Page 110 of Captive Omega

I struggle to believe they don’t have things they could be working on. Things like, you know, maybe their jobs. But instead they’re teaching me how to stick my thumbs in someone’s eye and break their nose with the heel of my hand. I eat up their knowledge, soaking it all in and wishing I’d known it back when I was in my cell.

I won’t let anyone lock me up again, but if the worst ever happens, at least I won’t be defenseless.

“Do you think you’re ready to break out of a hold?” Blaine asks.

Not really. I know Vaughn won’t hurt me, but my brain and my body are in a battle with each other.

Swallowing my fear of putting myself in such a vulnerable position, I nod, turning my back on Vaughn. “I’m ready.”

I’m not.

I’m terrified I’m going to flash back to all the alphas who have hurt me, and I don’t want Blaine and Vaughn to see my weakness if I suddenly lose it when Vaughn grabs me.

I’m not even close to being ready, but I’m good at pretending, so I do that.

Blaine has a line between his brows. “We don’t have to do this.”

I don’t just want to learn how to be stronger. I need to. “Yes. We do.”

Another long look and he sighs. “Okay. Vaughn.”

I hold my breath and brace myself for Vaughn to grab me, silencing the part of me that wants to run.

He tugs my ponytail.

“Vaughn!” I glare at him.

His expression is as cheerful as it is apologetic. “Sorry. Couldn’t resist. You can pull mine if you want.”

I tamp down my smile as my eyes flick to his tied back hair. “I don’t want to pull your hair.”

He waggles his eyebrows suggestively. “Who said anything about my hair?”

I roll my eyes, but I’m secretly smiling. I try and I try but I can’t help but like him.

He grins. “You ready to do some damage?”

I should be getting ready to incapacitate him with an elbow to the kidney instead of wanting to laugh. But I nod.

Vaughn steps up behind me. Close. He smells so amazing, that to my shame, it takes me a second to remember what I’m supposed to be doing.

He wraps one muscled arm around my front, and his breath is hot at the back of my neck when he says, “So, how do you break out?”

I run through my options. He’s practically giving me a bear hug, so I have no room to dig my elbow into his side.

“I could bite you. Here.” I feign biting his forearm. “Then when you let go, I break your wrist.”

In theory.

“Run it through.” Blaine is standing feet away, watching closely.

I grip Vaughn’s arm and fake a bite. His hold on me relaxes and I grab his wrist, ready to twist it like Blaine showed me before.

“Not like that. Like—” Blaine is stretching his hand toward me when he suddenly halts. His right hand hovers between us. I freeze, and behind me, Vaughn does likewise.

For two seconds, none of us moves.

Then Blaine grips my wrist and moves it slightly to the right. “Like that.”

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