He wasn't sure how long it had been by the time he calmed down, Anthony never had a good sense of time. A few minutes, an hour ... he didn't know it, what mattered was that he was no longer shaking.

In fact, now that his mind had cleared a bit, he felt a bit euphoric and full of curiosity.

Yes, he was stuck with an alpha once again. But wasn't that what he wanted? He didn't want an alpha, but he wanted to get out of the hideous shelter, this was his chance, wasn't it?

He needed to create a plan to escape. The faster the better.

If he needed to pretend that he was a cute, innocent, submissive omega, he could pull it off. He preferred not to think about the implications of such a performance ... or the consequences.

He stretched out his legs, they were somewhat numb and that was the first sign that he had spent a good time lost in his despair. The second sign was that the sun's rays no longer illuminated the entire room so strongly.

He grimaced, he hated to lose track of time just like that, crying like a scared puppy, since when did he take so long to compose himself?

Anyway, once his feet were firmly on the ground he turned to look around the room and gather possible information about the owner.

Well, first and most obvious: The alpha was stupidly rich. Politician, perhaps? He immediately shook his head. The politicians lived much closer to the city, like that jerk of Sandalphon.

What else? He peered around the room. Spotless and neat, but when Crowley tried to sniff the air, it didn't get much to him. Which meant he didn't get many visitors there, or at least, no alphas. In fact, Crowley couldn't capture the essence of an alpha in this room. A weak alpha, perhaps? Or a very sullen and unsociable one? Or just never put a foot in this room.

Nor could he distinguish the scent of any omega and perhaps it was the most intriguing thing. Tracy didn't know what to do with Crowley, so it was safe to assume that this alpha had no more omegas, but an alpha of such high status? Young, then,much younger than Crowley, surely. That was fine, he guessed, a young, inexperienced alpha? It was going to be easy to fool him. Or so he hoped.

He paid attention to the paintings, the furnishings, the decoration... This alpha liked order, good sense of style. Lots of lavender and violet. Although the painting of the ducks lacked any sense of style or common sense.

Not that he could deduce too many things, not something that would help him appeal to the good side of the alpha.

Crowley snorted while brushing his fingers in small silver figurine that looked like an angel of sorts. As if alphas have a good side at all.

He stayed for a couple of minutes just pacing around the room, trying to record anything that caught his eye. Everything was new.

Some of the alphas he had been in the past had fewer valuables in their entire house than in this room alone. He frowned. Some of the alphas didn't even have a home of their own. Just a room or a rented room in a tavern. What was important was just a bed, and that was about it.

He laughed wryly. The shelters were to help. They always repeated that to them over and over again, be grateful that the shelters exist. But generally only bad blooded alphas, poor or alcoholic approached the shelters, that was not helpful.

Shelters were like an alternative to brothels, in fact. With the great advantage that the omegas were healthier. Well, sometimes.

And again he was confused, trying to come up with the explanation why a high class alpha would go to a filthy refuge in a filthy and forgotten neighborhood of the city to gift an omega to some high class alpha friend.

No, surely he was not a friend, then. Maybe Crowley was some kind of passive-aggressive message in some alpha drama. Which was funny in a dark demoralizing way. If that was the case, what stopped this alpha to treat him like shit?

Then again, it didn't matter, because all alphas treated omegas like shit, without more excuses than just being a omega.

The omega inhaled deeply, he had not realized until now that between his hands he was pulling the buttons of his suit, one fell and rolled on the floor. Greatt. What he needed to look even more pathetic in this suit was to remove the buttons, a beautiful image of an omega in poverty,yes, perfect.

He gasped.

His belongings. His things, his bags. The only clothes he had, the only things of value, his only memories of ...

He hurried to the window, to no avail. Sandalphon's carriage would be far away by now, if not at his house already. He hit the glass in frustration. What chances were there of them being returned?

He tried to reason, unless the alpha liked to see him in the same stupid fancy clothes every day, there would be no reason to no ask him for the simple favor of going to the house of Sandalphon to hand over his bags to him, right?

