Page 12 of Omega Alliance

My heart loves our beta, but my body craves an omega.

This omega.

Sin.

When we reach the cover of the forest, I pull the satchel from my back and hand it to her. "Get changed quickly." I turn around and cross my arms over my chest, a promise not to watch even though I've watched her many times without her knowledge and in far more vulnerable situations than this.

“Are you sure I can trust him?” Sin whispers, and I assume she’s talking to Dani through the dress. Everything falls quiet for a moment, and then she speaks up again. “Okay, okay, I will. But will I see you soon?”

She’s silent for another beat before whispering, “Thank you. Bye.”

I bide my time, not wanting to intrude on this moment I’m sure she’d rather have to herself. I also try not to focus on the fact that she’s naked just a few steps behind me. I’ve seen her exposed body countless times on the Omega Alliance’s broadcast, but it would be quite different for her to know I was watching. To want me to see.

"Okay, um, Kieran? I'm done," she says after a couple moments of silence. These are her first words spoken directly to me, and while not of any great importance, they send my heart soaring.

I turn to face her again and find her examining me carefully. Does she like what she sees? Is she imagining us together the way I am? Or is she simply assessing the situation, cataloging myshortcomings in case she decides to mount yet another escape, this time from her rescuer?

"I will do whatever it takes to protect you," I say in an effort to soothe any lingering anxiety or mistrust. But the words aren't just for her now. They’re also a promise for both of us. All of us.

I know Sin from what I see on TV, from what Dani tells me, and what the Omega Alliance shares with its members. But now, more than anything, I want to know the real her, the one few ever get to encounter.

I want her fully and completely, and I will do whatever it takes to earn her trust, wait as long as she needs to give it.

I was the one who first suggested we spring her loose. I wanted that for Dani, but also because I couldn't deny my attraction to Sin, to the people's omega. I didn't want to share her with the world. I wanted her for us and us alone.

Being here with her in person, though, it’s more than I could ever hope to describe. The way my body, mind, heart, and biology are all acting of one accord. All want only one thing—to protect her, and when she's ready, to love her.

"You have blood on your face," I say, stooping down to collect her discarded dress, the one woven with Jax's nanotech. I raise it to her face and use its thick fabric to brush at the crimson splatter marring her cheek.

"Hurts," she hisses, raising her hand to cover mine, to stop me from cleaning her.

Immediately I go on the defensive. "What happened?"

"A man tried to stop me," she reveals with a small shake of her head. “And I stabbed him in the eye with a pen. The blood is his."

Pride fills my chest hearing that Sin can give just as good as she gets. Still, there's one thing that worries me. “You said it hurts. Did he hurt you?"

She shakes her head softly. "He tried to, but I'm okay. That fabric is itchy, though. That’s what hurts.”

"Oh." I chuckle. "Okay."

Together we gather some lush leaves from the surrounding tree branches and use them to wipe her clean.

"Look for a tree marked with a heart about five feet off the ground. We need to bury this there," I say, holding the dress in my fist. "Jax will grab it later and dispose of it, but for now, we have to make sure you're not being traced."

Sin is the one who finds the mark, and she watches in somber silence as I make quick work of digging a shallow grave for the garment. When I finish tossing dirt back over it, I glance up to find fat tears rolling down her fair cheeks. I wonder if she is mourning something but know better than to ask. She doesn't know me well enough yet. I have to earn the right to ask those questions.

So instead I say a silent prayer for whatever is plaguing her heart, and then I lead her through the forest and on to the next step of our plan.

six

SIN

Ifollow Kieran through the forest, the sensitive flesh of my inner thigh throbbing with each step. But I don’t mind it, really.

There’s too much to be happy about.

Yet still so much more to fear.

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