Only Cats Have Nine Lives

Soren barely had time to react before a hand grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him forward.

His back slammed into the cold brick wall behind him, knocking the air from his lungs. Pain shot through his body, he had no time to gather his thoughts or to process where or how he should defend himself. 

"Look at what you did to me." Hadrian's breath was hot, filled with the yeasty stench of alcohol.

Soren's eyes widened in horror and he saw Hadrian's face.

The alpha's face was a nightmare. Stab wounds covered his skin, deep, jagged, unhealed. The wounds were still fresh. His left eye was swollen shut, his lips twisted unnaturally. The gashes on his face should have killed him.

How was he still alive?

Hadrian's grip on Soren's shirt tightened, pulling him closer. "Are you a witch?! Why can't I heal?!"

Soren's stomach twisted in terror, but he forced himself to move. His hands shot up, shoving at Hadrian's chest with all his strength.

But Hadrian didn't even budge.

A cruel smirk twisted his ruined lips. His other hand shot forward, fingers clawing at Soren's collar, yanking hard. Fabric ripped apart, exposing his bare skin to the frigid night air.

Panic flooded Soren's veins.

"No!" He thrashed wildly, kicking, clawing, trying anything to break free.

Hadrian growled in frustration. He shoved Soren harder against the wall, pressing his weight against him. His fingers dug into Soren's shoulder, nails biting into his flesh.

Tears burned in Soren's eyes. His body trembled. He couldn't breathe.

Hadrian leaned in, his breath heavy with blood and decay. "You're mine, you'll remember how this hideous face fucked you before snapping your limbs."

Then he crushed his lips against Soren's.

Soren's body seized in horror.

He bit down, hard.

A scream of agony tore from Hadrian's throat. Warm blood filled Soren's mouth as his teeth sank deep into the flesh. He didn't stop, didn't let go, even as Hadrian jerked away, his cries of pain echoing through the dark alley.

Something wet and heavy fell to the ground.

A piece of Hadrian's lip.

Soren gasped for air, spitting out the blood. He could barely register what he had done, his mind was too focused on survival.

He had to escape.

His eyes darted frantically, he was in a dimly lit alley. As he tried to escape, Hadrian kicked him and hurled him back to the other side.

Soren's body hit the ground and Hadrian immediately came on top of him, tearing off the omega's pants.

"Please, someone help!" Soren's scream was muffled. 

He thrashed fighting, and there!

A discarded metal pipe.

With all his strength he kicked Hadrian off him and quickly lunged for the metal pipe. His fingers closed around the cold steel just as Hadrian turned back toward him, fury twisting his grotesque face.

Soren swung hard.

The pipe cracked against Hadrian's skull with a sickening thud.

The alpha stumbled, blood seeping down his face. "You..." He was too dazed to speak.

Soren swung again.

And again.

And again.

Each hit sent shudders up his arms. Blood splattered onto his skin, his clothes, the ground. But he couldn't stop.

Hadrian wouldn't die. The Alpha was still standing. If he was still standing it meant he could still harm him.

The fear, the rage, the terror, it all exploded out of him in violent, desperate blows.

Hadrian's body crumpled to the ground, but Soren didn't stop.

He raised the pipe high above his head...

THUD.

THUD.

THUD.

He kept smashing Hadrian's skull into the pavement, again and again, until the face was no longer recognizable.

Until there was nothing left but a ruined mess of bone and blood.

Soren's breaths came in ragged sobs. His entire body shook violently. His fingers refused to release the weapon. This time he would make sure he doesn't see this ghost again.

Hadrian was dead.

But why did Soren feel like he was still suffocating?

A voice rang out through the alley.

"Shit... Soren!"

Footsteps rushed toward him. A strong grip tore the weapon from his bloodstained fingers.

Soren gasped, chest heaving, his vision blurring with tears.

Mrs. Dain stood over the broken corpse with an unreadable expression. Even in the dim light, she recognized the body immediately.

"Hadrian," she muttered.

Her gaze flicked to Kieran, who was crouched beside Soren, his hands firm yet careful on the omega's trembling naked shoulders.

She didn't need to say anything.

Kieran met her eyes. A silent understanding passed between them.

They had to get rid of the body.

Now.

Soren barely remembered what happened next.

Kieran's scent surrounded him, warm, steadying. He didn't resist as strong arms lifted him from the blood-soaked ground.

His body felt weightless, his mind distant. The world around him blurred.

His last memory was the sound of Kieran's deep and soothing voice.

Then, darkness.

________

Kieran sat at the edge of the bed, arms crossed and deep in thought. How did Hadrian know they would be here? Did Hadrian know the Dains secretly ran this nation?

Mrs. Dain strode inside, and when Kieran saw the change of clothes he knew she was done with getting rid of Hadrian.

Her sharp eyes immediately flicked to Soren, then to Kieran.

"He killed a commander," she said flatly.

Kieran exhaled through his nose. "Hadrian hadn't reported for duty since..." he paused, remembering that he hadn't told his mother about their little almost failed mission in Zendara. "We can cover this up. If we dispose of the body outside of Velmira, no one will investigate."

Mrs. Dain didn't argue. Instead, she studied Soren carefully.

Her gaze fell to his torn clothes, the blood still smeared on his skin.

"What did Hadrian want with him?"

Kieran hesitated. His hands curled into fists, but after a long pause, he finally spoke.

"He wanted Soren dead," Kieran admitted. "Because he sees Soren as a threat."

Mrs. Dain's brows lifted slightly.

"Soren came up with a strategy that we're currently implementing to turn the tide of the war," Kieran continued. "Some commanders didn't like that, an omega, told them their plan was foolish and suggested something better. Hadrian was one of those who didn't like an omega correcting them."

Mrs. Dain's lips pursed. "What?"

Kieran's jaw tightened. "Soren, together with a few omegas went on a mission some time ago. There he learned that there are people who don't want the war to end. Hadrian admitted it himself, he also thought that if Soren was beside me we might end this war quickly."

Mrs. Dain's sharp gaze flickered. "How does Soren give better military strategy than a Commander?"

Kieran hesitated again, then said, "Soren was secretly learning from a friend... I later found out that the friend is a member of the Rune Guild."

A beat of silence.

Mrs. Dain's expression darkened. "An assassin from the Rune Guild?"

Kieran nodded. "I don't think he even realizes his friend has taught him valuable information. Military strategies, fighting with a weapon, how to read."

Mrs. Dain stared at Soren for a long moment. Then, slowly, a small smile curved her lips.

"I see," she murmured.

Kieran frowned. "See what? This could get him killed if more people found out an omega had any form of education."

Mrs. Dain didn't answer. Instead, she turned to Kieran.

"You will keep Soren by your side," she declared. "There will be a public ceremony."

Kieran's entire body tensed. His head snapped up.

"What?"

Mrs. Dain's eyes gleamed. "You heard me."

Kieran's face hardened. For the first time, his gaze turned cold, colder than his mother had ever seen it.

"You're making him a target," he said quietly. "Every enemy I have will see him as my weakness. Let me not even talk about what our government will do to him for even picking up a book."

Mrs. Dain smiled faintly. "Kieran, I know every detail of what happened in Zendara. There's nothing you can do, that I won't know about. You're not the only one pushing their own agenda within the military. Shall I start with Riven?"

Kieran's heart stammered for a second. How did she know about Riven?