Chapter 2
There was a hand on Yuuri's shoulder that nudged him awake, and Yuuri flailed forward. The only thing that stopped him from falling off the saddle was the steady arm around his waist.
"We're here. Can you walk, little boy?" The captain's eyes were kind, but there was a hard edge in it that wasn't present before. Something in Yuuri shrunk and he kept his lips sealed, because the warning gleam in the knight's eyes was like as clear as a crystal.
Yuuri was picked up and lowered onto the grass. The captain unmounted from the horse with a severe posture, and when two different hands landed on Yuuri's shoulders with force, he was barely able to lock his knees into position. Yuuri's legs gave a dangerous wobble.
The captain glanced down at him before Yuuri was steered forward, towards the large, lavish house, and as soon as they arrived at the gate, the gatekeeper saluted before he hastily guided them towards the front door.
From the corner of his eyes, Yuuri saw the captain gesture at his knights before Yuuri was tugged back and placed in between the two knights. The door opened after a few minutes, and the man that greeted them was large; with an intimidating presence that exuded dominance in spades
The man gave them a sharp, unimpressed look that made Yuuri's Omega side want to instinctively drop down and curl up into a ball.
"What business do you have with me, Sir knight?" The captain gave a bow that was so low, Yuuri's eyes nearly bugged out of his head.
"Hasetsu was destroyed and when we arrived, it was too late. There were no survivors...except this boy."
The captain gestured at Yuuri, and when the man's black eyes met his. The heavy, heady force of that stare drove Yuuri's instincts hayfire, and he lowered his head in submission, afraid to face the hint of rage and irritation in those eyes.
"His name is Katsuki Yuuri. Your nephew, High General."
The man -his uncle- pushed the door open completely and stepped out. In the next moment, there was a rough, calloused palm on the skin of Yuuri's neck and another palm wrapped around Yuuri's chin. Without a word, his uncle titled Yuuri's head to the side and the palm that bit into his chin was harsh and demanding; Yuuri barely managed to conceal the urge to scramble back. The hand tilted his chin even further until Yuuri's neck felt like it was a stretched piece of rubber band, and bulky, calloused fingers rose up and caressed the shell of Yuuri's ear. Up and down, up and down until it snagged on the edge of Yuuri's earring tag.
"Ah, my sister's Omega son." Every ounce of will Yuuri possessed was poured into his body to maintain the stillness that fell into the space between them. Every breath Yuuri took magnified each second, elongating it until it felt like an eternity had passed.
A low, dark chuckle seared through the tension and left pieces of shattered calm in its wake, and when his uncle smiled down at him, all Yuuri could feel was dread because he knew. Yuuri knew that his family was the exception. The whole world treated Omegas with explicit disgust, and it seemed like his uncle was no better.
The rough, calloused hand trailed down Yuuri's cheeks and landed on his nape with a proprietary grip. With a grip that wasn't gentle or kind. No ...it was a grip that staked its claim.