A sob wrenched its way out of my throat, and I clamped my hand over my mouth. I should have stayed at home.
Fuck fuck fuck.
Someone grabbed me by the leg and pulled me out of the bushes. Gasping, I grappled to hold on to any strand of grass, dug my hands into the mud, and screamed at the top of my lungs.
Was it Crux? He wasn’t saying anything, but held me from behind in a vice-like grip. The sock he stuffed into my mouth muffled my screaming, but it was the bag over my head that chilled me to the bone.
I kicked and scratched, but he put me over his shoulder and carried me with ease.
Fuck. I was so stupid.
All my life, I’d been kept under lock and key—I knew fuck-all about the world out there. Maybe getting married to and rapedby the monster I knew would have been better than getting used by monsters I didn’t know.
Now the decision was out of my hands.
My wriggling was futile, so once I heard the slide of the hotel door, I let my body go limp.
I could still run if only he loosened his grip.
Chapter Four
Rhys
Spotting the Alpha goonies was easy, as they’d been yelling profanities into the pine-smelling air of the woods. Ignoring them, I followed the scent from the sandals until I spotted a shaking bush. I inhaled to make sure.
Yes, it was the gold-slippered omega.
I felt around with my hand and found a slim ankle. “Shh, I won’t hurt you—”
My platitudes fell on deaf ears as the omega released a blood-curdling scream. Fuck, he’d draw attention to us. I pulled him out by the leg, hoping I could talk some sense into him.
Nope.
His clawing, shrieking, and kicking techniques were testing my resolve to get him out of the woods. Reaching into my pocket, I took out a pair of spare socks. Instead of putting them on his scratched feet, I put the bundle into his mouth.
Oh, he didn’t like that.
Tough shit.
If we passed by the halfwit Alphas, they’d recognize him, so I had no choice but to shove a sack over his head. Initially, I thought I’d over prepared my backpack for the hunt, but years in the military told me essentials were worth their weight in gold.
The wriggly omega was still fighting my hold on him when I tossed him over my shoulder and marched towards the hotel.
With a nod at the blank-faced receptionist, I headed to my room. The chair in the middle had been intended for me, but I plopped the omega on it.
When I reached for the zip tie, he was off—shooting to his feet and running at the wall, still blinded by the sack on his head.
I tackled him, taking the brunt of the fall on my side, then I quickly pinned him to the floor face-first.
He wasn’t struggling anymore, but his pulse was strong and his breathing fast when I pulled the sack off. His eyes blew wide when he saw me, then he looked around the room and frowned.
“Not who you expected?” I leveled my face with his cheek so he could see me better. Damn, he was tiny, and his sweet omega scent so close to my nose was driving me insane.
He shook his head and swallowed visibly.
“I’ll take the gag out if you promise not to scream. No one would care if you do, but it would annoy me.”
He rolled his eyes but nodded.