He heard howls not far away, howls and barks that brought him out of his reverie. He straightened up and paid attention to the landscape behind the window. From there, he could see the main entrance to the mansion and part of the gardens. There were a couple of decorative statues that he hadn't noticed before and ... a carriage.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, once again his heart began to race. The alpha had returned. He backed away from the window as if it burned. All his curiosity and excitement was leaving him as soon as they had arrived. The alpha would come and be mad to find a low-class omega in his mansion, he would want feel so angry with Sandalphon that he would to take out on him and beat and rape him until Crowley passed out, then throw him like trash in front of the shelter.

He began to back away and move further and further away from the window without taking his eyes off it, once again his nerves began to consume him. He didn't wanted an alpha, he didn't asked for this, he didn't wanted any of this, he didn't…

And then Crowley stumbled into the tea table in the center of the room, falling backward along with the vase and the flowers. What was a beautiful vase were now several pieces of porcelain scattered on the floor. The poor flowers were now crushed by Crowley's efforts to get up and, oh, was that blood? He got up, now trembling to look at the mess.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Now the Alpha really got a reason to be mad.

Stupid. Can't get anything right. He felt a stabbing pain in his back and his arms, you idiot, what are you going to do? Now he was hyperventilating.

And before he could even understand what was going on his mind, his legs responded first and he was running. Running in a strange and unfamiliar house. He felt chased, there was no one behind him, but still Crowley kept running.

Madame Tracy waited patiently at the entrance to receive the owner of the house, as always, she kept a soft smile. And it wasn't a fake smile, she genuinely liked her job, it was quiet and easy enough for her age, but not extremely easy either, so she didn't feel useless. In fact, she felt some power over the house, the rest of the servants had to answer to her, in fact, and that was nice, it was good to feel important at her age and she was grateful for that.

Tracy already had several years of experience as a housekeeper for upper-class families. The omegas deal was no stranger to her at all. She was kind to them, she was kind to everyone, but she understood pretty well that omegas needed more kindness in their life, so she was even kinder to them. Still, she was a woman of customs, a bit hard to change her mind at this age. And customs said that an a omega was to be taken either, to the wing of the mansion designated only for omegas, where the alpha would keep their harem or in the alpha's room. That was what she would have done…if she was in any other house. But not here, there wasn't a harem hall in this house,at all.

And the master didn't seem interested in having a harem, either. So it was a confusing. If the master had planned this, he would have told her what to do, so she expected…she expected him to be confused too.

The alpha entered, flawless as ever, not a single hair out of place. Shoes as if they hadn't even been in contact with the ground, even though given the nature of the trip, they had to have been on the ground. He stripped off his coat and hat which he left on the rack and let out a tired huff. From his expression, Tracy could tell immediately that he was not in a good mood.

"Welcome back sir" Tracy greeted with a slight bow "I will have the tea ready in a minute. There is a matter to discuss first, though. You see, today-"

"Those nasty field rats" Spit the alpha, interrupting her "Can you believe it, Tracy? Three months of debt, not counting the previous debt. I try to negotiate with them, I try not to get them out of the terrain and what do they want to pay me with?" He started walking, straight into his study "With their omega daughter! The girl is, what, fourteen?! Who do they take me for? Disgusting"

"That sounds horrible" Tracy admitted with a sad look, following him "But speaking of omegas ..."

"I told them no, I gave them a firm no and tried to find another way to pay, but then they bring the girl in to undress! They had planned it, the sons of bitches. You should have seen the girl's face!" The alpha turned momentarily to look at Tracy and gesture with his hands "I want to gouge my eyes out" he said, waving his hands as if he were really going to gouge his eyes out "No, I want to gouge their stupid eyes out and then sell their eyes to a medicine student, I know they pay well for body parts "and he turned to continue walking.

