Page 7 of Hunting Their Omega

Icy wind trailed over my exposed calves and burrowed into me until my knees ached and my teeth chattered. I thought the boarding house uniforms were bad, but I would have given anything for one of those stiff ankle length gray dresses during the Hunt. Anything was better than the threadbare tunic the Council provided. Of course, they hadn’t supplied underwear—they wanted us vulnerable.

Once I made it to the edge of the forest, I tried to shift and give myself a fighting chance, but something held me captive in my skin.

The collar.

They bound us, my wolf seethed.

Why would they bind us?

Think, girl, she growled.They wish to make us an easy target for the males.

A shiver ran down my spine. The truth was like a blade through the chest. Everything was against us. I stared at my dirty toes, remembering my last moments of freedom that morning—right before they released us like beasts.

“Remove everything,” the official said impassively.

My eyes widened. “What?”

“Are you deaf?” His lip pulled back in a snarl. “Everything goes.”

I had already removed most of my clothing, and only my underwear and socks remained, but a quick look around at the other Omegas confirmed my worst fears. My cheeks flushed with humiliation as I stripped until nothing stood between my body and the leering gazes of the supervising staff.

A rumpled cloth was shoved into my hands.

“Put it on,” the facilitator grumbled.

Doing so, I asked, “Where are the rest of my clothes?”

“That’s it,” he said as if I had inconvenienced him with my questions.

“But it’s twenty degrees out there.”

“Better run fast then,” he replied with a flippant shrug.

I opened my mouth to protest, but my eyes collided with a honey-colored pair across the room, and the Omega from orientation shook her head.

I tried to shift again, but flames licked at my mind, keeping my wolf contained. My wolf growled, and her hackles rose as she tried to push past the foreign blockage, but it was no use.

Ignoring the jagged rocks, broken twigs, and scattered pebbles abusing the soles of my feet, I worked my way up an incline. Trees arched from the ground like wayward fingers, and Iutilized their thick trunks to take cover, dragging leafy branches in my wake to hide my tracks.

I hadn’t made much progress when I heard a chilling chorus of howls erupt in the distance. My heart sped in my chest, and I silently prayed to the Goddess that I was far enough away from the others to go unnoticed.

Tread carefully and use your nose to sense the forest around you, my wolf murmured.

Taking a deep breath, I focused on the smells of the forest. Wet pine, dirt, and wood were most prevalent, but I pulled more air into my lungs, meticulously searching for the lingering odor of fur and male.

Move through the trees where they grow closest together; it will make it hard to chase you.

Following my wolf’s orders, I veered off the worn path and tried not to think of all the Omegas that had run the very same trail before me. The dense foliage swallowed the early morning light, and I rushed into its dark embrace, hoping it would be enough to slow my pursuers.

The dull throb in my feet sharpened as dirt seeped into my blisters. I gripped a low branch and used it as leverage to hoist myself over a muddy slope. My biceps ached, but I forged onward, pulling myself onto a rocky ledge above the trail. Branches and weeds tangled around my legs, and I let out a pained hiss as I slipped on the uneven ground. I’d be lucky if I survived the Hunt without an infection.

A growl tore through the forest, and I whirled toward the sound. Nothing. I scanned the tree line, looking for shapes ormovement, but only leaves and roots caught my eye. My nerves, however, didn’t ease. Tension curled around my shoulders and slowed my every step. Quiet as a stalking cat, I crept forward, not even daring to breathe.

Listen, my wolf warned.

The forest had gone quiet. The squirrels, birds, and insects were all silent. Every living creature held its breath. Dread coiled in the pit of my stomach, and heat pooled between my thighs.

A predator was nearby.

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