Chapter One
Sol
It was the night of the hunt.
As an omega, I was the prey, the toy to be captured and fucked whether I wanted it or not.
But I had a plan. Not only was I going to survive, I was going to ruin the arrangement my parents had made for me.
Tonight, on the first of October at seven a.m. Eastern Sector Time, the Alphas’ cerebral monitors would be turned off until nine a.m. tomorrow. They would experience all the emotions, drives, and aggressions of an Alpha. The TV broadcasts focused on hyping the Alphas and scaring the omegas.
Sure, it was not fair. But I chose to make lemonade of those fucking lemons thrown my way. The Alphas who refusedto subject themselves to a messy yearly rut had ways to plan for a paid fuck beforehand. I was on it from the moment the government let omegas know the exact date of this year’s hunt.
My plan was simple: if I sell myself, I can earn money for a fresh start. Once I lost my V card, it would be harder for my parents to marry me off to Dryden, their wealthy and powerful friend. The old man had been so adamant on claiming me that he might not be so easily deterred. But if I got pregnant, he’d give up—I was sure of that.
If my calculations were correct, I should go into heat tonight and use that to my advantage. My parents had raised me in wealth and surface luxury, trained to be elegant and seductive, so if I played my cards right, the Alpha would knot me. With the cerebral monitor off, he’d be aggressive, but with me in heat, the long and hard fucking would bring me relief rather than pain.
At six-thirty, I entered the Rut Hotel where Alphas could go apeshit tonight without repercussions. The Alpha I’d made arrangements with online would pay me for servicing him, plus a hefty sum extra for my virginity.
I knocked at the door and tried not to squirm in my high stilettos. The white pants dug into my crack, but the lacy blue top was the softest thing I could find in my closet. I figured it might be the only piece of clothing I get to wear for longer tonight, so I wanted to be sexy and comfortable.
The door swung open, revealing a big Alpha who wasted no time in scanning my body with a leer that set me on edge. Behind him, the room was packed with contraptions that sent a chill of horror down my spine. I was all on board the BDSM train, but some of the items scattered on rolling tables were sharp and didn’t end in a flared base. I smelled at least three more alphas in the room, but the muffled laughter suggested there might be more. Was I ready for that? Nope. I was in over my head. Icouldn’t let myself panic now, no matter how stupid and naive I’d been for thinking this might have worked.
Thrusting my chin up, I cocked my hip.
“Are you Crux? I need the credits upfront. By transfer.” I couldn’t risk him giving me coins, then taking them back. With half the money in my account, maybe I could get away with a circle blowie and split.
His amused laughter was uncomfortably villain-esque. “I’m not giving you shit. You’re stupid to believe an Alpha on the rut night. Your payment is having the night of your life.”
My stomach churned, but I kept the flirtatious smile on my face. I was so fucked. In a very bad way.
The sneakers in my backpack called my name, but I wouldn’t be able to change into them now. Playing along, I bit my lip and casually undid the straps on my ankles, then stepped out of the stilettos.
Mentally, I prepared myself to act.
“Can you hold this?” I handed one stiletto to him, and he took it, confusion marking his cruel face.
Throwing a fake-ass smile and the other shoe at him, I swiveled on my heel and ran.
Along the corridor, past the elevators, and down two flights of stairs. I didn’t stop. Didn’t look back. The heavy footsteps behind me were all I needed to sprint as fast as I could.
A grunt whooshed out of me when I bumped into an Alpha in the lobby, but that didn’t slow me down. Bursting out the door, I aimed for the woods surrounding the place. Many omegas would be hiding in there, as the hotel had organized a hunt. If I hid well enough, maybe Crux would find someone else and leave me be. A more experienced omega, or several, had a chance of surviving the night and whatever Crux had planned.
Oh, who was I kidding? If he hadn’t found me, I’d be the cause of someone else’s misfortune. The yelling and cursing behind melit a fire under my ass, and I thanked my daily workouts for my stamina.
My thighs burned, and my bare feet hurt from the rough forest floor, but I kept going until my backpack got stuck on a branch. It yanked me so hard I landed on my back with a dull thump.
Get up, Sol.
The slippery mud underneath me didn’t make it easy, but I was up and running from the problem I had created.
Chapter Two
Rhys
Was I desperate? Maybe.
But that made me ready for the hunt tonight.
