Page 31 of Omega Stained

"Which will be...?"

"Whenever I think the ACB has lost our scent," he says. "Like I said."

I nod, still skeptical, but there's nothing else I can do for now. I take off my hood and sit on the edge of the bed, ignoring my damp sleeves. I don't want to undress; it feels like he'll get a little too excited by that.

Jack sits in a plush armchair across from me and pulls out a cigarette.

"You mind?" he asks, holding up the pack.

I shake my head, watching as he lights the end and takes a long drag. He blows out a stream of smoke and leans back, studying me.

"You're not like most of the omegas I've dealt with," he says after a moment. "Most of them are just...scared. They would be worried, locked in a fancy bedroom alone with an alpha."

"I've been through worse," I say flatly. "Have you hunted a lot of us?"

"Not a lot," he says. "I typically work kidnapping cases--where omegas were taken from their packs against their will. This was the first time I ever found an omega whowillinglyleft safety."

"Seriously?" I ask. "I find that hard to believe."

"Why?"

"Because the ACB has nothing but evil my whole life," I say. "Why did you even join up if you were going to turn on them on a dime?"

He frowns. "That's a complicated question, Kendra."

"I have time," I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

He takes another drag of his cigarette and exhales slowly. "I grew up in the ACB. My dad was a career cop, so was his dad. I didn't know any better."

"You didn't know any better?" I scoff. "I hope you know that's a horrible excuse. You've worked for an organization your whole life that oppresses people like me--"

"But then I started to see things," he continues. "The way omegas were treated...it didn't sit right with me. I thought maybe I could change things from the inside, but it's not that simple. The ACB is corrupt to the core."

"So why are you helping me now?" I ask.

"Because I don't want to be a part of that corruption anymore," he says. "And because...you're different, Kendra. You're not just some scared omega. You have fire in you."

I glare at him. "So I get rescued because I'm special...but how many omegas have suffered because of you?"

He stubs out his cigarette. "Too many."

I watch as he leans back in the chair and sighs, examining the way he moves, the way he breathes. I can't deny that he's gorgeous--with dark hair that's a little too long, overgrown stubble, eyes so brown they're closer to black.

But there's something under the surface, too.

Something that scares me.

"I don't believe you," I say. "I don't believe this is purely altruistic. You have another motive."

He leans forward on his knees, looking closely at me. "Of course I do," he says. "Can't you feel it?"

I frown. "What do you mean?"

"The connection between us," he says. "I've known it was there since the moment I saw you on the auction block. It made me want to help you...even if Carson Connolly hadn't shown up with his goons, I would've helped you."

"How?"

"I would've dropped all my savings to have you," he says. "To make you my mate. And I promise...you would love it."

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