AN: First of all thank you for reading and reviewing. Secondly, I do apologise for the long absent. I'm not sure if I have told you in previous chapter but from now on, the progress would be unpredictable because my beta have been busy with lots of RL related things. I love with how Lotus Sword do their beta job and I'm willing to wait even if it take longer than usual. So, I hope you'll understand and be patient with us.
Beta: Lotus Sword.
Warning: A bit of violence and abuse (not so much).
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Chapter 9
Like a Caged Bird
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St. Petersburg, Russia. 19:37.
When Yuuri opened his eyes again, it was already dark outside. He instantly sat up on the bed, scanning the room in a panic as he looked for a certain foreign Alpha. His sight was blurry and his body swayed lightly, but he didn't notice it. When he was sure that the man was not in the room, he quickly got out of the bed and ran towards the door where the man had entered before. He stumbled in his haste, but managed to stay upright. As he twisted the doorknob, he found the door was locked. He pulled and twisted some more, trying with all his might to open the sturdy door.
It did not budge.
Frustration built up inside of him as he headed for the nearest window. A small flicker of hope sparked when he managed to open it, but it was immediately extinguished when he realized that he was on the second floor. He moved closer to the window and peered down through the opening. It was hard to see with his impaired sight, and he could not be reckless right now. He looked around, trying to find anything he could use to climb down. Nothing. He closed his eyes and groaned in frustration. For a brief moment he tried to imagine himself jumping down from this height, but he quickly pushed that thought away and shuddered. He took a step backward and stared at his reflection in the window. His transparent self was surrounded by the darkness form outside, which pretty much reflected how Yuuri felt right now.
"How do I get out of here?"
The whispered question seemed to fill up the entire room.
His reflection did not answer.
He sat down on the carpeted floor, turning around so that his back leaned against the wall beneath the window sill, and hugged himself. His gaze travelled around the unfamiliar room. It was scary, being in a place he didn't know. The face of the male Alpha from before flashed before his mind's eye and he hugged himself tighter. He could not leave and he had no idea what was waiting for him in the future. He didn't even know where he was. Was he still in Japan? He could be miles away from his friends and his family and his future mate...
Yuuri's brown orbs widened a fraction when he thought about the Thai. Phichit. Phichit must really be worried about him. They had been out together when he got kidnapped after all. It seemed like such a long time ago...
He wondered if Phichit and his family knew that he had been kidnapped?
He wondered if they would come and save him. He was sure they would try, but would they be able to?
An overwhelming feeling of despair and emptiness overcame him and his eyes stung. Not before long, a single tear escaped his eye and he violently wiped it away. But more tears followed and soon he simply dropped his hands and let them flow freely. He sobbed quietly and hugged his knees, head resting on top of them as he cried out his misery, fear and frustration.
He wanted to go home.
He wanted to eat pork cutlet bowl.
He wanted to sit and talk with his family.
He wanted to cuddle up to Mari.
But most of all, he wanted Phichit by his side. He needed the big, gentle Alpha so much.
"P-Phichit..." he choked out between his sobs, his voice lodged in his constricted throat. His chest felt heavy and it hurt. "Help me, Phichit... Mari... Mom, D-Dad..." he sobbed even harder as he repeatedly cried out for his loved ones. He wanted to go home. He did not want to be here, in this foreign place where he did not know what the future held for him.
He wanted to turn back time and never even set a foot into that blasted auction where he had been sold. Because even if they had been talking English most of the time, Yuuri wasn't stupid. He hadn't wanted to believe it when he heard the numbers that were called out, had desperately searched for a sound reason to explain his situation, but deep inside he understood what was going on. To the people in that room, he was not even considered a person. He was a thing, an object to be desired, to be owned, to do unspeakable things to. It was not his choice to be in that auction and it was not his choice to be bought by a stranger, either. He did not have any say in the matter. From the very beginning, he was not given a choice at all.
Click.
The sound of the opening lock startled the young Omega from his daze of self-pity. His teary eyes widened as he saw the Alpha from before and he instantly scooted sideways to hide behind the bed. Now he regretted sitting with his back against the wall. The smooth surface that had earlier provided him with some kind of support when he felt like he was breaking apart, quickly became a cage that kept him trapped. The Alpha carried a tray and even though Yuuri's blurry eye sight prevented him from seeing what it was exactly, the delicious smell that it emitted told him it was food. His stomach growled loudly and he blushed despite his situation.
