Prologue #2
I hold my hands up and turn.
He's a short, squat Beta with a balding head of salt and pepper hair. Several of his teeth are missing, and his skin has become wrinkled and weathered from years spent working in the sun. Yet, his eyes are bright and calculating.
He's smarter than he looks.
"I've got money," I offer. I don’t, but I need to stall until I can come up with a plan. "I’ll give you everything I have if you let me leave."
He smirks, and there’s a flash of silver in his hand. He has a knife.
I always struggled during close-combat weapons training sessions. Right now I wish I’d asked Viper for more sparring sessions.
"And why would I do that?" he grins, and points his knife at me. "I know what ya are. You think I can’t smell ya ‘cause I’m Beta?”
"No, you've made a mistake." I shake my head, and my palms begin to sweat.
"Ain't no mistake." He reaches forward, wrapping his rough, callused hand around my forearm, and rips me out of the car.
"Let go," I cry, as he tugs me roughly against his body. I kick out, desperate to hit any part of him I can reach.
He doesn't flinch. Instead, with a sudden burst of aggression, he slams me against the side of the truck, the cold, unyielding metal causes sharp pain to flare in my back. His forearm presses against my throat, cutting off my air supply.
"You ain't gettin' away," he growls, bringing the tip of his blade to the top of my shirt, the one Knox thoughtfully sewed from his own clothes. “I’m gonna call the Alphas and sell ya for a pretty price.”
Barely an hour on my own and I’m already held hostage.
Why did I leave them?
Why did I think I could do this?
I'm stupid.
Useless.
Broken.
The knife cuts through the fabric of my shirt like butter. The cool metal nicks my skin with a biting sting, and the material falls away, exposing bra-covered breasts to the cool night air.
"Stop! Please, stop," I beg, struggling against him, trying to push him off.
"Ya got a mighty fine set of tits," he rasps, and his hot breath is on my neck.
My stomach heaves, and I slam my fist against his chest, but it doesn't faze him.
"This is what ya made for, ain’t it, lil’ Omega?" he coos, the sneer of satisfaction on his face growing the more I struggle. "This is what those Alphas in The Capital will bend over backwards to claim."
He grabs a fistful of my hair, jerking my head back. He licks a strip up my neck, and I gag.
"So tasty," he growls, and his hands move down, grasping at my breasts.
I wrench a hand free and claw at his face, digging my nails into his cheek viciously, proud as red scratches appear.
He catches my hand, twisting until I cry out in pain.
"Ya master didn't do a good job trainin' ya to behave, did he?"
He releases my screaming wrist and immediately backhands my cheek, watching my face as it contorts in agony. I feel a bulge twitch against my stomach and freeze like a doe in the headlights.
Oh no.
He's getting off on hurting me. Bile rises in my throat.
"That why ya ran away, sweetness? The big Alpha idiot didn't know how to keep his bitch Omega in line?" His warm breath fans across my face, thick with the scent of nicotine and alcohol.
"Get off me," I say through clenched teeth. I don’t want to draw the attention of anyone else lurking nearby. One attacker is enough.
I try to kick him again, and manage to catch the side of his knee. He grunts but doesn’t release his hold.
He can't smell that I'm not claimed. His Beta senses are too weak and blunted. Not like Shade, who trained himself to be a weapon. Maybe I can convince him my Alpha is coming. That if he lets me go, he won't be in the crossfire.
"I’m mated to a Prime Alpha. Let me go and he’ll reward you for keeping me safe,” I plead breathlessly.
He laughs in my face.
"Not anymore, Omega. Ya belong to us now, and if ya master wants ya back, he can negotiate wit’ me."
He hauls me away from the side of the truck, dragging me across the gravel towards a small wooden garden shed.
I dig my feet into the ground, kicking up dust, and it billows around us. But his grip is firm, and he ignores my struggles.
I know if he gets me in there, bad things are going to happen.
Then I feel it, the familiar shimmering at the edges of vision.
Not the lulling, calming O-space that leaves me docile and sweet for Viper, Shade, Blaze, and Knox.
No, this is the sharp steel edge that cuts away any doubt or fear.
A wash of confidence slides from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.
Why didn't I think of it before?
Omega Command.
"Release me, Beta," I snarl. The words come easily, cutting through the air like a knife.
His body jerks as though I’ve struck him in the stomach, causing him to stagger back and let go of me.
