Page 6 of The Omega Archives: Part Two

“Where are you going?” Cal asked.

“Finding the nearest Omega Haven.”

“NO.” Ella screeched; eyes clenched shut afterward in pure anguish. “Please no no no t-they can’t– I can’t go there. I can't. P-p-please, don’t take me there. Just let me go home. Let me go… let me go home.”

I took the next right anyway. She needed to be somewhere safe. She needed to be somewhere she could heal even though another shot of sour fear ran through me at the thought of dropping her off anywhere. Alone. Like this.

“She is not going there," Cal whispered.

“What?” I asked, making sure that I heard him and not the voice in my head demanding the same thing.

“Did you not just hear her? She doesn’t want to go there,” Cal said, enunciating his final words. “Shecan’t.”

“She’s likely halfway into a medically fucked up heat or whatever this is. She doesn’t know what the fuck she’s saying right now.”

“Like when you don’t?” Cal shot right back.

Like when I was on the floor, a sobbing, screaming, writhing mess begging for someone to just listen to me about what I wanted when it felt like all my body and mind did was betray me. For someone just to leave me alone even when it was the worst thing anyone could’ve done after I got home from my last deployment... and after.

I twisted the wheel back towards uptown. “Shit.”

Chapter

Two

MARKO

When I got home, I figured there would be a fun mood with everyone finally finding their footing back together again. Working together again. Maybe we’d rile Cal up about the girl he was getting too into likely just to take him down a peg. Instead, I slammed the brakes.

I nearly forgot to take the key out of the car before I rounded the other side.

I didn’t expect an omega. Especially not this one.

I yanked the passenger door open, unable to take it anymore by the time we made our way up the driveway. The crying, the pleading, the thickness of pure instinctive scent.

All I could hear was Cal’s reminder about what I wanted and needed three years ago when... I shut my eyes, grimacing as I was forced back into the memories where I’d hurt myself. Where I’d hurt my pack.

I wished they could be wiped from my brain altogether. But I wasn’t going to let it happen again. Not to anyone. Not if I could help it.

I reached out to take the omega from where she lay curled up in my beta’s lap.

“I can take her,” Cal said, rushing alongside me with every movement I made. Each one grated on me no matter how much need and want and goddamn fear I felt ringing through the bond between us and the rest of the pack inside starting to jump into action at our arrival. “I got her.”

“Let it the fuck go, Cal!” I barked.

Cal froze, removing his hand as he carefully leaned back as I got her up in my arms. I grimaced, muttering an apology as I ran with him behind me up to the townhouse door. Cal caught up to open the door and let me inside.

The omega shook against me, and before I could think my chest started to pur.

I was… I was purring.

Again.

I hadn’t purred since. I hadn’t purred since I was young and stupid and…

“It’s okay,” I murmured, my breath coming fast. In and out.

I could hear all the sounds of the place years ago I didn’t want to go back to, but now she was here right in front of me and I had her. I was going to keep her safe.

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