Chapter 82

Chapter 82: Chapter 82

I couldn’t take it anymore. The walls of the pack house felt like they were closing in, each creak and whisper echoing the same words in my head you’ll never leave. My chest was tight, my hands trembling, my throat raw from silent sobs.

Everywhere I turned, I saw him. The psycho Alpha’s shadow seemed to live in every corner, in every flicker of light that touched the walls. Even when he wasn’t there, I felt him watching, listening, mocking me in that cold, velvety inner voice of his.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to wake up and find myself in my tiny apartment, surrounded by the familiar hum of the city and the smell of disinfectant from the hospital where I used to work. But that world was gone. Or maybe I was.

My heart pounded as I whispered to myself, "There has to be a way. There has to be a way out."

For days, I pretended to be fine smiling when the others smiled, eating when they ate but inside I was unraveling. The paranoia had dug deep into my bones, twisting every sound into something sinister.

Tonight, I decided I couldn’t keep pretending. If I stayed, I would break. If I left... maybe I’d die trying. But at least I’d try.

I waited until the other omegas had fallen asleep before slipping out of bed. The corridor was dimly lit, moonlight seeping through the cracks in the walls. My bare feet made soft sounds on the cold floor as I made my way toward the guards’ post near the storage wing.

I needed to know if there was a witch in this pack. Someone who could undo whatever curse or mistake had brought me here. Someone who could send me home.

When I reached the post, I hesitated. Two guards stood there, talking in low voices. My hands shook as I clasped them together and took a slow breath. I had to be careful. If they thought I was losing my mind again or worse, if the Alpha found out I was asking questions there’d be no saving me.

"Excuse me," I whispered.

Both guards turned sharply. Their eyes widened slightly when they recognized me the Alpha’s personal omega. One of them, a tall man with a scar across his cheek, frowned. "What are you doing out here this late?"

"I..." My voice cracked. I forced a shaky smile. "I can’t sleep. I just wanted to ask something."

The other guard leaned forward, suspicious. "What is it?"

I swallowed hard. My throat was dry. "Is there... anyone in the pack who deals with spells or charms? A healer or maybe a witch?"

Their expressions changed instantly one of them stiffened, the other narrowed his eyes.

"Why are you asking about witches?" the scarred one asked, his tone sharp now. "That’s dangerous talk, omega."

I took a step back, my heart racing. "No reason, I just someone told me witches can heal memories. I just wanted to know if it’s true."

"Forget you heard anything," the second guard said firmly. "There are no witches here. And even if there were, the Alpha wouldn’t allow it. Go back to your quarters before you get yourself in trouble."

Trouble. The word echoed in my head like a death sentence.

I nodded quickly, mumbling an apology before turning to leave. But as I walked away, I could feel their eyes burning into my back.

When I returned to the omega quarters, Joan was awake, sitting by the dim lantern. Her eyes softened when she saw my face. "Ellie? Where did you go?"

I sat beside her, shaking uncontrollably. "Joan... do you believe in witches?"

Her expression faltered. "Why are you asking me that?"

"Because I need one," I whispered. "I need someone who can send me back to my world. I can’t stay here anymore, Joan. I can’t live like this."

Joan reached out, squeezing my hands. "You’ll get yourself killed if you keep talking like that."

"I don’t care," I said, my voice breaking. "I just want to go home."

Silence stretched between us. Then, softly, Joan said, "There used to be one. A witch. Before the Alpha became what he is now."

I froze. "What do you mean?"

"She lived in the eastern woods, near the riverbank. People used to go to her for healing or blessings, but when the Alpha took over, he banned all witchcraft. He said it was dangerous that it corrupts the mind."

My breath caught. A witch.

Hope flickered inside me, fragile but alive. "Do you think she’s still there?"

Joan shook her head. "I don’t know. Some say she disappeared. Others say she still hides in the forest."

"Then I’ll find her," I said immediately.

Joan grabbed my wrist. "Ellie, stop! Do you even hear yourself? If he catches you out there.

"I know," I whispered, tears spilling down my cheeks. "But if I don’t try, I’ll lose what’s left of myself."

For a moment, she said nothing. Then she slowly released my wrist and looked away. "You’re not the same since you came back from his quarters," she said softly. "You look like someone who’s seen hell."

"I have," I murmured. "And I can’t stay in it any longer."

I lay awake for the rest of the night, staring at the cracked ceiling. The psycho Alpha’s voice echoed faintly in my mind, that cruel, mocking tone I could never escape.

You can’t run, little omega. You’ll always belong to me

I turned on my side, clutching my pillow, whispering a prayer that maybe, just maybe, the witch still existed and that she could send me home before I completely lost my mind.

Silence wasn’t comforting anymore it pressed down on me, heavy and suffocating, like the air itself was waiting for something to happen. Every creak of the floorboards made my heart skip. Every distant howl in the forest outside made my skin crawl.

I couldn’t stop thinking about what Joan had told me. A witch.

A woman who could bend the rules of this strange world, someone who might undo whatever cruel fate had thrown me here. The thought spun in my mind like a thread of light in the darkness, pulling me forward even as the rest of me trembled.

The others slept around me, their breathing soft and steady. But I couldn’t close my eyes. I kept seeing flashes of my old life the white walls of the hospital, the sound of my coworkers laughing in the break room, the comforting smell of coffee and antiseptic. Then the crash. The screeching tires. The blinding light.

