Omega Hunted by Linsey Moon
16
Savannah didn’t stop runninguntil she had led the omegas back to the cabin where she and Nick had left Kasim earlier. Both girls froze when they saw the small building come into view in the clearing of the trees.
“This cabin is safe,” Savannah said. “I only left here an hour ago. A—,” she paused, not sure what to call Kasim, “An acquaintance is inside. We can rest here and you can get some food and water. Believe me, you don’t want to start out at nightfall in the shape you two are in.”
“I’ll come,” the younger of the two said. Savannah knew she was younger than her, but the strain of the past couple days had already worn on her. She had dark circles under her eyes, dirt smudging her dress and feet, and her blonde hair was looking more like straw than the sun it had resembled at the party.
The other omega, who had to have been the first one those horrible alphas captured from the bruising on her wrists, was probably a couple years older than Savannah. Then again, it was hard to tell. Being hunted and abused by numerous alphas and hung by her wrists had done a number on her, and it made it hard to tell her age and Savannah couldn’t remember what she had looked like before the hunt began. She didn’t say much, just gave a slight nod of her head. Savannah had a feeling that was about all the energy she had left to give.
Savanah led them into the cabin, opening the door quietly hoping Kasim would still be resting on the couch. Instead, the three of them were greeted by the sight of him hobbling through the kitchen with a sandwich in one hand and a broom under his other arm like a makeshift crutch.
“Hello gorgeous,” he said. “I see you upgraded Nick for a couple new friends.” He hobbled closer and she knew the moment he got a good look at the girls because his smile fell and his eyes narrowed. “What happened?”
Savannah couldn’t help herself after what she just witnessed and she lashed out at him. “It seems this game you all are playing with our lives is more harmful than even I had guessed.”
A trembling hand wound around Savannah’s arm and she looked at the youngest omega. “You don’t have a claiming mark.”
“No,” Savannah said.
The girl pointed to Kasim. “Then he isn’t your alpha.” She started to tremble and turned to the other omega. “We aren’t safe here. We have to run.”
Kasim tried to take another step forward and nearly fell down. Even injured his attempt to move closer to them only made the other omegas shrink further away. The little color the had left a moment ago had drained from both their faces.
“I swear to you, I’m not like whoever did this to you,” Kasim said. His eyes landed on Savannah’s. “What happened to them?”
“Roman, Shen, and Lucas teamed up. They’re ignoring the rules about no daylight hunting. Not only are they hunting, they are doing it in pairs. And they aren’t hunting to claim a mate. They are capturing more omegas than they need. Nick and I followed Roman and Shen back after they caught another omega who fled when I released her.
“Lucas was watching guard over these two. Had them tied up. As if that wasn’t bad enough, they had enough for a mate for each of them, but Lucas wasn’t satisfied so he and Shen went out to hunt again. Nick distracted Roman so I could get the captured omegas out. As far as I know he’s still back there fighting him.”
Kasim genuinely looked horrified, but Savannah wasn’t ready to trust him completely. For the time being, she’d trust he would honor their truce if for no other reason than because he needed help to get back to get treatment for his foot.
Shifting himself awkwardly on his one good leg and damaged foot, Kasim turned to face the other omegas and bowed his head. “I am Prince Kasim Nazir. I promise you both I am not like those alphas who harmed you. I believe an alpha should treat their omega with nothing but love and respect. I also believe in following the rules we all signed on for which includes no daylight hunting. Please have some food, rest, whatever you need.”
“How are we supposed to trust you?” The older omega said.
Savannah stepped in. “If it helps, I slept here with him and Nick, the alpha who helped me get you out. The Prince or Nick could have easily claimed me in that time, but they made no move to do so despite making it known they are both interested in me as their mate. I know that’s still not a lot to go on after what you’ve just been through, but I believe you’ll be safe here for the rest of the daylight hours today.”
They look at each other like they were having a silent conversation, then they both look back at Savannah and nod.
