4. KATIE
Chapter four
KATIE
G ray clouds obscure the sun. We are at least ten stories up. This must be a massive hospital, from the view I have out of my narrow sliver of window. It is surrounded by other glimmering skyscrapers. We must have been life-flighted to Seattle. But why? How long have we been missing?
Molly Beth is curled up on the small divan that they brought into my room, her knees drawn up to her chest. A tea service sits untouched. A proper one with a silver tray laden with white china cups painted with delicate pink flowers.
“Let me get this straight,” I say, rubbing my forehead and pushing against the window where I have been leaning. I am wrapped in the fluffy robe—a plush white version of what all my sisters are now wearing, each in a different color.
“You think we are ‘Omegas’ who belong in families with ‘Alphas,’ and some ‘Betas?’”
“Packs,” the nurse, named Angela, corrects. She smiles encouragingly.
“Like wolves?” I ask. This is all ludicrous of course, but if I can squeeze more information out of them, then it might help me figure out how to get all my sisters out of this loony house. If they use a Pack-like structure, then if I can overpower their Alpha, they may all submit to my demands and release us. Assuming the delusion runs that deep.
A long-shot, but worth considering.
“It's not the first time we've had Travelers—like you – who come from somewhere else. They seem to slip through by accident. But in all of our records they’ve been Betas.”
“And Betas are just regular people?” Maddie asks, her fingers fidgeting with the belt of her dark green robe. I know she’s craving a cigarette. Hell, I don’t even smoke and I want a cigarette.
“Sort of. Our designation has to do with our biological needs and how Packs form. But,” she pauses and exasperation rolls off her like steam off summer asphalt. “In the simplest terms, Alphas are the dominant designation—they are the ones who carry our strongest genes. They can only reproduce other Alphas with Omegas. Betas can reproduce with Alphas, other Betas, and Omegas, but they can’t carry the bloodlines.”
“Which means that your special genes can’t be passed through Beta lines?” Norah asks.
Nurse Angela nods. “In the vast majority of cases, yes.”
“So gene reproduction is only through Omegas—who are super rare?” Norah looks like she’s ready to take notes. Of course, anything about genetics would pique her attention.
Except this is bullshit. A metric ton of bullshit.
“And you expect us to believe that some of your Alphas are shape-shifters on top of all this other nonsense?” I snort. Ridiculous. We have landed ourselves in a furry colony. One mired in a full scale group hallucination.
“I understand this is different from your home,” Nurse Angela says with forced patience. “But this is our reality. And your reality now. Because there are two things I know for certain. One is that Travelers never go home.”
A finger of ice runs down my spine. Is this a threat?
“And two is that all of you are Omegas.”
I look at my sisters. We are mirrors of shock. Of course this isn’t true. We aren’t shape-shifting mega-breeders. We are normal human people – as normal as any of the Wilder women ever are, anyway. And to be labeled one of these rare breeder types probably means very not-good things for us.
“I call bullshit,” Maddie says.
“What triggered our designation?” Norah asks.
“What if we don’t want to be Omegas?” Layla asks.
“What do you mean we can never go home?” Molly Beth whispers, her voice so soft it’s trampled by the others.
A spike of pain lances up through my knee into my thigh. I’ve refused any painkillers. I don’t trust these “nurses” farther than I can spit. But, however we arrived here, it was with injuries. My joints ache, and my muscles throb like post-workout DOMS. The skin of my palm is raw, though not too torn up.
“So what happens when an Omega meets an Alpha? Is it like canines in the wild?” My youngest sister asks with the most clinical of voices, as though asking about what material will be on the next quiz.
Nurse Angela smiles softly at Norah. “No, not like that. We aren’t the same as our animal kindred, of course. There is consent.” She glances pointedly at me. “I’m not a bloodlines specialist–you'd have to go to the University lab for all of that. But I do know they routinely run bloods when someone new comes through the hospital, and all of you came up with the Omega designation.”
Maddie growls, interrupting Angela’s explanation. I can’t help but agree. This silliness shouldn’t be indulged. Norah is taking it far too seriously. But, she is distracting the nurse, and I’m able to slide farther along the back wall so that I can see out of the crack in the doorway.
The hallway is brightly lit, the walls a cheerful periwinkle instead of clinical white. There doesn't seem to be much traffic in this hall. No other nurses are making rounds.
“Once your heat cycles trigger, which will happen soon for some of you, you’ll start a process of meeting packs of Alphas.” She looks from Layla to me again, and I freeze my slow slide toward the door. “There’s a process of scent-matching and then courting to ensure that all aspects of the Pack are compatible, from lifestyle to sexual preferences. The Omega Conservatory is a centralized location for scent testing and initial introductions. And most importantly, it’s a safe haven for Omegas.”
Like hell it is.
My fingers curl into a fist.
