Page 45 of Enticing Little Omega

Chapter 20

Christa

The door clicked shut behind Tracy, but her presence clung to the air like stale perfume.

Bitter, choking, and hard to breathe through.

I didn't realize I was shaking until Anton pulled me tighter against his side, and even then, I couldn't stop. My pulse thrummed like it was trying to outrun itself, and my throat felt tight. Like I'd swallowed a scream and locked it behind my teeth.

She'd found me. After all this time. After everything. She'd walked right into my safe space and tried to pull me back into her world like I was still that powerless little Beta orphan with no options. No voice.

"I..." My voice cracked. I tried again. "I need to run—"

"Sit," Honey said, her tone even gentler than normal for her, which was saying a lot.

"You don't need to do anything, my sweet friend. You're just going to take a deep breath and give us a moment."

She turned to look at my pack...Mypack, and then back at me. "You're not going to let her run alone this time, right?"

Annerly guided me into the booth like I might fall if he didn't, and maybe I would have. I felt like my knees were barely holding me up and as if I would explode into a million little pieces at the slightest nudge.

Honey crossed her arms. "That witch can do whatever she wants. She can hop on over to the authorities with whatever paperwork she wants, it won't matter a bit. We have a plan."

I blinked at her. "Do you have a plan?"

She gave me a determined nod. "Sure. The same one I had. Take you on the run, long enough until you're all legal and that creepy as all heck woman can go fly to the moon with her damn paperwork."

I swallowed hard. The idea of disappearing again, of running... It made me sad. It was what I'd been doing for the last two years and I didn'twantto run anymore. But it needed to happen.

I needed to stay safe.

"I can go," I whispered before looking up at my pack, hope blooming in my chest. "We could go."

William watched me with that quiet intensity that always made my skin feel warm.

"We could," he breathed. "We could run for a few months, but then she'd win."

"But if we stay, and she comes to take me away, she'd win too. She scares me," I said, my voice laced with the vulnerability I was showing them.

"I know little Omega," he replied. "But you don't need to be scared of her anymore. Believe me, I know exactly what Tracy is capable of. But babygirl, I'm not afraid of her. And you don't have to be either. Do you want to know why?"

I blinked up at him, trying to force down the tears that were threatening to come out. Tears that I hated she was getting from me. "Why, Daddy?" I asked.

His eyes flashed with something dark at the term before he rested his forehead against mine. "Because Daddy can protect you. All of us can."

"I've run before," I told him. Told them. "I know how to hide. I can do it again."

He took a deep steadying breath, his chest beginning to rumble with a purr, his inner Alpha trying to calm me. "We know you can, little Omega. But that's not what youwantanymore, is it?"

My bottom lip trembled. He reached up and cradled my cheek, his thumb brushing over the curve like I was made of something precious.

William's fingers slid down to curl beneath my chin. "Look at me, little Omega."

I did.

"That big ball of fear in your chest you feel?" he murmured. "It's mine now. Give it to me. I'll take care of it. You don't have to do this alone anymore. We've got you."

Tears welled up and spilt before I could blink them away. But I didn't hide them. Not this time.

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