Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Omen
M y hands rub together as a cheery smile crosses my face. Word around the facility is that a few new omegas came in. Not that it means much to me.
As a beta, it doesn’t impact me in the least. I would like to get my partner back to full working condition at some point, though.
Valor isn’t as bad off as most of the alphas they stuck us in here with, but he has his moments. The haze slips in, and it’s a miracle if he even recognizes me.
That one percent of time when he’s completely rabid…that’s what scares me.
I love the big fucker like the other half of my tainted soul, and I worry a lot about when the day will come that I have to put him down to keep myself alive.
I’m not sure it would even be worth it.
I’ve killed a lot of people—most of which I don’t regret—but I’m not sure I could come back from taking out V. Meaning, I need to find him a naughty little omega to entice him enough that he willingly sinks his teeth in. Only, he never looks twice when we get new blood.
My delusions of getting the fuck out of this hellhole are still intact, so I skip my way down the hallway from the gym to the cafeteria.
My shirt is soaked in sweat from my workout, but stopping by my room just to change would waste time. No one pays much attention to my scent, anyway.
There are perks to being a beta. The most prominent being, I don’t have to worry about losing my mind simply because I never found an omega to bond.
Nature sure does fuck alphas when it comes to biology. Not that our profession helps matters. Actually, it probably speeds up the decay. That’s why this place is filled with people who do what we do.
Not that the facility is all that bad.
It’s not half as shitty as prison would be. Being put in here means someone has incentive for us to be rehabilitated. We’re fed decent food, allowed adequate exercise, and they even do supply drops twice a week. Hell, it’s a little like an all-expenses paid vacation, but that doesn’t mean I want to be trapped in here forever.
Coming around the corner, I lean against the coarse brick. It’s always pandemonium when newbies are introduced as all the inmates try to determine if the omegas are their scent match, but what’s currently going down is more intense than I’ve seen it.
Maggie and her group of defiant omegas block several of the alphas from getting any closer to the cafeteria line.
The cafeteria is one of three places alphas are allowed to unmask—the communal showers, their cell, or in the meal hall, since they clearly have to be able to eat.
They serve us three hot meals a day, and the refrigerators are stocked with cold options that can be grabbed at any time, but once the food is gone, they don’t refill the cold cases until we’re all locked into our cells overnight.
I’ve never seen the food completely empty, but again, that speaks to the fact that our employers want us back in top working condition. Starving us would be counterintuitive to their end goals.
My head tilts as I watch the newbies.
Their reactions are always the same. Well, I suppose there are a few variations of how the prey ends up behaving.
It’s a whole different experience when we get new inmates because it occasionally mixes up the pecking order.
One of the women cries so hysterically, her entire body shakes. While the other’s eyes are so huge that, combined with the way she takes a tentative step back, I’m sure she’s going to run. Running is not the right call to make in this situation, but omegas can’t fight their instincts any more than alphas can fight going feral.
There are snacks on a rolling cart next to the end of the buffet line, and if that little woman backs up any farther, she’s going to take the whole thing down with her.
She’s quite pretty. Then again, most female omegas are. She’s got a curvy frame that signals her designation, and she’s a bit pear-shaped. Her tits might not be huge, but they heave with each shallow breath she sucks in.
Okay, perhaps she’s more than just pretty .
She’s fucking stunning. Her golden brown hair tumbles over her shoulders as her gaze darts around.
Our eyes lock for half a second, and I lick my lips.
Christ.
They’re going to eat her alive.
I’m not even an alpha, and I can sense her fear.
Maggie and most of the others in her group are busy trying to console the sobbing newcomer while the others hold the alphas back. They appear to have forgotten the pretty omega who seems to have a propensity for being chased.
Well, at least she’s not a crying heap.
She shoves the plastic tray at the alpha crowding her personal space and takes off.
I jump up on the closest table and bang my hand on the metal grate ceiling. The staff almost never interacts with us, but they do supervise from the second floor. The hallways, the cafeteria, and the gym have the same metal grate ceiling that they can view us through. It was strange at first to see them walking around above our heads, but I’ve grown accustomed to it.
At least the rooms have privacy .
“Mags, you seem to have lost one of your bunnies.” I slam my palm against the metal again in an attempt to catch her attention, but she’s shoving away Santos.
A knight in shining armor, I am not.
And I still find myself bouncing from table to table, following after the pretty new omega.
