Chapter 3: The Omega They Fear

Warmth surrounded me as I slowly became aware again, and for a second I enjoyed that half-awake feeling before I suddenly remembered what had happened.

Shifters had found me. For the first time, I was truly in the hands of the packs.

I had been running with Mom until I was four years old, and even after she met the Iron Ridge Pack, we still lived outside the cities. She died when I was fourteen, and even though I had somehow survived on my own for eleven more years, my luck had finally run out.

Wanting to understand the danger around me, I kept my eyes closed and slowed my breathing. My head still hurt a little, but whatever damage the alpha caused had almost completely healed.

I could sense at least two shifters in the room. I could faintly smell scents like citrus and soap bubbles. But these were natural smells, not chemical ones.

“Are you sure she’s an omega?” The deep voice almost made me react and show that I was awake.

They know my designation.

That thought scared me more than anything else happening in this room.

“She ignored an alpha call twice,” another male voice said smoothly. “Does she feel strong enough to be more dominant than Alpha Ronan or Caleb?”

As an omega, my dominance was almost nonexistent. My strength existed in different areas, areas that made me useful to a pack. Just like Mom.

A truth that eventually destroyed her miserable life.

“How did she stay hidden from us for so long?” the first shifter asked, sounding confused that anyone could stay ahead of the big and powerful pack cities. “Do we know how old she is?”

His question gave me an idea. I looked younger than my twenty-five years, and that could help me. Rogues were usually killed. They did not allow shifters to stay without being connected to a pack, and the many years I had spent running would clearly make me seem beyond saving. Unless they decided to show mercy because they thought I was younger.

“It really doesn’t matter,” the smoother voice said. “She still has to stand before the Alpha Council.”

A strong hand pressed against my chest, and my eyes quickly opened, showing me a strongly built man. He did not seem much taller than me, but he was twice as wide with hard brown eyes and messy brown hair.

“Your heartbeat changed a few seconds ago,” he said with his rough voice. His wolf briefly flashed in his eyes, and I noticed he was not an alpha but a strong beta. “You’re only delaying the unavoidable.”

I pushed his hand away and quickly sat up. Looking around, I saw that I was inside what looked like a hospital room with white walls and a twin bed.

“Where did you bring me? What city?” I asked with a rough voice because my throat felt drier than a desert.

The beta sat in a chair beside the bed and kept his eyes on me the whole time.

The other shifter stayed near the door, and I did not bother looking at him.

The danger was sitting right beside me.

“You’re in Shadow Crest, waiting for trial in front of the council.”

Shadow Crest...

I had been unconscious for hours, maybe even longer, depending on how they brought me here from New Mexico.

“Why am I on trial?” I had already decided to follow my plan and act young and innocent.

The beta shook his head like I had disappointed him. Too fucking bad.

“Rogues are against the law. You cannot be controlled, and you are a danger to humans. If you truly did not know that for some reason, then you will get a chance to explain yourself to the council. Start preparing your story now.”

When the corner of his lips moved, it was obvious he thought I was lying, and once again I wished my face did not show my feelings so easily.

I was not good at lying, and in my type of work—running from pack cities was a full-time job, ask anyone—it made life difficult. But today would be my biggest challenge.

I could not mess it up.

Step one was making them not tear my heart out right there.

Step two was staying in the city long enough to create a plan that would not only get me out of here but also help me leave the country.

America was no longer safe for me. Not after they had smelled me and recorded me as an omega. Nothing was safe for an omega. That was the thing Mom left behind for me, and I had given up everything trying to change my future and avoid ending up like her.

“You have five minutes to clean yourself up,” Mr. Mason said while waving his hand toward a door on the right side of the bed. “The bathroom is in there.”

Without taking my eyes off the two shifters guarding me, I got out of bed, relieved to see I was still wearing the clothes I had put on at the hotel. Shifters were not the best when it came to consent, and after spending most of my life in the human world, I did not share their relaxed attitude toward being naked. If either of these assholes had touched me, I would have completely lost control of my beast and tried to destroy them.

Inside the bathroom, I closed the door behind me and was not surprised to see there were no windows or ways to escape. They would never have allowed me in there alone if there had been even the smallest chance of escape.

After using the toilet, I washed my hands and splashed water onto my face, trying to bring some color back to my pale cheeks. I looked at my reflection as I stood straight, and luckily for me, I looked just as terrible as I felt.

My strawberry blond hair was tangled into messy knots around my head. My skin looked paler than normal, making the freckles across my nose and cheeks stand out more than usual. The complete disaster show. My light blue eyes looked dull, but that was not only because of today. Life had been wearing me down for years, and keeping my wolf trapped inside had weakened my natural shifter healing and energy.

Come on, Aria. Get your shit together.

Yeah, I was definitely the queen of giving encouraging talks, and I had never needed one more than I needed it today.

Mr. Mason was waiting for me when I walked out of the bathroom, and the other shifter had already gone. For a brief moment we stared at each other. He wore a stupid little smile like he was challenging me to test my luck.