Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
KAYLA
P erfuming? Fuck, Ryker!
It rattles me how blatantly he talks about me like I’m livestock, like I’m not even here. Though part of me wonders if he’s right, if the trauma with Gary has messed me up somehow, left me broken.
My throat constricts at the thought. All my life, this is what was expected of me—to please an Alpha, to make more baby Alphas and Omegas for this screwed-up world.
What if I’m unable to go into heat like a normal Omega?
Not that I’d want to please any of these crude Alphas. My only goal is to get away and find my friends. Assuming they’re even okay... No, they have to be. I can’t think of anything else, or I’ll be a basket case.
After a hasty shower, I realize my clothes are gone. Seriously? My skin flushes at the thought of one of them coming in here while I was naked and vulnerable.
Quickly drying off, I tug on the baggy sweats and T-shirt they left, the boxers hanging low on my hips. I grabbed a towel and furiously scrubbed my skin dry, the indignity of it all burning in my throat.
I can’t hide in this back bedroom forever. Steeling myself, I drift into the living room, praying they’re gone so I can scout for an escape route.
Fat chance.
All three Alphas are waiting, looking very much at home in this crappy cabin.
“Have a seat,” Ryker orders from his corner, like I’m a dog being summoned.
I hesitate, but Dane’s looming presence near the window and Liam lurking by the kitchen bar boxes me in. Jaw clenched, I sink onto the worn sofa, the springs groaning in protest. I glare at each in turn, the four of us forming an odd square.
Their scents—cedar, smoke, leather, and something primal that sets my pulse racing—swirl together in an intimidating, dizzyingly alluring combination.
Liam leans back against the counter, every inch the cocky bad boy with his tousled blond curls and that stupid smirk. “This just keeps getting more interesting,” he drawls, voice dripping sarcasm.
Great, another smart-ass to contend with.
In the corner, Ryker is all hard angles and shadows, those piercing blue eyes seeming to look straight through me. Inky black tattoos slither up his forearms and remind me of bikers I saw in a movie once.
Realizing I’m staring, I quickly look away, right into Liam’s knowing gaze.
“See something you like, sweetheart?” He winks brazenly.
I snort. “Hardly. I’ve seen hotter at a truck stop.” Trying to ignore the way my body thrums with awareness, I snap my arms beneath my breasts.
“Play nice, you two,” Dane’s deep voice rumbles, and though his words are light, there’s a warning there that echoes deep in my bones.
Ryker doesn’t answer. He doesn’t need to. His eyes narrow, and I get the impression he’s already calculating ten moves ahead.
I can’t trust them. Not after hearing their conversation outside. “Find them,” “valuable assets.” My stomach churns. This wasn’t some lucky, or unlucky, accident. They were looking for Omegas, and they knew we were on that bus and on the way to Nexus.
From the living room, we all stare at each other. Liam reaches across the counter, snags a bright red apple, and tosses it playfully in the air.
“Hungry, sweetheart?” he asks, a teasing glint in his eyes.
I eye the apple with suspicion, my hand hovering near it instinctively. Even these hulking Alphas wouldn’t drug food in plain sight, would they? No, I see them marching up with a tranquilizer shot and not hiding a damn thing.
“Sure, I could eat,” I shrug, trying to project nonchalance despite the churning in my gut. He throws the apple, and I catch it easily. My expression remains a mask, hiding the turmoil within. “Thanks.”
For a fleeting moment, Liam’s easy grin throws me off balance. Have I misjudged them? The question hangs in the air, unanswered, before Ryker cuts in, his voice devoid of warmth.
“Liam, we need to finish our talk.” Ryker cuts into my thoughts, his tone devoid of warmth. “Alone. Go into the other room again, Omega.”
My heart stutters. I can’t believe they plan to sell me and my friends off like cattle. Panic claws at my throat.
“Why should I go anywhere?” I challenge, my chin jutting out defiantly. “Afraid I’ll hear something else enlightening?”
Dane steps forward, palms raised, placating. “Just need to recheck your wounds, sweetheart. Get you bandaged up properly after your shower, that’s all.”
Sweetheart? I almost scoff at the forced gentleness. But earlier, he was careful while tending to my injuries. Maybe I can use that to my advantage.
“Fine,” I concede, taking a defiant bite of the apple. “But I’m keeping the apple.” I brush past them, my back ramrod straight, hyperaware of their watchful eyes. Let them wonder what game I’m playing now.
Ryker
T he Omega disappears into the back room with Dane, and I force myself not to march in after them.
Liam’s signature crooked smile is painted on this face. “What do you think about our little Omega?”
I ball up my hands into fists. “Fuck! We can’t keep her. We were hired to find her and the others and turn them in to Nexus.” My voice comes out a low growl.
“Hey, accidents happen,” Liam shrugs, the nonchalance in his voice grating on my nerves.
