Middle Child Syndrome - Chapter 313

Chapter 313: Ch 313: Come Closer
The car finally pulled up, and the salty air warned Rika that they were at the city port.

Her kidnapper finally opened the door before picking up Rika’s body and telling her to go toward the exchange post that had been set up for them.

Rika tried her best to determine her direction, but she did not have enough information about the place to know what was happening.

Moreover, the drug was finally leaving her system, but it left a weird after-taste behind that made Rika want to gag. Her food threatened to come back up, and Rika tried her best to keep it down.

“O-Oi, she looks sick! You better put her down before she does anything unpleasant to your clothes.”

The second kidnapper noticed how pale and greedy Rika’s face was getting, and he quickly advised the first kidnapper to put Rika down.

Touching the ground with her feet made Rika feel much better, but it did nothing to quench her desire to empty her stomach.

Someone extended a water bottle toward her as soon as she was done, and Rika rinsed her mouth.

“Here, this will make you feel better. We don’t want you to think that we are unreasonably scums that need to be killed! We have our reasons for kidnapping you, and I hope you won’t hold it against us in the future.”

The second kidnapper tried to reason with Rika as he held out the candy for her to take.

Rika popped the candy in her mouth but did not do much afterward. Any sudden move could make her seem like a threat instead of a kid.

And she did not want to risk being killed by these people.

“Hey! I helped you out here. The least you can do is say thanks to me. You should show some gratitude when someone helps you out, right?”

The kidnapper asked in a pouty voice, but Rika ignored him outright.

The first kidnapper was the one who knocked some sense in his partner’s head.

“What are you? Five? We kidnapped her, so why would she thank us? We are committing a crime here if you did not notice!”

“Fine! I get it. There is no need to get so violent with me.”

The second kidnapper sounded dejected when he spoke, but he did not cause Rika any more trouble.

She was dragged toward the center again, but Rika did not try to fight them this time. Her instincts told her that she would not win in her current condition.

Rika noticed when she entered a building since it blocked out the sun’s heat from around her. The inside of the storage house felt relaxed and calm, but a tense air made the warning bells inside Rika’s mind ring.

“I thought you were going to bring me Suzie Goodwill. But it seems as if you decided to bring me someone unrelated. Why should I keep my deal with you?”

The low and gravelly voice made alarms ring inside Rika’s head.

‘Who is this person? There is no way he’s an average human! His presence is too much! I don’t think I know anyone like this.’

Hearing this voice made Rika react the same way Damian’s presence did. That was how Rika could gauge that this person was a dominant alpha.

“Wait! She’s not Suzie Goodwill? But her pheromones smelled the same as Suzie’s, according to our reader…shit! What is wrong with it!”

Since the kidnappers were betas, they had likely used a pheromone sensor to guess her identity.

Rika had been covered in Suzie’s pheromones, which the device picked up from her. Things had somehow worked well in her favor, but Rika was not letting her guard down.

“Since you made this mistake, there is nothing to be done. Leave that girl here for now and head back out. I will tell you what you need to do to make up for your mistake.”

The old voice spoke, and the kidnapper’s pair quickly left.

As soon as they were gone, Rika removed her blindfold and looked at the older alpha sitting in the center of the room.

“You all can leave me and my guest alone for now. I will call for you if I need anything.”

The older alpha ordered, and no one disobeyed. His mere presence was enough to command everyone around him.

Looking at that man-made Rika, I feel off. She knew she was in trouble, but the dominant alpha did not want to do anything to her.

“Are you feeling scared of me? Don’t be! Come here and take a seat in front of me, kid. You are an interesting case.”

The older alpha sounded amused as he gestured for Rika to sit before him.

Rika felt slightly reluctant, but what choice did she have in front of such a magnificent figure?

She knew nothing about the older man other than that he was a dominant alpha from the triad.

“What’s your name? You are a beta, but your body is also in the late stages of developing omega organs. Are you changing this late in life? Or did your body suddenly decide to present now? I’ve heard this was possible, but I’ve never seen this before.”

In front of this man, Rika felt like a specimen under a microscope. He did not only ‘look’ at her; he animalized her properly to see what secrets she was hiding.

But the most disturbing thing about him was his relaxed posture. The alpha was confident that he would not be hurt no matter what, and Rika could understand why the man thought like that.

“What do you want from me? I doubt you are interested in me because of my condition. Why don’t you save us both some trouble and reveal what you want me to do for you?”

Rika asked in a calm voice. She did not let the pressure get to her, and the old man looked even more impressed.

But it only took a second for that look to turn into a searching look that made Rika step back.