I also expected it tocompletelyblow my cover.
If the warden knew that I’d bonded with an omega, he would use that as leverage against me. Edward Haskins was a piece of work. He’d instructed me to go into town and “pick up a package,” but without the actual items—because I had beendistractedby Hailey—I had no evidence. So I was back to the damn drawing board, trying to figure out how to nail his ass to the wall.
The desperation to get word back to Wilder and Nolan was mounting, too. Someone needed to check on Hailey, make sure she was okay. The worry was eating me alive.
As an alpha, my primary function was to protect omegas. Every instinct in my body screamed to care for them and keep them safe. And here I was puttingmyomega in danger, making her sick, and abandoning her.
I truly hated myself for it.
Only, getting word to my pack was damn near impossible while at the convict firefighter camp. The guards kept a close eye on us, and our calls were monitored.
I had one way, though. I just needed to get away from the watchful eye of the warden and the guards for a few minutes. Easier said than done.
Ever since my failure in town, they’d been watching me that much closer. Any time I'd even thought about sneaking away, they were right there, breathing down my neck like hungry wolves.
But I had to do something. I couldn’t just wait around and hope that my family could understand what was going on. They had no way to be sure since I’d dropped into the camp so damn fast.
Plus, it’d been three months after bonding, and I wasstillfeeling like crap. I could handle it, though. I was trained to handle situations where I’d be in significant pain. Hailey, onthe other hand, wasn't. She was sweet and fiery, and she didn’t deserve that kind of discomfort.
So, when mealtime rolled around and we all filtered into the chow cabin, I sat next to Dylan. He was a good alpha who’d been arrested for robbery as a teenager and was only a few months away from finishing his sentence. We’d become friends over the course of a few weeks, and I needed help so bad that I was willing to risk asking him.
“Hey, do you think the guards will be distracted today by the newbies coming to camp?” I asked in a low, rough voice.
Dylan studied me for a moment, his brows pinching together as if judging my intentions.
It was hard to tell who to trust in a place like this. Many inmates were so close to their release, they refused to doanythingthat could potentially endanger their position.
One wrong move, and we’d be sent right back to prison without even a warning.
He put his fork down, he turned toward me. “Sure,why, though?”
“I need to make a private call. To my girl, I don’t want those bozos listening in,” I muttered, glancing at the guards.
Dylan nodded, the corners of his mouth turning down. “Fair. Do it when they’re doing prisoner transfer—you’ll only have a few minutes, though.”
One nod back, and I smiled at him. “A few minutes is all I need.”
Dylan was a good man despite the teenage mistake, and from what I could tell, he hadn’t been near any of the illicit substances available in the camp.
It’d been pretty easy to tell who was using once I arrived. Several of the convicts had that glassy look in their eyes that was a dead giveaway.
Even now in the cafeteria, a few guys were dragging ass, seeming to be floating in their own little worlds.
“In that case, when we’re meeting the newbies, just go lie down. Say you have a headache,” Dylan suggested, gesturing toward the hall that led to the cells. “They’ll believe you because you’ve been sick nonstop lately, and not sick like some of the other guys in here.”
I knew he meant the ones getting high on a regular basis and suffering the consequences. We’d even seen a few ODs.
“Thanks, man. At least I don’t look as bad as them.” I chuckled half-heartedly. I didn’t envy their situation.
Dylan snorted. “Dude, you lookworse.”
“I still look better than you.” I shoved his shoulder gently, not enough to get the guards twitching.
“What can I say, orange just isn’t my color. But sometimes we all need a little privacy.” He shrugged. “I’ll tell the guards you ain’t feeling too hot, but you know that won’t buy you much time.”
“A little is better than none. I owe you for this.”
Ideally, I would have found a way to do it without any help, but I was too sick and too low on resources. Having someone cover my ass was helpful.