The male's eyes locked on him as he placed the tray on top of the bedside table. Yuuri tried to hide his whole body behind the bed, but he was proven unsuccessful when the man gracefully straightened himself and approached him. Yuuri's bare feet made swishing sounds on the carpeted floor as he tried to push his back through the wall, away from the danger, away, away, away... But he couldn't get away, and the man kept on approaching him slowly.
"D-Don't come near!" He tried to put as much courage in his voice as he could, but the words still sounded shaky.
The foreigner just smiled at him.
The icy blue eyes crinkled at the edges and a hand moved forward, towards Yuuri's face. The Omega ducked his head and closed his eyes, wishing desperately he was somewhere else. He flinched when the Alpha's hand landed on his cheeks, wiping through the stream of tears. It did not help much, as the tears just kept flowing. After three relatively gentle strokes, the Alpha removed his hand and Yuuri dared to crack one eye open.
"You're hungry, aren't you? I brought you dinner."
The foreigner's voice was pleasant to listen to, if nothing else. He spoke Japanese rather fluently, although there were traces of an accent that Yuuri could not quite place. He stared at the man that loomed over him, eyes filled with distrust and paranoia. Just this morning, this man was trying to do the unspeakable to him. He suppressed a shiver and stubbornly shook his head. "I'm not hungry," he declared, discovering with relief that he didn't stutter.
The Alpha frowned and kneeled in front of him, bringing their faces on the same height. "I could hear your stomach from afar. Don't be such a kid and just eat up."
He did not know how or where he got the courage from, but Yuuri shook his head and even managed to glare at the older male with his newfound bravery. Although he was obviously afraid, his eyes were defiant. That may not have been the right course of action for him to take. The icy blue eyes of the man in front of him hardened and he returned the glare with tenfold intensity.
"When I tell you to eat," he said slowly, in a voice so soft and dangerously low that it sent a shiver across Yuuri's spine, "then you eat." Yuuri parted his shaking lips to object once more, but he didn't get the chance when the older man roughly grabbed his wrist and pulled him upright. A strangled sound came out of his mouth, partly from the painful grip and partly from shock, as he was thrown on the bed. He unceremoniously landed on the soft mattress and spared a frightful glance at the other. The Alpha really scared him. No one had ever treated him as harshly as this, and his whole life he had only know kind people and kind words.
The foreigner eyed him coolly as Yuuri cradled his bruised wrist and, after making sure it was safe to break eye contact with the other, scooted backward until he created some distance between them. He felt how his eyes stung, but he didn't want to cry again in front of this man. He glanced back up for a second and felt his heart skip a beat when he saw the deep frown on the other's face. But then the man heaved a sigh and walked around the bed towards the tray with food. He grabbed the bowl, sat down on the bedside and extended it towards Yuuri with a very pointed look.
"Eat."
The voice was stern, but no longer filled with underlying anger. Even so, Yuuri didn't want to do as the other said. His bravery from before was nowhere to be found. He was scared of this man. The difference in their physique was obvious and this powerful man could probably snap his arms without effort. He absentmindedly caressed the newly formed bruise on his wrist.
"I d-don't..." his voice was a mere whisper. His eyes overflowed and tears once again ran down his cheeks. "I-I want to g-go home... please..."
"You should do as I say," the man said sternly as he completely overruled Yuuri's plea. "Either you eat now or I will personally force it down your throat. And I can guarantee you that you won't like the second option, Omega." The addressing had a sharp edge and Yuuri was sure that if he could be killed with mere words, he'd be done for already. The foreigner once again thrust the bowl in his direction. "It's your choice," he said in an airy voice, but they both knew Yuuri didn't have a choice. Not really.
The Omega tried his hardest to bite back his sobs as he slowly scooted closer to the side and reached for the bowl, making sure he wouldn't get closer to the other than necessary. His whole body shook while he accepted the warm bowl and placed it in his lap, eyeing the contents. It appeared to be chicken porridge. He didn't have to look up to know that the Alpha was watching his every move. The gaze was intense enough for him to feel it, and it made his body feel like lead. He shakily spooned the gooey contents of the bowl and brought the spoon to his lips. He was shaking so badly that some of the contents spilled on his oversized shirt.
