Page 24 of No Escape

Except, he purposefully followed you to stop those other men.

I’m still confused why Valor has a mask on. It’s black and seems to be some kind of thick plastic or rubber, covering from part of his nose and cheeks down to his chin. I only got a quick view of it, but horizontal slats line the mouth area, likely to make it possible to breathe.

The two alphas who followed me weren’t wearing masks.

Omen pulls me down the hallway toward the cafeteria, but I stop in my tracks. He doesn’t release my hand as he spins to face me.

Damn.

He might be a beta, but his energy screamsalpha.

For my entire life, people have commented on my eyes, but his are breathtaking.

I’ve never seen that particular shade of light grayish green on a person. Our neighbor’s house cat? Yeah, she rocked eyes that color, but I’ve never seen a human being with eyes like his.

The man is covered in tattoos. Every inch of visible skin is bathed in ink, from the snarling wolf on the left side of his neck to the lotus flower on the front. The right side has an octopus with its tentacles extended up around his ear and even over his lower jaw.

His cheekbones are sharp, like you’d see on the cover of some men’s high fashion magazine.

There’s no doubt about it, Omen is handsome in that shocking way that very few men can pull off. It seems like he would fit in better with vampires and their ethereal beauty or some dark fae that stumbled into our realm accidentally.

The sides of his head are shaved, but the long whitish-blond hair from the top of his head falls over his forehead as he quirks a bushy eyebrow. “Changed your mind, little omega? Shall I return ya to your room? I’m sure you’d rather cry free of an audience.” His face twists into a mocking grin, but all I can seem to focus on is the way his thumb teases across my wrist.

“Why does Valor wear a mask?”

Omen chuckles, and it’s not a friendly sound. “All the alphas are required to wear them unless they’re in the cafeteria, the showers, or their private room. To hunt you down, the facility rules state they should have put their masks on. Imagine that, rabid alphas disregarding the rules. Shocking, isn’t it?”

My nostrils flare, and I find myself swaying toward his lithe chest.

There’s something about his scent that my system likes a little too much. It’s almost like aloe vera with a fresh rainy smell, but there’s an underlyingsomethingthere too.

I don’t have words to describe it, and it’s so faint that I almost wonder if I’m imagining it, but my instincts scream to find more of that smell. The urge to climb him so I can bury my nose in his throat washes over me from nowhere.

“The omegas don’t wear masks?” I ask, clearly preoccupied.

“Omegas don’t form bonds when they bite.” He holds up his other wrist, and a set of deep canine bites mar his tattooed skin where his palm meets his forearm. “Alphas do. If you choose to shack up in an alpha’s room, where they’re permitted to remove the mask…” He shrugs. “Well, that’s on you.”

My mind races.

That does make sense.

The facility wants the rabid alphas brought back from the fog, but I still know almost nothing about this place.

“Is this a prison?”

“No,” Omen says, laughing. “This is where a few different governments and various illegal operations dump assets they want back.”

That jogs the memory of the man who brought me to my room. He said something similar. Then again, he also promised to notify my family of where I am, and I’m still not sure if he was lying to get me to shut up.

“Bonding an omega can bring back a rabid alpha. Once they regain that mental clarity, they can be put back to work.” The beta takes a step toward me, and I instinctually move back. My ass hits the concrete wall behind me, and Omen moves closer, never releasing my hand. “I’ve often wondered, how much do they pay you to sign your life away?”

My eyes widen.

“Are you kidding?” I hiss, slamming my palm into his chest as I try to shake my other hand out of his grip. “I didn’t sign anything. I was kidnapped! Plucked right off the street in front of my hotel.”

His brilliant gray-green eyes study my face, almost like he’s deciding if he believes me.

“Hmm,” he finally says in an obnoxious tone. “Well, then, allow me to escort you back to your room. You’re not what we’re looking for.”

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