Hidden Omega: Chapter 24

The next morning hummed with the pitter-patter of rain striking the window.

I was alone in my nest. Viper had promised he’d be here when I woke up, and instead, emptiness spread over me.

The heat cycle must be speeding up, considering I was already pining for Viper. The hot sting of his absence was a combination of pain-pleasure—him gone combined and the most incredible sex.

By the time I climbed out of my bed and stumbled into the shower, my sleepy head cleared. Dressing in jeans and a plain white tee, I ran a brush through my pink air and felt semi-normal for a change.

I had no idea what happened to me yesterday because sex with the other Alphas didn’t completely knock me out as it had with Viper. With him, it was as if he’d hypnotized me to focus on him and nothing else. The intensity scared me a little in how quickly I let myself fall.

Padding out of my room on bare feet, I rubbed the curve of my neck, and the skin felt bumpy where he’d bitten me. Talk about turning into an animal. He lost control last night, and I absolutely loved seeing him that way.

As I turned the corner of the hallway, I ran right into a solid chest. The delicious scent of pumpkin pie wrapped around me, and I grinned. I bounced back from the impact, but Viper’s strong arms lifted me off my feet as though I weighed nothing. Just being pressed up against him had my pussy clamping down and my stomach twisting into knots. I craved him all over my body. Even with the ache deep in my core, I could easily go another round with him.

“You weren’t meant to wake up just yet,” he purred, then stole a small kiss. “I wanted to be there when you woke up.”

Placing my arms around his neck, I finally noticed his wet hair, how fresh he smelled, and his crisp, clean clothes.”

“Well, you snooze, you lose,” I teased. “Just means we need another fun night.” My spine curved instinctually toward him, and I took another great inhale, unable to get enough of his smell. The Alpha was scorching hot, with his long lashes, thick eyebrows, and the intensity in his green eyes seemed to almost glint against his dark hair.

“That’s a promise.” His grip loosened, and I slid down his body to my feet, where he collected my hand into his. “Now, seeing that you’re awake, let’s go down to grab breakfast before you lure me back to your nest.” He arched an eyebrow, that teasing glint that drove me crazy swirling in his eyes.

His thumb stroked the back of my hand as we headed down the first set of stairs. My body swayed toward him as though we were two magnets drawn to each other. Each time I bumped into him, he chuckled and glanced down at me with admiration, which I didn’t expect from him.

In truth, what I noticed was that while each Alpha had me tripping over my feet to be with them, each one had their own way of being obsessed with me.

Aspen was like the sweetest teddy bear who couldn’t get enough of hugging me. He might look terrifying, but to me, he was the most adorable Alpha I’d ever met.

Shadow, on the other hand, was dominant when it came to how he treated me. He needed to have the upper hand to keep me guarded, and I fucking loved that.

Then there was Viper, who looked at me with a possessiveness that might border on being stalkerish. I couldn’t explain the exact reasons because it was the small things. His hand holding mine tightly and close to him, the way he constantly checked on me even though I was right next to him, and even the way he made love to me was all-consuming.

If I found myself locked up in his room one day, I wouldn’t be surprised. He gave off that vibe while desire glowed behind his gaze. A tinge of fire ignited in my chest in response.

“Have you decided about staying with us?” he asked, taking me completely off guard. The irises of his eyes thinned, almost covered by dark pupils, and behind them lurked the predator I suspected lived inside Viper.

A flash of heat on my skin and sweat breaking on my brow reminded me I had a real decision to make.

“To be honest, I haven’t given it a lot of thought, what with constantly being horny and trying to get you Alphas to be with me.” I gave him a lopsided grin, certain it wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

“It’s alright. It will all come together for us.” He paused on the platform between the two sets of stairs, cornering me against the railing. “But I need to know if you’re sore. I’d intended to wake you by kissing your sweet pussy to chase away the pain.”

These Alphas spoke so freely about my body, it always left me blushing. I’d never discussed my body so openly with anyone before arriving at their compound. Now, I have three Alphas constantly eager to lick and fuck me. You’d think I had a golden pussy with their obsession.

“It’s a bit sore, but I like the way I feel. It reminds me of how incredible you were.”

Pushing a strand of pink hair behind an ear, he leaned in to kiss my neck, then inhaled deeply.

“Fuck, Trinity. You smell like candy. I want to keep eating. How about you drop your pants, and I lick your delicious cunt until it no longer hurts?”

