Trespassers of Pelugia

Screams shattered the night, jolting Adele awake. Her head struck the ceiling of the tent as she sat up in alarm. The air smelled of smoke. Panic twisted in her chest. What was happening?

Another shriek rang out...

This time from Juno and Rhea, the little Omegas. Malik immediately stood, his eyes meeting hers in confusion. Without a word, he pushed the tent flap aside, and they crawled out.

Adele froze. Her breath caught in her throat as her wide eyes took in the chaos. Before she could rise to her feet, a cold, heavy metal snapped around her neck. She looked down in horror. A slave collar. A metal band attached to a long rod, designed to restrain Omega slaves.

Her gaze darted to the one holding it—a large man with a deep scar running across one side of his face.

“Adele!” Malik roared, reaching for her, but he was caught too. A second collar clamped around his neck. As she reached for him, flailing desperately, she was yanked away. She clawed at the metal around her throat, but it wouldn’t budge.

Beyond them, Kaia lay motionless on the ground, blood pooling around her.

“Nooo!” Adele screamed, crawling toward her friend, but a brutal jerk pulled her back. Her knees scraped against the rough earth, leaving streaks of blood, but she hardly noticed. More screams filled the night.

Juno, Rhea, and Nadine were locked inside a cage on a large cart, their tiny hands reaching out between the bars.

“Dele,” they cried, their voices breaking with fear.

“No! Please, no! They are just children!” Adele begged, dread pooling in her stomach. She struggled to stand, but a heavy boot landed on her back, slamming her face into the dirt.

The tents burned. Shadows danced wildly in the firelight. Men forced themselves on Fiora, Seraphine, and Maelis, their screams ripping through the air.

“No, you bastards, stop!” Adele sobbed, helpless rage surging through her as she witnessed the atrocities unfolding around her. To her left, Malik thrashed against his captors, but they overwhelmed him, forcing him down.

“Why are you doing this? We’ve done nothing to you!” she screamed, her voice trembling with fury. Her eyes snapped up to the man holding her leash.

He sneered, revealing yellowed teeth. “Not us, but the Alpha. Lord Alphonso.”

Adele’s stomach turned. “We’ve caused no trouble for Lord Alphonso!” she growled, still struggling against the collar.

The man laughed cruelly. “You have. This land belongs to the lord, and you are trespassing. Omegas like you have no right to wander unbranded, unclaimed, without a dominus or domina.”

Tears burned her eyes. It wasn’t fair. It was never fair.

“We are not property! We have the right to move freely!” she roared.

Her captor scoffed. “In what world do you reside, Omega?” He yanked the collar, dragging her to her feet.

Around her, The Omegas were hoisted over broad shoulders, some struggling, others unconscious. Malik was thrown into a larger cage.

“Malik!” Adele screamed, lunging for him. Their hands barely brushed before she was yanked back once more.

Anger ignited inside her. She spun, aiming to kick her captor, but he caught her leg with an amused smirk.

He wagged a finger at her. “Ah, ah—”

Before he could finish, Adele used her flexibility to twist and strike him with her other leg. He stumbled, momentarily loosening his grip on the rod. Seizing the chance, she bolted toward Malik.

She shoved past the men in her way and grasped Malik’s hand tightly through the iron bars, tears streaking down both their faces.

“I will find you,” he rasped, bruises darkening his face. “They cannot keep us apart.”

But Adele knew the truth. Lord Alphonso was a monster. He would send them to the mines. They would never see each other again.

She opened her mouth to speak, but rough hands grabbed her, lifting her off her feet. She screamed, fought, bit, but it didn’t matter.

“Take your filthy hands off her!” Malik roared, shaking the bars of his cage.

Adele clawed at the air, reaching for him—until a crushing blow struck her head.

Darkness swallowed her whole.

Pelugia Central Square

"You have broken the laws of the Kadar Empire," Lord Alphonso declared, his voice cold and final.

Adele bared her teeth at him, but deep down, she knew she had been a fool. When the guards had suddenly stopped following her the day before, she should have realized their plan—to track her, to find where she and the others were hiding.

She knelt on the stone square, surrounded by the people of Pelugia, as the Alpha lord spewed lies about her crimes—accusing her of theft, of spreading chaos in his ‘beautiful’ kingdom.

Funny. The only thief here was him.

She had stolen to survive. They all had. It was the only way.

"So, she shall be hanged to death. Let this serve as a lesson to all who might dare follow in her footsteps," Alphonso announced.

His dark eyes raked over her, filled with disgust, and something else. Desire.

Pathetic.

But she knew he would never act on it. She would rather die than let him touch her.

The guards dragged her to the wooden platform, forcing her onto a small bench. Though pain wracked her body, she refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing her show any sign of pain. But fear gnawed at her insides.

Where was Malik? Where were the Omegas? What about the children? Had they survived? That question burned in her mind, unanswered.

"I trust this will show you all that such behavior is intolerable," Alphonso sneered, gesturing to the crowd.

The executioner tightened the noose around her neck. The silence was deafening. Some faces held pity, others fear, and some, twisted satisfaction.

Then Alphonso raised his thumb before slowly turning it down.

The stool beneath her vanished.

Adele’s body jerked...

...When suddenly, a voice rang through the square.

"My Gracious Lord!"

A man in a long purple cloak stepped forward, his hood drawn low.