The next few days were a blur.

Teru vaguely remembered masked vampires haphazardly tossing him into another vehicle. His head thumped against the soft seat. He groaned.

"Man, I can't believe that person bought this omega. I give it a week before he's drained."

"What a shame," a second person commented. Teru passed out, wondering about his fate.

The next time he tried opening his eyes, it was sunny. Stars twinkled in his vision from the splitting headache. Counting the little white spots beckoned another round of deep slumber.

"You shouldn't sleep, little one," someone said above him. "You have a concussion."

Teru didn't know who that was, but their tone was calming to him. He mentally apologized to the angelic voice. He just couldn't stay awake.

A hand grazed over his head until it rested over the golf ball-sized bump.

"How long before we reach our destination?"

"Five hours away, sir."

"Make it three."

"Understood."

Darkness clouded Teru's consciousness again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

His eyes fluttered open. His hand wiped at the thick layer of crusty stuff around his itchy eyes. Black streaks and glitter stained his hands. What was this?

Teru noticed the cave ceiling's color. It was white. When did they paint his room? Did the scavengers find some? Paint was so rare to come by.

Hold on.

This wasn't the cave! Josy, Lucas, the auction...

Teru sat up quickly, causing a painful throb. "Tch," he grimaced. He gingerly touched his forehead. A large bandage covered the injury.

Once his headache subsided, Teru looked around with wonder. The room had furniture that wasn't covered in 150-year-old grime from the weathering elements. There were lamps with ACTUAL working lightbulbs in them. He tapped on the delicate glass balls with his fingernail.

His hand balled up the velvety blanket underneath him. This was a bed! It could easily fit five people. The pillows were unnaturally squishy. What was used to stuff them? It didn't feel like animal skin. Is this what humans from Before slept on? It sure beat his pile of straw and grass.

Teru realized he was wearing the cleanest clothes he's ever worn. The black, silky pajamas were too big for him, but it didn't matter - just wearing something that didn't constantly scratch his skin or give him rashes was enough to make him emotional.

BEEP BEEP.

There were unusual sounds. He went over to the window and almost fell backward from shock. This building was high enough to reach the clouds! Not even the birds flew at this elevation.

Teru leaned again to see down below. He saw small, moving squares on the streets. Those things were making the honking sounds. Vehicles?

Even smaller than the cars were tiny ants. Were those people? Could they see him?

The view was something else. The structure towered the earth. He could make out different landscapes. There was land on the left and the ocean to the right. A single tear fell down his face when he studied the endless body of sparkling water. The vast sea was only a legend to his pack, told through stories and drawings in the dirt.

This island was made of skyscrapers and technology. In the distance on the other side of the river, Teru could see overgrowing nature. The city remained untouched, but everything outside of it was left to rot.

How was this possible? Either way, it was really beautiful.

"Why are you crying? Are you in pain?"

The sudden voice made him jump out of his skin. A stranger sat on a chair next to the door. Teru didn't even notice him there. He was leaning his head against his fist, casually watching him with curiosity. He had dark, red hair that was void of any grease or dirt. The strands hugged his clean-shaven jaw. Its length was slightly longer than the front to cover his nape.

His face was unnaturally handsome. There were no alphas like him in the Valley Pack.

The man's clothes were peculiar. He wore a fitted black suit with a wrinkleless white shirt underneath. The style resembled a character he once saw in a tattered magazine. His dad called such people 'CEOs' or something.

Then, Teru saw his eyes. They were blood red. A fang poked out from one side of his lips.

Fear ate the omega, enough for him to release bitter pheromones.

This was a vampire.

Teru quickly got down to the floor. He crawled away to hide beside the bed. This wasn't a good place because now he was cornered. If this was the forest, a predator would get him for sure. Such a rookie mistake.

His body suddenly felt heavy and his breathing quickened. The room was spinning. There was a vampire in here. With him. Alone. They killed millions of humans like it was nothing. He lost friends and family to these bloodsuckers. And Lucas...Lucas was probably dead by now!

Teru hugged his knees to his chest, unable to breathe.

"You need to calm down." The vampire was next to the bed, only a few body lengths away.

Teru recoiled and glided under the bed. His body slid across the smooth floor to reach the other side of the room. Instead of seeing a way out, he found himself in another corner. There was nowhere to run. Teru instinctually covered his nape with both hands and shielded his face between his arms.

He trembled. "G-go away!"

A minty smell embraced his body. It was nostalgic. When he was a child, his family would go mint-leaf picking in the meadow. After grinding down the leaves to make toothpaste, he and Hina would hide in the wildflowers and chase bumblebees. Those were some of his best memories.

The scent made him feel at home.

