BELLAMY
Why have we stopped?
Sighing heavily, I force myself to open my eyes, looking around at our surroundings. Everyone else around me is still sleeping, and someone gets into the passenger seat of the vehicle before it begins to move again.
My eyes move to look out the window, but everything is dark, and it appears as if we were on the side of the road.
“What?” I ask, glancing back to the front of the van. “Why did we stop?”
I’m not a prisoner. I can goddamn well ask questions to make sure we’re safe. That’s what we were told, so I’m going to exercise that right. The days of being a victim have to fucking end somewhere.
The overhead light turns on, and someone leans forward into it so I can see them. Her long blonde hair slides forward, but it’s when I see her narrowed gaze that I know we’re fucked.
“Oh, recognize me now?” Madam Clara asks with a smirk. She raises a firearm as I move to wake my stepsister up, shaking her head. “They’re all much better sleeping, don’t you think? So quiet and peaceful.”
“How?” I rasp, shaking my head. I’m struggling to keep up while I’m still so foggy and tired. Winter is curled up against me, and I struggle to control my breaths.
She’ll wake up if I freak the fuck out, and I don’t want her to be hurt. I have to stay contained and quiet. Things have changed so fast that I feel lightheaded and nauseous.
God, I thought we were going to be safe!
“I may have had a driver switched out during all the chaos,” Madam Clara shrugs. “Word traveled quickly that Bret is dead, and I decided to lift some of his omegas now that he won’t need them anymore. We’ll call it his gift to me. I’m going to enjoy reselling you and your sister. Settle back, relax, and enjoy the ride down south.”
My head drops back as she turns out the light and I’m plunged back into darkness. My fingers move over Winter’s hair, knowing how much she loves it. Whenever she would have a hard time sleeping, she’d sneak into my bed and beg me to help her rest.
And now… I’m using it against her.
I’m so sorry, Beloved. We almost made it.
Chapter
Four
CASSIDY
Hands shovedin the pockets of my loose linen pants, I lose myself in the streets of Savannah. It’s such a beautiful city, but my thoughts are a little heavy. I can’t fully enjoy the tourists laughing, or the lovers smiling at each other as I pass them.
Everyone is so fucking happy, while I’m in a funk.
It’s summer, so I can’t even blame seasonal depression. It simply feels as if everyone is finding their scent matches, and while I adore the three alphas in my pack at home, I worry it’ll be just us. Or, what if they scent match to a female omega and they decide they don’t want me anymore?
See? Fuck the funk.
I’m hiding my feelings, pretending everything is fine, but my nightmares chase me at night, causing me to sleep like shit. Abbott is worried about me, which is why I turned off my phone and I’m walking around pretending that everything is fine.
I’m calling this the alpha equivalent of hiding, though it would be very easy for my pack to find me. Abbott has a tracker injected under my skin because he’s possessive, andreally fucking paranoid. Unless he gets really frustrated, he has promised not to use the app to find me.
That’ll have to be enough for now. My anxiety is a twatmuffin, and it’s ripping me apart.
This has been my life for a few months since I helped some friends reunite with their omega. Nina is sweet, fierce when it warrants it, and now my friend too. She’s not my omega, though.
I have to firmly watch my boundaries and ensure that I don’t cross hers. It’s exhausting, because sometimes I just want to snuggle an omega. Her alphas won’t like that, so I’ve been limiting my time with her, and finding hug centers with omegas to snuggle.
It’s becoming a problem. I feel touch starved, which shouldn’t be happening when my alphas are always touching me in some way, and we always sleep in bed wrapped in each other. I often find myself going off to find a new center so I won’t end up a sad alpha regular. My issue is that I’m addicted to omega pheromones, their scent, and how good their hugs feel.
It’s simply different from an alpha hug. Alphas are stronger, squeeze harder, and make me feel safe. I want to be the person who does this for others.
The centers were created to help both alphas and omegas who aren’t bonded. It’s also helping those who have lost their packs for one reason or another, and best of all, everyone is a consenting adult. I don’t think I could live with myself otherwise.