I choked out a laugh, my hands on his chest, well aware that if I gave in even a smidgen, he’d have his head between my legs in a millisecond.

The closeness of his mouth to mine reminded me how swollen my lips felt from his kisses, and the way his chest pressed up against my pointed nipples was not helping the situation… and he knew it.

“I really would love some food first,” I suggested.

Excitement flashing in his eyes, he swept me into his arms and charged down the stairs.

“Well, there’s only one solution. I’ll carry you everywhere until your pussy stops hurting.”

I laughed at his madness, and still, my muscles rippled, and my legs clenched together from the vibrations dancing over my clit. If I remained with him another second, I’d succumb to his sinful stare. Wriggling out of his grasp, I ducked under his arm. As I skipped down the rest of the steps, he charged after me with a playful expression that could land me with my pants down around my ankles.

“I’m coming for you,” he teased.

Squealing with excitement, I thundered down the hallway, then burst into the kitchen with laughter just as Viper zipped in behind me. He crashed into me from behind, his arms around my middle, lifting me off the cold floor.

That was also the same moment I locked eyes with Shadow and Aspen, their expressions solemn. Both sat at one end of the kitchen island, picking at their eggs and toast, looking like we’d intruded on a heavy conversation. Daniel was busy with the espresso machine, glancing at me with a sorrowful smile.

All the happiness I’d felt earlier evaporated from my body.

“Everything okay?” Viper asked, setting me back down on my feet.

“It’s best you’re here,” Shadow said. “We have some news for Trinity.”

My stomach sank, and I hated the darkness in his voice and how he tried to smile but failed miserably. Something uncomfortable lodged in my throat.

“What happened?” I asked, going to the empty chair beside Shadow while Viper sat on my other side. Aspen was on his feet, moving over to the stove, then he handed me a plate full of steaks, fried eggs, and hash browns. I looked at the breakfast, then up at each Alpha at the table as Daniel placed a cup of coffee in front of me.

“I’m not eating until one of you tells me what’s wrong.”

Shadow cleared his throat. “My contact looked into the Institute and the missing Omegas. He said that there are no records of your friend Frannie being sold to an Alpha, and Ms. Bakewell wouldn’t reveal her paperwork to anyone due to the privacy act.”

I felt sick to my stomach. “Frannie just vanished one night from the Institute after her hair changed color, then Ms. Bakewell refused to talk about her.”

The corners of Shadow’s lips pinched tightly.

“So, what you’re saying is she was sold illegally.” I grasped the edge of the granite counter, my knuckles white, my veins cold as ice. Frannie would have contacted us at the Institute to confirm she was safe otherwise. But then I couldn’t help thinking about my situation and how I hadn’t told my friends about being safe, wondering if they were just as worried about me? I had to get word out to them soon but first I had to find out about Frannie.

It was terrible news but not bad enough news for the grimness that had met me when I rushed into the kitchen.

“Okay. What aren’t you telling me?”

Shadow swiveled toward me, his hands taking mine, the pain behind his eyes bringing my tears forward. “I’m really sorry, Trinity. I wish I could take this away from you and protect you, but I don’t think you’d ever forgive me if I did.”

Tears sprung to my eyes, and the thickness in my throat stung. I knew what was coming. It hung in the air like a noose.

I couldn’t breathe.

Viper held me from behind as Aspen got up from his seat to come to my side.

“Frannie’s dead, isn’t she?” The words burned on my throat.

He nodded, and at that moment, the world was ripped out from under me.

I stared at him for a long moment as if someone had hit pause on my life as I replayed every moment I’d experienced with Frannie.

They were excruciating to watch, and in my head, I begged for them to stop, but I also needed them. To remember the friend who’d wished for so long that she wouldn’t become an Omega, who loved too hard, who laughed at the craziest things, who cried when we finally gifted her a camera because she wanted desperately to become a photographer. Her words floated in my mind…

“The camera lenses are the eyes of the world, capturing a moment in time that can never be forgotten. Beautiful things, secrets, and even the ugliness of our world. Those are the most important, so no one forgets love can’t grow in the darkness.”

A sob tore past my throat, and I covered my face with my hands, no longer able to hold back the emotions that ripped me apart. I remembered her high-pitched laughed that made many cringe, and I swore I heard it now. Deep inside, I wanted to scream at the injustice and that I hadn’t done enough to find her.

