Page 28 of Omega Alliance

Maybe I really can belong somewhere and to someone. Maybe my life doesn't have to be over, after all.

DANI

My mind clouds with anxiety when Sin leaves us for the great unknown. Levi slips away, promising to keep her safe and to bring her back to us when she’s ready. But our poor girl knows nothing of the outside world, of how cruel it can be to women like us.

Even though I am beta, I have been subjected to the probing glances of men, the lingering touches, the entitled encounters. They’re desperate to sow their seed, so much so that when an omega can’t be found, they set their sights on the next best option. On me.

I shudder as the unwanted memory washes over me.

I was working in a bad part of town, agreeing to a mere fraction of what my skills were worth and toiling for long hours to get it. Sometimes my clients got grabby, and the owner of the parlor where I worked encouraged me to ignore such advances. We couldn't scare off the clientele, not when there were so many competitors ready to swoop in and take our due.

Normally the alphas who sat in my chair were young, brash, silly more than hostile. But one day a man entered the shop, shrouded in a heavy cloak and mask. He refused to speak more than a few words as he seated himself in my chair, his demeanor one of violence and danger.

I can still recall my revulsion when he stood suddenly and moved toward me. And I could feel the heat radiating from his body, even as his hands reached for me, calloused but determined. Fear held me like a vise grip, freezing my limbs in place as he attempted to undress me.

In that moment of despair I was saved by an unexpected hero. Kieran, unknown to me then, appeared at my side, barreling into the aggressor with unapologetic force. Faster than lightning he snatched the assailant up like a rag doll and tossed him aside, bashing his head against the doorframe with enough force to knock him out cold. Galvanized into action by Kieran's ferocity, I quickly stuffed my possessions into my bag and followed him out of there before anyone else could notice what happened.

I’d never seen this man before in my life, but his introductory act convinced me that I would be safe in his company. And so I let Kieran take me away from that terrible place. I let him introduce me to his pack—to Jax and Levi—and when they asked if I wanted to stay, I said yes.

For nearly a year after that, they provided for me while I tended to our shared home. I missed my art but worried it could make me vulnerable again, that next time I wouldn't have ahandsome rescuer waiting in the wings. I’d be at my aggressor’s mercy entirely.

So when I learned that the Omega Alliance was searching for a female artist to work with Sin, I jumped at the chance to apply. I didn't question what had happened to the girl before. I simply grabbed that brass ring with both hands and swung.

I didn't expect to fall in love with Sin, just as I hadn't expected to love my men. I'd always thought I was born to live a shadowed life on the edges of society, present but not valued in the way an alpha or an omega is valued.

And Sin reminds me so much of myself back then. Scared. Lonely. Surviving her circumstances, but just barely. The more I puzzled over how to help her, the more I found myself falling for her. And one day I realized that she'd become just as big a part of my life as my three mates, that I wanted her in the same way I wanted them.

Waiting made those feelings intensify a thousand-fold. When we freed her, I thought the waiting was over, so this thing I’m going through now? It’s absolute torture. Knowing she's out there, vulnerable to the elements—but even worse, vulnerable to other people, people who don't love her the way I do, who would do her harm.

Levi will keep her safe, which is both a comfort and a fact that makes me intensely jealous. Jax couldn't delay his departure any longer, which means Kieran and I are on our own for an impossibly long time. Unable to act, to help.

It reminds me of our first meeting in that old tattoo parlor all those years ago, which only adds to my anxiety.

It’s not until Sin and Levi burst into the house, red-faced and breathless, that I finally allow my chest to unclench, my heart to beat an even tempo once more.

I hang back, fearing that my forwardness might have been part of what drove her away. Just because it feels good for me toconfess my love to her doesn't mean it feels good for her to hear it. In that way, I've been so selfish.

Levi is the first to speak. "They have a tracker on her, which means they'll be coming back."

Kieran shoots him a tense look full of questions, and Levi nods. "Yes, they caught up with us in the woods. They had a comm device that led them straight to her. That will lead them straight here too.”

"We have to go," I insist, tugging on Kieran's arm until he looks at me.

He sighs and drags a hand through his hair. "We will leave. And soon. But first we have to find the tracker and get it out of her."

Sin flinches and leans into Levi, suddenly looking so tired, but instead of shrinking back she moves forward. "I'm ready," she answers bravely.

And my heart swells.

fourteen

JAX

I'm nearing the baggage claim after a long flight with two layovers when my phone buzzes in my pocket, making me stop mid-stride. I picked up the new device at my last layover so I wouldn't be without after entrusting my old one to Sin. I texted the group chat my new number before putting the thing into airplane mode so they’d have it for later.

Still, the pack knows not to call me unless there’s an emergency. It’s too dangerous. Anyone could listen in.

When I press the button to answer, I find Kieran on the other end of the line. "We have a tracker that needs removed," he says as soon as I offer a hello.

---