Page 34 of Omega Alliance

Suddenly she jolts up and says, "Oh, shit!"

I glance around in confusion, then spot a balding middle-aged man staring at us from a few paces away. He wears an enormous smile, and when our eyes connect, he rushes toward us in the car.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Dani cries and reaches over me to engage the locks.

The man taps on the window, still smiling. He's close enough now that I can smell the alpha on him. I'm not attracted to him,so the odor is faint, but it is undeniably tinged with citrus and patchouli.

"We have to talk to him," I whisper insistently as the man continues to tap and wave and get our attention by any means possible.

But Dani shakes her head and flips our guest the finger. "We have to wait for Kieran and Levi to get back. Shit, what is taking them so long?"

"Well, we're not solving anything by waiting," I decide aloud and then roll the window down about an inch to speak with the man.

He crows with immediate delight. "Oh, Sin! Is it really you?" he shouts.

I guess my disguise isn't as good as we'd hoped. Luckily, we'll be putting more effort into hiding my appearance tomorrow. That doesn't help us now though.

"We're just two girls out for a drive," Dani interjects, scowling ferociously. "And could you please keep that foghorn of a voice down!"

Recognition gleams in the man's eyes. There's no lying to him now, so I try a different tactic, praying it will work.

"It's me," I say with a small nod, then raise a finger to my lips and smile.

"Sin, no!" Dani shouts, thrusting a protective arm over my chest. "I mean, S-S-Synthia. Stop pretending like that."

The man ignores Dani completely, keeping his eyes glued to me.

"Look, I know it's asking a lot, but can you not tell anyone you saw me? The Alliance, well, they were hurting me. That's why I ran away. If I go back, they'll hurt me even worse."

"Oh my god, they hurt you? They were supposed to be taking care of you! Did you get my pack's gift? We sent your dinner five months and four days ago. It was a gluten-free pizza. Doyou remember?" He is at least keeping his voice down now, and nobody else idles in the mostly empty lot. My secret is safe for now. As long as this stranger is willing to keep it.

I nod, even though I have no idea what he's talking about. I have so many meals, thank so many packs, nothing really stands out in my memory. He doesn't need to know that though. I smile at him beatifically. "Your pack was good to me, and I appreciate that."

"There's a reward for your safe return," he points out, and Dani tenses beside me. We both stare at the man in terror. Whatever he decides next could bring everything crashing down around us.

"You have to be careful out there," he says, then glances down as he fumbles for his wallet. "Do you need money? Food? A safe place to stay?" He presses a wad of bills through the small gap in the window. "Whatever you need, I can get it for you, Sin. You're not just some TV celebrity to me. You're my omega too."

I flush at his words. "Just your silence for now. Thank you."

"Pete," he spits out. "That's my name. Pete of Pack Rockwell."

"Thank you, Pete. It was nice meeting you. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again someday." I smile and then roll up the window and watch as Pete skips away. I've just made his whole day. Maybe even his life.

Proving the world is a sad, sad place—and not just for me.

The alphas return shortly after Pete departs. I'm glad there wasn't an altercation. He seemed like a nice man, and I'm willing to believe he’ll keep my secret.

Dani, however, proves far less optimistic. As soon as we’re secured in our musty motel room with two queen beds to sharebetween the four of us, she wrings her hands through her hair and groans. “I don’t think we can stay here.” She then proceeds to tell Levi and Kieran all about our run-in outside.

“Fuck,” Levi mutters before zipping back to the door and peering outside.

“It’s fine. He was nice,” I insist, mostly because I know we have nowhere else to go. “And I still have that tracker in my back anyway, right?”

Kieran cracks his knuckles, then sighs. “She’s right,” he tells Levi. “We need to be vigilant, regardless. Especially while we’re still in OA territory.”

“I don’t like this,” Levi argues. His skin appears red, flushed with tension. “If we can’t hide, then we need to stay on the move.”

“And go where?” Kieran argues back. “We need a better disguise before we can cross into the Yukon. The only other option is to turn back and drive straight for the OA complex.”

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