"Pull on the leash twice when you see your friend. If I don't feel your signal, I'll assume he's not in the room and I'll move on," Blaise told him.

The elevator stopped. The odor was the first thing Teru noticed when the doors opened, showing a vast, high-ceilinged room that was unusually plain compared to Abaddon's decor preferences. It didn't smell of anything besides pheromones and liquor. Was this really that bastard's sex-crazed event he's heard so much about?

Vampires, humans, alphas, betas, omegas, aristocrats, servants, and blood slaves bustled inside. Some were laughing, some were crying. Others were already drunk from the long buffet of expensive blood-infused wines. Surprisingly, there wasn't anything insane. Teru literally believed he'd see bodies littering the floor like confetti. There were only groups of high-ranking vamps with their blood slaves, talking about anything casual to politics. The one thing that prevented Teru from thinking this was anything but a normal party were the slaves' outfits-similar to his own, except more revealing. Being naked would be better for them, honestly!

The people closest to the elevator gawked the seventh deadly sin with caution, knowing who he was. Blaise stepped forward, leash in hand. It snagged on Teru's throat because he remained where he was, frozen in the moving box that would soon close its sliding doors.

"I-I-I can't," he whispered. The crowd was too big. They'd see his body wearing nothing but flimsy straps.

"Didn't I fucking say to move your slut hole when I tell you to, omega?" Blaise hissed, expression cold and dangerous. This momentarily shocked Teru at the sudden switch in personality. Blaise's eyes flickered quickly to the side at the vampires watching their every move.

Oh, I see. He's acting.

With the attention on them, neither could afford to break character. Teru mustered up the courage for Lucas's sake, see him, and make his exit within the hour.

The master and his borrowed omega bypassed the curious partygoers. Guessing by their stinky pheromones aimed at him, they were dying to get a taste of his flesh. Teru kept his gaze down, but he didn't need to look around to know everyone was staring like predators. He was like a prime deer in a meadow, hunters hiding in the forest with their rifles. Wasn't this too conspicuous? Too out in the open? What if they ran into Kieran?

They moved to the corner. Blaise pretended not to give a shit about the boring discussions. Thank heavens the others were too scared to approach Lust, only bowing when they passed him. As they waited, this gave Teru a chance to inconspicuously observe the guests and their scents. He would glance between their grinding bodies, trying to peer into the horde of perverts and murderers. There wasn't lavender here.

After ten minutes, Blaise veered them to a white door labeled 'PRIVATE.' The hallway beyond it was narrower and darker. Besides a few yellow-collared servants transporting food, there was no one else present. Was it safe to talk now?

"Where are we?" Teru asked.

"A private exit to another ballroom. It's better to use this system than walk in the public eye, where everyone can see you and spread the news that the last human omega has attended with someone not his original owner."

Blaise opened a random door no special to the others. The scents attacked his nose.

Alcohol.

Sweat.

Pheromones.

Sex.

Rut.

Heat.

The thick elixir of pheromones, all ranging from fear to pleasure, almost caused him to release his bitter scent in response. He tried his best to hold it in.

This.

This is what Teru was expecting.

It was a space much larger than the previous one. How could such a huge place be in a skyscraper?! The style was Victorian, an era he learned from their history readings. The gold columns merged at the top to form an arched ceiling. It was painted with detailed illustrations of wolves: packs running together, sleeping, alphas fighting, playing pups, and gory scenes of tearing apart their killed prey. The king sure had a peculiar interest in those animals. Red diamond lights intricately weaved together above, illuminating the dance floor with a faint ruby hue. The room itself was a work of art; the unholy activity was anything but beautiful.

"Do not mind what you see," Blaise advised him as they walked slowly along the side. "This is normal." The warning was not enough to stop Teru from being disturbed.

There were several sections, each with a different purpose. One was for selling objects and contraptions meant for sex. He couldn't understand what most of them were for, but Teru recognized the whips and harnesses displayed on the tables. The seller and a drunken vampire were arguing over the price of a cane.

Next was a stage. A naked, red-collared omega was presenting and stared glass-eyed at the gathering of wealthy bloodsuckers. His caramel-colored skin glistened with sweat and breathed heavily, revealing his small fangs with every exhale from his struggle. He was moaning the sweet song of a heat in full swing. Slick oozed down his inner thighs. The announcer called out the increasing price with each bid.

"What are they doing?"

