They were trapped in the bedroom for the rest of the day, and the entire time they switched between who cried and who comforted.

Much to his embarrassment, Wooyoung probably did most of the crying...

This was his fault... He shouldn't have tried to escape.

His Omega did its best to reassure him that he'd done the right thing, it just hadn't worked out like they'd hoped.

It was still strange... having this second voice in his head. If he could even call it a voice? It was more like a feeling, this presence that felt like it had always been there now.

Wooyoung had asked Felix if he felt the same thing, and the younger seemed a little confused, but also stated he thought something like that must be happening to him. Mostly that morning when the Alphas had forced them together.

"It was like I lost control of myself and I was just going off instinct. I don't know. It's hard to explain." Felix spoke softly, his deep voice giving a strange comfort in the threatening room as they both laid on their sides facing each other.

"But I understand." Wooyoung said back. He wiggled a little closer so he could press his forehead to Felix's shoulder. "This... change they forced on us... I wonder why they did it."

"Who knows. But whoever they are deserves to rot in jail for eternity. Death would be too kind."

Wooyoung's eyebrows arched in surprise but he didn't move. He'd never expected something harsh to come from the younger Omega, not with how soft and gentle he'd been since they'd been left alone.

Yet, Wooyoung found himself agreeing. If they got out of here, he'd make sure to be part of the group that worked to shut down whatever this operation was.

If.

When had his mindset grown so negative?

Not much was said the rest of the day, and even less could be said when Nikolai returned later that night and locked them in the room again.

Both Omegas stayed still, not wanting to risk upsetting him again, which he seemed to approve of.

"You'll stay in here with me, but don't worry, I need you to get your rest for tomorrow." The Alpha said, a flash of red crossing his eyes.

To accent his point, Nikolai tied both of their leashes to the headboard so they were forced to stay in bed with him, laying on either side.

He kept his word and didn't do anything to either one, but Wooyoung did wake up sometime during the night to Nikolai's arm wrapped tightly around his stomach.

That ended up being the least of his worries once he found out what the following day entailed...

Two Betas came to wake them in the morning with a tray of food. It was a pleasant surprise and Felix gave Wooyoung a semi-hopeful look.

Nikolai left them to eat alone and it felt so nice to not have to force down what they were given.

Just when they started to think that maybe things could change for them, the Alpha returned with clothes. "Put these on and clean yourselves up." He jabbed a finger at the ensuite bathroom. "Now."

Wooyoung and Felix scrambled into the bathroom where they took turns showering, drying off, and trying to look presentable.

At least, until Wooyoung noticed what it was they were expected to wear. "He's kidding... right?"

"I don't think so..." Felix whispered back.

While Felix's was admittedly better, both Omegas hesitated at the thought of having to wear these outfits...

Felix had been given a pair of skinny jeans, which were completely impractical for the environment they were in, as well as a grey crop top that had long, flowing sleeves, but was low cut and exposed a lot of his midriff. He was also given a simple pair of boots to wear.

Wooyoung was given something much worse in his opinion... He also had a pair of skinny jeans, but while Felix's sat up on his hips, Wooyoung's were much lower and had a bit of his v-line poking out. And he wasn't even given a shirt. It was just a leather vest that barely covered anything. His boots also had heels on them.

"Where the hell did they even get these?" He whined, tugging on the fest to try and stretch it out a little.

"From a couple of my packmates."

Nikolai's voice made both Omegas jump and spin around to look at him. He appraised each one, a hungry glint to his eyes.

"I had a hard time finding anything that might fit you. I hope you like these." The tone of his voice hinted that he wasn't really looking for an answer. It didn't matter to him if they liked them or not. He stalked forward, looked at Felix first, then grabbed Wooyoung's chin hard enough to make him whimper. "I expect you to be on your best behavior today, do you understand?"

Wooyoung tried to nod, but Nikolai had too strong of a grip on him, so he was forced to just stay there.

"Good." Nikolai growled, then forced Wooyoung's head to the side to scent him.

