Chapter 7
SEVEN
“Do you like being an Omega?” I ask Ethel, wincing when the sound echoes in the warehouse’s cavernous space.
There isn’t anyone to hear it, but I try my best to keep my voice down so she doesn’t get a headache.
They just brought her back from the medical room an hour ago, and she’s clearly drained.
I don’t know what they do to her, but she always returns a little quieter and slower than she was when she left.
“I do, but then again, I know nothing else. I’ve never felt less than or anything for it.
” She scratches her arm, eyes unfocused as she stares at the ceiling.
“One of my dads is an Omega, and it was always assumed I would present. So, I never had the chance to imagine anything else. It was a foregone conclusion.”
This is what it’s like for us most of the time.
For some reason, neither of us can sleep well after our treatments, so we have a lot of hours to kill.
I never realized how much I would miss social media and trashy television.
We stave off boredom and anxiety by telling each other anything and everything that crosses our minds. “Do you have a pack?”
“Nah,” she says dismissively. “I never found one. Honestly, though, I never looked for one. I had a lot of things I wanted to do before I settled down.”
She’s speaking in the past tense. I’ve noticed that she isn’t planning for the future or talking about what she’ll do when we get out of here.
I’m pretty sure she’s given up. Not that I can blame her. I tell myself I haven’t, but I’m pretty sure I have, too.
It’s hard not to abandon all hope.
“I always wanted an Omega,” I admit. It still feels raw to talk about this, even though it’s been years since Willa. “I was part of a pack that found one, but… she wasn’t into women. So I had to leave.”
The pain of that betrayal hits me every time I look in the mirror and see the ugly scar on my chest.
Yuri, Tyson, and Wes were everything to me. There was a magnetic pull between us. I tried to stay away from them, knowing they shouldn’t have a Beta in the pack, not until they found their Omega, but none of us could help ourselves. We continued to gravitate toward one another.
“I don’t know if I loved Willa,” I whisper, “but I think I was close. In retrospect, it’s clear she never cared for me, but I was blind to her true feelings.
I was enamoured immediately. And then she went into heat.
I was so excited. They were planning to bond her that heat, and we’d be a real pack.
But she attacked me because I touched her Alphas.
” I absentmindedly rub the scar on my chest where a phantom ache resonates.
“I have always wanted an Omega to dote on and care for. Maybe it makes me a weirdo, but I buy little gifts and do special things for my brother’s Omega, my sister-in-law, because she’s the closest thing I’ve got. ”
I throw my head back on the side of my crate, eyes falling closed. I’m not feeling the type of exhaustion I would feel at the end of a workday. This is mental fatigue that threatens to pull me under. “But it looks like I’ll never get the chance now.”
“You’ll get out of here,” my co-prisoner says.
“I can feel it in my bones. And you’ll get your Omega.
Whoever is lucky enough to catch your attention will be deeply loved and cared for.
You’re going to be a great partner.” I can hear the sadness in her voice, and I can’t bring myself to look at her.
Things feel even bleaker today, for some reason.
I’m not the only one feeling it. Ethel is worn down. She’s only been here about a week longer than I have, but it’s obvious that it’s taking its toll on the pretty Omega.
Ethel speaks in a voice so quiet I have to strain to hear her. “In another life, maybe it would’ve been me.”
Warmth fills my chest, and I can feel the beginnings of a smile twitch on my lips. “Yeah? You think so?”
“Yeah,” she repeats. When I open my eyes, she’s staring at me.
“You’re totally my type. I definitely would’ve hounded you for a date.
I mean. If I could get up the nerve.” Her chuckle is a little hollow, but I can still hear the honesty in her voice.
“But Athena,” she whispers, “I don’t think I’m getting out of here.
” Her breathing is heavier, and her lips have a white crust on them.
She will always be beautiful, but she looks terrible right now. Sickly.
And I can’t do anything to help her from my cage. I can’t even touch her.
“Don’t say that.” I scramble to my feet, pushing my fingers through the grates to get to her, despite knowing it is futile. “Don’t even think that way. We’ll get out of here. I’ll get us both out of here. I promise. Just hold on, Ethel. I’ll figure it out. My brother is going to be looking for me.”
Ethel’s smile is brittle, but at least it’s there. “Yeah, okay,” she whispers. “You’ll get us out of here.”
The door behind her creaks open, and the doctor comes shuffling in. He pulls out a syringe and plunges it into my neck, and though I don’t know it at the time, I drift off into oblivion, never taking my eyes off of Ethel, as I see her for the last time.
“Athena?” Atlas’s voice is jarring, so different from Ethel’s that still fills my mind. “Did you hear her?” His voice is gentle and so soothing on my frayed nerves.
I look up at his friend, Crystal, a pretty Omega with multicolored hair and a pointed nose.
She’s dressed in fatigues that fit tightly to her slim body, and her eyes soften when she sees me.
There is a kinship there, something that tells me she’s lived through hell, too.
A massive Alpha with dark skin and a bald head stands behind her, his hand on her shoulder.
“I was asking if there was anyone I could call for you,” Crystal repeats softly.
I’m about to recite my brother’s phone number, but I don’t get the number out before I’m interrupted.
“Athena!” My head snaps up, and I lock eyes with my frantic, green-haired brother-in-law. “Holy fucking shit, Athena!”
Tears are pouring down his face as he runs to me, yanking me out of Atlas’ arms and squeezing me to his heaving and sobbing chest. As happy as I am to see him, panic washes over me at being separated from Atlas.
Before I can articulate that, Atlas bellows with rage, grabs me, and hurls me against his chest. “Do not touch my Omega!” he screams at Slime. His voice is as broken as I feel, and I can feel fury vibrating through him.