"Guests can put their alpha or omega for rent. With that blood slave in his cycle, the winner will borrow him to mate with their alpha. The owners form a contract as to who would get the pup and how much for compensation."

What kind of messed-up place would do this?! Lucas, where are you?

It was breaking him emotionally to see someone of his own gender treated like this. Whether they were a vampire didn't matter. They were obviously as oppressed as he was.

Don't. If I break down now, Kieran will sense my distress.

The next exhibit almost did him in. His weakening rationality was hair-thin. There was a line of alphas on their knees, hands tied behind their backs, and muzzles securely fastened around their faces to prevent biting. Their crimson collars were chained to the metal poles, only giving them a few inches of leeway to move. Actually, squirming was a better adjective to describe their movements, given their uncomfortable state. Their stiff, pre-cuming cocks were on the brink of knotting. Black rings wrapped around the base of their swelling shafts and testicles. A hazy cloud of pheromones fogged the area to garner any omega's attention.

For Teru, it made him physically ill. His nape mark rejected the other alphas' call to mate. If they were to approach him, he somehow knew it would send an alert to Kieran.

He counted thirteen rutting alphas. A pole was vacant because one was missing. There were supposed to be fourteen altogether. Seven vamps on the left and six humans to the right, all enslaved into this deranged practice of breeding. Teru eyed the crudely painted words hanging on the center mast with a rope. There was no care in writing those letters, as if whoever wrote them meant for it to look shoddy and inferior.

'PUBLIC TOILET.'

He was confused. "Where's the toilet?"

"They are."

"Who?"

"Those blood slaves. They're for anyone to use however they desire. Urinate on them. Smack 'em. Give affection. Have mercy. Inflict pain. It's mainly for curious betas and angsty omegas who want to be the superior one in control."

On cue, a female omega vampire approached one of the suffering alphas, pushed aside the thin material covering her genital area, and sat directly onto his pulsing cock. Teru looked away, not wanting to see the way she rode his male rod with violent determination to make him orgasm. He heard the alpha growl with incoming seed and a knot that would attach inside her. The cock ring prevented him from glazing her inner walls by keeping the semen inside his balls.

"Omega, let me come," the vampire begged, drool and pheromone venom spitting from his lips. "Take off the ring, please."

Instead, the woman got off and strode away with an evil sneer. She denied his knot. Female wetness dripped down her legs to taunt him. The alpha's face was in agony as he watched his fuck buddy, the only one who could provide relief to the never-ending pre-knot, walk off without a second thought.

"Don't go!" His hands jerked at the bonds digging into his wrists.

Teru hated vampires. He also wasn't fond of most alphas.

But that was cruel.

This entire event was an abomination.

And he could now understand why Kieran told him no.

"You!" a human alpha tied at the end pole screamed through his muzzle. He had noticed Teru. Even without Teru's hidden pheromones for him to smell, a rutting male's ability to single out an omega wasn't a joke.

The man's glowing eyes were feral at spotting another omega, a mortal omega. His canines elongated. A dominant alpha.

"I beg of you! I've been like this for hours!"

Guilt ate him as they ignored his pleas. Teru stared at the back of Blaise's heels. If they weren't in this predicament, he wouldn't have been able to help that person, regardless. There was only one alpha he could pleasure for the rest of his life.

They spent a while scoping out the mob for any sign of Lucas. No luck. Blaise made them move on, about to enter another private hallway.

Teru smelled a scent he'd imagined would be a light purple. He tugged on his leash two times to let Blaise know.

"My Lord," an accented voice said next to them. Great. Amazing timing as always! Teru did not recognize the vampire. He looked to be not much older than Teru himself. His dark brown hair was slicked back to give a better view of his five o'clock shadow, professionally shaven to perfection. The man's citrus scent wasn't easy to identify. It was likely a foreign smell from abroad that couldn't be found in this country.

"President Kaplan," Blaise greeted. "I thought you weren't able to come this year. Isn't there a civil war in Turkey?"

The other vamp took a sip of blood from his champagne glass. "The rebels are losing. My generals are handling it. It is of no importance to me." He noticed Teru. "That's...the omega? Pretty, but is it defective? There are barely any pheromones coming from him."

Barely? Shit. That means he can smell me.

Little by little, Teru was losing control of his scent. A tiny trickle leaked out every so often. If this guy can smell him, it was only a matter of time before his mate could, too.

