Page 2 of The Omega Trials: Part Two

Did he see her choke on Bishop while I fingered her ass? Did he hear her beg to be stretched on my cock? Or the way she came like a trembling slut when I took her tight, little hole?

Does he know how fucking beautiful she is when she’s stuffed full of cock in both holes, her weeping pussy all red and swollen? A possessive growl builds in my throat. That was for us, Bishop and me.

He hasn’t earned the right to see her like that.

The thought is like a slap across the face.

It’s not us against him—it’s us againstthem. The Echelon.

I’m trying to shake this protective division in my head when the sound of loud static crackles. It immediately grabs all of our attention as we look at each other like we used to, like a team.Us against them.

“Aspiring Alphas of the Echelon.”A deep voice fills the common room. My eyes jump around, searching for the source of the sound. “As many of you have noticed by now,your omegas have been taken.”

Heart racing, I run up to a small painting in an oval frame. It never caught my attention before, but now I notice the different texture of the canvas, more like cloth or tight mesh. I rip it off the wall and sure enough, an intercom speaker is built in.

The next time the voice speaks, I’m so close I can feel the vibrations as it booms loudly. “Welcome to your next Trial.”

Chapter 2

The Hunt

Ecker

Anger rushes the air, engulfing the three of us. It thrums, and finally it’s not directed at each other but trained instead on the people who deserve it, like a sniper’s sight.

I reach for the speaker, wanting to rip it from the wall, crush it to smithereens, but Bishop stops me. “We need to hear the rest to get her back.”Always the diplomat.

“To pass the Vigilance Trial,you must repossess your omega.”

Repossess.Like a fucking car or goddamn piece of property. I can’t help but snarl, my lip curling and the rut tingling my senses.

“Vigilance is not only about preventing misfortune but also being able to adapt and find a resolution before misfortune turns to tragedy.To put this to the test,the thieves are not to harm the omegas.”

Thieves.Not kidnappers or abductors butthieves.Because, to them, omegas aren’t people but property. My stomach roils. Not supposed to harm her? Then why is Sinclair’s blood staining the carpet?

“You have twenty minutes until that order expires and they are given free rein to do as they wish.”

“Jesus Christ,” Titus scoffs in disgust.

I don’t trust their rules, not for a second. It only makes me more desperate to find her, to hold her, to count her limbs and toes and make sure that every perfect piece of her is returned to me whole.

“Do not squander this time. . . .Your clock starts now.”

I’m surprised when Titus is the first one to move toward the door. “Grab a knife if you have it and let’s go,” he says while starting a timer on his phone.

Neither Bishop nor I took the switchblades we usually carry with us on our run and quickly dash to grab them.

Before we leave, another message is delivered through the intercom. This time I recognize the Cyan Elder’s slimy voice. “If your omega has been claimed, do not be comforted by your protective bond. These thieves are all undesignated males so they will not be stopped.” He cackles vulgarly, and the connection cuts with a final, static buzz.

He didn’t need to finish that sentence. We all know what will happen.

We march down the hallway with quick steps. Steps I can hardly hear over the hammering of my heart. The thought of those men’s hands on her makes me murderous, but the idea of theminsideher . . . I can’t even fathom what I’d do. Thegruesome images and possibilities are like dynamite inside me. I finally allow the rut to flood my system, and with it all my senses heighten, including my sense of smell.

I’m able to inhale and catch her distinctive vanilla and citrus blossom scent. Picking up her warm trail is like a salve to my burning chest. The soothing effects don’t last long. I pick up on another scent, something sharp and acrid with a hint of bitterness.Her fear.

It burns the back of my throat like acid, and soon, it’s all I can smell. Until we follow it outside and it disappears.

The light was fading on our run, but now the sky is inky and the faint flicker of stars are beginning to appear. Goddamn, we really are searching in the dark.

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