walking deeper into my own grave. I knew exactly where we were going. I recognized the expensive Persian runners. I recognized the dark, heavy oil paintings on the walls.
Nicholas stopped.
He stood directly in front of a massive set of heavy mahogany double doors.
My blood ran completely freezing cold. *No.*
It was my old room. The exact same lavish, heavily guarded master suite where he had locked me up before. The gilded cage. The place where I had completely lost my mind staring at the walls.
Nicholas forcefully pushed the heavy doors open.
The massive room was completely identical. The king-sized bed. The thick velvet curtains. The suffocating darkness.
But something was different outside in the hallway.
I turned my head slightly. Standing perfectly still against the hallway wall were two Omega maids.
They were wearing the exact same shapeless, drab gray dresses I used to wear. They kept their heads entirely bowed, their hands folded neatly in front of them. They were staring blankly at the floor, absolutely terrified to even breathe in Nicholas’s presence.
I looked at them. I didn’t recognize them.
My chest violently tightened. A cold, sharp spike of panic pierced my completely numb mind.
When I was trapped here before, there was a different staff.
My throat suddenly went entirely dry. It felt like it was coated in thick sandpaper. I swallowed hard, trying to force the terrifying lump down.
Sofia.
Where was Sofia? The bright, cheerful young Omega girl with the deep dimples. The girl who used to bring me my meals. She was the only person in this entire massive, bloody palace who had ever smiled at me. The only one who looked at me and didn’t see a cursed, pathetic wretch. She had sneaked me extra blankets. She had actually talked to me.
She was my only tiny thread of human warmth in this hell.
I stood completely frozen in the doorway. My trembling hands clutched Luka so tightly my knuckles were completely white.
Nicholas turned around. He looked down at me. His massive frame completely blocked the doorway. His face was entirely devoid of any emotion.
I took a shaky, ragged breath. I gathered every single ounce of pathetic courage I had left in my completely shattered soul. I forced my cracked, dry lips apart.
My voice came out as a weak, raspy, broken whisper.
"Is Sofia not here anymore?"
Nicholas looked at me. His golden eyes were totally blank. He didn’t blink. He didn’t show a single fraction of pity or regret.
Nicholas replied indifferently: "Dead."
