Chapter 4
Chapter Four
My heart races as Foster’s finger skims over my birthmark.
I hoped they hadn’t noticed, but should have known better.
Shepherd is an agent at the DAU. Attention to detail is in his job description, and is required for him to save lives.
There is no way we would have made the trip to the safe house drop-off without him noticing.
I cannot fault him for telling Foster. He is Shepherd’s bonded Omega after all.
Suppressing a shiver from the contact, I force myself to look away.
Whatever connection exists between us, it doesn’t matter.
I’m still legally married to Colin, and even if I weren’t, I’m too much of a mess right now to even contemplate future relationships.
Six months pregnant and on the run from a cult.
The pull between us may seem tempting now, but after things get even more complicated…
They’ll run. Rightfully so.
“Here, Mommy.” I blink, focusing back on Kaitlin as she leans toward me from Shepherd’s arms. She extends her hand toward my face with a spoonful of bright pink frozen yogurt covered in gummy bears and sprinkles.
Internally groaning, I accept the bite and force a smile.
It is way too sweet. When she offers me more, I shake my head, politely declining and lifting my bowl.
I don’t truly believe they are spoiling her; I only worry that the attention they are showing us both will cause problems later. Neither of us can afford to get attached to these men. Watching my daughter’s heart break if they leave will be insufferable. And I’m not sure my own would survive it.
By the time we’ve finished shopping for things we need to take to the safe house, my energy levels are nonexistent. My back hurts, and my feet feel like they’re swollen to twice their normal size. I’m ready to lie down somewhere semi-soft and soothe my aching muscles.
Unfortunately, as we climb into our third and final DAU vehicle, Shepherd informs us it will be another hour until we reach our destination. Swallowing a groan, I stare out the window at the darkening sky.
Part of me still expects my father and his followers to show up, ready to exact his punishment for my defiance. For years, I’ve pretended to be the perfect Montgomery daughter. Quiet. Submissive. Even after I was forced to marry Colin, a man twice my age, I still played along.
I could have escaped when I was nineteen.
Ran away and never looked back. But I couldn’t bear to leave my little sister behind.
Even now, the thought of not being there to stop him from finding Sarah terrifies me.
Our mother has no maternal instincts, only a willingness to allow her body to be used to meet her husband’s expectations.
Her lack of care left me in a motherly role for Sarah.
Raising her from infancy into her late teens.
There is no part of me that doesn’t see her as my own.
I’ve been the only mother figure in her life.
Or I was. I suppose she may have found someone else to fill that role after she left.
Part of me thinks my mother innately knew Sarah would be an Omega and hated her for it, but that seems far-fetched from a woman who barely conveys more than distaste to her other children. Some people aren’t meant to have children, and she is one of them.
A disposition I do not share. My children are my world. Both the ones born from me and the one I chose to raise in my mother’s stead.
What feels like hours later, we pull up to a tan, two-story house. Two cars are parked in the gravel driveway, but there isn’t anyone in sight. Worrying my lip, I glance at Shepherd as he puts the car into park. Is this where we part ways?
“This is a one-night stop,” he says, meeting my eyes. “Donovan is meeting us here to debrief. And we thought you would want a chance to see your sister before we have to go into hiding.”
Tears brim in my eyes as his words sink in. Sarah is here. She’s safe.
“She goes by Omen now,” Foster speaks softly, turning around in his seat so that he can look at me. “Her situation is… complicated. I think she needs to see you almost as much as you need to see her.”
Nodding, I brush the tears away and unbuckle Kaitlin.
Her wide eyes watch the house, tiny hands clinging to my sleeve.
When we step outside, she attaches herself to my leg, refusing to accept a hand from Shepherd or Foster.
Both men deflate a little at her rejection, and I give them tight smiles.
They are still unknown in her life. It is only natural for her to want my comfort and protection when entering a home full of strangers.
I ignore the glares both men send my way when I lean down and lift my little bug into my arms, resting her on my hip. She’s tiny for a four-year-old, and I’m used to carrying her weight. It won’t hurt me.
Shepherd sighs, guiding me forward with a warm palm hovering over the small of my back. The tiny flare of heat has my body lighting up, long forgotten urges threatening to resurface. I quickly crush them back down. Now is not the time.
