Chapter Text
Everything hurts, his skin feels raw, his insides are on fire, his head is spinning, and his body won’t obey him. Ilya drools through the spider gag in his mouth, his head lulling forward. His curls are greasy and his skin is sticky with sweat. The bruises that litter his body protest in anger as he’s forced to kneel in the middle of the room.
He vaguely hears someone ordering him to do something but it’s muffled. The faceless auctioneer grabs his chin forcing his head up. Ilya’s eyes are unfocused, staring blankly into the crowd that ogles his naked form. He knows he’s getting sold, probably to some rich alpha who will use him until there’s nothing left. Not that there’s much of him left anyway.
He used to be all muscles, his body was fit and perfect for hockey. But then he’d fucking presented and it all went downhill. He’d been passed from alpha to alpha, each of them having demands on his appearance. But they all seemed to agree on one thing. They wanted him small and weak, unable to fight back no matter how hard he tried.
The drugs coursing through his system make him pliant and weak, unable to do more than just moan or whimper for anyone who desires him. He can’t even struggle even if he wanted to. His hands are tied behind his back, his legs have been forced apart with a spreader bar, and there’s a plug in his ass that’s much larger than any knot he’s ever taken.
The auctioneer sticks his fingers in Ilya’s mouth playing with his tongue. He rubs something in Ilya’s mouth that forces him to produce more saliva and it dribbles down his neck. He feels the fingers leave his mouth to trail down his chest and yank harshly at one of his pierced nipples. Ilya whimpers loudly and the crowd starts to murmur appreciatively.
Ilya is turned around and forced to bend over, his ass in the air and his face is pressed to the dirty floor. Someone smacks his ass hard, jostling the plug and making him cry out. Ilya cries silently as the plug is pulled out and pushed back in. Slick gushes from his hole, a side effect of the drugs they’d given him. He can hear the crowd starting to get rowdy as he’s fucked in front of them.
He’s used to being fucked in front of crowds like this, but it doesn’t make it any less humiliating. Even being drugged up doesn’t make it easier. All he can do is take it and hope no one makes him bleed. But tonight is different. He’s merchandise with a purpose and there’s a strict rule that he’s not to be touched by anyone except for his buyer. It’s not the first time he’s been sold to someone cruel. Ilya just hopes whoever his new alpha is will break him fast enough that either his mind goes and he’s just an empty husk meant to be fucked, or just to plainly kill him. Either way, he won’t be suffering anymore.
There’s a commotion which Ilya assumes means someone has bought him and his heart sinks. He knows the drill. He’ll get carted off to a private room where his new alpha will take advantage of his drugged state and fuck him. At least he can't get pregnant anymore.
Ilya hears several loud bangs and his body slumps to the side. Through the dizziness and the muffled shouting, he can feel something wet and warm flooding under him. For a second he thought he pissed himself, but then belatedly he realizes that it’s blood. The auctioneer is dead, his blood seeping out and staining Ilya’s skin.
He blacks out.
Ilya wakes up in a hospital. He’s still a little lightheaded but it’s nothing compared to his other experiences. There’s an IV in his arm and he’s dressed in a stupid little gown that somehow feels more humiliating than if he was naked. It’s like they were mocking him with a sense of safety.
Hospitals, Ilya knows, are not safe. His alphas had taken him to hospitals before to fix their fuck ups and he’d pay for it later. They never gave his body enough time to heal before they broke him again. So what was his new alpha up to?
There’s a little knock on the door and a nurse comes in wearing light pink scrubs. “Hi there,” She smiles in a way that Ilya immediately doesn’t trust. She’s up to something. “I’m Nurse Jessica, it’s nice to meet you.”
Ilya doesn’t say anything. He hasn’t been given permission and isn’t going to assume she wants him to speak.
“Can you tell me your name?”
Again, he doesn’t say anything. He knows it’s a trap. She’s baiting him into speaking so she can inform his new alpha that he’s defiant and doesn’t know how to listen for orders.
She keeps smiling at him as she approaches and starts looking at the machines he’s hooked up to. “That’s okay if you don’t want to talk. I have your name in your files as Ilya Rozanov, is that correct?”
Ilya just stares at her. Is she fucking stupid? Doesn’t she know that she needs to give him permission to speak?