The Omega cringed and wanted nothing more than to move away from him. But his other self urged him to obey, obey or be punished.

Once Nikolai had scented Felix too, making both of them smell like really strong, stale whiskey, he dragged both of them out by their leashes.

Wooyoung could feel eyes on them immediately and Bastian was quick to make an appearance, his eyes already bright red and staring at him without blinking.

They were taken to the main living space and forced to stand off to the side with the rest of the Omegas, including the three originally from Tressor's pack.

All of them were dressed in something revealing, all four of the girls were in shorts or skirts, and the other male was dressed similarly to Felix.

Which just made Wooyoung want to either scream or just let the ground swallow him whole when he realized that he was the only one that really stood out in the group...

It must have been further punishment for trying to escape. That's the only thing that made sense in his mind.

"Everyone, stay together today and make sure to keep an eye on our Omegas. Don't let anyone rile you up, let me do the talking. Got it?"

Murmurs of agreement rumbled through the room right before Nikolai snapped his fingers twice.

All seven Omegas had their hands yanked behind their backs and their wrists and forearms folded so they could be tied together.

As much as Wooyoung wanted to say something, he allowed it to happen when he realized no one else was trying to fight back.

Something was happening... He had a sinking feeling that whatever it was wasn't going to be pleasant.

His thoughts were confirmed when Nikolai came forward to grab his leash and led him from the large cabin.

The entire pack left together, making their way through the forest and toward the town square. Their destination appeared to be a large building that Wooyoung had never really noticed before, though he hadn't had a chance to come to this part of the area very much.

Inside, one large room opened in front of them with a stage on the far end laid out with chairs. And one in particular, the center one, looked much larger than the rest.

That's where Nikolai chose to sit, leaning back and spreading his legs in a very intimidating manner.

His eyes flicked to Wooyoung's, then he gestured to the ground.

Humiliating couldn't even cover what Wooyoung felt as he sank to his knees between the Alpha's legs. His leash was kept extra short, wound around Nikolai's hand several times, so he didn't have much freedom to move.

From what he could see, the rest of the Omegas had been spread out, three on each side, all of them on their knees next to an Alpha.

What the hell was going on...

Wooyoung could feel himself starting to panic. That horrible feeling in his gut was getting worse. He wanted nothing more than to look at Felix, seeking comfort in his familiar eyes, but he was on the side behind Wooyoung.

Before he could spiral too much, all thoughts and feelings were abruptly cut off when the doors to the building opened again and voices poured into the hall.

He could feel all the color drain from his face as he watched men and women file in and start to fill the room...

He didn't need the other voice in his head to confirm that it was the other packs. Which meant...

The Omega's heart started to race, and he must have started breathing harder, because Nikolai tugged on his leash and hissed, "Stop."

It made Wooyoung shrink into himself and he bit his lower lip to try and prevent himself from making any kind of sound.

But it didn't stop his eyes from rapidly flicking around the room, searching...

Searching for his pack.

A few cries of outrage come from somewhere in the room and he sees an unfamiliar woman and man start pushing their way through the crowd.

Two whines come from either side of him and he knows they must be from the other captive Omega's pack.

When they started yelling for Tressor to return their Omegas, Nikolai held up the hand not holding Wooyoung's leash and an uneasy silence fell over the room.

"Welcome, to the first official Pack Meeting." He said, speaking loud in his rough English. "I hope you understand me, but please have someone translate if you need."

"What is the meaning of this?!" The woman snapped.

Nikolai glared down at her. "Let's start with the basics." He said, addressing the room as a whole. "As per the rules of the game, I am now your Head Alpha. This is my pack, your Head Pack. We are in charge. And we have broken no rules."

Movement starts to happen in the back of the room. Wooyoung yelped when Nikolai tugged hard enough on his leash that he was pulled from his knees and back onto the Alpha's lap.

Right in the perfect view of his own pack, who had started to push their way through the crowd.

It was a warning, loud and clear, that Nikolai was giving them. All by using Wooyoung and heaping on more humiliation.

