Page 25 of In Their Arms

“That’s why I asked you how much you’d give to do this.” Wilson’s voice lowers, his eyes searching mine. “Because once it’s done, you can’t take it back.” Wilson steps closer, his voice dropping until it’s just above a whisper despite the fact that it’s just the two of us. “I’m not worried about me. Tomorrow is my last day. I couldn’t watch what they do to Omegas in here anymore, how they ripped them from families under the guise of saving them. No, don’t get me wrong. Hearthstone absolutely saves some of them. But the rest? It’s all just some political game and nothing I’ve done has been able to stop all the bad.” He clears his throat, that smile returning to his face as if to comfort me from the next set of words out of his mouth. “I’m just glad I got to help one last person especially because I’ve seen what happens when that man takes an Omega.”

My stomach clenches, my breath hitching. “What?” I always knew that there were Omegas before me, that Hudson only kept the soft, pliant ones around but I didn’t know it was something everyone was aware of.

Wilson’s gaze flickers to the door, making sure we’re alone before he looks back at me. “Luca, you are not the first Omega that’s been either sold to him or enamored by him. But they never come back the same. Or at all.”

“What are you saying?”

“I have no idea where they are.” Wilson’s fingers twitch slightly, like he’s holding something back, like he’s already said too much. “You’re just the latest victim. Not the last by any means.”

“What do I do?” My voice comes out small, hoarse, like I’m already choking on the weight of my own fear.

Wilson shakes his head, stepping back just enough to put space between us. “I can’t tell you that.” He checks the watch on his wrist, his jaw tightening. “But you have two minutes to make a decision before I escort you back to the cafeteria or to the clinic because you’re feeling sick.”

The walls feel like they’re closing in. I force myself to breathe, force myself to think past the panic, past the roaring in my ears. I have two choices. I can go back to the cafeteria, sit through another meal pretending everything is fine while Hudson walks through the doors and smiles at the Omegas like they’re something he can collect before he inevitably drags me back into that apartment. Or I can leave this room with Wilson and figure out what the fuck I’m supposed to do next.

“When are they coming?” My voice barely holds steady. “The sponsors?”

Wilson shrugs, his expression still unreadable. “Soon.” His jaw ticks, his eyes flicking toward the hallway again. “They might already be here.”

A chill spreads down my spine as I meet Wilson’s gaze head on. “I’m sick.”

Wilson doesn’t waste time, moving with purpose as he gently guides me through the hallway. He whispers for me to slouch a little, not to look as alert so that no one asks questions. The fact that I haven’t been eating and have been a little snappy makes this a bit easier to pull off because no one doubts I’m having a hard time.

We reach the nurse’s office and Wilson pulls the door open, motioning for me to step inside. The window in the corner is slightly cracked, a soft breeze flowing into the room as if it’s been prepared for me but the click of a lock has me turning around to face the Beta. The sound echoes in the quiet room, making my stomach twist as Wilson points to the landline on the desk. "You have minutes before a nurse comes in to check on you. You either need to figure out what you’re going to tell them or you need to be gone before then."

“Won’t they know I called?”

“There’s no caller ID and you’ll be long gone before any one tries to figure it out.”

My body trembles with the weight of the decision before I grab the phone and dial the number I’ve been repeating since yesterday. The ringing feels endless, stretching on until a rough voice cuts through the static. "Yeah?"

"I need help." I exhale shakily, pressing my palm to my thigh, grounding myself. "I need a bite removed."

There’s a pause, a bout of heavy silence and then the voice is rattling off an address, his tone clipped like this is merely just a transaction. "Be there at one." Then the line goes dead.

I glance at the clock. Two hours. From what little I remember, Hearthstone is nearly thirty minutes from the location I was given. I have no money, no means of transportation so if I want this, I have to run like hell and not look back.

Wilson gestures toward the window before slipping his phone from his pocket and dialing a number. "Yeah, one of the Omegas isn’t feeling well. He might need some attention." A pause. A nod. "He should be fine in here. Looks pretty sick. I had him lay down on the cot in room one.” Someone says something over the phone and then Wilson hangs up before turning his attention back to me. “There’s a fire escape just on the other side. I’ll make sure the window is closed back after you slip out.”

“What about cameras and—”

“Luca, I need you to worry about yourself right now. Any minute, the Alpha that tried to ruin you will step inside this place. His first priority will be you. Climb down that fire escape and take off toward the forest. It’ll take you right where you need to go. Don’t fucking look back. Don’t stop. Don’t think about anything else other than the doctor because I can assure you that if one of them finds you out there, it’s not going to be lavish cafeteria meals and weird ass nests that are strangely comfortable.”

I press my lips together, nodding once, locking this moment into my memory. I owe him everything for this.

Wilson claps a hand on my shoulder, squeezing once before stepping back. "Take care, Luca."

I rush over to the window, throwing it open enough to climb through and grip the metal railing as I lower myself onto the fire escape. The metal is cool beneath my hands, sturdy enough that I trust it as I climb down. My heart is hammering, adrenaline flooding my veins as my feet finally hit solid ground.

And then I run.

15

Luca

I knock once on a small apartment door that seems like it doesn’t belong on this side of the city. My lungs burn from running, my legs weak from pushing too hard, and I can’t stop shaking. It feels like Hearthstone is right on my heels, like I didn’t actually escape and that any moment, someone’s going to retrieve me and drop me in Hudson’s lap.

That’s when the lock clicks and the door opens just a sliver, just enough for a dark eye to look me over before swinging open.

---