His brown eyes widened in fear as he looked down on the spilled food. He shook even more, not daring to look at the Alpha. "I-I'm s-sorry," he choked out, trying to scoop up the spilled porridge but failing due to his trembling limbs. "I-I... I'm so sorry!" More tears spilled from his eyes. The blurred shape of the Alpha's hand entered his vision, reaching for the bowl in his lap. Yuuri acted on impulse and slapped the hand away, consequently spilling the contents of the bowl over the bed. Both men stared at the stain on the bed and then, as if on cue, looked at each other at the same time. The foreigner's eyes were drilling holes in the poor Omega with their glare, and Yuuri couldn't help but cower in front of him. "I a-am... sor-ry! Don't hurt me, p-please!" It was a miracle his voice was even audible with the sobs that ripped through his body. He pressed his teary eyes shut as he waited for the pain.
Instead of pain, he felt how his body was lifted up and thrown onto the man's strong shoulder like a sack of potatoes as the man began walking. Overtaken by panic, Yuuri trashed around and felt the Alpha stopping for a while. A clicking of doorknob could be heard and he trashed even more. "No! Please forgive me!" he cried before he was thrown down and landed on something soft and bouncy. A quick glance taught him that he was on a different bed and a different room - the furniture were different and looked simple but elegant and more feminine -, the door that connected the adjacent bedroom was still opened. It took all his courage to look up to the foreign Alpha, who was towering over him with a glare as cold as ice. Yuuri was frozen in place and he bit his quivering lips to stop the sobs from escaping.
"I gave you food, but you wasted it," the Alpha spoke. His voice was soft and deep and low and darker than Yuuri could ever have imagined. "Alright, we'll do it your way then. You don't have to eat, you can just starve yourself."
Then the man turned around and left through the door to the adjoining room. Yuuri barely heard the clicking of the lock over his own thumping heart. Fresh tears, now from relief, ran down his smudgy cheeks as he buried his face into the blankets.
He wanted to go home.
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Victor instructed his servants and head butler to not give water or food to the Omega. If he found out, he'd make sure to make them pay before firing them without a second thought. Then he changed his clothes and told Otabek to reserve his usual spot in Club Magenta. Club Magenta was one of his own clubs, and he needed a drink really badly tonight. What better way than spending the time drowning in alcohol, after all?
He passed an angry looking Yuri who was walking to his room. His younger brother ignored him as he strode upstairs and as he walked out of the double mahogany doors. The hatred was still there in the younger one's eyes. As long as it did not douse, it would keep getting big and bigger. Victor knew that, but didn't really care about it.
As Victor let the front door fall close behind him, his eyes fell on the shiny black Mercedes that was waiting for him. Many people would marvel at the sight of the impressive vehicle, but Victor did not even bat an eye. He walked towards the passenger seat, Otabek was already in the car next to the driver as he nodded his head to Victor and the driver drove away without a word.
The drive to the club took around an hour, because traffic at this hour was just the worst. The long wait had made him slightly irritated, and he tapped his finger impatiently as his driver headed for the reserved parking slot. Victor walked over to the VIP entrance and Otabek followed right behind him, keeping an eye on him to see if he could do anything. The bodyguards respectfully lowered their heads and opened the door for him, earning a small nod in acknowledgement from him.
Then he was inside.
The club manager instantly greeted him as Victor passed him on the way to his usual room. The club was filled with customers and some of them looked at the fine Russian in appreciation. But no one dared to approach him, for they knew he was the owner of this club - the rumour of him being the mafia making it hard to approach - and could only stare at him from afar. Even if his name and handsome face weren't recognised by some, the aura he emitted was a clear message to each and everyone in the room.
He was off limits.
The soothing atmosphere of the bar club calmed him, he noticed, and his lips formed a barely noticable smile for the first time since he'd left the room of his Omega. The thought of the young man immediately brought back the tenseness in his muscles. He ignored it and walked to the first floor, where the VIP room was. Otabek had already gone ahead and was waiting for him. The Beta greeted him before he opened the door. The Mafia Boss sat on the leather couch with an appreciative sigh.
"The usual, sir?"
Victor grunted in approval. "Prepare two bottles."
"I understand, sir," Otabek said and left the room to take his boss' special order. The man usually drank Vodka, but he usually only ordered bottles when he had company. For him to ask for two bottles when he was on his own, and right from the start at that... Something must be troubling him.
Before long, the Personal Assistant to the Mafia Boss entered the room while carrying a tray. On the tray were two bottles that were stacked in ice, a shot glass and a plate with slices of pickled cucumber. He placed the glass on the table, filled it with just the right amount of the clear and odorless liquid and then quietly stood aside with the opened bottle in his hands, waiting to refill his boss's glass.
