TYWS Chapter 26
AN: Blah, I totally meant to post this earlier in the day lol ><
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Siffia’s first destination was the hors d'oeuvres table. Believing that eating something might wake her up a bit, she picked several morsels that she hadn’t had the chance to try earlier and snacked on them. Their deliciousness quickly raised Siffia’s spirits, bringing a small smile onto her face. Outside of her recent time with Eris, the only opportunities that Siffia ever really had to eat such fancy and delectable foods were at noble events like these. She chuckled lowly to herself, remembering how many times she’d stuck to the shadows and awkwardly done her best not to be seen while stealing away handfuls of appetizers, as if she were some unknown hideous monster. It was hilarious to experience the difference now, all just because one amazing woman had showered her with a single week’s worth of attention and care.
Gone was the agonizing feeling that she didn’t belong. And gone were the mortifying feelings that came from being perceived by others.
With Eris’s help, it was as if she’d become a real person once again, just like everyone else.
Smiling softly to herself, Siffia turned her gaze back towards the throng of people, easily spotting the top of the tall Eris’s head amongst the crowd. The fact that they were on opposite sides of the banquet hall didn’t feel too good to her for some reason. It was as if a bubbling, uncomfortable feeling was slowly rising up from her stomach and into her throat. She couldn’t help but turn around and return her gaze to the table in the hopes of removing the feeling. However, with the new roiling feeling inside of her stomach, the idea of eating any more was vastly unappealing.
Siffia’s eyes slowly slid across the table to the section that held the drinks.
There, a citrusy looking lightly bubbling glass caught her eye.
~~~
Having chugged down two of the delicious glasses in rapid succession, Siffia’s mind seemed to both ease and slightly blur, unable to properly focus. Looking over at Eris still bothered her for some reason though, so Siffia grabbed a third glass and slipped away, wandering down the familiar corridors in an attempt to help clear her mind. As she took small sips of the tasty beverage and eventually made her way onto a balcony that overlooked the winding paths of the beautiful garden, she could finally feel herself starting to get better, bit by bit. Leaning over the balcony’s edge and looking down on the people milling around in the afternoon sunlight enjoying themselves from so high up, Siffia felt like she was detached from the silly ordinary world of others. She was finally safe and alone again, just as she was used to being.
-That is, until someone walked out onto the balcony with her.
For a moment when she heard the glass door open, Siffia’s heart skipped a beat, her mind immediately thinking of the person she wanted it to be. She was almost convinced that when she turned around, Eris would be there, having finally broken free from her responsibilities and able to come and keep her company once more. However, when she turned around, not only was Eris not there, but two pairs of eyes were wide open, looking at her, shocked to have found her there.
“Oh!”
The most surprised one seemed to be the younger man of the pair, someone so brightly colored and beautiful that he practically screamed 'omega'. He jumped as if he’d been caught doing something terrible, and immediately turned and ran away like a frightened rabbit. The older gentleman from the pair sighed, getting over his surprise as soon as his partner had scampered away, and shooting a grumpy glare out of the door before turning it towards Siffia.
“Hmph. Why did you have to be here?! You ruined the perfectly good time that I was about to have!”
The gentleman’s glare was quite intimidating, to the point that the slightly impaired Siffia couldn’t help but tremble a bit, feeling as if she might get hit or worse. She tried to reach for the hem of her dress, intending to pick it up so that she could quickly run away as well if needed, but her addled mind had completely forgotten to account for the champagne glass that she was still holding in her hand, and a loud shattering noise resounded as it crashed to the floor, making the both of them flinch.
Understandably, the man stared at Siffia as if he were looking at someone crazy.
“...What’s wrong with you? What, were you getting drunk here alone or something?”
Siffia grimaced, having nowhere near the wherewithal to refute his completely truthful words. Unable to think of anything else, Siffia simply decided to lower her head and make a break for it as she’d previously planned, but just as she was about to pass him-
“Ah no, wait right there, sweetheart. No one said that you could leave just yet!”