"I know it must have been an unpleasant experience, sir," said the beta in a sympathetic voice, "but I'm trying to tell you that today Sir Sandalphon-"

The alpha couldn't supress a growl and curl his lips, showing his teeth. In this state of fury he wasn't paying attention to what Madame Tracy was saying "If I were my father they would already be on the street. I would have taken not only the daughter, but the three children and I would have sold them, I would have taken the stupid hungry sheep they have too and taken the house" he explained, with clear disdain for his father as well "It's note ven legal! It is? I'm not sure what was the age for omegas nowadays? Seventeen?"

The beta sighed listening to the ramblings of the alpha, he had his reasons, of course. Not only that was awful, but it seemed like he did the travel for nothing. Tracy did not blame him. But she was not very fond of being ignored like this "Sir, there is a matter of great importance to discuss"

"They think I'm stupid, don't they?! The degenerates" The alpha was now fighting with the knot of his lavender cravat "Excusing themselves with a bad harvest. They think I don't know how the weather works? They think I don't know they had a good harvest and they wasted it on who knows what nonsense? More time sir, please, more time… Bullshit!"

Tracy was already tired of following him without being heard "Gabriel, could you stop and listen to me?" Tracy was not in the least afraid to refer to the alpha by just his name, even though her years of experience working for upper-class alphas told her that doing so was a bad idea, even more so with an alpha in a state of rage like this .

"They think I'm soft, they think I'm nice, right? I'm not" He raised one of his hands, turned into a fist "They think I couldn't break their legs and-?" He stopped suddenly, lowering his hands. Tracy almost bumping into him. Gabriel frowned, sniffing the air warily. Then he turned around "That smell ... Tracy?"

The old woman sighed and shook her head "That's what I'm trying to tell you, sir. Sandalphon came to visit and brought an omega with him. He said it was a gift, one as an apology for his latest dispute with you, I have to assume."

The alpha frowned even more, if possible, his expression darkening "He ... fucking what?" Tracy couldn't tell if he was furious, shocked, or disgusted. Maybe all three.

"He said he hoped to see you soon to talk to you" the beta continued explaining "And, well ... I asked the omega to wait in one of the drawing rooms, should I bring him with you or ...?"

Gabriel shook his head, slowly at first, then more forcefully "No" then he let out an exasperated snort "No, no. I don't have time for this right now. I have things to do, I'll be in my study" He raised a hand and waved it vaguely "Just ... I don't know, I'll talk to him over dinner and sort things or whatever" And he turned his back on her, hurrying to lock himself into his study.

Deep down, Tracy felt confused too, alphas weren't supposed to be uncomfortable with an omega around. But she knew better than to judge.

As soon as she received Gabriel's orders, Madame Tracy went to the room where she had left the omega. She would attend to him and take him to the dining room, where she would explain that his alpha would see him in a few minutes, when dinner and tea were ready. Maybe cheer him up a bit, the poor thing seemed too nervous for his own good.

The problem was that as she opened the door and called him by his name no one answered. There was no one in the room. She continued calling him and as soon as she noticed the mess in the center of the room she couldn't help but be a little alarmed, was he hurt? Why would he leave the room in the first place, if he was hurt? Why didn't he call someone? "

"Anthony! Darling, it's almost dinner time!" she looked around. The mansion was big, maybe the omega got bored of waiting and just got lost in the mansion, too many rooms and halls. She shook his head, naughty omega...

Now, Tracy wasn't stupid, and she knew it was a lot easier to inform the rest of the servants to help her find the omega than to go around the entire manor by herself, so that's what she did.

If they weren't chasing him before, they were chasing him now. He could hear other servants calling him. Some called him by his name, others simply called him omega.

Crowley was beyond reasoning, he didn't understand why, but he had to avoid getting caught. He didn't remember the last time he was alone and this was the result, he felt dizzy, scared, he was still hyperventilating, his chest was starting to hurt, he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings, really.

And then he collided with something. With someone.

"Hey!" She complained. She was a maid and now all the freshly laundered sheets that she was carrying were on the floor. A surprised gasp "The omega! Hey, wait, Madame Tracy is looking for you! Hey! Come back, you…wait, you're bleeding!"