She has Sergei and Vladimir hot on her heels. They’re two men Valor and I avoid—and not solely due to their bad breath and general dislike of routine showers.
The omega bolts toward the corridor that leads to the women’s rooms. At least, that’s where the staff puts new female inhabitants. Once they’ve settled in, they can pick a new room wherever they’d like, as long as it’s not already occupied. Maggie only allows male omegas to reside on her side. It’s a safety precaution to protect any of the omegas who aren’t ready to interact with the alphas.
Not all the omegas who make their way into the facility are hesitant, but I’ve often wondered if that speaks to how they came to be here. When they’re brought in, some look a bit rough. You can tell they haven’t had an easy life, and that’s not me being a judgmental dick.
Valor and I are street rats. I can recognize where they came from because they remind me of the people I knew growing up.
Reaching the final table, I jump down and pivot toward the hallway.
My shoes echo against the linoleum tiles as I pick up my pace. The woman’s shrieks fill the air, and I don’t have to guess which direction to head when I hit the next corridor. This entire place is basically one big box—or the main hallways are. The ones that run off the main corridors can get a little more complicated, but both sides of the unit are duplicates of one another.
I haven’t been on the women’s side of the block often, but I’ve paced the corridors bare on the men’s side, so I know what to expect.
A shrill scream rattles around the hallway, and some muffled sobbing that I can’t quite make out follows.
At least she’s fighting back.
I sigh, coming around the corner.
I’m going to have to talk with Mags about keeping better track of her things.
Vlad has the woman pinned to the brick wall with her wrists trapped together above her head and his meaty hand on her waist.
Sergei chuckles, getting close to her ear as he slaps a palm over her mouth. “No one is going to bite you, but feel free to open that pretty mouth and show your appreciation for our restraint.”
Christ.
They’re vile.
She struggles, shoving off the wall with her arse and trying to twist away.
It’s useless.
One alpha would be enough to keep her in place—let alone two.
She screams again, and Sergei’s palm muffles the sound.
Glancing up at the ceiling, I check for any of the guards. You’d think they would be around to at least supervise this type of situation, but that’s expecting too much of the staff.
We police ourselves here.
“All right, you’ve had your fun,” I call out, my Irish accent rolling through my words. “Take a step back, the both of ya.”
“Ahh, it’s Valor’s pet,” Vlad growls. “You can fuck off, pet .”
I snort.
I keep waiting for them to come up with something more original, but that’s giving them too much credit.
Yeah, Valor bit me—hurt like a motherfucker too—but that was solely to make us an even more formidable team. We don’t need comms or a phone to communicate, which these idiots seem to have forgotten.
Valor’s interest filters through the bond, proving my point about how valuable the connection can be under the right circumstances. He knows I’m up to something, and he’s on his way to check exactly what’s happening.
And that’s not a bad thing.
These two are massive, even for alphas. I’m six-one, not short by most people’s standards, but Valor is six-foot-six barefoot, so it’s all relative.
If I didn’t have to worry about the skittish little rabbit running off while I handle these assholes, I wouldn’t be concerned in the slightest.
My skills have never failed me, but the last thing I need is for her to bolt and get herself into even worse trouble while I’m preoccupied.
Sergei releases the omega, stepping around to block my access to her.
I smirk and shrug. “You know the rules. They won’t let you keep her if you harm her, and she’s obviously not interested. Why don’t you try your luck with the weepy one?” Tossing a thumb back toward the cafeteria, I wiggle my eyebrows. “She’s sure to cause you less hassle in the long run.”
I have no idea why, but I’m positive it’s the truth.
Something about the defiance in her eyes, even as she’s pinned to the wall by Vlad, proves I’m right. And goddamn, she does have beautiful eyes. The outer rim is a deep turquoise blue with an inner ring of hazel.
The bond is a strange experience.
It’s not like Valor and I can communicate in words or specific thoughts. It’s more of impressions that get the point across. I can share my general location or send him basics, like I need your help. Get your arse in here. I never know how it comes across to him, but he always shows up when I need him.
When he communicates with me, it’s mostly in simple directions. He wants me to hit the wall on my left, but it’s not that I get the words wall or left . It’s more of a strong urge to shove my body to the other side of the corridor.
He’s not quiet as he approaches.
I do a jaunty little spin, my foot connecting with Sergei’s gut. It shoves him back before I flatten my front to the bricks on the left side of the corridor.