“Good,” Savannah said. “You’ll have to forgive me, but I didn’t get a chance to meet all the omegas before we were dumped in the forest. I don’t know either of your names.”
“I’m Katherine,” the younger blonder girl said.
“Dawn,” the other omega said.
“There’s a room in the back,” Kasim said, pointing with his broom-crutch. “Why don’t you all get cleaned up and let me make you something to eat.”
Both girls start towards the room but Katherine pauses and turns back to look at Kasim. “You’re not going to drug us are you?”
Savannah watches Kasim’s face fall. “No, I would never betray your trust like that.”
Kathrine shrugged. “Everyone I’ve met since they took me from my parents has offered me food and drink just to drug me. Like I had any say or power to refuse to do whatever they wanted anyway. Just seems like overkill really.”
With that, she turned around and followed Dawn into the room. A moment later the water started running and Savannah watched Kasim run his hand down his face like he was gathering his emotions. Then he turned back and used the broom to hobble back into the kitchen and prepared sandwiches for everyone.
When the girls were done cleaning up, they sat back out on the couch Kasim had been occupying when Savannah had left earlier in the day. She helped Kasim carry the sandwiches he had made into the living room and gave one to each of the girls, then sat on the end of the couch with them while they all ate.
Kasim sat in the chair across from them quietly watching them and she noticed the other omegas looking over his way from time to time. She finished her sandwich first and decided to break the awkward silence.
“Listen,” she said to the omegas, “I don’t know what your plans are for making it through this hunt, but the other omega who was captured with you two shared some info with me about traps The Lady has set up all around the perimeter of the tree line. These cabins are also set up throughout.”
“Are they all stocked with food and supplies like this one?” Dawn asked.
She took note of the clothes Dawn and Katherine had changed into. They were too big on both of them. Clearly clothes stored here for the alphas these cabins were intended for, but they did look a lot more comfortable than the debutant ball gowns they’d been forced into. It would also be easier getting around in the forest in something like that.
“They are stocked for the alphas,” Savannah said. “And they serve as a double whammy because they are enticing to us.”
“So they’re traps,” Katherine said, her eyes growing wide.
Kasim held up a hand. “You have no need to worry. As I said before, I will not break the rules. Daytime is supposed to be opportunity for you all to rest and find food. Besides.” His eyes flashed to Savanah. “I only have eyes for one.”
Savannah’s body heated just from his look and the reminder that he wanted to claim her. Her body didn’t care that she had no desire to be claimed. She cleared her throat and shifted her focus back to the girls before she could get lost in his heady scent and dark eyes.
“I know we don’t have much more time before dark,” Savannah said. “I think it would be a good idea for the three of us to stick together. We can look out for the traps and I think we have a better shot at making it through this ordeal without getting claImed if we work together. We might even find a way to escape.”
Neither girl responded right away. Katherine looked down at her lap and started to worry her lip with her teeth. Dawn was the first to finally speak up.
“I can only speak for myself, but I’m not really trying to escape.”
Savannah fought the urge to openly gawk at her like she was crazy and instead remained calm, at least on the outside. “What do you mean? You don’t want to be claimed by someone who would pay to hunt you in some game like an animal, do you?”
“I don’t want to be claimed by one of the assholes who tied us up and tortured us,” Dawn said. “No omega should be subject to the abuse I know they will inflict on whoever they force their claiming bite on. But not all of the alphas here are bad, and they are all capable of providing a very comfortable life to their omega.
“That’s something I’ve never had and if not for being brought here, it’s something I never would have had access to through any other avenue. I’ve been stuck in the system for a really long time. If I can get the right alpha here to claim me. Well, that’s a hell of a lot better than going back to being stuck under the DOA’s thumb.”
Savannah could tell Dawn’s mind wouldn’t be changed. It was a true shame that the world couldn’t see that the DOA was a terrible organization if omegas would rather give themselves over to alphas who paid to hunt them down than be forced to be under the DOA’s rule any longer. She looked at Katherine who was still chewing nervously on her bottom lip and looking anywhere but at Savannah. It was obvious what her answer was even before Savannah asked.
