Page 71 of Stray Omega

CHAPTER 26: EMBLA

Sunlight through the trees strobed and flickered across Embla’s vision as she race through the forest. Her heart pounded against her ribs like a fist. Her thighs burned and her lungs felt bloody and raw.

She had to get far, far away from the city.

After Jora had opened the window and helped her escape, Embla had scurried through the streets and alleys of the ruined city until she reached its perimeter. There had been a watch-alpha stationed at the gate who shouted at her as she fled, but he had not tried to stop her. His job was to keep intruders out, not to keep omegas in. Sooner or later, Ark and the others would find out Embla had run away, and no doubt that watchman would tell them which direction she had gone, but by then it would be too late.

Fast as she was, Embla’s feet had made short work of the open meadows, and soon she had reached the edge of the forest. Now she was deep in the woods, amid the cool shadows and dappled sunlight.

This was where she belonged.

This was her home.

The alphas would never be able to catch up to her here. They were fast, but little Embla was faster. Plus, she had a major head start.

There was just one problem that she had failed to consider.

Her scent.

Embla’s legs stopped churning, and she skidded to a stop on the slippery carpet of dead leaves. She stood there catching her breath, sucking in great gulps of air freighted with forest smells—damp moss, bitter pine needles, earthy mushrooms.

And of course, her own feminine omega aroma. Normally Embla did not even notice her own scent, but now she was sweating profusely, and the smell was especially strong.

The alphas would have no problem following her trail.

So what were her options? A river would mask her scent, but that was out of the question. Embla was still too scared of water to try that. She had overcome her fear at the hot baths, but the idea of drifting alone down a flowing natural river made her guts churn with anxiety.

What option did that leave her?

Just keep running forever?

Impossible.

As Embla stood their catching her breath, the panic-induced adrenaline drained out of her system, and she began to see the utter absurdity of her situation.

What was she doing?

Had she made a mistake?

Embla had panicked. After everything that Jora had told her about Orwen, her flight instinct had kicked in. It wasn’t her conscious mind that had sent her fleeing from the city. It was a reflex. She had spent most of her short life running and hiding, after all.

Source, she really was just a wild animal.

She would never be able to learn how to fit in with the other omegas.

But the alphas would be searching for her now. At least Ark and Leros would be. And what’s more, Embla missed them. She wanted to see them again. She wanted that warm, safe feeling she had when she was around them. Even her secluded burrow couldn’t provide a feeling of safety such as that.

Source, she had made a mistake.

Embla tugged remorsefully at her partially plaited hair. Her new friend Jora had meant well, helping her to escape. But Embla should not have abandoned her alphas without so much as a word of farewell. And then there were the dog friends, Smoke and Luna and the others. She knew they would miss her too.

Embla drew in a deep breath and swiped the tears out of her eyes. She must not let herself get overwhelmed by emotion. She needed to think. She needed to be rational, the way Ark had been trying to teach her.

She had to make a decision. Perhaps the most important decision of her entire life.

On one side lay the forest. It offered a simple life. A life of solitude, of running, of hiding. It would be a dangerous and lonely existence, and probably a short one. But it was an existence that Embla understood.

On the other side lay the Central Ruins. The big tribe of civilized alphas and omegas. It was a world where Embla would never truly fit in. But she would have the love and protection of her dominant alpha mates. Two of them, at least.

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