And alphas don’t?
I push away the uncomfortable thought.
“They don’t want to go to the OC,” I mutter to Dev.
I don’t really get it. The Omega Compound issafe. It’s a haven for unmated omegas. They’re offered training and support to adjust to their omega traits, and then they’re either matched with suitable packs or single alphas when they come of age, or they enter a strictly regimented surrogacy breeding program.
It sounds brutal, but with omegas the only race who can bear children, there has to be a structured way for that to happen. Even then, adopting a child is a one-in-a-million chance. There just aren’t enough omegas.
Sure, I’ve heard it’s strict. There’s the Omega Creed and its archaic rules. But the reality is that our world isn’t kind to omegas. It may have been years since the omega war, but people – especially betas – haven’t forgotten. And they certainly haven’t forgiven. It’s better for the omegas that they stay under the care of the compound.
It’s hard to reconcile the images in my mind to the two girls before me. I’ve never really interacted with omegas much. Truthfully, I’ve never really wanted to. Everyone knows that they’re a risk to alphas.
These girls don’t seem like that, though. Devlin’s brow furrows, and he turns his back on the cage.
“I’ll get Ace,” he says, shouldering past me. It’s a good shout. Ace is much better with females than either of us.
We wait for a moment in uneasy silence, the older omega not taking her eyes off me. The little one peers out from under her arm, curiosity in her face as she stares. Her eyes slip to Ace, widening as he slips past me. Dev mutters that he’ll get the van ready and retreats hastily.
Ace takes a step towards the cage door, kneeling down.
“Hey,” he murmurs softly to the girls. “I know this is scary, but we really do want to help you. The Omega Compound isn’t something to be afraid of. They can help you learn more about being an omega and how to control it, and you can’t stay here.”
He lowers his voice, saying something I don’t catch. The older omega stares hard at Ace as he holds out a hand, and he shifts back slightly to give her some more space. Her shoulders slumping, she looks down once more at the young girl held tightly in her arms. Murmuring soothing words, she gets the younger omega up and they hesitantly move towards the cage door.
Ace and I step back to give them space, and they emerge slowly, limbs shaking. They’ve been in the cage for at least a few days, and I can see that it’s taking effort to keep their legs from folding.
“Here, lean on me,” I offer, reaching out a hand slowly.
It takes them a moment, but the younger girl reaches out for me, small hands curling around my arm before grasping on tightly. I hear Ace behind me offering the same, and we slowly move out towards the vehicle. Dev is there, leaning against the door with his arms folded. His eyes flicker across the two omegas and tighten before he swings around to the driver’s seat.
We get the girls situated comfortably and Ace pulls out a blanket from the box we brought in case it was needed. It’s a breach of the creed, but they’ll freeze without it. Handing it to the cold omegas, I watch them for a second as they huddle in the corner together. Something stirs uneasily in my gut at the idea of handing them over to the OC, but I dismiss it and move away towards the front of the van. It’s not my place to get involved with omega politics. Ace throws himself in next to me, avoiding my gaze. He knows he’s in for trouble after the stunts he’s pulled today.
Dev is already on the phone to call in a clean-up crew and secure the warehouse. Our part of the mission is over – or it will be, once we deliver the omegas to their new home.
It’s not a long trip, and we’re soon pulling through the gates of the OC, moving through the three security checkpoints they have in place to prevent unauthorized access. I twist in my seat to check on the omegas. The small one is dozing. The older girl is staring out of the window at the electric wires and guards with guns strapped to their hips. There’s a look of defeat on her face.
Pulling into the courtyard, I get out and head to open the door for them, Dev exiting the driver’s seat. Before they can step out, I step closer and murmur to the older omega. “What’s your name?”
Her blue eyes pierce mine for a moment before she begrudgingly responds.
“Gabrielle. This is Molly”.
Gabrielle steps out carefully, and Molly blinks sleepy eyes as she looks around whilst Ace helps her gently down. He heads to the boot to unload the pallets we collected from the warehouse, waving a guard over to help. Two of the matrons are already coming down the steps to the main building, ready to collect their new charges.
“This is Molly and Gabrielle,” I say, wanting to give them a good introduction before we have to move on. “They’ll need some warmer clothes, a medical check-up, and time to settle—”
“Yes, thank you.” The matron cuts me off abruptly. “We’re aware of what an omega needs. We’ll take it from here.”
She grabs Gabrielle by the arm and pulls her away from us as my brows raise. Catching her wary eyes as she turns, I try to offer a smile of reassurance. It feels a little flat though.
I’m not sure why I feel so uncomfortable. There’s a similar look on Dev’s face as he reluctantly returns the small wave Molly sends him, before his features retreat to his usual ‘don’t fuck with me scary-killer face’ (Gabe’s words, not mine).
Hoisting myself back into the truck, I wait for Ace to return from offloading the pallets, checking my phone, and returning Gabe’s message. Devlin hesitates before pulling out, and I resist the urge to look back.
“What now, boss?” Ace pokes me in the side, and I growl at him, pushing the omegas from my mind.
“Home. We’ve got a debrief and you have some explaining to do.”
