Page 41 of Captured

They both remained silent for a few breaths before Flea’s shoulders curled inward and she let out a sigh.

“The support to the west is probably the better option since the east one is closer to Deacon and he’ll have men on it. We were close to one when we dropped through so if we move in a mostly straight line we should spot the other eventually.”

All the fire, all the passion that was Flea, was gone from her voice. She sounded tired.

Defeated.

“Flea—”

His hand moved without thought to reach for her, but she raised her own and held it up, stopping him. Lifting her face to look up into his eyes, she shrugged one shoulder before letting it drop.

“There’s no way for me to get away from you, and with Deacon on my ass too it’s only a matter of time before one of you get your way. Being sold off to one alpha is better than being tied to a bed for as many as are willing to pay.”

Her lips twisted as if she was trying to force a smile, but her eyes remained flat. The sparkle was gone, everything that made herFlea, missing.

“Don’t do this.”

The words slipped from him without thought. He didn’t like the dispirited omega in front of him. He wanted the one who was ready to fight the entire planet.

Flea’s brows rose and the smile that touched her lips was real, even if it still didn’t quite reach her eyes. She huffed through her nose before shrugging again and rolling her shoulders back to stand tall.

“I’m smart enough to know when a situation has reached the point where there’s nothing more I can do. You can’t let me go, and Deacon won’t stop looking for me. I can’t afford to get out of his reach on my own.”

She sucked in a deep breath, looking around. What was left of the candle wavered in her hand, lighting the dead branches of the bushes planted to each side of the gate.

Staring down at her, he made an impulse decision, the words leaving his mouth before he thought them through.

“I could bite you.”

Flea’s head jerked toward his, her eyes wide as her brows drew together.

“What?”

The question was sharp, holding levels of meaning not very flattering to him. He had to smirk at the return of her spunk, though it slipped away as he tried to explain what he meant.

“Your heat is over. Your scent is already fading under what lingers on your clothes, so it wouldn’t create a bond.”

Her cheeks turned pink but he continued before she could stop him.

“I could bite you, leave a mark on your neck the Director would see, then once we tell him I claimed you during your heat, you’d be free to go your own way without worrying about them trying to collect you again.”

Her gaze turned calculating, thinking through what he was offering, but she didn’t refuse outright. It was the only thing he could think of to fulfill his obligation and give her a potion of what she wanted. After getting to know the little omega better, he didn’t want her to lose her freedom anymore than she did, and he knew most alphas would smother her.

“What about my scent?”

He raised one shoulder.

“Hope he doesn’t notice? Claim it’s too soon and hasn’t changed yet? Unless you wash and change clothes first he’s going to smell your heat on you, so that coupled with the mark should convince him.”

Flea hummed, eyes narrowed as she stared at him.

“They do home checks on omegas after they’re placed now, but that’s usually before they’re claimed. If we’ve supposedly already bonded there wouldn’t be a reason to since it can’t be reversed.”

Gra’ar nodded though he wasn’t sure what the procedure was. Considering how many times she’d been matched and returned to the Center, she likely knew more than he did.

“That takes care of the Director for now, but if I was caught in another sweep they’d take me in for still smelling unclaimed.”

Raising his brows, his lips lifted in a smirk.

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