Pack Fever: Omegaverse Romance, page 3
“You’re beautiful,” he whispers.
His words rock my entire world. I’ve never felt such intensity, such pleasure, and all I want is to curl up in his arms. I can’t stop shaking, my body still coming down from heaven. He gently rocks me, kissing the side of my face.
“How are you doing?”
We’re locked together. I have no idea how he’s maintaining control where I clearly had none.
“That was… everything,” I manage, desire still pulsing through me, his affection sending me over the edge. It terrifies me that I liked him so much already, well aware that nothing can become of us. I shouldn’t be here, and I’m not going to reveal to my mother that I snuck out. Plus, dating Alphas isn’t a thing for Omegas.
We’re matched and registered with the Nexus facility.
“I can make it so much better,” he promises as he frees his fingers, I desperately miss his touch. As he draws his hand out of my pants, I quickly button myself back up, feeling him pulling back and away from me.
I twist to face him, unsure what to say except that I wanted to know more about him.
But instead, he’s standing there, staring down at his hand that’s glistening, but two of his fingers are dotted with blood.
My blood.
My virgin blood.
I freeze on the spot.
His head tilts up, brows pinched tight. “This was your first time?”
The accusation in his voice is almost unbearable.
“Were you going to tell me only after I fucked you?”
I flinch, shoulders shooting back. “Who said you were going to get that far?” I say stupidly, feeling fire crawling up my cheeks at my childish response.
“Danica, I’m being serious.” He pulls out a tissue from his pocket and wipes his fingers.
I feel like I’m going to die. Words try to form, to defend myself, to explain, but I can’t find my response. Not while I’m flushed with dread, wanting nothing more than to shove myself into the crowd and escape, but he’s standing in my way.
“It’s my decision to make, so what’s the problem?” I state, meeting his fiery gaze, suddenly thinking I made a mistake in falling so quickly for him.
“Because if I’m going to be your first or even take your virginity with my fingers, I want to know. I would’ve taken extra care, made it special.”
I know his words are meant to soothe me, but they frustrate me, and with it comes a fiery anger. If he knew I was inexperienced, he wouldn’t have bothered to pick me up. Is that what he’s trying to say?
“Look, don’t get your nose all bent out of shape,” I say loudly over the music. “I don’t want anything long-term from you or to be judged if I am still a virgin or not.”
The words spill out through lips sore from his rough kisses. My pussy is still aching for him, but my chest tightens.
“Danica, it’s not like that,” he states loud enough for me to hear, stepping closer, but I recoil from him.
“I know what it’s like,” I say briskly. “It’s a fun night with no expectations, so why are we even having this conversation? It’s exactly what I wanted.” He reaches for my hand, but I pull away. “Don’t. I don’t need you to treat me like I’m fragile or special. I’m a nobody, just another Beta who entered your life and is now going to leave.”
Just as I’m about to whip around and get the hell out of there, the music chokes into silence. In its place is a shrill siren, which slices through the club’s atmosphere.
My heart drops to my stomach.
I’ve heard about sirens going off when the Nexus facility enforcers search the club. Panic booms around me because Omegas are forbidden from being at such places.
Panic strangles when he grabs my hand with urgency.
“Come, I know a way out,” he says over the rising chaos and panic.
The moving chaos of the masses, wild and terrified, shove and surge against us, ripping me from him. Seconds later, I’m moving on the tsunami wave, alone and struggling for breath.
My friends… shit. I have to find them and get us all out of here.
I shove against the crowd, desperation squeezing my lungs. People push against me, elbows jabbing into my sides, stomping on my feet. I whimper, but keep pushing. I never should have wandered off from my friends.
Just as I press myself free from the crowd, heading toward the dance floor, the scene before me crystallizes in slow motion.
My friends are huddled together like a small litter of kittens in danger.
The enforcers loom over them, five men in total in bottle-green uniforms with the gold word Nexus printed on their sleeves. Other partygoers are rushing past them while my breaths are coming in ragged gasps, the air sharp in my lungs.
