Page 72 of No Escape

He spins around, wiggling his eyebrows. “It smells a little fresher in here, but even after we get out, I doubt they’ll be able to sanitize away the scent of your pussy.” He comes to a stop next to the loft.

I was just about to climb down, so I’m on my knees right at the edge. He wraps his hand around the back of my neck, pulling my mouth to his for a playful kiss.

I’m getting addicted to the affection he seems to give so freely. I’ve never felt truly desired before, and even the couple of quick relationships I’ve been in, it always felt as though I liked them more than they liked me. It’s nice to have a balance where it seems reciprocal.

The door slams open, and we both jolt. Omen steadies me with his hands on my hips, to ensure I don’t fall from the loft, and spins around, assessing the threat.

“I dinnae ken what went down, but it was something big,” a very large, very angry red-haired man says in a thick Scottish accent as he holds the door open with a huge palm. “If Valor isn’t careful, they’ll chuck his arse in the hole again or possibly something even worse. You’d better come to see if you can reach him.”

I process his words and move to scramble toward the ladder, but Omen’s hands land on my hips, and he pulls me to the ground like I weigh nothing. His fingers link with mine, and then he’s yanking me across the room.

This is bad.

I can feel it in the anxiety that radiates off Omen and scent it in the unknown alpha’s pheromones.

* * *

The cafeteria is mostly empty, but the hallway across from the one we come down is filled with more people than even the first day I was released onto the block. They’re all gathered around a set of double doors that I failed to notice last time we were allowed out.

“What the fuck is happening now, Maggie?” Omen snarls, tugging me along behind him.

“It was a close one,” she says, shaking her head. “Several of the new alphas dragged one of the omegas off. They nearly got her into the shower room?—”

“Bloody fucking Christ,” Omen huffs. “It’s not Valor’s job to handle anyone who steps out of line! You leave all the cleanup to him. Not that you care if it gets him put down.”

My jaw falls.

No fucking way is that happening.

Panic claws at my chest as Omen makes it to the back of the group of people.

Maggie’s face drains of color. “I can’t be in two places at once.”

“Yeah? Well, neither can I!” Omen shoves his way through the crowd, making sure not to lose me in the shuffle.

“Two of the new alphas interceded, but Valor dragged the worst offenders out to the court. The rest followed…” Maggie either cuts off speaking, or it gets too difficult to hear her over all the people.

The scents of the other alphas and omegas slam into my senses, and it’s hard to focus as I’m pulled through the jostling bodies. I’m not expecting to be tugged out into fresh air, and my eyes burn as they work to adjust.

It’s not even especially bright.

It has the overcast haze that comes on a snowy day, and the air proves my assessment true. It’s freezing, and my breath makes a foggy cloud as I exhale.

We haven’t made it to the front of the cluster of people, but I can see two basketball hoops on either wall, and a huge black metal fence surrounds the space. It’s metal with a round chain-link circle at the top and vicious spikes.

Reality really sinks in.

This place is a prison.

I mean, I get it’s a facility for rabid alphas, but theyreallydon’t want anyone to escape.

We’re trapped here.

And I’ve known it, so I have no idea why my chest heaves at the realization.

Omen finally breaks through the people, and he stops dead in his tracks. “Thank fuck. Conrad, you beautiful ginger bastard, I could kiss you.”

“I’d rather you didn’t,” the man who came to our cell says. “If you’d like to help out, I’m not a fan of eight on two odds.”

---