4
Niko
Icouldn’t sleep.My mind was a chaotic mess and my limbs were all restless. I tossed, turned, stared at the ceiling, but nothing helped. Finally, I gave up on trying and just sat there miserablyinbed.
Who was David, truly? Gunner had explained to me that he was an intruder hell-bent on kidnapping me, but if that was the case, David was doing a spectacularly awful job of it. He hadn’t done anything like that yet - he’d only tried to talk to me, and that made me feel a nagging, anxious suspicion. Maybe I should have been more cautious while speaking to him. Maybe since his previous approaches failed, he would try something else. Something moredrastic.
I shivered and turned over in my bed. It was nearly pitch black in the compound, from the lack of windows and the lights being turned off automatically every night at ten. Most of the other omegas here kept quiet and to themselves, so there wasn’t any conversation. Just dead silence and pitchblackness.
I curled up tighter, suddenly longing for something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I physically ached for something, but what was it? I’d never felt anything like this before. It seemed like I wanted to be touched or held, which logically was a strange and alien feeling. No one had ever been that intimate with me, and never would be. I was a useless omega, after all. Barren, infertile. No alpha would everwantme.
Sighing, I shut my eyes again and tried to sleep, if only to quiet the racing thoughts inmyhead.
That was when Iheardit.
A quiet shuffling sound, like someone trying not to get caught. Instantly I bolted upright. I knew immediately who it was. My heart raced like it was going to explode out of my chest. I clutched the sheetsdesperately.
David was here toabductme.
I couldn’t let it happen, but what could I do? No one was here to protect me. I was surrounded by other weak omegas who wouldn’t stand a chance against a determinedalpha.
My breathing sped up. Why did no one else notice? What was I goingtodo?
In the darkness, I saw it for a split second - the slightest edge of a figure coming towards me. I didn’t have time to react. In an instant, the figure had thrown his hand on my mouth and pickedmeup.
“Quiet,” he hissed inmyear.
I was too afraid to make a single noise. David was a huge, strong alpha - it was no use struggling. I breathed frantically, trying to keep quiet, letting him drag me outside. There, that was my opportunity. Outside there would be guards on duty and someone would definitely see. They wouldn’t just let me be abducted like this, even if I was a useless barrenomega.
Right?
But a moment before the door opened, David threw a blindfold over my eyes. I held my breath as he did so, not wanting to agitate him further. But my stomach sank withanxiety.
Please, someonenoticeme!
The cold night air hit my skin and I knew we were outside. But despite my wishful thinking, I didn’t hear any Scarlet Ridge voices instantly calling out my captor. I was carried - none too gently - away from thecompound.
Part of me wanted to fight back. I could strike him, then maybe he’d drop me and I could run to safety, or at least untilsomeonenoticed I was illegally taken from the omega compound. But there was no way I could physically overpower an alpha, especially one intent on abducting me. Even worse, what if he decided I wasn’t even worth stealing and killed me instead? Paralyzed by fear, I didnothing.
I don’t know how much time passed, but my captor weaved and skirted around like a rat navigating a maze. I was pulled in every direction, forced to run without even seeing where I was going. Briefly, I wondered how David knew the layout of Scarlet Ridge pack so well when he had just arrived. But I had little time to dwell on that thought because a moment later, I was dumped unceremoniously on what felt like hardearth.
I immediately scrambled to my feet, but I was still blindfolded and panicked, so I swayedabit.
“What’s going on?” I asked in awhimper.
“Quiet,” the man hissedagain.
Something was bothering me. This was the second time I’d heard his voice, and I realized that it didn’t sound like David at all. It was a smaller, more nasally voice. But if David wasn’t the one abducting me,whowas?
The blindfold was ripped off a moment later. I blinked and scrambled backwards away from my captor. I saw now that the man was shorter and less muscular than David, with a black hood that completely obscured his face. Despite his stature, he still smelled strongly of alpha, yet it was a smell I didn’t recognize. I furrowed my brow inconfusion.
“Who are you?” Iasked.
The man growled but didn’t reply. He circled around me, but made no move to attack. It seemed more like he was trying to keep me in one place.Butwhy?
Overhead, a raven called out so loudly that it made me jump. It paused, then flew off in a different direction. The hooded man stepped closer to me. I stiffened butdidn’tmove.
I gathered up all my nerve and asked, “What do you wantwithme?”