Their eyes widen, each of them spotting me almost simultaneously, their postures deflated and terror written on their faces. This isn’t just a random crackdown, someone would have told them Omegas are at the club… how else would they have discovered us?
Dread squeezes my heart, and my feet are moving of their own accord, carrying me backward. But my back collides with a solid presence, the force of the impact sending a shockwave of terror up my spine.
“Are those your friends?” The deep, authoritative male voice cuts through the cacophony of sounds at the club.
I turn around, my face drained of blood, and find myself staring into the stoic face of another enforcer. Cold eyes leave me exposed, stripped.
Fuck!
Desperation claws at my insides, but when I glance back at my petrified friends, I can’t let them take this fall alone. They’re my best friends, my chosen family, and I’ll never betray them.
With a heavy nod, I glance up at the guard, and the realization that we’ve been discovered kills me. Hell, we are going to be in so much shit!
The enforcer’s hand on my arm is firm as he steers me toward my friends, his grip harsh and a reminder of the price we’re about to pay for our night’s escape.
My legs feel heavy as I hurry to my friends.
“It’s going to be okay,” I tell my friends, but no one is saying a word. Their faces are blanched, eyes terrified.
As we’re being escorted out of the club and fear knots my stomach, I glance back, my gaze drawn to the balcony near the bar.
There he is, the mystery Alpha, still as a statue amid the shadows, watching me being taken away. His eyes lock with mine in a silent exchange for what could have been.
In that moment of utter confusion and terror, of my emotions tangled, the second line to my song comes to me.
The stars above have stories to tell, but none as bright as us…
And those whispered dreams are now dust
Chapter
Two
DANICA
Dragging my feet up toward the front door of my apartment, I can’t shake the heaviness that’s settled over me ever since we got busted at the Nocturne club three days ago. After we got hauled into the station and they took our details and fingerprints, the enforcers called our parents and said we were to go home. We were instructed that they would be in contact with us shortly with our punishment. If we went missing or broke the rules, the parents would be held responsible and receive a hefty fine.
It’s been hell waiting over the past three days, not knowing what they’re going to do to us. There’s a knot in my chest I haven’t been able to dislodge since the night.
Then there’s Mom, who’s furious and blew up at me the moment I was brought home by the enforcers. Since then, she’s given me the silent treatment, and the silence is destroying me. She has confiscated my phone, and my bedroom window is getting locked bars to complete the living-in-a-prison vibe I already had going.
The apartment building looms in front of me, and the academy bus that dropped me off is already halfway down the road.
My friends are under house arrest, too, so aside from class, we won’t be heading out anywhere anytime soon. I sigh at the notion.
Moving inside the building, then upstairs, I push open the door to our home, the creak a bit too loud for the afternoon. There in the living room, my mom is sitting on the couch in her Sunday yellow dress, her hair styled in waves around her face, and she’s wearing her best shoes, but her eyes are red like she’s been crying. Sitting next to her feet is a black duffle bag. It’s bulging at the seams, as if it’s trying to contain more than just clothes.
“Mom? What’s going on?” My stomach twists, and that sick feeling rises through me.
“You’ve really done it now, Danica,” she says with a brittle voice, her hands tightening over one another in her lap. “I should have known you couldn’t stay out of trouble and that it would come back to bite you.”
I wince, her words striking me in the solar plexus, and I struggle to breathe, feeling all the blood flush out of my face.
“I’m sorry,” I manage slowly, torn because I’m angry we got caught and pissed at the Nexus facility because of all their rules. I don’t regret going out with my friends… or meeting the mysterious Alpha. I’ve still not come to terms with how I feel about my encounter with him and how things ended. “I made a horrible mistake, and I swear, I’ll make it up to you, Mom.”
