Page 13 of Dodging Bullets

After having the world’s quickest shower, I wasted precious time deciding what to wear. I went with well-loved jeans that I knew hugged my ass and an equally well-loved, long-sleeved navy sweater. It was so soft that it appealed to my Omega nature.

Being an Omega pigeon-holed me into almost a feminine role, and I’d hated that when I was a teen. Now, at the grand old age of twenty-five, I knew that being in touch with my emotions was a blessing and not a curse, especially when I’d decided to move into therapy.

And I was willing to top any Alpha who needed me to show them that just because I was an Omega, it didn’t mean I was submissive. Still, I liked all those Omega trappings: soft fabrics, a nest, pleasant scents, all those sensory pleasures.

Touch. I was touch-starved. I was an Omega without a Pack, with neither a family Pack close by, nor a romantic one. Sometimes, I’d find myself reaching out, not to appease traumatized soldiers, but to just get a little physical input.

I needed to find a lover. Maybe a nice Beta who’d let me tell them how good they’d been.

Why did my mind go straight to Max?

Climbing into my car, I made sure I had my tablet in my briefcase. I wanted to have all the resources right there for them, for their Pack Alpha. Plugging their address into my GPS, I followed it across town. My 1999 Honda had a check-engine light permanently on, and the upholstery in the back seat was so threadbare that you basically sat on the springs. Being a therapist was emotionally rewarding, but it wasn’t particularly financially beneficial.

When Max had given me his address, I’d kind of expected the place to be a single-story bachelor pad. I knew there was a good side and a bad side to this suburb, and I’d just assumed they lived on the bad side. Being a returned vet didn’t pay particularly well either, and I wasn’t sure what either Rio or Max did now they’d been discharged.

But when my GPS led me to the nice side of the neighborhood, I began to wonder if I knew these guys at all. The houses weren’t mansions, by any stretch, but they were mostly two-story places with green front lawns and manicured gardens. The type of places that said there was money to waste on landscaping.

The house I stopped in front of was average-looking, but little details spoke softly of wealth. Stacked stone sidings. Fancywrought-iron trim. A freshly painted picket fence. Obviously, they weren’t hurting for cash, and somehow, that made me feel inadequate.

Growling at myself, I parked in the driveway. I was here in a professional capacity. They weren’t courting me, and in fact, if theywereto court me, it would be extremely unprofessional on my behalf.

Pushing that thought to the forefront of my mind, I stepped out of the car and walked up to the door. Knocking lightly, I looked around the garden for the night-blooming jasmine that I could scent. It had always been my favorite, despite the strength of it sometimes. It reminded me of my grandmother’s house.

The door swung open, and Rio was there, his stern face softening a little as he saw me. I pushed my Omega down as he rose up to meet the strong Alpha in front of us.

“August. You came.”

Not yet, but I’d like to.I kept the words firmly inside.

“Of course. Max sounded like it was urgent.” Rio didn’t disagree, and my stress level ratched up a notch. “Is everything okay?”

That was when I realized that the soft scent of jasmine wasn’t coming from outside, but from in here.They have an Omega?

I didn’t realize I’d said the words out loud until Rio stepped to the side, ushering me into the house. “No, not really. I mean… kind of, right now. It’s hard to explain. Come in, and we’ll fill you in. I’ll grab you a drink.”

Stepping into the room in a daze, I tried to push down the whine my Omega was urging me to release.Not my Alphas. Not my Pack.I had to get that into my thick skull damn fast.

I followed Rio through to the living room, the Omega scent getting stronger and stronger until right there, sitting beside Max, was a girl. She had no hair and was dressed in an oversized sweatshirt, with wide green doe eyes and a frown on her face.

My heart thumped in my chest with something like finality.Ba… bump.She was beautiful.Sobeautiful. In her eyes was a pain that I didn’t even know how to verbalise.

And at the base of her throat was a giant, infected burn.

My eyes shifted to the men that moments ago I’d lusted after, respected, and something soured in my stomach. “You better start explaining why you have such an obviously traumatized Omega on your couch before I call the damn cops,” I hissed at them, moving toward the Omega to… what? Protect her from the military-trained soldiers?

I knew in my heart I’d try.

The girl just looked up at me with eyes that were fearful. Fuck, she was so young. She couldn’t have been more than nineteen or twenty. I sent out every wave of reassuring Omega pheromones I could conjure, watching her relax gently into Max’s side.

As I eyed him, he raised his hands. “It’s okay, August. None of this was us. Sit, please, and we can explain.”

Rio sighed. “I can see how this would look… bad. This is Paloma. She was rescued from a human trafficking situation two days ago. She was sold to them by the cult she grew up in.”

I was often praised by my coworkers for my poise and my professionalism. For being able to hear the most fucked-up things and keep a neutral, caring face. But right now, I felt my jaw unhinge, and I was worried it would hit the floor.

I looked at Rio. “I think I’ll take that drink now.”

Eight

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