Victor picked up the glass and downed the ice cold liquid in one gulp, not even bothering with the toast that was common in Russian drinking etiquette. He reached for the plate of zakuski while Otabek swiftly refilled the glass[1]. Then he downed it again, remaining quiet all the while. This continued until the fourth glass.
The Beta merely watched as his boss consumed the liqour, while also keeping an eye on the entrance to make sure that no one would interrupt the Mafia Boss. Honestly, it was painful for the Kazakhstani to watch the Russian. He had been around long enough witness what lied behind the other's cold, emotionless mask. He knew that the current Nikiforov's head was a lonely man. Despite his cold words, despite his indifference when killing someone, was lonely. No one knew about this, except for Otabek, the head butler and Christophe. Even Yuri did not know it, even though he was Victor's brother.
As the Beta refilled his boss's glass for the fifth time, Victor spoke to him.
"Otabek."
"Yes, sir?"
"Do you hate me?"
There was no trace of a slurr in his words or a distant look in his eyes, which wouldn't have been unexpected with the amount of alcohol the other had consumed in such a short time. Not for the first time, Otabek noted that his boss could really handle his alcohol.
"No, sir."
The filled glass was slammed down on the cocktail table and its contents spilled over Victor's hand. The Alpha's icy blue eyes met his in a glare that chilled him to the bone. Before Otabek could react, he felt how a gun was pressed against his temple. Victor had stood up and drawn his weapon faster than he could have followed, and his black eyes widened slightly in surprise when he'd caught up to the reality.
"Then, if I do this to you... would you hate me?" The emotionless mask split into a cruel grin as he pressed the gun harder on the Beta's skull and removed the safety.
Otabek's Adam apple bobbed up and down before he spoke, not daring to move any other muscle. "No, sir."
"Even if I take your life now?"
"I would not hate you, sir."
There were a few seconds of silence before the gun was lowered and returned to Victor's pocket. The Beta heaved a soft sigh and filled the half-full glass that his boss extended to him.
"I could not help it..." Victor murmured as he sat back down on the couch, downing another glass of vodka.
Those vague words could mean anything and even the secretary cum personal assistant to the Mafia Boss could not decipher that. Otabek kept watching as his Boss downed one glass after another one in silent.
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Yuuri kept crying the whole night, until his throat was hoarse and until his eyes and nose were red from rubbing them. He had tried to open the door and window when he had calmed down, but everything was locked. He sat down on the floor at the corner of the room, knees pulled up together and arms wrapped around his slender legs. Judging from his earlier experience, he probably shouldn't be sitting against the walls anymore. Here in the corner, he'd have even less escape routes if that Alpha tried something. But right now he needed the support, for he felt like he would just crumble and break into a thousand pieces without it. Besides, it wouldn't matter much. There was no way Yuuri could get away from an Alpha as powerful as this one, whether he sat in the corner of the room or not. He sniffed and tried to swallow. His throat felt dry, because he hadn't drunk anything since he was kidnapped.
He did not know how much time had passed since, he knew for sure that it was too much.
Tired, exhausted, dirty and hungry... Finally, when it was almost dawn, the Japanese male lost consciousness. The opening door did not wake him, nor did the soft footsteps of the Russian Alpha who entered. The man crouched down in front of the unconscious male and studied him for a while. Then he lifted the slender figure into his arms without effort and placed him on the bed.
Victor stared at the Omega.
The Japanese teen was eighteen, only one year older than Yuri. He leaned forward and swept the dark bangs away from the closed eyes. Then his fingers moved to trace the red-rimmed, puffy eyelids and the red nose. The Omega's cheeks were smudgy from the tears he had shed and Victor felt a sudden heaviness settle inside his chest. He could see the outline of his hipbones through the dirty shirt he was wearing. The Omega's body was so thin and small... so weak...
And yet he had tried to defy him, an Alpha!
Victor's icy blue eyes fell onto the porridge stain on the shirt and a frown instantly formed on his forehead. Last evening had been a complete disaster. He had gone out of his way and personally brought dinner to the younger man, in hopes of learning the other's name. Why couldn't the Omega understand that and be grateful? Instead, the boy had defied him, and the mere thought brought a wave of irritation with it. Victor didn't like disobedient dogs. He intended to punish them, hard.