His tense body relaxed until his heart slowed to a gentle rhythm. It was easier to think now. Where was this smell coming from?

"It's been a while to use my pheromones to soothe an omega. If you get yourself too worked up, you'll drop."

Teru uncovered his face. Unlike before, the vampire gave him a respectable distance. His red eyes observed the cowering human.

He understood what was happening now. He's seen alphas do this before on their beta partners who were anxious. A long time ago, Teru asked an alpha why they did it, and the reply was, 'An alpha doesn't like to see their partner in pain, physically or mentally. Though our pheromones don't affect betas as much, I'm glad to help my spouse even if it's just a little.'

But this vampire wasn't Teru's partner, spouse, friend, or acquaintance - just an enemy. He finally gathered enough courage to speak up. "W-why are you using your pheromones on me?"

"It's dangerous if you drop with your condition, but you should already know about dropping. It was only to help prevent that."

Dropping? That was a new word.

The vampire tilted his head at Teru's confusion. "You do know about dropping, correct?"

Teru hesitated, considering whether or not he should answer. In the end, he thought it was best to know. This pertained to his body. "I don't."

The vamp asked, "Do you know what nesting is? Presenting? A vampire's pheromone sac?"

He shook his head. None of those sounded familiar to him.

"Tell me something you know, at least."

"Courting and marking."

"...That's it?"

Teru nodded 'yes.'

His captor pinched the bridge of his nose to think. "I see. I suppose that's to be expected since there was no one to teach you. First off, dropping is when an omega's body shuts down from a threat or an injury. This prevents further damage to themselves. They enter a comatose state and only their mate can pull them out of it. And since you're not mated, you'd be as good as dead. It's an old instinct from when omegas were more likely to be attacked by a predator or a rogue alpha in their rut. Evolution developed dropping - no one wants a deadweight omega that doesn't struggle."

It was the first time hearing anything like this. Information purely about omegas was lost over the years, unless it was also related to alphas, hence courting and marking.

The mint aroma went away. Speaking of, this was a first for Teru to be attracted to an alpha's pheromones. Nolan's was an icky mushroom. He never paid attention to the other alphas in his pack. Lucas's was lavender, but he was never drawn to it.

The vampire moved closer. He stopped when he noticed Teru flinch, not wanting to startle him any further. "I'm Kieran," he said, lowering his eyes, waiting. Was he expecting some sort of reaction from him? "Do you not recognize my name?"

"No, and I don't care."

Kieran frowned at the response. "What's your name?"

"..."

Teru couldn't understand the formalities. What was the point of exchanging names? He was going to die soon, anyway. "You're just a dirty bloodsucker who murders humans for fun. You should just kill me and toss my body aside already," Teru fumed with venom in his voice. "Isn't that why you bought me? For my gender? My blood?"

Before he could react, Kieran rushed forward with incredible speed. He wrapped a hand around Teru's throat. It didn't hurt. Regardless, this was the true reaction Teru expected from a bloodthirsty vamp.

"I don't like that name," Kieran warned.

Teru smirked. "You damned bloodsucker," putting extra emphasis into the slander.

The grip tightened a little. His red eyes glowered at the omega. Their bodies were touching. Teru could now see his face up close. Kieran was the definition of masculinity. That jawline could slice through anything. There was a mixture of mahogany red and dark pink slivers in his crimson irises. The razor-sharp fangs were glistening from the light. How many people did he drain with those?

And Teru hated how his body was reacting to this guy's alpha pheromones. The scent was pouring out.

BA-DUM, his heart skipped. Something hot kindled inside him, but it didn't erupt. His hips loosened with anticipation. He whimpered from the vampire's dominance. His inner omega was shamelessly begging him for forgiveness.

The sound brought Kieran to his senses. He reined in his pheromones and let him go. "It's almost time for lunch. The maid will bring you food, along with medicine for your head. You'll have a bath later. The floral perfume from the auction doesn't suit you. For now, just rest until I return."

This was infuriating being told what to do. "What if I say no and tell you to stick it somewhere else?"

"Then you'll be punished. Also, you should work on that filthy vocabulary. It's unbecoming."

"I-I..." Teru sputtered. Kieran left the bedroom and closed the door. There was a sound of a lock clicking into place, keeping him there until further notice.

He collapsed on the floor. His body shook from standing up to a dominant alpha. It took so much out of him. Teru wasn't confident he could do it again. It wasn't so taxing with Nolan because he hated his leader's guts, but this vampire was on a whole different level. Was it normal for Teru's body to respond this way? That whimper he made when Kieran's strong hand demanded his submission...he couldn't believe he made that!

It was all so terrifying.

How long will I be a prisoner before I'm killed?