Bertha opened the door and waved me in. I hesitantly followed, eyeing the clinical lobby. An old woman sat behind the round desk at the entrance.
“Dora, take care of the things up here. I’m going to go process an Omega into the system.”
“I will.” Dora offered me a soft smile. I followed Bertha through a long hall. The entire time, I couldn’t take my eyes away from her bond marks. Teeth marks marred where her Scent Gland was.
Multiple teeth marks were embedded like birthmarks. Since they were piled on each other, it was difficult to get an accurate count.
“Here we are.” She opened one of the doors to a room painted a soft lavender. It was set up like a cozy living room. “You’re welcome to any of that.”
I eyed the basket full of individually wrapped stuffed animals. Omegas love soft things, but I’d learned early on not to form attachments to anything because it would be used against me. Like the small bunny I’d found once when I was around fourteen. Father had snapped its neck the following time I pissed him off.
Instead of selecting anything from the basket, I took a seat across from her and folded my hands on the desk while she set up the Epad in front of her.
“Do you have identification?” She said in a gentle voice.
“No,” I responded, tense.
“No worries.” She smiled over the screen. “It just means I’ll have to put you in the U.S. Registry. Omega Rights Divisionprotects Omegas no matter the background or nationality. It’ll just take us a bit longer to get everything all set up.”
“Name?”
“Eva Iron . . .”That’s what popped out of my mouth?She typed, setting the name in stone. “Eva Irons.” I cleared my throat.
“Country of Origin?”
“Mexico.”
She continued typing. “How did you come to be in the United States?”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. How did I explain I was sold by my father, and held captive? Would I have to talk about them? My pulse picked up speed.
“My father sold me.”
She stopped typing, and her eyes widened. “You were trafficked? It’s been happening more often,” she mumbled to herself. “What pack purchased you?” She leaned forward, her gaze sharp.
“I-I don’t know,” I finally managed to spit out.
“Do you feel like you need to be placed in witness protection?” I opened and closed my mouth. My heart was full onpounding. If I named them, would they be imprisoned? Everything inside me recoiled. I couldn’t bring myself to speak. Despite what they’d done, I wanted to protect them.
“I’m sorry. That was overwhelming.” Bertha pinched the bridge of her nose. “It’s just there’s been such an uptick in the trafficking of Omegas. Why don’t we return to filling out your basic information?” She poised her fingers over the keyboard. “Any Scent Matches? Or Packs we need to put in the system?”
I clenched and unclenched my hand. Finally, I said, “No.” It was decided. I didn’t want to admit their existence.
“Got it. That will change how we deal with your case and where we will house you.”
“Will I have any say about where I’ll be living?”
“We certainly do our best to take your preferences into consideration. We have places all around the country. I can also help you get set up with an Omega mentor at your location. Before you’re offered one of the homes, we will place you at The Bungalows a few towns over. It’s where we send every Omega while we’re figuring out placement. Two birds, one stone, because it’s the luxury hotel Omegas go to in order to find a temporary Pack for your heat. It’s less clinical than other options.”
My breath stuck in my throat. “Will Ihaveto choose a Pack?”
“Not a requirement, but your mentor may set up a few dates for you to see if any Pack intrigues you.” As long as I didn’t have to choose one, I was fine with it. “And this is another big stipulation. Are you willing to participate in event Matchings, speed-meets, and or other events hosted by the ORD to find a Pack?”
I bit back my groan. At least there was no chance of finding my Scent Matches.
“I need a verbal agreement.”
And I rued having to give it. “Yes, I agree.”