And then him. The psycho Alpha.

His voice lived in my head now, sneering and low, as though he’d found a way to curl around my thoughts and feed off my fear.

You think you can run from me, little doctor? You belong where I keep you.

I pressed my palms over my ears as if that could shut him out. "Stop," I whispered to no one. "Just stop."

But it didn’t stop. It never did.

The moonlight spilled across the floorboards, and in its pale glow, I could see Joan sitting up on her bed. Her eyes were already on me, worry etched deep into her tired face.

"You’re still awake," she murmured.

"I can’t sleep." My voice cracked. "Every time I close my eyes, I see him."

Joan didn’t ask who. She didn’t have to.

For a long moment, we sat in silence. The other omegasElara, Rose, Mina were lost in dreams, their faces calm in a way mine could never be again.

Finally, Joan whispered, "You’re thinking about the witch, aren’t you?"

I nodded. "If she’s real... she’s the only one who can send me back."

Joan’s shoulders slumped. "Ellie, that’s madness. If the Alpha catches you outside the compound

"I will die trying," I said flatly.

Her eyes filled with tears. "You don’t mean that."

"I do." I swallowed hard, forcing the words out before I lost my nerve. "I don’t belong here, Joan. I was a doctor. I had a life a real one. I wasn’t meant to be someone’s... pet omega." My throat tightened as I said it. "I’m trapped in a nightmare that isn’t mine."

Joan looked down, twisting her fingers together. "Even if the witch still exists, she’s deep in the forest. No one dares to go there anymore. The Alpha ordered the area off-limits."

"Then that’s exactly where I’ll go."

"Ellie!"

"I mean it." I stood, pacing the narrow floor. "Tomorrow night. I’ll find her. I don’t care what it takes."

Joan didn’t try to stop me again. She just looked at me like she was watching someone walk willingly into the storm.

The rest of the night crawled by. I didn’t sleep. I couldn’t. Every second that passed felt like another thread of my sanity unraveling. When dawn finally crept in through the windows, I was already dressed plain clothes, bare feet, and a shawl to hide my face.

I moved through the corridors like a shadow, keeping my head low. The pack guards were changing shifts, their voices echoing faintly. I slipped past them, holding my breath every time one of them turned. My heart thudded so loudly I was sure they could hear it.

Outside, the air was cold and sharp. The forest loomed in the distance, dark and endless. I took a step toward it and froze when I heard movement behind me.

"Elie?"

It was Elara. She stood by the doorway, her eyes wide. "Where are you going?"

I hesitated. "I need to find something."

"In the woods? Are you insane? If the Alpha finds out

"I don’t care," I snapped, then softened. "I can’t live like this anymore, Elara. I need to go home."

She stared at me for a long time, then sighed and stepped closer. "Then I’m coming with you."

"What? No-"

"Yes." Her voice was firm. "You won’t last ten minutes out there alone. If you go, I go."

Something inside me cracked the kind of fragile relief that comes when someone finally believes in your madness. I nodded. "Fine. But we leave quietly."

We waited until the courtyard was empty before slipping past the edge of the garden. The moon hung low, casting silver light across the ground. The woods were silent except for the whisper of the wind through the trees.

Every step deeper felt like stepping further away from life itself.

The forest smelled of damp earth and pine. My bare feet sank into the soft ground, and the cold bit into my skin. The deeper we went, the darker it became, until even the moonlight struggled to find us.

Elara grabbed my hand. "Are you sure this is the way?"

"I don’t know," I admitted. "But if she’s out here, she’ll find us."

A low sound carried through the air—a rustle, a whisper, something between wind and voice. I froze. Elara squeezed my hand tighter.

"Ellie."

"Shh," I whispered. "Do you hear that?"

It came again. This time, I could swear I heard words. Come back

My breath caught. My pulse thudded painfully in my ears.

Was it the witch?

Or was it him?

Suddenly, I felt the Alpha’s presence cold, suffocating, like invisible hands closing around my throat. His voice slid through my mind, dark and mocking. You’re wandering too far, little doctor. Do you really think you can run from me?

I stumbled backward, clutching my head. "Stop! Get out of my head!"

Elara caught me. "Ellie, what’s wrong? What’s happening?"

"He’s here," I whispered, trembling. "He’s in my head again."

"Then we have to go back," she said frantically. "Now!"

I shook my head, tears streaking my face. "No. I’m not going back. Not ever.

I pulled away, stumbling forward through the trees, desperate to outrun the voice, the fear, the madness. The branches tore at my arms, the ground biting my feet raw, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.

Finally, when I thought I couldn’t take another step, I fell to my knees in a small clearing. The moonlight cut through the canopy, pale and cold. I looked up at the sky, sobbing. "Please," I whispered. "Please send me home. Please, God let me wake up."

The forest answered with silence.

Then, faintly, a voice not his, not cruel whispered back.

Child of two worlds... if you truly wish to leave, you must face what binds you.

I gasped, spinning around but there was no one there.

"Elara?" I whispered, but she was nowhere in sight.

Only the whisper of leaves answered me, and far behind, faint but unmistakable, came the sound of a man laughing softly. The psycho Alpha.

And this time, he wasn’t only in my head.