"I will not have any disrespect shown towards my pack." Nikolai said. "Including my Omegas." He snaked his other hand around to rest possessively on Wooyoung's leg.

If his arms weren't still tied behind his back, Wooyoung would have tried to push it off... but he was trapped.

And on display in front of his pack...

He'd seen them, only for a split second before he had to look away, otherwise he'd start to cry.

But they were there, looking at him with a mixture of hatred, rage, heartbreak, and despair.

His Alpha and his best friend.

And he wanted nothing more than to run to them, to be in their arms again, for them to take him away from this awful place.

At the same time, he found himself wishing they weren't there, so they didn't have to see him like this. Especially when Nikolai pulled on his leash to force his head back a little if he didn't want to choke.

It was all a power move. He was showing the others the kind of control he had over all of them by showing up with his entire pack while it appeared all the others only had two members, and by putting on display the sevenOmegas he possessed, which was certainly more than any other pack.

Shame and an unbearable amount of dizziness started to swirl around in Wooyoung's head, creating a haze that blocked out most of what Nikolai was saying, though he was pretty sure most of it was rules and how things were going to work moving forward.

He could feel his Omega trying to surround him, protect him, comfort him, and he was tempted to lean into that feeling and simply let go.

But then, he caught something odd happening at the very back of the hall. Or... He at least thought it was odd. Nikolai didn't appear to notice.

A small group was huddled together in the back corner. They had slipped in after Nikolai had already started his speech and were now shifting around as one, like they were huddled together and having a conversation.

They were too far away for Wooyoung to recognize them, and he couldn't tell how many of them were in that group, but they were the only ones who didn't seem to be paying attention to what Nikolai was saying.

His eyes dared drifting over to where his pack was, catching sight of Youngjo and Keonhee along the way, and noticed that Chan and Changbin were standing next to Jongho.

Like... Right next to him.

Wooyoung wouldn't believe it if he wasn't seeing it with his own eyes, especially when Chan leaned over to whisper in Jongho's ear, his eyes trained on where Felix must be.

Both Alphas looked like they were really struggling to contain themselves. Jongho's eyes were a dull red and he hardly ever blinked, focused solely on Wooyoung.

The Omega's cheeks turned red and he had to close his eyes as he tried not to think about how this must look to his Alpha...

A whine escaped the back of his throat and Nikolai tugged on his leash again, forcing him to arch his back in an elegant curve.

His other hand also drifted up so he could start running his thumb over the exposed skin on his hip.

A silent warning.

Although Wooyoung knew that even if he did 'behave' the rest of the time they were here, Nikolai was likely to still do something when they got back to the cabin.

When he opened his eyes again, they first went instantly to Jongho, then to Yeosang, who had tears running down his face even as he had a hand on Jongho to hold him back. But the pain was there, the agony at seeing his best friend on display in front of a crowd.

Wooyoung's lower lip wobbled a little and he had to look away to keep himself from making another sound.

Which caused him to see the small group in the corner slip through the main doors, completely unnoticed by anyone else.

In the end he knew it didn't really matter... Maybe they were just tired of hearing Nikolai speak, or maybe they just didn't care...

Either way, it was enough of a distraction that he was able to pull himself together enough that he knew he wasn't going to break down.

Even as Nikolai's thumb dipped into his pants right near the inside of his thigh.

"Now," the Alpha's voice finally broke through his hazy mind and Wooyoung tensed. "If you have any problems, I've already set it up with the Androids that you can report it to one of them and they will get the message to me. I will also try to keep a couple of my pack members here for a few hours each day to relay messages as well. All conflicts will now go through myself and my pack, as per the rules of the game."

The crowd of gathered Alphas and Betas shifted around a little, following the wave of murmurs that followed his words.

"If you don't like it, you're more than welcome to forfeit." Nikolai growled. "I'm sure the Androids would be more than happy to escort you out." He looked around the room, then smirked when the tension started to rise again. "That's all I have for today. If we are elected again next week, we shall have another meeting like this so we can see where all the packs are at."