Sweat trickles down my spine as we stop at the front door. How will Sarah- no, Foster said she goes by Omen now. How will Omen react to seeing me? A lot has changed in the years since she left. I’ve changed, and I’m sure she has too.
The door swings open, revealing a tall Alpha with slightly graying hair and bright blue eyes. Donovan Griffith. Furrowing my brows, I mumble out a greeting when he addresses me. Donovan is a leader at the DAU. He is also the man who brought me in as an informant eleven years ago.
Sliding into the back of the car called to take me to the airport, I let my shoulders fall. Being away from the heavy weight of expectation for the short drive to the airport feels amazing. Even if it only lasts for the duration of the drive and flight back to New Hampshire.
“Miss Montgomery.”
I jolt, eyes flying open as I realize I am not alone after all.
The man seated across from me is an Alpha, though his scent is muted, likely from a suppressant.
Darting my eyes toward the door, I briefly contemplate trying to escape, but the car is already entering the highway, and I doubt rolling out of a moving vehicle will feel great.
“Please don’t be alarmed. My name is Donovan Griffith.” He pulls a small trifold wallet from inside his gray jacket and hands it to me. Inside are state and federal IDs. Seeing that he works for the DAU has the tension leaving my body. With shaky hands, I pass the wallet back to him.
“How can I help you, Mr. Griffith?”
“I listened to the testimony you gave Agent Bilman. Your insight will be incredibly helpful in preventing your father’s cult from harming Omegas and Alphas outside of New Hampshire moving forward.
” The intensity of his stare unsettles me.
I feel as if he can see every wrong I’ve ever committed and is ready to judge me for them.
For the past three weeks, I have been in New York City attending an up-and-coming religious leader’s conference for young women.
It’s actually a seminar in subservience for the wives of future pastors, but they cannot advertise it as such without facing harsh criticism and protest from city officials.
Being so close to people who genuinely care about others, I snuck out one evening and made my way to the local DAU office.
Confessing everything I have witnessed, all the abuse and violence my parents spearhead, took a weight off my chest. Part of me feels responsible for not speaking up sooner.
For being too afraid to stand against them.
Picturing my little sister’s wide, green eyes staring up at me abates that guilt.
I have done what I had to do to protect her. To protect us both.
“I hope it does,” I say.
“I heard you refused to be relocated.”
Twisting my hands in my lap, I nod. “As grateful as I am for the offer, I must return to Whitlan. I cannot leave my sister to face our parents alone.”
“Even if returning means going through with the arranged marriage to Colin Boyd?” His words aren’t sharp, only filled with curiosity. It puts me at ease to think he will accept my decision more easily than the other agents had.
“Yes, even then.”
Donovan hums, turning to look out the window.
I follow his gaze, noticing the signs for the airport exit.
Part of me wishes I could stay. To escape the fate I know awaits me in my marriage to Mr. Boyd.
I could choose love, or rather the potential for it, by joining the DAU’s protection program.
But is a chance at happiness worth leaving Sarah behind?
Of allowing her to be forced to fill the role I would leave empty?
I wouldn’t put it past our parents to force her to marry Colin in my place.
They wouldn’t care that she is only eleven.
Shaking my head, I turn to find Donovan looking at me once more. “Then, Miss Montgomery, I have a proposition for you.”
Footsteps hurrying down a staircase bring me back to the present, leaving memories of the day I met Donovan in the past. I can sense my little sister, smell hints of her sunflower and honeysuckle scent in the air.
Foster and Shepherd step to the side, letting me see my sister for the first time in nearly five years.
Tear-filled green eyes blink at me, studying me with the same intensity.
Her brown hair is black and purple now, hanging nearly to her waist in messy waves.
A large hoodie covers her small frame, but it is easy to tell she is too thin to be healthy for her height.
“H-Hannah?” She stumbles forward, feet tripping over themselves in her hurry to reach me.
Tears fill my own eyes as I pull her against me.
She’s here. Alive and free. My guilt lessens as she shakes in my arms. Her life may not be a rainbow dreamland, but it’s endlessly better than what would have awaited her in Whitlan.