Chapter 1: Mason
The moon hung coldly in the night sky as I left the clinic and returned back to my apartment. It was a strange feeling - my first full-blown heat had come and passed. It was snuffed out just as quickly as it came, thanks to the top alpha Gunner. He knew every viable omega’s heat schedule and made sure to impregnate them during peak fertility.
I ran a hand over my stomach. Obviously, it was still normal-sized. But soon it would swell with my child, sired by an unknown father.
I was pregnant.
I’d been ordered to attend the clinic a week before and was artificially inseminated in a cold, clinical fashion. To be honest, I was glad there was no physical alpha involved. I hated them, and at least I didn’t have one near me during the process.
Tonight, I had to return to the clinic to confirm my pregnancy. Sure enough, the nurses said there was a pup growing inside me.
I sighed and collapsed on my couch. The Scarlet Ridge pack government was responsible for the bare minimum for housing and food for the baby, so I didn’t have to worry about that. But I knew my child was destined to be part of Gunner’s alpha army - if itdidturn out to be an alpha, that is. Considering I was an omega and the sperm donor was an alpha, it was most likely that my pup, too, would be an alpha wolf.
Still, living at Scarlet Ridge was no privilege. Omegas were treated like lower class citizens only good for breeding. The alphas were pushy and rude. I assumed it was just a biology thing. I’d lived in Scarlet Ridge my whole life, but I suspected alphas in any other packs were just as bad.
I looked out the window - at least as much as I could. My government-assigned housing wasn’t exactly luxurious. The windows were small to save money on glass, and it was barely big enough to look out of. It wasn’t like the view was extraordinary, either. Crumbling streets, old buildings, scraggly trees… Great.
On top of that, the collar around my neck itched. I grumbled and tried to scratch around it. After the escape of an omega from the pack a few months back, Gunner went control crazy and forced a mandatory collar law on every omega in Scarlet Ridge pack. The collars would beep when approaching the border, then continuously shock you until you were back inside the territory boundary. For the most part, I’d grown used to the strange weight around my neck, but once in a while - like now - I became hyper-aware of it.
I checked the clock. There was an hour before curfew. I had enough time to grab a slushie from the old corner store. I figured it was better than sitting alone in the dark in my apartment, and besides - how often do you find out that you’re pregnant for the first time in your life?
Pulling on my cheap jacket, I headed down the street. The wind blew stiff and cold. I shivered, shoving my fists in my pockets. There was a hole in it that ran through to the inside of my jacket lining, but I ignored it. Money was tight and I couldn’t afford to replace it. My allowance from the Scarlet Ridge government was basically just enough to live off of, and that was it.
The store was empty except for the bored looking shopkeeper and a couple of young alphas about my age mulling around the slushie machine. I grimaced. Ididwant a slushie - that was the whole reason I came out here at this hour - but if I had to get close to an alpha to do it, then no thanks. Instead I checked out the snack aisles and grabbed a bag of ketchup chips.
As I approached the counter, the alphas snickered and cut me off. They were holding their full slushie cups and sneering down at me. I averted my eyes. As much as I hated it, the last thing I wanted to do was cause a situation. I just wanted to mind my own business and get home.
But the alphas had other ideas.
“What are you doing out at this hour by yourself, little omega?” one asked.
I pretended like I didn’t hear him, but that didn’t go over well. He frowned and snapped, “Answer me, omega!”
“Just getting a snack,” I replied stiffly, not looking at him.
He snorted and jabbed a finger into my shoulder. I bristled.
“We saw you eyeing the machine,” the other one said smugly. “You wanna trade? My drink for your chips.”
“No thanks,” I muttered. I looked at the counter to see if the shopkeeper would diffuse the situation that was clearly escalating right in front of him, but the bored beta didn’t seem to care. He was watching something on a tiny TV behind the counter.
The first alpha frowned. “I think you should give it to him. He clearly wants it. Isn’t that right?”
“I’m fine,” I growled. Despite myself, a piece of my wolf crawled to the surface. I was an omega - not a weak little child. My wolf wanted to claw these alphas.
The alphas apparently decided they had enough of toying with me. The second alpha grunted, flicked the lid off the cup, and tossed the contents at me. I flinched and gasped as the cold slushie hit my chest. It chilled me to the bone - both from cold and fear - before it slopped to the floor. The beta shopkeeper grunted and mindlessly took a mop from the wall before coming over to clean up the mess.
The alphas laughed. I was suddenly gripped with fear. I needed to get out of here before anything worse happened. Dropping the chips, I bolted from the store. As my palms grew clammy and sweat dripped down my brow, I ran all the way back to my apartment and slammed the door.
I don’t know what came over me. As I caught my breath, I slumped to the floor. I never thought of myself as particularly brave, but I’d never gotten so afraid so quickly before. Was this a side effect of the pregnancy? Were my protective parental instincts kicking in already?
A sudden knock on my door made me jump. I hissed and got to my feet, then peered through the peephole. I frowned. A hooded figure stood there.
“No way,” I muttered. I turned and headed back to my couch, trying to ignore the freak at my door, but another knock made me freeze. This time it was more urgent. Something told me I should respond to this guy. Judging from the one second I saw him, he was much shorter than the alphas I ran into at the store, so it couldn’t be one of them. I sighed and willed myself to answer.
“Hello?” I asked coldly, peering out from behind the door.
“I won’t hurt you,” the voice said roughly.
