A Prison Called Home

Kalani POV

The drive to The Shadow Pack was long and annoying. Clearly they don’t realize how suffocating they are to be around or they just don’t care either way. I was able to get all my assignments done, I was also able to work something out with my professors about moving my classes online and I guess I have to talk to my prison guards about doing my hands on coursework in their pack hospital.

Tati fell asleep halfway there, which means she left me to the wolves literally.

Virgo has been trying not to make it obvious that he’s been staring and Vegas he’s just a brute with no emotion.

“They are our mates” Astra says.

“Yes and they have been acting like it too” I reply sarcasm dripping from my voice.

“They are scared to hurt us, just give them time” she says.

I roll my eyes as the cars move through the gates.

As we drive down the road I notice not a lot of pack members are outside and everything just seems so cold.

Cold in the way hospitals are cold. Clean. Quiet. Functional. Not empty. Packs aren’t supposed to feel empty. They’re supposed to feel alive. This place feels like everyone stays where they’re supposed to be.

When we pull up to the packhouse I notice another house off to the side directly behind it.

That catches my attention immediately because Alpha families usually stay in the packhouse. Separate means intentional.

The car comes to a stop outside the house behind the packhouse.

I tap Tati to wake her up and I start packing my stuff back up and Vegas looks at me.

“you and your friend will be staying in the house with Virgo and I” he says and Virgo smiles slightly at that.

“My friend’s name is Tatiana and whatever as long as I’m far away from you two we are perfect” I say grabbing my bag and climbing out the car.

When we get to the house there is an Omega waiting outside.

I smile at her when I walk up.

“Hello I’m Kalani and this is my friend Tatiana" I say. "what is your name?” I ask and she looks behind me at Vegas before responding and that catches my attention.

Are their pack members not allowed to speak without permission or something.

I’ve seen respectful packs. This doesn’t feel respectful. This feels rehearsed.

“It’s okay Heather, Kalani is our mate and this is her friend they will be staying with us from now on” Vegas says and I glare at him.

The face she makes when he says I’m his mate doesn’t go unnoticed by me or Tati. Tati looks at me and gives me a look because that was weird.

That wasn’t excitement. That looked closer to concern. Maybe pity.

“I can show you two to your rooms” She says.

“An omega will bring the rest of your stuff up” Vegas says.

I don’t even bother answering and I just follow Heather into the house.

The house is beautiful but oddly empty. No family pictures. No random decorations. Nothing that says people actually live here.

“If possible can we have rooms next to each other but far away from them?” I ask her and she spins so fast I have to reach out to catch her.

“Are you okay?” I ask. She nods her head quickly.

“Yes I am, but you shouldn’t talk about them that way, Alpha Vegas doesn’t really like disrespect” she says quietly.

“Don’t worry I’m not afraid of your Alpha’s” I say.

Her eyes go wide with fear.

“You know their last mate died by their hands right?” she asks in a whisper.

Tatiana freezes.

“I know, but that won’t be happening to me, I plan to stay far away from both of them” I say as we walk down the hall.

That’s the plan anyway.

She takes us upstairs and we walk down another hall before she stops at two doors next to each other.

“The Alpha’s stay on the next floor up on the other end of the hall, they don’t have many Omegas that work in this house, but the kitchen is always stocked and if you need me to make you something I can” She says.

“Don’t worry we will be preparing our own meals, anything else we should know?” I ask.

She looks down the hall before looking back at me.

“Just try not to make them upset it makes everything worse. Alpha Vegas likes everything to be a certain way and is big on schedules and order he is way more serious than Alpha Virgo but just be careful okay” she says.

The thing that bothered me wasn't what she said.

It was how quickly she said it.

Like it wasn't advice.

Like it was survival.

“Oh too late for that, I’ve been making your Alpha upset since I met him I doubt that will change, I’ll be shaking things up if he thinks controlling me is going to be easy” I say.

She opens the door and gestures us inside.

“the two rooms connect through the bathroom, I felt that would be more suitable for you two” She says.

“Thank you Heather and please don’t be scared to talk to us I promise you won’t be in trouble and I will treat you like a person and not just an Omega” I say and she smiles at me.

“Thank you Luna” she says.

“Oh no I’m not your Luna, just call me Kay or Lani anything but Luna” I say and she smiles.

Luna feels too permanent. Too accepting. Too much like agreeing to something nobody asked me about.

“Okay Kay, thank you” she says walking out.

After she leaves Tati turns.

“This is going to be interesting” She says looking around the room.

“Why are they living in a separate house from the pack?”

She asks.

“Because they killed their mate and their unstable” I say unpacking my bag and plugging in my laptop so I can submit my assignments.

“So now what?” Tati asks,

I walk to the bed and throw myself across it.

“Now we survive my mates” I say.

“Do you really think it will be that bad?” She asks walking around the room.

I look at her with a straight face.

“The omega looked at her Alpha before she addressed me Tati" I reply.

Not because she was being respectful.

Because she was checking.

Making sure she was allowed.

Those aren't the same thing.

"the pack is empty in the middle of the day, that’s not normal pack life” I add.

People should be outside. Training. Hanging out. Existing. Nobody looks relaxed here.

“So what are we supposed to do?” She asks.

“We pretend their not even here, although I do need to speak with the brute about being able to do my clinicals in their pack hospital” I say laying back on my arms looking up at the ceiling.

“The brute?” She asks laughing.

“Yes that’s Vegas he’s a brute he’s the brother that runs everything, the other one he’s the one who’s wolf is allegedly feral and feels everything 10x stronger than the brute” I say.

She looks at me.

“How do you know so much about them?”.

I shrug.

“My dad made Adonis and I study every Alpha we were in an alliance with as well as our enemies, he had a lot on the Black Alpha bloodline, their curse is generational” I say as someone knocks on the door.

I stand and walk to open the door and I roll my eyes when I see Vegas standing there.

“I thought you said an Omega was going to be bringing my stuff up” I say.

“I needed to come give you two the rules” he says.

“Rules? , what are we five?” I ask already seeing where this conversation is headed.

“No but things run a certain way here and I need it to stay that way” he says calmly.

I smirk at him and lean against the frame of the door.

“And why is that Alpha?” I ask.

His jaw tightens and his fist clench at his sides.

His vein in his forehead pulses and I know I struck a nerve.

Good since I have to be stuck here none of this will go how he thinks it’s going to go.

“My rules keep people safe” he says voice tight.

That should sound noble. Instead it sounds practiced. Like he’s said it enough times that he believes it.

For a second something flashes across his face.

Not anger.

Not arrogance.

Fear.

And it's gone so fast I almost think I imagined it.

I tilt my head to the side.

“And what exactly are you protecting them from Alpha?. You and your brother?” I question.

His entire body stiffens.

“Yeah maybe save your rules for another day mate, I’m not in the mood to hear what I’m not allowed to do. Besides rules are overrated” I say before I slam the door in his face.

I lock the door and lean against it.

“Just fucking great, my parents sent me to live in a fucking prison” I say as tears fall down my face.

Tati walks over and gives me a hug.

“We’re going to be okay Lani, you're not alone in this I'm here for you" she says low.

“Our mates want us” Astra says.

“This isn’t want Astra” I say before I block her out I can’t deal with her right now.

I can’t be their Luna. If they don’t kill me first then I will most definitely lose myself in this prison they call a pack.

I didn’t spend twenty years becoming somebody just to disappear into being somebody’s captive Luna.