Blaise had an excuse for everything. "Prince Kieran ordered him to hold it in all night. Jealousy issues."

"How barbaric."

"It is." He skimmed a finger up Kaplan's chest and nibbled on his ear. "Are you interested in messing me up tonight? It was fun last time."

The slack of his leash got Teru's attention. Blaise secretly let go and beckoned him to go find Lucas on his own. The flirting was a distraction. He didn't waste the opportunity and backed away slowly, staying in the shadows behind the side beams where it wasn't as busy as the middle. An omega was allowed to be by themselves. With his scent mostly concealed, he doubted anyone would notice him slinking in the outskirts. Teru studied every person and their faces. He definitely smelled lavender earlier.

A hand gripped his shoulder from behind. Teru yelped, but they covered his mouth to muffle it.

"Shh! It's me."

He smelled the nostalgic scent of wild purple flowers.

"Lucas," Teru said happily and turned around. His eyes widened at the sight.

Fresh blood soaked his friend's body. Red drops trailed behind him.

It was a given that there would be blood at a celebrated event held by the most powerful vampire. In fact, it would be weird for blood not to be involved. Numb to a bodily liquid that once shocked him, he didn't even bother describing how some guests and slaves were covered in blood, whether it was theirs or someone else's. Most of it was from the blood play orgy near the back. If it were any other day, the others would wonder what the hell happened; not tonight. Sporting a layer of gore on your skin was as normal as wearing a suit and tie.

Teru's lips and cheeks felt wet. He touched it, leaving blood on his fingers. He became nauseous by the iron smell smeared across his face where Lucas had grabbed him.

Don't puke. Don't puke.

"Shit, I'm sorry!" Lucas fretted. "I didn't think about it when you started to yell. I panicked."

Teru did his best to wipe it away. The lingering scent would be difficult to explain. Kieran would certainly notice later since he was a vampire. "It's fine. Are you fine, though? Is this your blood?"

"It's not."

The two pack mates stared at one another. Lucas was wearing a provocative uniform made of studded leather straps. It was standard for attending alpha slaves. Teru was thankful that he had gained more weight since their playdate. There were bruises and bite marks on his body, but the fatigue had improved. Lucas seemed more spritely. More determined. More like his old self. There was a hopeful glint in his blue eyes.

"I want to hug you, but you're disgusting," Teru joked.

Lucas went towards him with open arms to do a bear hug. "I don't mind."

"I mind, though!" Teru took many steps back, laughing quietly.

His friend stopped and smiled warmly. "My luck has been changing, especially today."

"Oh, really? Like what? Is that why you wanted to meet me?"

A sinking feeling twisted his belly when he remembered their plans. This might be the last time to see Lucas, if not for a while. Kieran was adamant their secret elope wouldn't work with three people, but his alpha said he'd attempt to come back for Lucas in the future.

Should I tell him now? Would he accept help from a vampire?

"That's not the reason for me asking you to come," his best friend shrugged. "But it's a bonus. Do you want to see the start of a new beginning?"

"See what?"

Lucas unlatched his red collar and held it up. Only the owner could take it off, yet he did it so easily. Upon closer inspection, Teru saw the lock was broken. With the rose-colored shade of their reunion wearing off, Teru also noted the blood caking under Lucas's fingernails. A few were torn off, showing fleshy beds of raw skin. Deep scratches were clawed into his forearms from a recent fight. His hand trembled from the pain or adrenaline, maybe both.

Something bad happened.

"Lucas, what...did you do? If most of that blood isn't yours, whose is it?"

~~~~~~~~~~

In a separate grand room, Sofia set her empty glass on the table. She heard the sound of a servant refilling it for the hundredth time. No matter how much Gluttony drank, it would never satisfy her cravings and insatiable hunger.

"Hmm." Her sixth sense was bothering her. It whispered in Sofia's ear, buzzed in her mind, and made the faded scars across her eyes ache. She couldn't see because Tristan blinded her during their alpha challenge, but she knew nonetheless. "He's here. That omega."

The king sat beside her on the temporary throne. It was set up for Avania's royal family to oversee the festivities, but all of the sins were mingling except Sofia. The queen was missing in action.

"Perfect. That will make a wonderful closing to my midnight announcements."

She heard the malevolent intent in Abaddon's tone and pictured his smirk. It was his turn to play his chess piece on the board.