Something ugly rose through me, a hatred and sadness that truly broke me, and I had no idea how I was ever supposed to keep going.

I felt the heavy scents of the Alphas who circled around me, closing in, embracing me, holding me, but it was becoming too much, too claustrophobic.

Her laughter seemed to sing in ears again…

I lifted my head to look at Shadow through teary eyes. “Where did they find her?” I rasped, my voice barely a whisper.

“That doesn’t matter.” Shadow was shaking his head and reached over to wipe the tears from my cheeks. “Remember the beauty of your friend.”

“No, I have to know, or it’ll drive me crazy. You have to tell me.” I clenched my hands by my side.

When he said nothing, I wriggled out from them, tears falling. I trembled so hard, my legs barely kept me up.

“I need to know, Shadow. She was my friend.”

“She’s right,” Viper added.

Aspen’s face blanched while Daniel curled in on himself on the other side of the counter.

Shadow climbed to his feet, approaching me and towering over me.

“Let’s go for a walk,” he suggested, offering his hand.

“No,” I screamed as I wiped my eyes. “Just fucking tell me.”

With a sigh, his shoulders deflated. “This morning the police found her in a dumpster in an alleyway. I’m so sorry.”

I sucked in each breath that refused to come, my chest rising and falling too quickly, the world seeming to tilt around me.

Guilt slammed into me, claiming me, and I wished I would have come to my senses the moment Frannie disappeared from the Institute.

Glancing up through teary eyes, the three Alphas approached me, heartache in their eyes, but they didn’t understand. How could they…

“I can’t do this right now.” I recoiled from them and ran out of the kitchen, my bare feet slapping the stone tile flooring. I didn’t even remember where I was going, but soon found myself out in the backyard, charging past the pool and beyond the treeline at the rear of the property.

I wanted to keep running.

To never stop.

To somehow escape the heaviness burying me.

“She can’t be dead. She can’t.” I choked on another sob.

Each breath grew raspy, and an agonizing ache settled beneath my ribcage.

Dropping to my knees, my lungs were crushed by grief. Frannie couldn’t be dead, she couldn’t. Not after everything we’d gone through.

Dread crept over me, threatening to swallow, while moments with Frannie came to mind. Her laugh when Charity tripped, her crying after she was released from the closet, and her elated scream when she got her camera. How she set up elaborate backdrops with our bed blankets, snapping photos of us in funny poses. I missed her so much, it felt like I was splitting in half.

I’d met Frannie when I was four. She’d been brought to the Bakewell Institute for Girls a few months before me. Charity and Adella had been there since they were newborns, but Frannie and I were different. We’d had families at some point. We’d clung together as we grew, and Charity and Adella became our sisters. Once we were placed in our own dorm room together, it was natural that we all became closer.

When one of us ended up in the closet, the others would come and keep her company, trundling back to our beds before the morning alarm woke us up to be counted by the keeper of our home. We’d whisper to each other through the door, three comforting one or one at a time. Those nights when I was locked in the closet, they kept me from losing my mind by keeping the results of solitude at bay. The fear would leave, and I’d focus on the sliver of light at the bottom of the door until it disappeared. For an hour or two, the terror would come, then I’d hear bare feet and know the girls were coming to chase away the fear.

Grief didn’t leave. It strangled me, making it harder until my cries were silent. Even when hands wrapped around my shoulders, I was too hysterical to stop the screaming.

I only stopped when something struck me in the back of the head so hard, the world blinked with stars, and I fell forward on all fours. Groaning from the pain, I pushed myself back up. The world was dancing as the corners of my vision darkened.

Someone tall stood in front of me, and I wrenched my head up.

Blue eyes set in a square, stoic face glared down at me. I didn’t recognize him, yet those eyes looked familiar. Eyes that brought up memories of my mother crying, of bruises that shouldn’t have marred her beautiful skin.

A past I’d purposely long forgotten.

“Hello, girl. It’s time you returned home.”

Panic rushed up and over me, coming so fast, I couldn’t move as he pulled something out of his suit, then leaned forward and jabbed it into my neck.

I cringed at the sharp bite.

Darkness stole everything too fast, and I slumped forward.

When I woke up, my head was throbbing with pain. I jerked to get off the bed and found a velvet-lined cuff around my ankle.

And it wasn’t my bed.

I was in a gilded room with no windows, and I had no idea where I was.