Chapter 2: The Price of Silence

The click of the door mechanism echoed like a gunshot in the cramped, suffocating space. Terrified, my eyes locked onto the widening crack of the heavy oak door. Jaxen didn't flinch. His large palm remained clamped over my mouth, anchoring me against the cold tile wall while his golden eyes burned down into mine with lethal, absolute authority.

"Answer them," he commanded, his voice a razor-thin whisper against my ear. "And if you say one wrong word..." He didn’t need to finish the threat. The brutal squeeze of his fingers against my jaw spoke volumes.

My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. St. Jude’s International Academy didn't just expel students for "indecency"—they blackballed defects. For a scholarship student like me, a single scandal meant a complete death sentence for my future, and worse, it meant losing the financial security keeping my nine-year-old brother, Casper, safe.

"O—one second," I forced my lips to move against his heavy palm, my voice coming out muffled, shaky, and thick with panic. "I—I'm just freshening up."

The footsteps outside paused. A tense, agonizing beat passed before a frustrated sigh drifted through the wood. "Hurry up, Petrov. The clock is ticking."

Slowly, deliberately, Jaxen’s hand dropped from my face. He stepped back, adjusting the cuffs of his pristine shirt with practiced, terrifying ease, as if he hadn't just shattered my dignity. "Good boy," he murmured, the praise dripping with dark mockery. He leaned in one last time, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "We'll continue this later."

My face flushed a deep, mortifying red. I pressed my lips into a thin line, glaring up at him through my blonde hair with pure, simmering hatred.

"That hatred suits you," Jaxen remarked cruelly, reaching out to grip my chin roughly, forcing me to look at him. "Hate me all you want, omega. You'll still beg for me later."

When he released me, my knees buckled. My legs shook so violently from the crushing weight of his dominant Alpha aura that I was forced down against the cold tile floor just to stay upright. My uniform was a complete wreck—the shirt wrinkled, my tie kicked carelessly into a dark corner.

Jaxen’s eyes tracked my pathetic struggle, a cruel smirk twisting his lips. "Can't even dress yourself? Pathetic." He stepped closer, looming over my crumpled form like a predator inspecting wounded prey. "You look exactly like what you are—a weak omega who can't handle his alpha. Maybe I should leave you like this. Let your precious committee see what happens when you cross me."

Shame burned hotter than physical pain. I reached for the discarded silk tie, my fingers fumbling blindly. I couldn't bear to meet his eyes. "Then what are you waiting for? Go on. Leave."

He snorted derisively, picking up the tie and tossing it straight at me. It hit my cheek with a soft, humiliating smack before falling into my lap. "Clean yourself up, omega. You disgust me."

A sob tore from my throat before I could stop it. I buried my face in my hands, my shoulders shaking with quiet, suppressed tears. He hadn't even been supposed to be in this wing of the academy today. He was here as the CEO of Volkov Heights, attending the Excellence Endowment meeting—the very funding that kept my brother and me afloat. But the moment he had caught the scent of my distress in the hallway, his primal biology had snapped, dragging me into this nightmare.

"Stop sniveling," Jaxen’s voice rasped, his jaw tightening as the scent of my tears filled the room. "Your tears smell sickeningly sweet. You wanted this bond, remember?"

I forced myself to lower my hands, staring up at him with puffy, bloodshot eyes. "You're the one who did this to me. You're a monster."

"Monster?" His eyes flashed a dangerous gold as he yanked me up by my wrist. "You think you can blame me for your weakness? Your pathetic omega nature is what got you here. Not me."

I gritted my teeth, forcing the words past the lump in my throat. "You came here to sign the papers for the endowment."

Jaxen pinned me with a calculating stare, a dark, amused smirk tugging at his lips. "Smart omega. Trying to use Volkov Heights against me twice in one day?"

"You want to talk about the price?" I hissed, my voice thin but sharp as steel. "My silence for your money. Try to ruin me, and I'll make sure everyone knows exactly what Volkov Heights' golden boy does behind closed doors."

Jaxen’s grip instantly shifted to my throat, holding me firmly against the tile. "Go ahead. Test your luck, omega. See how quickly that little brother of yours becomes an orphan."

The fury in my eyes instantly shattered into raw, naked terror. Before I could beg, the bathroom door handle rattled violently again.

"Ruslan!" the committee member shouted, banging on the wood. "The Dean's assistant is coming down the hall. If those inventory files aren't on her desk in two minutes, she’s giving the scholarship extension to someone else!"

Jaxen released my throat, a look of dark satisfaction settling over his features. "Better run, omega. Your precious scholarship is slipping away."

I didn't waste another second. Grabbing my scattered files, I threw open the door and fled down the hallway, my feet pounding against the polished marble. I burst into the committee room breathless, my uniform disheveled, desperately handing over the documents. "I'm so sorry I'm late," I gasped.

But before the stern-faced Alpha heading the committee could even respond, the heavy doors slid open again. Jaxen walked in, immaculate, his voice smooth as silk. "Sorry for the interruption, gentlemen. Had to deal with a... maintenance issue."

The head of the committee nodded gravely, then slid a glossy piece of paper across the mahogany table. "We were just reviewing the security footage from the east wing, Mr. Volkov. It seems someone captured this just ten minutes ago."

My blood turned to pure ice. I looked down. It was a crystal-clear photograph of Jaxen dragging me into the bathroom, his hand locked brutally around my throat.

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