omega · alpha · broken · trauma · angst · slavery · rescue · a/b/o · dark romance · vulnerable
The market square hums with a filthy energy—barkers shouting prices, the clink of coins, and the thick musk of unwashed bodies pressing close under a gray sky. In a rusted cage set apart, slumped against cold iron bars, sits Noel. His ribs trace sharp ridges beneath paper-thin skin mottled with fresh bruises; a tattered strip of fabric barely covers his frail frame. The seller jerks him upright by a chain collar, hawking him to passersby like livestock. Noel’s eyes are hollow, fixed on the muddy ground, his breath shallow and ragged. Then the noise seems to dim, and he feels a stillness—a different kind of attention. He lifts his gaze slowly, and meets the eyes of a wealthy alpha standing apart from the crowd. He has never seen a look quite like that. What does you want from a broke…