The beta let out a grunt as she started to pick up the sheets.

"Mary! Were you screaming?!" Another of the maids asked from across the hall.

"Yeah that rude omega ran into me and threw all the sheets on the floor and fled without even apologizing!"

"Where did they go?!"

"I don't know, think went down that hall, maybe went upstairs!"

"Up here they're not!" another answered.

"Maybe they left the mansion"

"What?! They're outside the mansion?!"

Everything became a mess, the servants went from one side to the other looking for the omega, very elusive, indeed. Perhaps more interested in leaving their tasks under the guise of looking for the omega than actually finding him.

They would never admit it, but they were having fun. It was like being children again and playing hide and seek. But no one found the omega. With each passing minute it seemed that it was more of a reality that the omega had left the mansion and not a guess.

Everyone was busy, going here and there looking for the omega, until a very familiar shout made them freeze right where they were.

"What the fuck is happening here? Why is everyone screaming?!"

Gabriel was standing right at the bottom of the stairs, evidently he hadn't been able to do much work in his study. Everyone was quiet like a mouse. He frowned. "I asked a question, was I not clear?"

"We're looking for your Omega,sir. They're gone" Explained Mary.

Gone?

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, and yelling like goats will find them?" he replied with a growl "How could they leave? We are hours from the city, and is getting dark… And there are many servants outside too, they could not just walk through the door and leave like nothing!"

He started to walk up stairs. This was ridiculous.

"We can't find him anywhere, sir" replied another servant.

Gabriel let out a sarcastic laugh and rolled his eyes "Where did you see him last time?"

"Huh, near the hallway on the side of the stairs in the right wing, on the first floor"

The alpha hummed and simply headed down to said hallway.

"We already searched there" added the servant.

"Shut up" he replied with annoyance. This was not his day.

The servants, obedient as always, were silent. Even if Gabriel wasn't an alpha, they would do so without question, even if he wasn't their boss. Betas couldn't so easily submit to the authority of an Alpha, but Gabriel ... Gabriel knew how to take his place without needing pheromones or showing his teeth. So they just fell silent exchanging curious glances.

When he entered the hallway, at first glance there didn't seem to be anyone, indeed. But the air, oh, the air said something very different. Gabriel snorted. Distress, fear,anxiety… something inside Gabriel shuddered, almost as if the fear were his own.

He felt sick.

But still, he continued down the hallway to the end. Alright, if he was terrified for some reason and tried to avoid others, lost in someone else's home, what would he do? He surely would feel tired soon, so the most logical thing was to hide. He looked around. On one side, the corridor led to a secondary staircase, and on the other, the main corridor.

He sighed and walked over to a broom closet at the corner of the stairs and opened the door.

"Well, shit. There you are"

Hugging his own legs, shaking and cornered as much as possible inside the closet, was Anthony Crowley, the omega who at some point in his life was energetic and courageous. But now he seemed to be in such a panic that he didn't seem to reason with anything or anyone.

"Ngk"

Gabriel inhaled deeply. "Tracy! Come quick, I found the omega!" He directed his attention back to the omega in front of him "Hey, get out of there, come here" and reached out his hand to help him stand up.

But Crowley didn't move, in fact he crawled further toward the wall. Gabriel withdrew his hand from him "No? Okay, okay. Look what's wrong?" Nothing. "Why so scared? Someone said something to you?" he tried, this time.

Far, far back in his head, a clear part of his mind caught the words and wanted to scoff at them. Did someone said something to him to be scared? Everyone he has known has told him to be afraid of alphas.

Tracy arrived, and with her, the rest of the servants, most did not even know what Crowley looked like and did not know what to expect so they were beyond curious. Gabriel grimaced "I called Tracy, are you all Tracy? No, right? Go back to your tasks, now!"

"Oh dear, what have gotten into you?" Tracy said softly, confused.

"Tracy, just look at him! He's shaking, looks scared to death, what the hell did Sandalphon do to him?" Gabriel knew better than to raise his voice, so he tried to keep it low.

