Page 9 of Captive Omega

“Hey! Where are you going? Come back here, gorgeous.” His footsteps pursue me.

Where to go? Where to go?

I can’t go home. If O’Brien and Nathaniel tracked me there, I’d be putting my family at risk.

And the Omega Institute? They’d be on the phone to Nathaniel the very second I took one step in there. As if someone like Nathaniel doesn’t have friends in high places.

The Institute is as rotten as this city. All they care about is prettying omegas up and handing them to the wealthy alphas in the city. They don’t care about us.

I need to be off the street.

“Hey!” A hand lands on my shoulder, grips and twists me around. “Where are you going?”

The dark suited alpha is still looking for an omega for a fun time tonight.

He can look elsewhere.

I scream in his face. Scream and scream like someone is gutting me.

He snatches his hand, backing up like he’s afraid I’ll infect him with my brand of crazy.

I’m attracting attention. Don’t care. I stare right into his pale blue eyes and I scream even louder.

He must be in a fierce battle with biology to be sticking around this long. Does he convince the screaming omega to shut up or assume she’s crazy and leave?

I spot the exact moment he realizes I’m not worth it.

And I’m not.

He’s not worth it either because the only good alpha is a dead alpha.

He swings around.

I barely hear him mutter, “Crazy fucking bitch.”

The moment he dips back into the liquor store to refresh his smashed red wine, I stop screaming, turn around, and resume hobbling down the road.

Risky? Yes.

Worth it to get out years of pain? Abso-fucking-lutely.

Eyes track me from both sides of the road. I lost one alpha. Until I get off the street, I’m at risk of running into more.

It takes half a block before I realize I’m near downtown with all the closed shops I’m passing. A taxi isn’t an option. Even if I had cash, where would I go?

I need to be off the street, but where do I go?

As I hobble on, the roads get quieter as people head home for the evening. No one looks at me too long. No one cares. Tired suits just want to grab what they need for dinner from the grocery store. Dresses and snappier suits are too busy laughing, checking directions for their party on their cell phones as they weave past me.

I consider snatching one of their phones. I could call Mom and even…

No. Not yet. Can’t go back to your life yet. You need to deal with the alphas in this city first.

I pass shutters and closed shops.

A news report is playing through the windows of an electrical store as I hobble past.

It’s closed too, from the dark interior and the man at the counter probably cashing up.

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