He sees her smile falter just a little. “That’s alright, just let me know if that’s not your name, okay? I just want to fill you in on a few details.”
Ilya tracks her with his eyes and he can tell that it’s making her nervous.
“You were brought in last night as part of a police raid on an auction house. You sustained several injuries and are suffering from the effects of long term physical abuse. We went ahead and administered fluids through your IV and did some blood work. Luckily, you’re free of any STIs but you are severely malnourished.” She goes on to list his other physical injuries but Ilya tunes her out.
Why is she telling him things that he already knows? He knows he doesn’t have any STIs, they fucking make sure of that before he’s sold. No one wants to buy diseased goods. And the malnutrition was obviously because they didn’t feed him. No one wanted an omega whore who could fight back.
“This facility you’re in is part of an organization called Home for All Omegas,” Nurse Jessica goes on. “We’re here to make sure that you get the care you need.”
Ilya wants to roll his eyes. What a joke. Places like that only existed because rich Alphas and Betas wanted to make themselves feel good about “caring” for poor omegas who had nowhere else to go.
“Your case worker will also be stopping by today, and I can assure you that you’re in good hands.” Nurse Jessica searches Ilya’s face for some kind of answer.
He isn’t going to give one. He already doesn’t like her.
“Well, I’m going to check your-”
Ilya doesn’t hear what she says because she reaches out to touch him. On instinct, he lets out a low growl as her hand draws near.
Nurse Jessica snaps her hand back fast. “I’m so sorry,” she says quickly and then darts away saying, “I’ll be right back.”
There’s something about her that Ilya realizes. She hadn't expected him to growl at her. Fuck, and now she’s gone presumeably off to get his new alpha. Ilya curls into himself, fear leaking out with his scent. He’s going to get beaten now. Maybe they’ll chain him to the bed for days. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d been punished like that. He can only hope that they’ll be merciful.
The door opens again and an Alpha in a white lab coat steps inside alongside Nurse Jessica. Fuck, now Ilya knows exactly what kind of people bought him. He’s been purchased by some kind of medical facility to be used as a test subject. They’ll probably pump him full of drugs that will make his heats endless and painful.
They're talking to him in voices that he assumes are meant to be soothing, but they’re not. All he can hear are the underlying threats. Without meaning to, Ilya is growling at them. He doesn’t want them anywhere near him. They can go fucking stick their needles and pills in someone else. He’d rather die.
The nurse’s hand reaches out towards him and Ilya doesn’t hesitate. He sinks his teeth into the soft flesh of her arm, feeling satisfied with the blood that fills his mouth. She screams but Ilya doesn’t let go. He can’t because if he does then they’ll know he’s weak. They’re not going to make a test subject out of him. He’s going to fucking fight this.
Ilya feels the tiny prick of a needle in his arm and then there’s a rush of familiar wooziness as a sedative fills his veins. He can’t let this… Ilya feels his teeth loosening their grip, but the gowl in his throat never stops. Even as Nurse Jessica wrenches his arm away from his mouth, Ilya keeps his eyes on her. People like them were the worst. They pretended to be kind only to make it hurt worse later.
He feels his eyelids growing heavy and Ilya fights it as long as he can. He strains his ears to hear the voices speaking outside his room.
“What the hell happened?” Svetlana demands when she sees Jessica holding her bloody arm outside of Ilya’s room.
“Are you okay?” Rose asks.
“He’s aggressive,” Jessica replies calmly, but Svetlana can tell she’s holding back more explicative words to describe Ilya. Poor kid, her first week on the job and she gets bitten.
“Jessica, go get that checked out while I talk to Svetlana and Rose.” Dr. Nicholas orders and the young nurse practically books it away.
Nicholas shakes his head, “He’s aggressive because he’s scared. It’s not uncommon to see in sex trafficked omegas, but based on the examination we did last night, he’s… well, he’s probably one of the worst cases we’ve seen. We weren’t even able to do a full examination but I did note some things in his medical files.”
He passes a file over to Svetlana and she takes it skimming over his notes.
“He’s got scarring that’s indicative of a hysterectomy, and a poorly achieved one at that. His mating gland looks to be severely damaged. Not to mention there’s significant scarring to his scent glands in his wrists. Based on his behavior today, it’s going to be difficult to treat him without having to sedate him.”