“Screw you! Thanks to your ass, you’ve cut our pay by 3/4ths.”
“Bus went off the road, but something tells me it wasn’t just that.”
My gut twists. “What are you thinking?”
“Kayla was attacked by the Nexus scum. I didn’t wait around to find out why.”
“A guard?” My voice is a dangerous edge at the thought of someone hurting Kayla. But I shove that thought down by its throat. She’s a bounty. Something to turn over and get our money. Nothing else.
Seeing him watch me like he’s trying to psychoanalyze me pisses me the fuck off.
“We can’t keep her, Liam.” The words are a flat statement, icy fury barely contained under the surface.
Liam throws his hands up in mock surrender. “Hey, how about we find out why a Nexus guard attacked a helpless Omega? The company doesn’t know we have her yet, so let’s just wait for a bit. Besides, maybe we can round up the other bounties. There’s two more missing according to our contract details.”
The market for these Omegas is volatile, their value dependent on a combination of factors—age, health, and most importantly, the strength of their pheromones.
Kayla... there’s a spark there, a defiance in her eyes. And that damn scent of hers—vanilla and jasmine—lingers, pulling at me and making me wish for things I can’t fucking have.
The knot in my gut tightens. Kayla may be a liability, but right now, she’s our only lead to the other Omegas, if Nexus hasn’t captured them yet. Slim chance.
“What do you think is gonna happen if we let her stay? She’s a bounty, nothing more.”
“Just… just wait until Monday. One week,” he hurries when I open my mouth to tell him to go fuck himself.
“She might be able to help us find the other two Omegas. At least give us descriptions, but she won’t do that unless she trusts us.”
“I know what you’re doing,” I say. “You think if we find one or both of the others, we can turn them in for the bounty and keep this one. No fucking way. She’s not staying. She’s not your Omega.” Or ours. Yet, my gut clenches at the thought.
Liam raises an eyebrow but doesn’t push it further. He knows better than to cross me when I’m like this.
One wrong move and this goes to shit.
“Shit!” I clench and unclench my knuckles. “We can’t keep her. You know that. Fuck, what if she goes into heat while she’s here?”
“She’s our Omega. Can’t you get that through your thick head?
“Or maybe you should stop thinking with your cock. You’d probably be better off.”
“Relax, Ryker.” A sardonic laugh escapes his lips. “We both know you can’t keep your eyes off her.” There’s an edge to his voice, a challenge I ignore. He saunters past me, a suggestive wiggle in his hips, and heads to where Dane and Kayla are.
Just because Kayla has a spark and her pheromones are clouding my mind doesn’t mean I can’t handle the situation.
My mind flashes back to the smoky, dimly lit Nocturne club—Kayla, vulnerable and alone, being harassed by some lowlife Betas. How eager he and his friend dragged her out to the alley. Disgust flares up like acid in my throat. Her eyes were wide with terror, the raw panic in her cry for help slicing through me. The idea of those men touching her clings to me, like the stink of rot that won’t wash off.
I wanted them dead.
Stepping in was the easy part. A swift punch to the jaw, a well-placed kick, and the Betas were sprawled on the cement, whimpering. But something about her kept me digging—her name, her friends, where they were from. Research led to dead ends; their digital footprint was scrubbed clean.
Maybe Liam’s right. Maybe another Alpha caught wind of them, someone more ruthless. Someone who saw Kayla not just as merchandise but as something else entirely. Competition isn’t something I welcome, but I will choke the life out of anyone who gets in my way.
Of anyone who dares to touch Kayla.
The thought sends a jolt of anger through me, hot and primal.
Fishing out my phone, I tap out a message.
“Still searching for any of the Omegas. Will update again when we’ve something new.”
The reply comes back quicker than I expected, a single, terse sentence that chills me to the bone. “Bounty has been doubled. Find them and bring them in.”
The phone feels heavy in my hand, the screen glaring back with the answer. I need to figure out what the hell game Kayla’s playing and if she knows where the other Omegas might be.
My gaze drifts toward the hallway. Her scent is faint but persistent. The bounty amount replays in my head. But it’s not just about the deal anymore, is it? The thought of another Alpha touching her, marking her... sends a primal snarl through me.
Anger and something else, something deeper, war within me. I grind my teeth.
This wasn’t part of the plan. Kayla and the other Omegas were supposed to be a simple transaction. Now, she’s becoming a complication, a loose thread unraveling the carefully woven fabric of my fucking control.
I whip around, my boots thumping hard against the floor as I make for the door. Gotta get out, gotta breathe. The minute I’m out, the chill hits me, and the sharp, earthy scent of pine cuts through the fog in my head. A sheen of sweat coats my scalp, a grimy kind of relief against the coiling tension that’s been eating at me inside.
Tonight’s a gamble. We have one Omega, one lead, and a whole lot of unknowns. And the feeling gnawing at me tells me this is just the beginning.