“I… I was chased out,” I began. My voice was genuinely weak from disuse, but I thought it added an authentic quality to my lie. “From ScarletRidgepack.”
Ken’s frown deepened. “I suspected something like that was the case. What happened, if you don’t mind measking?”
What happened was that I stupidly signed up for a task I had no idea the gravity of, and now I was stuck with fulfilling it on penalty of death - but of course, there was no way I could tell him that. I decided to tell him a half-truthinstead.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Suddenly, the alphas, they just turned on me. I don’t know what I did to upset them. And there were too many of them, and they were too strong, I just couldn’t doanything…”
“It’s okay,” Ken soothed. “You don’t have to continue. I get the gist of it.” He muttered and shook his head. “Thosebastards.”
He took the bait,I thought, satisfied with myself. Although in reality, I wasn’t really telling a lie. Maybe that made it easier to tell thestory.
“We have a few other omegas originally from Scarlet Ridge living here. You’re not alone,” Kentoldme.
A few others?Suddenly I remembered Gunner’s words. Everybody knew about the original omega who escaped - it was easy for him, since it was before Gunner implemented the shock collars. After a few failed attempts to bring him back, he was eventually written off as a casualty. But there had been another escape a few months later that was even more puzzling. The second omega had somehow gotten free of the collar and escaped. Gunner was notpleased.
That’s why it was up to me, now. I had my orders. No one would suspect an omega to destroy Indigo Mountain from the inside out - especially one so injured. The plan was going well so far. I even had this alpha doctor believing every word I said. But I still didn’t know if he was the one Gunner mentioned or not. I’d have to find a way to slip that into a conversation,somehow.
“Would you like to meet them?” Ken asked, breaking mythoughts.
“Huh?”
“The other omegas who escaped. Would you like tomeetthem?”
I thought about it for a moment. There was a possibility they would recognize me, but on the other hand, I could feed them the same lie I gave Ken even if they did know me. It would also look suspicious if I said no to meeting the others - I should try to blend inwiththem.
Before I could reply, Ken said, “It’s okay. You don’t have to do it right away. I know you must be exhaustedrightnow.”
I nodded slowly. To tell the truth, Iwastired. My story might have been a lie, but my injuries wereveryreal.
“Are you hungry? Thirsty?” heasked.
“A bit hungry,” Iadmitted.
“That’s a good sign,” Ken said, flashing me a smile. “Don’t worry, there’s no gruel or hospital food here. My apartment’s just upstairs, so I can grab you somerealfood.”
I made a mental note of that. The fact that he lived upstairs might make my plan easier than I thought, if he was an alpha of any importance. I realized I still didn’t know about his mate status. My mind raced as I tried to think of a way to ask without sounding suspicious, but Icouldn’t.
“Is there anything in particular you want?” Kenasked.
He must have thought I was too tired or weak to think properly, since he kept asking me so many questions. But I guessed that worked in my favor - Iwaspretty dazed since I woke up, and hell, I’d apparently been unconscious for nearlyaweek.
If Ken was going to spoil me, I might as well take advantage of his kindness and ask for somethingluxurious.
“Do you have any venison?” Iasked.
“Sure do.” He nodded. “I’ve been busy lately, but usually me and the guys go hunting for deer out in the woods, so I’ve got a big haunch in thefridge.”
“Oh,” I said. “I’ve never been allowedtohunt.”
That was the truth. In Scarlet Ridge, omegas were essentially only good for sitting in our government-assigned apartments and making babies. But I wasn’t really like some other omegas - I personally didn’t mind the life I was born into. I knew what the reality of my fate was, and didn’t try to push any boundaries. It was safer that way. I’d lived my whole life safe until… well, until Gunner chose me for thismission.
But Ken seemed personally offended at that. “They don’t even let you hunt there?” he growled. “What about changing into your wolf? Is thatbanned,too?”
I only nodded. Of course it was banned. That was the whole point of the collars, aside from keeping us inbounds.
“That’s just shameful,” he growled, shaking his head. “It’s not healthy for a shifter to stay too long in one form or theother.”
I shrugged, as much as was physically possible. I then realized I’d been laying down for an entire week and that was probably adding to my body’s overallsoreness.