She raises an eyebrow at him, “That doesn’t-”
“I know,” He agrees before she can state the obvious, “I’m very hesitant to do that, it’s important that he needs to be able to consent to medical treatment or this will severely damage any trust he may have in any healthcare situation. Right now, his injuries are surface level and he’s not in any immediate danger. But it still concerns me. My professional recommendation, we can’t keep him in the shelter or with others.”
Svetlana nods, “Thank you. Next time, please call me so I can be in the room. I still need to speak with him and determine our best course of action. Can we go in and see him?”
Nicholas nods, “You can. But he’s going to be pretty out of it. I need to make the rounds, but he’s sedated enough that he shouldn’t try to attack you.”
“I’m not worried,” Svetlana assures him and walks into the room with Rose trailing behind her.
Svetlana’s breath catches when she sees Ilya. He’s clearly fighting whatever sedative is in his system because he starts growling as soon as the door opens. His eyes follow their every movement and it breaks her heart. He’s on such high alert even now.
“Ilya Rozanov?” Svetlana grabs a chair and sits next to him ignoring his growls. Rose stays standing by her side. “My name is Svetlana Vetrova, and I’m your case worker. This is Rose Landry, she’s a volunteer with HFAO. I heard you’ve been having a hard time receiving medical care.”
Ilya’s eyes narrow at her, the growl never ceasing. Somehow it feels like he doesn’t understand her, so she takes a breath and tries again in Russian.
“Ilya, I’m Svetlana Vetrova. Do you understand me?” Svetlana holds her breath, hoping that he does. “I’m your case worker. Is it okay if I speak to you in Russian?”
The growling ceases a little as he mumbles out a short, “Da.”
Svetlana nods. Good, that’s progress. “There’s a lot we need to go over but I just want to let you know that you’re safe here. You’re not going to be sold anymore. HFAO is here to look out for you and make sure that you get the care that you need to live your life again.”
Ilya nods a little and Svetlana isn’t entirely sure if it’s because he’s listening to her or if it’s the sedative working its way through his system.
“I’m really sorry the doctors had to administer a sedative, that must’ve been really upsetting for you. The next time the doctors come, I’ve requested them to call me so I can be here with you. Is that acceptable for you?”
There’s an actual nod this time and Svetlana smiles. Ilya’s growl lessens even more.
“Good. Now, I just wanted to introduce myself so you don’t get overwhelmed later.”
Ilya makes a noise and then his head lulls to one side, his eyes fluttering shut.
Svetlana sighs. Her job never gets easier.
“Ilya Rozanov?” Rose asks suddenly, “Why does that name sound familiar? I read his file and for some reason the name stuck out to me but I don’t know why.”
“Well, he used to be a hockey player. And isn’t your ex-boyfriend Shane Hollander?”
“Yeah,” Rose nods, “That must be it.”
Svetlana looks over his file again, “News reports say he went missing right before the World Junior Championships. He was 17 then, so I’m assuming he presented as an omega and his father took him back to Russia to sell him.”
“They can’t do that!” Rose exclaims. “It’s a literal crime! Why haven’t they arrested him.”
Svetlana replies grimly, “It’s legal in Russia. Over there, omegas are just property. Growing up, I knew so many families that had omega sex slaves.”
She thinks back to her childhood best friend, who’d presented as an omega and was immediately sold. She remembered trying to find him only for his father to say that he was dead. Murdered because he ran away from his Alpha.
“Placement for him is going to be rough,” She sighs standing up, “We’re at capacity and if he’s truly aggressive, he can’t stay in any of the other shelters either.”
“What if he stays with a private citizen?” Rose pipes up.
Svetlana looks at her. “What do you mean?”
“I know why I knew his name. You were right, it was because of Shane. I remember him telling me that he and Ilya were slated to be the number one and number two draft picks before he disappeared. Shane told me that he’s always wished that he knew what happened to Ilya because he thinks they could’ve become friends.”
“Where are you going with this Rose?”
“Ilya can’t stay with others right? So what if he stays with Shane? A friendly face that he remembers might be good for him.”
Svetlana pauses to consider and then she nods. “Okay, do you have his number?”