I shake my head determinedly, throwing any sort of obedience to the creed out of the window. “I’d prefer to go back to my room.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s not possible,” the Director says. I’d almost say he sounds genuinely apologetic. “Your room has been reallocated, and your things are here.” He opens a cupboard and pulls out a small bag. Gingerly, he reaches out and hands it to me, careful not to make contact. Pulling the zipper down, I see my hairbrush and toothbrush inside.
Yep. That’s everything.
I gape at him. “This was stored in your cupboard?”
He raises an eyebrow at my incredulity. “Yes. The two alphas you met earlier are my son and a member of his pack. I’m placing you with them, at least on a temporary basis, to prevent the board interfering and you being returned to Jason’s care.”
I scrunch the thin blue material of the scruffy bag in my hands. This seems like an awful lot of trouble to take for an omega.
“Why?” I ask quietly. I hold his eyes for as long as possible until a small ripple of dominance forces mine back down.
“A question for another time, I’m afraid.” He says the words just as softly.
Sounds come from behind the wooden door, and I press myself back into the chair as the two alphas barrel in.
Their eyes widen as they get a full hit of my scent like a bat to the face. Gazes swing to the empty seat where I woke up, and then back to the Director.
“Where is she?” Green demands. His voice is rich, a slight lilt to his words.
I’m motionless in the corner. A trace of their scent reaches me; a mixture of freshly cut spring grass, woodsmoke, leather. So, it was them. An appreciative murmur slips out of me, and I clamp my lips shut in mortification.
Down, girl.
The two alphas swing their impressive glares to me at the noise and falter. We stare at each other for a moment. They’re huge, both packed with muscle. Each must be over six feet easily, and I probably won’t even reach their shoulders. But I don’t feel intimidated by them.
Definitely feeling a little something, though.
Maybe it’s because I’ve never spent time around alphas outside of the trainers, but I feel drawn to these two. Brown clenches his fist slightly, and I bite back a moan at the way his muscles shift. What iswrongwith me?
The Director interjects, breaking up the awkward silence. “Harper’s scent blockers have been removed, so you may notice her scent fluctuating over the next few weeks. It will settle.”
They both take a deep breath, inhaling deeply as if they’re tasting the air. I swallow, hard, and press my legs together. Oh god.
“I’ve explained the situation,” the Director moves on smoothly as if the three of us aren’t frozen in some awkward instinctual sniffing ritual. “Once the paperwork has been signed, you’re free to leave.” He crosses to the door, opens it, and retrieves something from the person on the other side.
Leave. Leave the omega compound.Freedom.My mouth dries up at the thought. I haven’t seen the outside world for more than seven years.
My jubilant thoughts soon come crashing down to earth, and I force myself to be realistic. I’m just swapping one prison for another. And even if the guards are seven million times better looking than Jason, with cheekbones that could cut glass and scents that make me want tolick- they’ll still own me.
I watch from my corner as the alphas crowd around the desk, studying the paperwork closely and clearly trying to avoid looking at me. They murmur questions to each other, and I wonder what the contract says. I don’t need to see it. Or sign it. Because if the Omega Compound wants to sell me at auction, hang me from the wall by my ankles or bury me in a shallow grave, that’s their right.
Finally, they turn to me. Green gives me an awkward half-smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. Brown doesn’t even look my way, arms crossed and mouth flat in a way that tells me he’s not particularly happy with this arrangement.Join the fucking club, buddy.
Then again, I suppose there’s no easy way of saying, “Oh, hi. We’re going to be your new owners.”
The door knocks again, and a beta matron enters. She shoots me a scandalised look when she sees my ass firmly planted in a chair, but I turn away. I’m leaving anyway, and nobody told me to get back on my knees.
The Director clears his throat. “It’s time to go. Harper, if you would?”
He motions to the door delicately. Right. Back down I go.
I push myself away from the comfort of the warm leather and drop down to the floor. There’s a soft growl, but nobody speaks. We all shuffle in a weird line out of the office and back down the hallway, the three alphas a few steps ahead of me. It’s slow going, and they keep pausing for me to catch up. I can’t go any faster though. My knees are screaming, and I bite back tears as pain shoots through my legs. It was only a couple of hours ago that Jason was swapping me between ice baths, and my body is seriously feeling the last two weeks.
I hesitate at the doorway, the gravel of the courtyard and the distance to the van in front of us feeling like a 10-mile trek through a pit of venomous snakes. My lip wobbles, and I suck it into my mouth. I won’t show them how much it hurts.
A pair of black boots appear in front of me, perfectly shined.
