Skye

“Skye! Get down here!” 

I cringed at Jeramy’s call, but hurried to obey, knowing any punishment would be worse if I took too long.

“What can I do for you?” I kept my head down, hoping the submissive pose would keep him from hitting me too hard for whatever perceived slight.

“Good, good.” He leaned back in his arm chair. “I have set up a meeting for you to be appraised.”

I blinked in confusion. “I- I’m sorry?”

His smile was slick and evil. “I have decided to offer you up to the highest bidder each night. You should sell very well your first night, since you’re a virgin and male omega. After that, it will be up to how you perform.” He took a drink from his beer before continuing. “We are in need of more money and you need to keep up with our demands.”

I stared in disbelief. “Jeramy, you- you can’t be serious! I haven’t been late in any of my rent payments for you.” I said, fighting to keep the fear out of my voice. 

His smile was cruel. “I don’t care about that anymore. In fact, this way all the profits will go directly to me and you won’t have to pay a cent in rent anymore. Because what else is a human omega useful for?”

I whimpered at his words. “Please, Jeramy, you don’t have to do this.” I pleaded. “I’ve been good, I swear! Nobody knows I’m male, I promise!”

Jeramy laughed. “See that is what’s going to be the money maker. A lot of important people would pay a lot of money for a chance at a male omega.” His expression lost all its mirth and turned cruel once again. “You have an hour to make yourself presentable. I want you in something more… slutty than what you’re wearing now. I’m sure you can make something in your closet work.”

I bit down on my bottom lip to stop my chin from trembling as I grabbed my backpack and ran from the room before he hit me for not moving fast enough.

I didn’t want to be thrown out. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

At least, that’s what I told myself as I made my way through my meager belongings.

***

I shivered, curled up on the bathroom floor in the motel room. I hadn’t realized that Jeramy and his “appraiser” already had a client lined up for the night. He hadn’t been pleasant or nice and had hit me over and over for three hours, ending the evening by r****g me.

Blood ran down my thighs and my stomach churned, bile filling my throat. I forced myself up and over the toilet and vomited. Curling on my side again, I sobbed. Jeramy was expecting me home, but I couldn’t bring myself to move yet. He had given me explicit instructions on what I was to do tonight, and as of now, I had completed everything.

I pushed myself to my feet and dragged my torn clothes back on, covering myself as best I could. My bag and coat were discarded by the door, both dumped haphazardly on the ground. Shrugging into the coat, I stumbled out the door and into the cold. As I made my way down the street I glanced at the forest and once again caught a glimpse of a wolf on the edge. I shuddered and kept walking until it was out of sight.

After another forty minutes of limping, I stopped and sat down on a bench. I couldn’t go back. There was no way I would let myself become a prostitute in Jeramy’s sick plan. I glanced at the woods again, then back the way I had come. 

“If I stay in the city, he’ll find me and everything will be that much worse… if I go in the woods, he won’t follow me, but the wolves and vampires might be worse.” I chuckled darkly. “But then again, they would at least have the decency to make my end come faster than Jeramy ever would.” I muttered to myself as I contemplated the two options. “And it’s not like there is anything for me to miss, except maybe the other librarians.” 

Finally, I stood, decision made, rolled my shoulders back and made my way towards the woods.

***

In the beginning when I entered the woods, I tried to pay attention to where I was going, but after about the first hour I stopped and just focused on putting one foot in front of the other, and trying not to think about how thirsty I was. At one point, I came across a stream and I drank without thinking of what bacteria might be in it. 

That’s when I heard the first howl. 

I stumbled to my feet, even though it sounded far away, and began running as best as I could through the thick trees.

When it became too dark to see, I curled up against a tree and fell asleep from the pure exhaustion of running.

I woke up to howling. It was closer. I knew I shouldn’t have stopped, but I was so tired. I pushed myself to my feet and promptly tripped over a tree root, scraping my hands and knees on the forest floor. I winced, unsure if the wetness I was feeling was from blood or  

The next howl I heard was practically on top of me and I whimpered and pulled myself into a ball. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end and I silently cried, my hands over my ears.