“Sounds like a meat market to me,” I say. And if they think we’re going to swallow all of this and let them sell us off to a ‘pack,’ then these little nurses are going to be surprised. Maddie is a champion kick boxer, and I studied Krav Maga. Even Layla, wispy as she is, spent a year learning jiu-jitsu to impress a college boyfriend.
“You have courtships and marriage, just like Betas. But as Omegas, you get the privilege of belonging to a Pack. Of being their glue that holds them together. Of having their children, yes. But also having access to their homes, their assets, their protection, their devotion.” There’s a hint of wistfulness in her voice.
“But how many dudes are in Packs? Like one or two. Or are we talking about a camp whore situation?” Maddie snaps.
“Omegas are never treated like whores!” Nurse Angela draws back, horror written over her features. “They are rare, so they are precious. The Conservatory has a strict vetting process–only Packs with high standards are even allowed to court Omegas.”
This sounds like a weird classist cult, and I wouldn't be surprised if we were all picked to join an old man’s “pack” with all his other twenty-something ‘omegas.’ I squeeze Norah’s hand, a faint whiff of mint and sage curling around me, stronger than before. Whatever she’s wearing seems to be getting thicker rather than fainter.
I need a plan–some way to distract the nurse, and get us out before we’re separated and possibly drugged. I haven't seen armed guards, but she did mention a secure floor. We’re about ten floors up. It would be hard but not impossible to get us all down a stairwell. But we are going to need to hurry. If we get sent to a secondary location–this Omega Conservatory–the likelihood of escape drops.
“Look, this is all a cute fantasy story. But we have lived our whole lives as normal people–betas or whatever fucked up designations you use. We’re not mega-breeder pets, no matter how pretty the prison. So, if you will bring me my clothes, I am getting the fuck out of here.” Maddie crosses her arms, and I am smacked with the strong scent of roses.
That’s my girl!
Angela shakes her head, sputtering. Earlier in her first explanation, she’d said that Alphas were dominant and Omegas were submissive. Well, the Wilder women weren’t about to just roll over and submit. Proof that we are not these ‘omegas.’
I push off the wall. Time to take charge of this farce and get us out of here.
“Angela, thank you for this… entertaining story. But we really need to get back to our cars. We have people waiting for us. And as an officer in the United States military, I will soon be missed. This would cause problems for your community . I’m sure you understand that. So let us go, and there won’t be further problems.”
It’s a gamble to use my position—well, former position. But it could also scare them into letting us go. Soldiers are missed. Especially officers. This cult has to know that the longer they keep us, the faster they will be found.
Nurse Angela frowns up at me as she stands. “An Omega in the military?” she says slowly. “That’s incredible.” She doesn't sound particularly impressed. More… annoyed.
Something on her wristlet beeps, and she leans in to talk softly. I only catch a few words.
“Awake. Omegas. Professor Bellrose. Travelers.” There’s a pause as Nurse Angela listens intently to the wristlet, then sighs. “Alright Ladies, I’m going to start some transfer paperwork. Please try not to worry yourselves. You will be taken care of. Omegas always are.”
She pauses, looking at each of us.
“I’ll be back in five.”
“Don’t forget Molly Beth’s inhaler,” I add as she turns to leave. She nods, then closes the door softly behind her.
“Katie, what are we going to do?” Molly Beth reaches out to me, her little hand sliding into mine. For a moment I am transported back to our grandma’s kitchen and the nostalgic scent of brown sugar and vanilla wafting from a hot oven. Molly Beth always did love to bake. Her hand is still chilled, but her color has returned. That’s a good sign. She needs her inhaler and probably ought to drink something warm. I just don’t trust them not to drug us.
“I’m going to find a way to get us out of here.”
I made a promise to my parents. As their breaths came short and shallow. I promised each of them, first to Dad, then six years later to Mom. I would look after my little sisters for them.
What a brilliant job I’m doing.
I shake the thought away. That won’t help me. I need to stay focused. The last thing we need is to meet any of these ‘Alphas’ and get mixed up in their weird breeding cult.
“How is everyone feeling?” I survey my sisters. None of them look too bad, no visible injuries.
“Freaked the fuck out,” Layla says, letting her head lull back against the chair. A heady cloud of sticky sweet caramel and dry champagne clings to me. Is she wearing perfume too?
“Same.” Molly Beth says.
“We’re going to make a run for it, right?” Maddie says. She’s pacing and swinging her arms back and forth.
“Yes, I just hoped we’d get some real clothes. But we’ll have to go in these robes. We need to go now, before we get transferred to that conservatory. I’ll take lead, Maddie can you take back?”
She nods, immediately sinking into a fighting posture.
“Layla, you’re paired with Molly Beth. Norah, you're right behind me, okay?”
We look at one another for a moment. My chest squeezes painfully. Jesus, I love them. We have to get out of here.
“Alright, on the count of three we go as quickly and quietly as we can.”
We shuffle to the door and I ease it open a sliver.
“One.” Norah lines up behind me, Layla and Molly Beth behind her.
“Two.” Maddie jumps lightly from foot to foot.
“Three.”