Page 9 of Omega Shattered
"You should have found somewhere closer to hole up," Orion scowled at me. "Driving in whiteout conditions isn't safe and you know it."
"I know, but I'm exhausted. I can do another 48 hours if I have to, but driving after that? Also not safe."
He huffed in annoyance, but nodded. "Fine. I get it. But you need to be more careful,cabrón." He looked toward the living room where I could hear the others talking. "What's the plan with this one?"
"Plan? Same as always, take her back, turn her over and get my overtime bonus."
"And right now? She looks like a drowned mouse that rats gnawed on."
I shrugged. "There's nothing saying I have to clothe her. Just bring her back alive."
Orion's eyes sparked for a moment. "You're not tempted by her?"
"Orion, I literally work with omegas on the regular, why the fuck would she tempt me? You know how I feel about them."
"This is the first time you've brought one home," he pointed out, running a finger over the shiny burn scar on his jaw absently.
"I didn't bring her home," I spat back, annoyed. "I couldn't drive her to the center today, so I've got her here where my pack," I emphasized the word, "can help me keep an eye on her."
"Okay." He grinned at me. "You got her file?"
"In the car."
"I'll grab it. I want to know what we're dealing with here."
"I can tell you. There's not a lot of info. She grew up with her father and sister on a farm, packed up two years ago, ran away twice from that pack and they ended up rejecting her. She's never had a heat, never bonded."
Orion's eyebrows shot up. "How old is she?"
"Twenty-four." I shrugged. "Probably a dud, but they want her back."
"Hmm," Orion moved to the doorway and I followed.
The omega was curled up on the armchair, her face turned toward the fire. Despite her seemingly calm exterior, there was a tension in the way she held herself, like she was about to fight or run at any second. Even in the house, near a heat source, she was wearing that ridiculous mint green and yellow windbreaker and the plastic bags on her feet. If I'd cared, I would have made her shower and change and taken a look at her feet. But that was the ORC's job, not mine. I just had to return her. If she wanted to stay in filthy clothes, so be it.
Turning back to Orion, I tried to ignore the twinge that my alpha side gave when thinking about leaving the omega in those damp clothes.
"She's a runner. Tried to fight me, too, but I think she was just too weak from all that running. We need to keep a close eye on her . . . she's going to bolt the second the snow lets up."
"Got it," Orion nodded. "I've already got alarms on all the windows and doors, so we'll be alerted the second she tries to leave."
"Good. I'm going to get some shut-eye, if you don't mind."
"Go," he jerked his head at the stairs. "There's a spare room, last one on the left. Kade insisted."
"Of course he did." I shook my head in amusement and headed upstairs, lifting a hand in greeting to the others as I went up. It hadn't been my longest hunt, but it had been the furthest I'd gone. Driving that far was tiring and I would be a better guard if I got some sleep.
Setting my alarm for two hours, I found the bedroom Orion had told me about and flopped onto the bed.
Sleep didn't come easily. The omega's honey and spiced apple scent clung to my clothes, distracting me. I'd picked up dozens of omegas in my line of work and never had a scent burrowed into my head like this one. It was annoying.
In the car, I'd had a chance to examine the omega a little, in between trying not to kill us both in the blizzard. She was lumpy in whatever outfit she was wearing, but her face had the look of someone who was malnourished. Thos big grey eyes, light as a dove's feathers, were wary, darkening with anger when she thought I was rude. Her dark, curly hair had clung to her head, damp from the snowy walk back to the car, but had dried to soft brown with the heaters blowing on her.
She was pretty, I'd give her that. But that was exactly what omegas were, bait. They lured you in so they could destroy you completely. I'd experienced that first hand. There was no way I'd ever be tempted by those soft, treacherous curves again.
I rolled over, flipping my pillow to the cool side and burying my face in it. This was ridiculous. There was no reason this job should be any different than all the others. No other omega had ever taken up this much space in my brain.
My alarm rang just as I started to drift off and I groaned, debating whether to leave the omega to my brothers a little longer or just get up. In the end, the scent of honey and spiced apples wafting up the stairs pissed me off so badly that sleep would be impossible anyway.