"I swear, He wasn't like that when he arrived… Darling, get out of there, I'll prepare you some food, okay? And, you're bleeding, it must hurt" Tracy smiled, trying to calm him down.

"'S m-my fault ... s -... rry" he said so softly it was barely audible.

Tracy and Gabriel blinked and looked at each other "What did he say?" the alpha questioned.

"That he's sorry?" She looked at the omega "Why are you sorry?"

"The ... va-vase and ... flowers" Crowley explained, stifling a sob, looking at the floor "Didn't…wanted to"

Madame Tracy widened her eyes, understanding, she draw a hand to her mouth, the poor thing was terrified just for having broken some old ornament "Oh, he broke a vase" explained the woman "Is all right, no problem at all, there are many more vases in the house"

"He broke a vase? …So what?" he looked at the omega "It doesn't matter"

It didn't matter how much they said it was okay, it didn't seem to bring the omega out of his state. Gabriel let out an exasperated sigh and started backing away.

"I think I'd better stay away from him for now, you take care of it, Tracy" he waved his hand vaguely "I'll have dinner alone in my study"

The old woman nodded "Sure, Sir" she said behind the back of the alpha, who was already leaving.

Once Gabriel was out of the picture, it was surprisingly easy to ask the omega to come out of his hiding place, his legs were still shaking, but at least he looked better "There, there, see? Nothing bad will happen. Let's go to the dining room, those cuts won't clean themselves up" She took his hand to guide him. Crowley was still gasping for air, but at least he nodded.

The clarity in his mind had returned and with it a raging embarrassment came too. He felt stupid, cowardly, just pathetic. The old woman was now cleaning the cuts on his arms, they were not very deep, but they still burned.

As Tracy diligently wiped a damp cloth over his cuts, the pain seemed to make him forget his shame. He wanted to forget about the few hours ago, he wanted to forget everything. So he focused on the pain, it was better that way.

But Madame Tracy was talking to him again, the lady liked to talk a lot "Are you sure you don't want dinner?" She frowned "After all that mess, I'm sure you'll feel a little hungry ..."

Crowley shook his head, feeling the painful embarrassment coming back "No thanks ... I'm sure"

"If you say so" Madame Tracy seemed the type of person too kind to force others to do something, even if it was for their own good.

And too kind to ask aloud the questions that hung in the taut air of the mansion,too.

So Crowley decided to return her kindness with the answers "I don't know what happened to me, either." Said with apathy "I just…there were so many things on my mind…and-" he cut himself, looking for the right words "…I felt…weird being all alone, without no one to tell me what to do…I felt…scared of being all on my own" he made a long pause and looked at the cuts "And then I hear the others calling me and somehow that scared me even more, even if I knew running was useless"

Madame Tracy looked at him sympathetically and nodded. "Sometimes we don't understand ourselves, do we? Everyone can react differently to fear, that's okay darling."

Crowley trembled and looked down "Please ... don't call me that."

The lady tilted her head, confused, but she agreed "Okay" then she withdrew the cloth, she was done.

She asked him, once again, if he didn't want to have dinner, and if Crowley hadn't been physically and mentally exhausted, he would have had enough energy to get annoyed at such insistence. Once again shook his head, totally sure.

She nodded and sighed. "Well then, come with me" she explained and began to guide the omega upstairs, he wasn't really sure to where they were going.

On the top floor, Tracy led him into one of the main rooms and opened the door. Crowley's eyes widened as he realized: the alpha's bedroom.

"He'll meet you as soon as he finishes his dinner, need to talk" Tracy explained, "Don't worry, everything will be fine" she assured him with a smile "Easy,Anthony"

Crowley tried to smile back, but failed like a fool. Instead, he just entered to the bedroom without hesitating too much, if he thought about it too much, he would have another nervous breakdown, he was not sure that his mind could bear another one like the last.

"Good night" was Madame Tracy's goodbye, and he heard the door closing behind him.

Once again, he was totally alone, not for too long, though.