He goes to stand, forcing Wooyoung out of his lap and to choke when he stumbled forward, causing his collar to tighten around his neck.

All eyes were on them as Nikolai turned, dragging Wooyoung with him, and lead his pack out the side door of the hall.

"That went well." He chuckled, wrapping a possessive arm around the Omega's waist. "Don't you think?"

Wooyoung knew better than to answer, plus he was too focused on how much his skin was crawling to come up with a reasonable comment.

He could practically feel the smirk coming from the Alpha when he spoke again. "Except for your one little slip up." The arm around him tightened and Nikolai's fingers dug into the exposed skin on his stomach. "What should we do about that?"

"I say we let him give us another show." Bastian said, appearing on Nikolai's other side.

"I wouldn't mind seeing that." A woman laughed. "Put that sexy body to good use."

A few others agreed, making Wooyoung start to lose hope in everything.

"Let's celebrate with a show by all the Omegas." Someone else suggested. "We dressed them to fit their roles, why not let them be of use?"

"What an excellent idea. Thank you Katlego." Nikolai nodded in the direction of an Alpha male with dark skin and several beaded bracelets on both arms.

They were about halfway home when suddenly a woman screamed from somewhere behind them.

Nikolai stopped and looked around, not letting go of Wooyoung but now on full alert. "What happened?"

But no one seemed to know. For such a large pack, no one had seen what had happened, but it appeared that someone was missing.

Then another cry of shock came from the other end of the pack.

Nikolai whirled around, making Wooyoung cry out as he was jerked along with him. "What the hell is going on?!"

The sound of a branch snapping came from right beside him, then off to the right, then behind them.

Everything started happening so fast, everyone in Tressor started to panic. Nikolai did his best to try and keep them organized, which involved yanking Wooyoung around behind him.

His collar kept getting tighter and tighter, causing Wooyoung to whimper and cough repeatedly.

He tried to look around for Felix, needing his familiar face to help reassure him.

But he was gone.

Wooyoung started to panic even more. No matter where he looked, he couldn't find Felix anywhere.

Then he thought...

Maybe he got away.

Oh, how he hoped that was true.

All the commotion would provide the perfect cover for him to slip away if the Alpha holding his leash dropped it.

With that thought, Wooyoung started to look for the other Omegas through the mass of Tressor members running around.

From what he could see... they were gone too.

Someone screamed again, then started cursing violently about flying rocks.

"Get back to the cabin!" Nikolai roared as he started to run.

Wooyoung was forced to follow him, helpless under the Alpha's strong grip. But that didn't stop him from trying to take advantage of the situation.

Nikolai ended up being a good Head Alpha and made sure to stop and help anyone who needed it, waiting until the very end to start running again.

With all the distractions, his grip on Wooyoung's leash had loosened, so just as they started running, Wooyoung grabbed his leash with both hands and pulled it from the Alpha's grip.

He stumbled to the side once free, not used to the freedom of being able to move on his own, but had to collect himself quickly.

Because Nikolai had felt it and spun around, eyes glowing bright red. "Get back here!!" He lunged forward, only to nearly fall to his knees when Wooyoung scrambled out of the way.

He had to get out of here. He had to run.

His Omega urged him to run.

But Nikolai was faster.

He ran in front of Wooyoung, snarling viciously, trying to get him to submit.

Wooyoung started to back away, doing everything he could to resist the order, resist the urge.

"You are in for a world of pain, you little bitch. Get over here now!"

"N-No!!" Wooyoung cried out, still backing up while looking around frantically for a way out.

Nikolai roared.

Then lunged.

Only to fall to the ground when a rock slammed into the side of his head.

Wooyoung screamed with a mixture of fear and shock as he watched the Alpha crumple in front of him. Blood poured from the wound, rolling down his temple and cheek.

He wasn't even given time to process, he wasn't given a chance to do anything.

Because two seconds later someone grabbed his wrist with a vice grip and started dragging him into the forest.