I wish there was something I could do to calm him down. As soon as I think it, my chest rumbles softly, and his fingers loosen their grip on me.
Slime takes several steps back, holding his hands up in a placating manner.
He’s an Alpha, and honestly, his energy is chaotic, but he’s also incredibly gentle and doesn’t struggle to be non-threatening.
Despite being in the Hawks and having the reputation they do, he is non-confrontational at his core.
“Hey man, no harm meant. Athena is my sister, and I’ve been so worried about her.
” His eyes soften when he looks at me, and tears still fall down his cheeks.
“We all have been. Icarus has been a mess. We’ve missed you so much.
It’s been weeks. We thought…” He takes a shuddering inhale, running his fingers through his hair.
“We thought we’d lost you forever, Athena. ”
“I...” My throat hurts. Crystal’s Alpha must realize that because he places a bottle of water in my hand. I take a sip and mouth ‘thank you’ at him before returning my attention to Slime. “I missed you guys, too. Will you call Icarus and tell him I’m okay?”
Slime pulls his phone from his pocket with a sad smile. “Yeah, absolutely. But you know how he is. He’s going to rush right here.”
“No,” Atlas snarls. “We need to get her checked out.”
“He’s a doctor,” I say softly, stroking his cheek. “Research, but he still had to do his residency and does small things here and there to keep his training up to date. He can look over both of us.”
“Wait, Icarus Knight?” Crystal asks, her clear eyes wide. “You’re the missing sister. Of course, I should have realized. You look just like him.”
“You know my brother?”
She smiles and nods. “I do. I work at the Design Clinic with him. We should get him to look over both of you before we do anything.”
“Not here,” a voice with a deep Southern accent says from behind me. “Y’all can come to our pack house, and he can meet us there.”
Atlas tenses behind me, his arms tightening around my waist. “Your pack house? Why the hell would we go there?” he nearly snarls.
“Because we have a lot to talk about, yeah?” says the Alpha with the white-blonde hair, who can’t seem to sort his nose out. “Let’s get out of here before someone calls the cops. We need to let the Hawks handle this with some good old street justice.”
I burrow into Atlas’s arms and realize I don’t care where I end up as long as he’s with me. I can’t do this without him. The few minutes I was without him when I walked away earlier made me worry I would never be whole again.
“Athena? Are you okay with that plan? I can take you home with us. We’ve got the space, and you know we all love having you over.” Slime shoves his hands into his pockets, almost as if he doesn’t, he’ll grab me again. It’s killing the affectionate Alpha not to reach for me.
A chorus of growls sounds behind me, and Atlas snarls, his chin resting on my head.
I pull away slightly from his chest and turn to my brother-in-law.
Even if I wanted to go with him, it’s clear that a fight would break out if I tried.
“Yeah, I’m okay with it. Can you have Icarus meet us at their place, though? ”
“‘Course.” He takes a step forward as if to hug me and then retreats. It’s probably smart to get away quickly with how volatile Atlas is acting right now.
However, my brain is having a hard time putting the pieces together of why he’s so on edge. It’s like a thick fog covers my consciousness, preventing me from seeing the big picture.
I do know that, against all odds, we are bonded to one another. His bite aches on my throat, and his essence thrums in my chest. I can feel his stress and fear.
How is this possible?
“Atlas?” I say softly, my voice cracking. “What happened to us?”
“I don’t know, Goddess.” He nuzzles into my neck. “But we’ll figure it out together, okay?”
I jolt awake with a yelp. “Don’t, don’t take me,” I whimper, curling up in a ball.
“Goddess,” Atlas whines, tugging me into his lap, “I’ve got you. We’re not there anymore.”
I blink several times. I don’t remember getting into the car, let alone the drive itself. “When did we get in a car?”
He strokes my face, his dark eyes hooded with concern. “You don’t remember? It was about an hour ago.”
“We’re almost there,” the Alpha with the bad nose says.
He’s breathing out of his mouth, his eyes partially unfocused.
His knuckles are white as he grips the steering wheel.
It’s only the three of us in the car. “My packmates will be there, too, and your brother shouldn’t be too far out, either. Slime called him.”
I relax into Atlas’s trim arms and nuzzle the unruly beard along his jaw. I feel so at home, so calm when I’m touching him. The way his bond buzzes with happiness in my chest tells me he feels the same.
I don’t know how we ended up like this, but I’m glad we did.
Now that I have this connection to him, the idea of being without it makes me feel like I’m going to turn feral.
I felt drawn to him before the bonding, and it’s only grown in the days we spent together.
I will not let anyone take me away from him.
My heart still aches when I think about the fear that flooded our bond when we were separated. The way he screamed and fought the Alpha holding him to get to me when we finally saw each other again will be imprinted in my mind for the rest of my life.
Has anyone ever wanted me that much before? Ever needed me like that?
The car pulls to a stop in front of a beautiful suburban home with gray stucco and stone siding. It’s a one-story with an oversized two-car garage and a fenced-in yard.
It’s a perfect little pack house, and it makes me clench my jaw.
This home is what I’ve always wanted, what I imagined settling down in. But I gave up that dream. I didn’t have a place in a pack before I was taken, and I certainly don’t have a place now.
Who would want an Omega that’s supposed to be a Beta?
At least I have Atlas.
He shuffles out of the sedan’s backseat and doesn’t give me a chance to follow. He snags me around the waist and hoists me out, depositing me beside him on the paved driveway. I lean into him, letting him support most of my weight, as I blink wearily at the home.
“Come on,” the scent challenged Alpha, who still hasn’t bothered to introduce himself to me, says. “Let’s get you two settled.”