He stood up with a sigh and went to his own room. There he took one of his dress shirts and walked back into the adjacent room. He carefully lifted the lithe body and undressed the sleeping boy from his dirty clothes. His eyes greedily drank in the sight of the small male's naked body. Every inch of it exclaimed his status as an Omega, and Victor felt delighted to know that he would be the only one to see it, if he so wished. The nipples were pink and small and cute, the ass obviously belonged to a virgin. The small body in front of him was so alluring. It was simply begging to be filled with Victor's seed, to be reached in that intimate place where no man had ever touched. Leaning down, Victor sniffed the scent gland at the base of the small Omega's nape.
The Omega's scent, already faintly present in the whole room, was so intense there! Victor's mouth watered and he could feel his fangs elongating, a result from the instinctive desire to mark the Japanese man. But he ignored his instinct and the hardness pressing on his pants and busied himself with the task at hand, instead. His mate made a soft noise as Victor changed him into a clean button-up shirt and draped the blanket over his body.
He rubbed in between his eyes as the tiredness came crashing down on him.
He had only just come back from his drinking spree, and he could still feel the pleasant buzz that the alcohol gave him. The fact that he was able to control himself with the sleeping Omega was actually a display of great self dicipline, considering how tipsy he was. He smiled to himself as he walked to the other side of the bed. The Omega surely would realize how considerate and great Victor was.
The Alpha removed his black jacket suit before he unbuttoned his button-up shirt and removed that as well. He then unzipped his pants and stepped out of it, leaving him in nothing but his dark tight briefs. He raised the blanket and laid down on the matress. He scooted closer to the sleeping male until he spooned him, and then covered them both with the blanket.
It did not take long before he fell into a deep slumber, soothed by the alcohol in his system and the sweet scent of his mate. In his arms, the male Omega snuggled closer to his chest and the soft black hair tickled his chest in just the right way. Lulled by each other's heartbeats, the two finally relaxed.
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"Where did you go, Beka?"
Otabek had just closed the door when he heard it. Startled, the secretary immediately switched on the living room's lamp. The bright light lit up the modest apartment and he had to blink a few times. Then he spotted his boss' adoptive brother on the couch. Yuri Nikiforov, complete with frown. The Beta smiled slightly as he loosened his neck tie. "Nowhere, just some business." He placed his briefcase on the cocktail table and took a seat opposite of the younger male. "Why don't you sleep, Yuri? You have school in a few hours."
"I was waiting for you, obviously. Besides, what's the point? My results already qualify me to enter any university I want to go to." The younger male huffed and sniffed the air before he hissed angrily. "Did you drink at the club?! And you smell like cigarettes as well!" His sea-green eyes were blazing with fire.
"Ah... no. Not me," the Beta countered tiredly as he rested his head on the arm chair and closed his eyes. Maybe he could get in a full hour of sleep before he had to work again. He felt soft and slender fingers prodding his bandaged cheek and his already healing neck. He opened his tired eyes. "Yuri?"
"The bruise on your neck is still there... And your cheek... Do they still hurt?"
Otabek was silent for a moment before he removed the hand and smiled down on the teenager. "No, they do not." He stood from his seat with a groan and scooped the teenager into his arms. And despite Yuri's protests, he walked into the boy's bedroom and placed him on the bed. Then he tucked him in and kissed his forehead. "Sleep, Yuri. You have school this morning."
He was about to leave the room when his sleeve was grabbed. He turned around and met with shy green eyes. "Yes, Yuri?"
"...Sleep with me, Beka."
"Ah... Let me change my clothes first."
"Fine."
Otabek didn't bother with clearing away his clothes. He had already undressed before he reached his own room, then grabbed a simple white t-shirt and black sweatpants and made his way back to Yuri. Silently, the Kazakhstani climbed into the bed and hugged the smaller male, who clung to him immediately. He caressed the soft blond tresses as he hummed a soft lullaby. When the boy finally slept, Otabek set an alarm for in an hour. He needed to wake up early and ready a breakfast for two before going to the company.
He closed his dark gray eyes and let himself fall into a short sleep, finally relaxing his strained muscles.
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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Sneak a peek:
Carefully and cautiously, he went to find his way out. Hiding when he found people and continued again when there was no more people. After a few minutes which he felt like hours long, Yuuri finally arrived in front of the door which looked like to be this mansion main door. He cautiously opened the huge doors and slipped past the door.
Reference: [1] www. atlasobscura articles/ how-to-drink-vodka-like-a-russian