I launch myself at Neep with all the power I can muster and we collide with such force that we both go crashing onto the ground. My head reverberates, and the sound in the room warps into an insistent high-pitched ring.
I dig my elbow into Neeps ribcage and he gasps for air as I scramble upright. Crawling over his sprawled body, I pin his arms to his sides by squeezing my knees.
The Alpha roars, “Make him pay, Omega!”
It’s not an Alpha command. He doesn’t have to compel me to do anything because I’m riding on the wave of his delusional, violent aura. I reel my fist back and slam it into Neeps sneering face. I hear something crack under my fist followed by a blinding pain ripping up my arm.
Mother-fucker!
I howl in pain and scuttle backwards, cradling my hand to my chest as it radiates with pain.
Neep groans and cups his nose, blood seeping between his fingers.
“You fucking psycho bitch!”
My mind clears, and my surging aura collapses into itself. The pain steadies me and grounds me back to reality.
I knew I shouldn’t have taken this shift.
One
Matilda
Thebrakesofmybeat up hatchback car squeal as I come to a stop outside of Ida Parson’s home. I’ve been driving all day. My eyes feel gritty and my mouth is parched, either from anxiousness or the stifling heat. The air conditioning stopped working two hours ago, and each gust of hot wind billowing through the open windows carries a layer of red dust which clings to my sweat-sticky skin.
I pluck my suitcase out of the trunk, walk down a tidy front yard path and up three steps of a sun-bleached porch. I take a deep breath and rap my knuckles on the screen door.
Footsteps echo from inside the house and the door swings open with a flourish, revealing an Omega with white hair and sparkling blue eyes.
“Miss. Weber! You’ve made it,” says the older Omega as she ushers me inside. I’m immediately struck by her bright and cheerful aura. It’s brimming with genuine enthusiasm to see me and I can’t help but respond with a warm smile of my own.
Ida leads me into a front room with a loveseat, two armchairs and a coffee table with a jug of cold lemonade. It’s immaculate and clearly reserved for guests only. I doubt Ida uses this room as a living space.
“Sit, sit, dearie. You must be tired after such a long drive.”
I am. I’m exhausted and my eyes sting from staring at the never-ending horizon for hours on end, the sun relentlessly glaring off the road.
I almost turned around at least five times. Every time I began questioning my decision, I reminded myself why I’m trekking hundreds of kilometres into a barren desert on my own. At the end of the journey is the small town I’d read about in an ad at the back of Omega Weekly.
Small Outback Town Seeks Eligible Omegas
In Bodella we understand the importance of true love and a sense of belonging, which is why we are inviting any eligible Omegas to visit our town to meet our Alpha bachelors.
In return for your genuine interest in mating and residing in Bodella, you will receive in-town lodging, three-square meals, and support in meeting local eligible Alphas.
Our welcoming community offers many advantages to our Omegas, such as access to fresh air, natural beauty, ample space to explore, comfortable living conditions, and a potential mate.
Bodella is an idyllic location for any Omega who wants to move to a remote rural area.
Call Ida Parson for more information.
I found the ad as I wallowed in my nest, my notice of suspension sitting forlornly on my pillow next to the empty packet of Tim Tams. The promise of space and fresh air was enough to convince me to dust the crumbs off my sweatshirt and pick up the phone.
Sure, the point of Ida’s ad was to meet an isolated outback Alpha and cure our aura sickness, but I’m mostly here for the lack of people. After my suspension from work, I’d come to terms with just how bad my aura sickness has become. When I’m around Alphas and Omegas, my aura latches onto theirs and mimics it without hesitation. I can’t stop it and I can’t control it. I lose myself and it’s terrifying.
The chances of finding a compatible mate in such a small place is next to zero, anyway. What I do need is a break. From people and their messed up auras. What better place to do so than in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere Bodella?
The hope I felt fizzled and died as I arrived in the small outback town. The main street was heaving with people, nothing like the quiet town I’d imagined. Countless cars lined the road with cowboys wearing Akubra hats and massive belt buckles leaning up against them. The single pub in town was so busy its patrons spilled out the front and onto the footpath.