“Katherine, do you want to escape?”
“I’m not sure that is our best option.” She finally looked up at Savannah. “Dawn’s right. With the exception of the ones who tied us up, most of the alphas here have been attentive and they can provide the kind of life I’ve only dreamed of. I’ve never had much.
“My parents tried to hide my existence which meant we didn’t have much in the way of modern things and we had to work hard to grow and catch our own food. It would be nice to be taken care of for once.”
“My parents hid me too,” Savannah said. “But that’s exactly why I can’t let them claim me here. I hated feeling stuck and controlled by my parents and they loved me. They just wanted to keep me safe from something like this. I don’t plan on turning my choices and freedom over to some alpha who paid to capture me. My family didn’t sacrifice to keep me safe for so many years for me to throw it all away for a rich alpha who thinks all of us omegas are little more than property they can buy.
“No alpha who would want to take part in paying to hunt us down and force their claiming mark on us against our will is the kind of alpha you should want to be in a relationship with. If they are willing to do that, then they don’t care they are hurting us and they never will.”
“We’re not all as bad as you think,” Kasim said.
Savanah turned to face him and even under his unruly dark curls that always seemed to fall onto his forehead she could see his brows were drawn together and there was a frown marring his otherwise handsome face.
“You might not be as bad as the alphas who captured and hurt them,” Savannah said, “but you still paid to hunt one of us down and claim us even if it is not our will.”
“Not all of us had a choice to be here either,” he said. “My father arranged this. It is my family’s tradition that the crown can only be passed down to the son who finds his mate first. My father wants me to succeed him as King, so he arranged this because he said it would take chance off the table and ensure I was his first son to find a mate, thus securing my spot as his successor. He only told me his plan after he’d already made all the arrangements.”
He looked down at his mangled foot and sighed. “I know he’ll be disappointed when I come back without a mate, but I’m afraid my chances of success are slim now.” He looked into Savannah’s eyes. “Too many alphas have declared a desire for the omega I wished to pursue. I doubt I will be able to outmaneuver them now. I will find a mate eventually, it just might not be on my father’s timeline.
“No matter the circumstances, when I claim my mate I will cherish them. Love can start anywhere, even when mates meet under the craziest of circumstances like what we’re all faced with here. I want that with my mate. A union that grows into love.”
Savannah stared at him while he spoke and a warmth spread through her chest that she knew she had no business feeling, yet she was unable to stop her emotions from reacting to his declaration. In her mind she knew she had no reason to believe him—shouldn’t believe him. Her body and heart had not seemed to get the memo…treacherous things.
“How about you?” he asked, his eyes boring into her like he was trying to see into the deepest recesses of her soul. “What is your dream?”
Savannah watched him. The way he never took his eyes off her. The sincerity in the things he’d just shared with her, even if she was struggling to believe him and his intentions. Something about him made her say, “I spent a lot of time sheltered in place, but I always had nature and the trees and I loved that part of it. I used to dream of traveling the world. I wanted so visit all the oldest trees on the planet.”
Kasim smiled and despite the pain she knew he must be in it made his eyes light up. “That’s a beautiful dream,” he said. “I would be honored to make it come true for you, if you would allow me.”
Savannah’s face fell. No matter how much a part of her wanted to say yes, she couldn’t. She couldn’t say yes to him or anyone here. “I want to visit those trees and stand under their branches as a free woman. Not as an omega chained to an owner who paid to hunt and capture me. Being there with someone who made me feel like an object would poison the whole experience.”
Kasim’s eyes dropped for a moment but before they did Savannah could have sworn she saw hurt flash across his face. He didn’t linger in whatever he was feeling, though. He looked out the window and changed the subject. “The clouds are rolling over the mountains. Looks like a storm is on the way.”