“It’s too late for regrets now,” she snaps, her gaze falling on the framed photo of Dad on the mantle. Those unsaid words weigh the world between us. I’ve always known she blamed me for Dad’s death. She never said it outright, but she might as well have with her distance from me, her refusing to talk about my singing ever again, and her vague implication that if things were different, Dad would still be with us.
I swallow hard. I try not to be upset with her because I blame myself, too. Gritting my teeth, that raw, bleeding ache in my heart is still as fresh as the day of the accident. When I close my eyes every night, I see his dead eyes, but I’ve never told her. She never once asked me about the accident, and when I try to talk about it, she cuts me off.
“Every day, I miss Dad,” I whisper. “I wish he was with us, too.”
She stiffens, her gaze lifting to mine. There’s a world of hurt flaring on her face, a lifetime of grief, and that unspoken accusation she holds against me.
I brace for her anger, for her blame.
“I actually thought you might have dodged a bullet and that Nexus would let you off with a warning and a fine,” she explains, fidgeting with her hands in her lap.
I study her carefully, then glance back down at the duffle bag. A horrible sensation washes over me.
“Wh-What do you mean? Have you heard from them?”
Her phone, sitting on the coffee table between us, vibrates and dances across the surface. The screen lights up, and she quickly snatches it before I can read the message. Her face blanches, then she glances up at me.
“I’m sorry,” my mom says softly, her throat sounding like she might choke on the words. “I’m sorry you didn’t follow the rules. But I have your sister to think about. It’s just us now.”
“What are you talking about?” I’m barely holding it together as dread snakes up my spine. I hate that she’s so cold… been so cold since we lost Dad.
“Nexus contacted me this morning, advising me that since you’re a liability as an Omega and can’t be trusted, they’re coming for you,” she explains. “You’ll be taken to their facility, earlier than usual, and stay there until you go into your full heat.”
The room sways with her words, and there she sits, brow furrowed, staring at me with disappointment, while I feel like I’ve had all my insides scooped out.
Blood drains from my face, and I feel myself go cold as trepidation, sharp and icy, stabs into me.
“No,” I whisper the trembling word. “They can’t do that. It could be years until then. What about school? I don’t want to leave you and Ruby. And… the rumors, Mom… the things they say happen to Omegas who break the rules…”
My chest hurts with how hard it’s squeezing, my throat thickening. This can’t be happening. I don’t want to be locked away from the world, then matched… most likely sold to an Alpha, from some of the things I’ve heard.
She shakes her head, a stoic mask slipping over her face.
“I attended the facility, and I’m fine. Don’t overreact. You made a mistake, and now you have to take responsibility.” She picks up the duffle bag, arm trembling as she offers it to me.
“Yeah, but you never broke their rules, Mom, so they didn’t do anything to you. What about me? I doubt they’ll be so kind.” I’m shaking all over.
“The enforcer is waiting outside.” Her voice is hollow, as if she’s fighting her emotions, but that’s not what I need. I want her to cry about losing me, for letting them take me.
“Where’s Ruby?” My breath hitches as I blink to hold back the tears. “I want to see her before I go.” My head’s spinning, and panic is slithering over me, swallowing me. I’m trying not to lose my head, but I’m on the verge of bursting out into ugly crying.
“Your sister is at her friend’s place. It’s better she doesn’t see you in this state, it will just upset her. I’ll tell her you’re going to Nexus because you went into your heat today,” she explains, as though it’s so easy for her to lie.
I feel my chin trembling, my eyes stinging. My life’s crumbling, the last threads of hope unraveling as she utters those words.
“How can you just send me away?” Tears stream down my face.
“You did this to yourself, Danica.” Her expression hardens, lips thin as she wipes away her own wet cheeks. “And if I don’t comply, they’ll take Ruby from me, too.” It’s at that moment that I see the first cracks of her pain, where she actually says something that sounds like love—even if it’s trading one daughter to save another.
Except… I did this to us.
And I got my father killed.
