Her eyes widen like we shouldn’t be meeting. “Who, uh… who are you?”
I place a hand on my chest. “Diana. I was at the Enclave when you were there. I didn’t get to treat you, but I saw you.”
Her head tilts, suspicion flashing. “Why did you remember me, then?”
“I remember all omegas.” I gesture to myself, giving a tight smile.
She glances around, shoulders tightening. “So, you got taken?”
“Seems like it… Are you like me here?” I ask, not mentioning that she reeks of an alpha. Clearly, she’s withsomeone.
The light of the flames moves across her face as she looks down. “I’m already mated.” Her pale eyes flash up at me. “Why didn’t you start outhere? With the others? What happened?”
“I just woke up here this morning,” I say, leaving the part about Judge out. “What normally happens?
She sighs like she doesn’t want to talk, and yet inhales deeply before saying, “Dominion is very strict in their process with omegas. You get here, get examined, and then are placed among the mated alphas and omegas. Sometimes the unmated alphas are allowed out, like right now.” She looks around, keeping an eye on the space. “And you mingle. They see how you do. If you’re a problem, then you become a scrap. Which is what you are now.”
“That’s a shitty name,” I say, eyes slightly narrowing.
“By the time you’re a scrap, I don’t think you care about what the others think of you.” She frowns, the expression looking like she wears it often. “Who brought you here?”
My chest tightens. “I don’t know the name. I wasn’t exactly willing.”
Her unnaturally pale eyes sweep me again, appraising, as if that makes her like me more. “You’re pretty. You won’t last long as a scrap.”
As the light flashes over her more, I realize her eyes are the same color as Judge’s. She’s an echo, too? Maybe Dominion collects them… “Well, maybe I’m better off as a scrap. Don’t want to be taken like that.”
I need to quit talking. What if Idowant an alpha? I doubt my Prince Charming is here, but what if an alpha is my way out? Judge left me defenseless, and if Rebecca tells her alpha that I don’t want out of being a scrap, I might as well shoot myself in the foot. Rumors would spread…What if her alpha’s not a good man, and that’s why she’s sad?
“So, um, this might be random, but I noticed your eye color is the same as Judge’s.” I know I’m not very coy with these questions, but I also can’t waste time here. Can she give meanyinformation to use against him? “That means you’re an echo, right?”
“Yeah. We’re not like the beasts in the wastes. As long as you don’t grow up in the blight, you don’t get consumed by it. We’re essentially just extra fancy versions of humans. Some heightened senses, and some, like me, can see auras.” Her gaze scans over me. “And you are amess.”
I cross my arms extra tight, like it covers up a naked part of me I didn’t know was exposed. This is not only shocking but justbizarre. I thought maybe it might make them less susceptible to disease, or stronger bones… but myaura? I try to think back to home, remembering that we banned echos, so that’s why I never really saw them. But the Enclave? Did Maggie just keep me away from them? Were they treated elsewhere? I never questioned if I wasn’t allowed in some rooms or wings, because it usually meant an alpha.
My stomach cinches tight, realizing how much I’ve blindly trusted people and never considered that they were hiding bigger things from me.
Can Judge see my aura, too? What canhedo? Ugh, I don’t want to get to know him.
Stop. There’s no reason I will. I’m being shown off, so clearly other alphas are in my future.
“Not sure if it’s good seeing you inthesecircumstances,” I say with a cracked voice, forcing myself to move on from this. I should probably get up and isolate, or focus on an alpha. “But good to see you. And that you’re better,” I awkwardly add.
Whatever approval was there slides away. “Take care of yourself,” Rebecca mutters, voice low and mean. “Or you’ll end up like me.”
I pause, looking her back over. “Like you?”
“Mated and hating it—” Rebecca’s eyes go wide, looking over my shoulder. Kitty storms toward us, boots smacking hard against the grass, her face pinched with fury.
“Diana, what are you doing here?” she demands, her face silhouetted by the fire behind her. She looks at Rebecca. “Andstop sulking. You and Jack just have things to work through. You’re only making it worse for yourself, you know.”
Rebecca rolls her eyes, and Kitty grabs my arm and pulls me away. “You arenotsupposed to be here.”
“Why?” I try to yank my arm away, but she won’t let go. “I was left as ascrap. Taking that from me, too?”
She blinks rapidly, but keeps tugging at me until we’re back inside, the crisp, smoky air replaced with the quiet stillness of indoors. Kitty exhales like a parent who has come home to a mess, looking around like she’s not sure what’s the best place to start.
The back of her leather vest reads, “Skinner’s Property,”with the same insignia melted into it. I’ve heard of that, and how deep within the gangs, the spouses of the ranking members get calledproperty.