Valor barrels through like a battering ram and snarls, tackling Sergei to the ground.
I laugh.
At least he’s getting the chance to burn off some of that never-ending rage that’s always simmering just below the surface.
Vladimir finally releases the omega to attempt to help his friend, but that’s perfect.
I grimace when Vlad’s foot slams into the side of Valor’s skull, but luckily, that fucker has a hard head.
He’ll be fine.
The omega plasters her back to the wall and inches away like she’s about to scurry off toward the women’s rooms. Ignoring the commotion and Valor’s pain filtering through the bond, I skirt around the brawl and come to a stop in front of the pretty woman.
I extend the hand with Valor’s bite on my wrist.
Perhaps that will set her at ease.
Most assume Valor and I have a romantic relationship, simply because of our bond.
We don’t.
I’ve always had a policy of fucking anyone I’m attracted to, but Valor is much pickier. Then there’s the whole friendship thing. He’s my best mate, and adding sex to the mix could ruin our dynamic. Also, I’m ninety-seven percent sure he’s straight. Although, he might be asexual, since I’ve never seen him with anyone of any gender.
Initially, we had some vague hope that adding a bond could slow down his mental decay, but sadly, that wasn’t the case. He needs an omega, and that brings me back to the situation at hand.
The woman blinks up at me as I give a cheeky bow and introduce myself while keeping my hand extended. “Omen, at your service.”
“Saylor,” she says, not shaking.
I pull my arm down.
Her eyes widen, and she chucks herself into my chest, shoving with all her might. It wouldn’t move me if I held firm in my stance, but the fear on her face convinces me to act, and I wrap my hand around her lower back, pulling her with me as we twirl.
A dagger slams into the wall, ricocheting off the brick and landing on the linoleum flooring a few feet away.
Continuing my movement, I spin Saylor to the wall and cover her with my body in case another blade will be coming our way.
The facility has a no-weapons policy, but where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Assassins and mercenaries are fond of our toys, after all. Most of the guards can be bought for what I would consider a minimal fee, and anything small enough to be passed through the grates in the floor regularly makes its way into the cell blocks. Larger items are left with the supply drops. You just have to know where to look and get there before the person who ordered it. Well, that or have someone on the outside willing to pay when the guard in question seeks payment.
Valor wraps his forearm around Vlad’s neck, dragging the Russian backward at an angle as Vlad’s boots scratch against the floor.
My partner’s eyes are hazy as he snarls, and it’s not difficult to tell he’s lost to the haze of the mental decay. He has a busted eyebrow and blood drips around his eye and down his cheek as he snarls, bending to collect the knocked-out Sergei with a handful of his T-shirt.
I chuckle, step back, and appraise the omega. “Sorry about that unpleasantness. Valor will make an example of their lack of manners.” Before I forget, I grab the dagger and drop it inside my sock for easy access the next time I need it.
“T-That was Valor?”
“Ahh, his reputation precedes him.” I have no idea why that tickles me so much, but it does. I stand and gesture down the hallway. “Would you like an escort back to your room?”
Her eyes meet mine as her chest rises and falls in rapid pants. “And you’re his bonded beta?”
I can feel my eyes roll, even if it’s unintentional. “That would be me. And don’t worry, I find it grand to be referred to as my designation.”
Her eyes widen, and she swallows thickly. “I’m sorry. That was rude. Thank you for saving me.” Stepping forward, she holds out a small, shaking hand. Her fear is palpable, but she’s more cordial than before.
Ignoring her hand, like she did to me, I boop her nose. “Anytime, pet. Now, are you hungry? Want an escort back to your room?”
Her head nods, then shakes. “I haven’t eaten in I don’t know how long, but I don’t want to go back to my room either.” She steps forward, fluttering her long lashes. “I want you to take me to your alpha so I can ask for his protection.” Her hand comes to rest on my chest. “Yours too, although I saved you from that knife. He wasn’t aiming at me.”
She’s right about that.
Omegas are too rare in here to purposely injure.
I still scoff, a lazy smirk crossing my face. “Awful cocky for someone who was pinned to the wall, crying, less than three minutes ago.” Wrapping my hand in hers, I drag her back toward the cafeteria. “Valor won’t look twice at you, but I’m bored. We might as well see how this plays out.”
If there’s even a sliver of a chance I can get my partner back to working condition, I’m not about to turn down the opportunity.