It’s weak, but it worked. Thank frack, it worked.
The backlash hits me like a whip.
A sharp crack behind my eyes, a hot rush of nausea in my throat. My knees buckle, just for a moment.
The Command has left something hollow in its wake, like I borrowed power I couldn’t afford.
It’s never felt like this. Never such a violent physical strain.
Not during training. Not when I used it on the squad.
Maybe because… back then, I was tethered.
Anchored to four other souls. Now I’m a stray wire, sparking without a circuit.
I hurt, but I can’t stop. He’s still close and my Command was weak. I have to keep going.
"Get away from me." My voice shakes but still sings with authority, and he trips over his feet trying to obey, landing on his ass. His face contorts with shock, but he doesn't utter a single sound.
I take a step forward, and he scrambles back as if pushed by an invisible force.
It's so easy.
A thought creeps over me like a dark cloud. I could make this Beta do anything. I wonder how far I could push it. Could I get him to hurt himself? Hurt others? If I told him to take his knife and stab himself in the gut, would he?
Could I do that?
No, I wouldn't… Would I?
My power fills me up from the inside out, and I raise my hand, pointing my index finger at him.
"Give me your truck keys. Leave. Do not speak of me ever," I demand, keeping my tone strong and firm.
His eyes glaze over. He pats down his pockets, retrieving a set of keys, and holds them out to me.
He stands, and without looking at me, stumbles towards the house before disappearing into the darkness.
"Take that, asshole."
My victory is short-lived. The headache stabs sharply, causing my eyes to water. My legs shake, the high of the power turning sour in my bloodstream. My stomach twists, not just from what I almost commanded him to do, but from the echo of strain vibrating in my bones.
Drained, I feel as if a piece of me was taken in exchange for the Command.
With shaky legs, I climb into the cab of the truck.
I cringe. The smell of unwashed Beta lingers on me. His hands and his tongue.
My inner Omega howls in despair as it masks the lingering scent of them. The spice of Knox, gunpowder of Viper, pine of Shade, and campfire of Blaze. They’re fading too fast.
I turn the key in the ignition, and it sputters to life.
I don’t flick the headlights on yet, afraid to draw attention by bathing the area in white light.
"Time to get out of here," I mutter to myself, and put the truck into gear. The first part of my escape is complete. I'll drive far enough that I'm sure I'm not being followed, then I'll make a plan.
Soon, the dirt track turns into a surfaced single-lane road, and I drive until I reach a four-way junction. No traffic coming from any direction. The overhead streetlight flickers as the unstable power supply surges and dwindles.
My eyes blur from the strain of the headache, and I force them to focus on the large sign, which points left toward Barkrood Base, and right toward The Capital.
The road to The Capital is new and well lit, smooth and wide with white lines painted down the middle.
The road to Barkrood Base is older and cracked in places, but still maintained.
Finally, the road straight ahead is littered with potholes and disappears into the darkness, like a black hole to nowhere.
There is no name on the sign for that direction.
I reach over and open the glove compartment, and find a stack of maps and a packet of wet wipes.
"Oh, thank frack," I breathe, reaching for one of the moist towelettes. I run it along my skin, wiping away the evidence of his touch. It's not enough, but it will have to do for now.
I notice that the road sign has a number in a small circle, marking the junction, and I quickly search the map for the matching number.
"Bingo."
I stab my finger at a spot deep in the northern mountain territories.
It's a long way from my hometown in the south and Barkrood Base.
I trace the trip from Barkrood, until I reach the impenetrable Blackreach Mountains.
There is only one road in and out of the lawless Province — the Blackreach Mountain Pass.
That's my best bet for intercepting Everlyn and Jason.
If luck stays on my side, I have a chance of catching them there.
I fold the map and place it on the seat next to me.
My hands grip the steering wheel and I sit up straighter.
I can do this.
I pass over the intersection and into the darkness, following the road without markings that points northwest, driving until the streetlights fade from the rearview mirror.
I try not to focus on the ache in my chest that grows with every passing minute.
The further I drive, the more I feel like I've left a part of myself behind. Four parts. My heart might feel like it’s breaking, my inner Omega clawing and screaming at me for leaving them behind, but I know this is the right decision.
Dazz, Ember, and Flicker need me.
An Omega’s primary purpose is to protect and cherish their loved ones. I won’t leave them to whatever fate General Stone has led them towards.
I can do this.