Page 80 of Stray Omega

CHAPTER 29: ARK

Ark’s eyes flared open, but he saw nothing, only darkness. Around him, the cool air was filled with a deep, steady hum at the lowest level of his hearing.

Outsider machinery.

He tried to move, but his arms and legs were held in place by what felt like strong metal clamps. He was bound to an upright metal plank.

Memories of the battle in the forest flashed through his head. Embla lying unconscious in the middle of the clearing. Leros getting shot full of poison darts and collapsing. Those strange betas with mechanical boxes and cables protruding out of their skulls.

They had been captured and taken someplace.

But where?

Ark resisted the urge to bellow with rage. Anger would not help him now. He needed to remain calm and focus.

The alpha steadied his nerves and reached out with his senses, gathering as much information as he could about his surroundings.

One detail was immediately clear to him. Wherever he was now, it was someplace very far away from the Source. Even on his furthest excursions into the depths of the Farlands, Ark was always able to detect the location of the Source. It exerted a kind of magnetic pull on his alpha heart. No matter where he was within the Zone, he would always be able to find his way back to the Central Ruins.

But now he felt nothing.

That could only mean one thing. Ark had left the Zone. Beyond the Quarantine Wall. He was on the Outside.

That revelation sent a shiver of horror and revulsion wriggling up his spine.

After a moment, Ark managed to get himself back under control. He probed further with his heightened alpha senses, searching for any further clues about this prison.

Based on the airflow in the room and the reverberations of the mechanical sounds, Ark discerned that the room was triangular in shape, with a high ceiling, and two other vertical planks similar to the one to which he was bound.

A quiet sound of crying came to his ears. A soft, feminine whimper. He sniffed the air, which was mostly sterile and arid, but he detected a familiar scent.

“Embla?”

There was a sharp intake of breath followed by a joyful sobbing cry.

“Ark!”

The alpha’s heart swelled with joy and relief at the sound of Embla’s voice. His omega mate was alive and—aside from being understandably scared—she sounded all right.

“I’m here, Embla,” Ark reassured her, adding a soothing purr to his words. He sniffed again, picking up another well-known scent. “Leros. You with us, kid?”

“Here, boss,” the young alpha’s voice slurred out of the darkness. Of the three of them, he sounded the worst for wear. “Where the hell are we?”

“Don’t know,” Ark grumbled. “Not in the Zone, that’s for sure. If I had to guess, I’d say we’re somewhere inside one of the Outsider’s city hives.”

“Source,” Leros moaned.

But the Source was too far away to hear them now. They were on their own. Ark turned his thoughts back to his omega.

“Embla, are you hurt?

“No hurt,” the omega answered. “Just scare. And…sorry.”

Ark’s heart throbbed with pain and guilt. The little imp was apologizing for running away. But Ark knew that he was the one who owed her an apology. It was his rush to tame her that had driven her away.

But the time for apologies would come later. For now, the only thing that mattered was getting free.

“Don’t worry. We’re going to get out of this,” Ark told her, hoping his words sounded more confident than he actually felt. “Leros, how about you? How do you feel?”

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