Now, I’m in shit with Nexus, meaning they might treat my sister Ruby just as severely as she approaches the right age. She’s only fourteen now. Deep inside, I know I have to do this…in order to show the facility I’m not a liability, in the hope that they will leave my sister alone when her time comes.
Shoulders back, I push down the emotions ripping me to shreds on the inside, then give my mother a hug. She embraces me back, a tight grasp, and hiccups a cry like she’s about to lose control of the emotions she holds onto so tightly, then pats my back.
“You better hurry. They won’t like being made to wait,” she says, wiping her cheeks, then opening the door for me. “Just follow the rules, and they might be lenient on you, okay?”
I lift my bag, my life’s contents, and take one last glance at the only home I’ve known—at the couch where I’d spend hours watching movies with Ruby, at the photo of my dad—and at my mom, who’s now full-out crying.
“I’ll try.” I pause, hating that I can’t stop the tears, can’t think of anything else to say when I have no idea when I’ll see her next. “See you, Mom,” I whisper in a croaky voice, then I leave my home, not wanting to bring more trouble to her and Ruby.
I want to run in the opposite direction, to escape Nexus, to cling to the last remnants of life I’m about to lose. Instead, I throw the weight of the duffle bag over my shoulder.
Pushing myself, I step out into the afternoon air. The sky is overcast and as dreary as my insides. Parked at the curb is a black minibus, its windows tinted. It’s the kind of vehicle I’ve seen in movies, carting off people to prisons, and the sight sends a shiver curling up my spine.
The uniformed enforcer by the open bus door is a mountain, his frame wide and terrifying. He stands stiff, hands cupped low in front of him in some sort of military stance, legs parted, and his glare is piercing into me.
Neighbors are out, chatting to each other, staring at the bus, and now me. The freak, the troublemaker, the Omega who’s brought the Nexus enforcers to our street. Rumors will now spread like wildfire, along with interrogating my mom. Everyone fears the enforcers and knows that to see one means an Omega is being taken away.
Shaking off the fear, I catch a glimpse of movement through the dark glass windows of the bus. And there are my friends. Jess’ face is pressed against the window, Kayla has a hand pressed flat to the glass, and Casey is in her seat, just staring out at me. They’re smiling at me, yet they look as deflated as I feel on the inside.
Upon my approach, the enforcer takes my bag.
“Get in,” he commands. He tosses it into the open compartment at the rear of the bus with a disregard that stings, so I hurry and climb aboard.
Inside, the gasping sounds of my friends seeing me booms, and I’m running to them down the middle aisle, so glad I have them. Behind them in the back seat are two more enforcers, and I hate that they’re riding with us, watching us, not trusting us.
“Danica,” Casey says my name reassuringly while all three drag me into a clunky embrace in the narrow space we have available between the two rows of seats. We cling to each other as if we’re all we have left in this world.
It’s only us four Omegas on the bus. Plus, the enforcers.
And we’re about to be taken to a place we’ve only heard rumors about.
“I can’t believe they’re doing this to us,” Jess says, then sniffles like she’s been crying.
“It was just a fucking nightclub,” Casey butts in. “They’re assholes.”
“Maybe it won’t be so bad,” Kayla adds. “We have each other, at least.”
“Not so bad?” Jess snaps, but we fall silent with the clearing of the enforcer’s voice.
“No shouting or loud talking during the drive. Don’t make me gag you,” he states and takes a seat in the driver’s seat.
We all stare at each other with huge eyes.
“He’s going to gag us?” Kayla mouths silently.
Casey sits beside me, gripping my hand, while Kayla and Jess are across from us, doing the same.
I settle back into my seat, too shocked by us being ripped out of our lives and losing everything to worry about being gagged.
I stare at my home as we start to roll down the street. My mother is in the window, staring at us. She does nothing but watch. I wish she’d at least wave, something to let me know she’ll miss me. Part of me wonders if the grief of losing Dad has numbed her of all feeling.