“Eek!”
The man had grabbed her arm and dragged her to the side, his previous gaze replaced with something a bit more inquisitive, if not a touch worrying.
“Hmm… I thought you were a beta a moment ago, but-”
His face approached closer, and Siffia could hear and see him sniffing in her direction.
“How interesting. So you were really an omega? I never would have guessed!”
Siffia’s eyes widened in fear, never having expected someone who didn’t know her to guess at such a fact. She immediately began to struggle harder, feeling threatened and terrified, but the man’s hold on her was too tight. What’s more, he was now pushing her backwards, slowly pressing her back towards a nearby wall with a sleazy grin on his face.
“So what was a little omega like you doing all alone here? Were you heartbroken? Or maybe you were hiding? Oh, are you maybe wearing a wig or something to hide from someone? Is that why your hair is so-”
“N-no! No, none of that is true! I’m a beta, and I just like being alone! Now, now let me... go-"
“Oh dear… Silly little omega~.”
With a dark chuckle, the man leaned just a tad closer, now only a breath away from her, and took one more deep sniff.
“I’ve got a better nose than most. And having smelled my fair share of pheromones, my nose is telling me that your smell most definitely belongs to an omega.”
His free hand suddenly grabbed onto her hip, making Siffia jump in fear. Her eyes widened, even more sure of what might just be about to happen if she didn’t manage to escape. She raised her hands, prepared to use at least enough magic to push the man away from her, but alpha that he was, the man’s reflexes were far faster.
Before she could even do anything, the man had caught both of her hands in a crushing hold, making her unable to move even a single finger.
As if it weren’t enough, the man also used his large body to press her against the wall, completely removing the space between them as he sneered down at her. Siffia was completely immobilized, only able to weakly move her legs, to little effect. A feeling of complete helplessness washed over her, one that she hadn’t even felt while she was fighting in the war. She wanted to scream out for Eris in her panic, but knowing that that might just trigger the awful man to act against her faster, she instead once more tried to convince him that he was wrong, in an act of desperation.
“No, y-you’re completely wrong! Omegas each have their own unique scents, s-so who’s to say that I have-”
“I’ve already told you~. You can’t fool my nose. No one can.”
He forcefully pushed his barrel-like body against her, drawing an ‘oof’ out of Siffia as the air was practically squished out of her.
“Your scent may be a bit weak, but I can definitely smell it. Perhaps you’re recessive instead of dominant… It would explain why your coloring is so subdued. Oh, but that doesn’t bother me at all!”
With a sinister grin that all but assured that nothing good was about to happen, the man rubbed his body up and down against hers in a disgusting way, drawing a grossed out squeal from Siffia.
“I’m not picky. I’ll take any omega I can get, even you~!”
“Ghk! No! E-Enough of this! What you’re doing is a... is a c-crime!”
Siffia renewed her efforts to get away with maximum force, doing everything she could to at least break her hands free so that she could use some modicum of magic, but the man just laughed at her, bending down to move his face closer to hers.
“Hmm, from how much I can smell you right now, even with how weak your pheromones are, you must be getting close to your heat, right? I love doing it with omegas in heat. You can’t get anything like it with another subgender. Why don’t you come back with me to my place and let me take care of you during it, huh? If we’re compatible enough, maybe I could even mark you. Doesn’t that sound nice~?”
As if completely unperturbed by the way that Siffia was thrashing, the man reached his tongue out, disgustingly licking from the corner of her face and down to her neck, stopping once he reached the chain of her necklace.
“Eek! N-no! No!”
Her fear completely overwhelming her, tears began to streak down Siffia’s face. As if on instinct she began to scream, desperately hoping for salvation.
“Eris! Eris! Lady Eris! Please-!”
“-Siffia!”
And as if the heavens had taken pity on her, the exact voice that she’d been praying for answered her calls.