Omega Hunted by Linsey Moon

20

On the walkto the main house Savannah couldn’t stop worrying about what would happen once they got there and she passed her message on to The Lady. Yuu had made it pretty clear he planned to keep the hunt on pause up until that moment, but did that mean he was going to turn on her right in that moment and take her?

There was no guarantee how The Lady would react either. She’d gotten the impression from Nick that the rules were important, but what she didn’t know is if The Lady saw them as important, or if Nick was just a stickler for the rules. She hadn’t known him long, but she’d already gotten the sense he believed in upholding your word when it was given. At least he had held up his side of the truce with her even when he’d had unfettered access to her while she slept. His respect of the truce he agreed to with her was one of the reasons she was so determined to find him and make sure he was okay.

She wasn’t ready to think too much about the other reasons her heart clenched every time she imagined what might have happened to him if Lucas and Shen showed back up while he was fighting Roman so she and the other omegas could get away.

Her mind was spiraling with thoughts of Nick being hurt, of her being taken when they got to the main house. It was too much. She needed to break up the silence or she was going to get lost in the recesses of her brain and worry herself into mindlessness.

“I guess I got really lucky that you came along when you did,” she said trying to break up the silence while they walked. “The Lady should do better background checks on the alphas she invites to participate in this thing if it’s supposed to be a fair hunt for the omegas. Those guys are bad news. Whoever they claim is going to be in for a rough life. I really hope she will listen and kick them out of the hunt for their behavior.”

“I’m not sure what The Lady will do with your news, to be honest. She doesn’t like to be defied, but every alpha here was invited by her. This hunt isn’t the kind of thing that is advertised, or that alphas can sign up for and hope they get picked. She does her own research and only invites alphas with the deepest pockets and best reputations for keeping their mouths shut.

“Which means a lot of the alphas who get invited are involved in some pretty sketchy businesses. Plus, she charges the alphas who get invited here a very large fee, so I’m sure she knows given the character of those she invites that some are bound to test or break the rules at least to some degree.”

Savannah’s stomach churned with his words. He had no reason to lie to her so she had to guess everything he was saying was the truth. But here they were and she had to try. She didn’t have another card to play. If she told him she had changed her mind, that it sounded like talking to The Lady was a waste of time, then their truce would be off. She could at least use the time to try to think of a next move even if The Lady was a terrible a person as she seemed.

“Well,” she said, “at least I was lucky enough for you to come along and save me from those assholes.”

“Luck didn’t have anything to do with it,” he said.

She laughed half-heartedly. “What, do you mean like it was fate or something?”

“No.” He looked right at her. “I’ve been following you since last night.”

“Me?” She nearly tripped over a dead branch on the ground but Yuu grabbed her arm and lifted her up like she weighed nothing, then sat her down safely on the other side.

“Ugh, thanks,” she said. “Why’d you just follow if you weren’t going to try to chase me down. You could have went after another omega. You might even have caught one by now.”

“I enjoy the hunt. What fun would it be if I caught you on night one?”

“Considering what the claiming ritual is it seems it would be a lot of fun for you.”

Yuu moved in front of her so fast she ran into his chest. He was so solid it was like hitting a brick wall, if a wall smelled like lavender tea and honey with peppermint. He wrapped a hand around her jaw and it sent a jolt of energy through her.

“If I was the one claiming you, I would make sure it would be the best night of your life.” His eyes moved over her face slowly, lingered on her lips, then moved back up to meet her eyes. She recognized the heat in his gaze. It reminded her of the way Nick and Kasim looked at her.

Heat quickly started curling deep in her belly. Why did her omega instinct always have to kick in when one of these alphas got too close to her. His scent was mingling with hers and the heat from his touch kept coursing through her body, growing until it felt like an inferno was churning within her.

She was so hot it was surprising she wasn’t engulfed in flames. Then Yuu licked his lips and her eyes moved to his mouth of their own accord. It was like her body and instincts were turning on her. Taking over and pushing her mind to the side, running on full omega drive.

Still watching his mouth, she drew her bottom lip between her teeth and almost moaned from how sensitive her skin felt. The desire to lean in closer to him, to move her mouth closer to his, was growing by the second. Luckily his grip on her jaw was stronger than her willpower because she wasn’t sure if she would have been able to hold herself back had he not been holding her in place.

“Unfortunately for us both,” he said, “I’m here on behalf of my employer, so the only pleasure I get out of this event is the fun of the hunt. That’s why I didn’t just grab you the first night. I didn’t want to spoil the fun, and I wanted to steal a little more time with you for myself.” He leaned in and whispered. “But let’s keep that secret to ourselves. My boss won’t be happy if he finds out I’ve been lusting over his omega.”

“I’m not his,” she said, her voice cracking.

What the hell?she thought. Why was she trying to convince him that she was available to him? She should be encouraging him to let her go and put some space between them. Not pointing out the fact that she hasn’t allowed herself to be claimed yet.

“You will be, little flower.” He brushed his knuckles over her cheekbone sending sparks skittering along her skin. “You are the best omega here. You are quick on your feet, and I’ve already witnessed your wisdom and kindness in how you dealt with Corinne, Kasim, and Nick. Even now, I should be taking you back to my employer, but you’ve convinced me to do what’s right.”

Realization kicked in and helped sober her from her instinct driven lust a bit. Surely she had heard him wrong. He couldn’t have been watching her during the day because that would mean he saw Nick and her trying to save the omegas who were wrongfully captured, and he did nothing to help.

“Wait, so you didn’t just watch me last night? You watched me all day today too and you saw Nick and me trying to save those omegas and stayed hidden.”

“Yes. It wasn’t my place to interfere, and believe me, Nick wouldn’t have been pleased if I offered my help. In case you haven’t noticed, us alphas have a bit of an ego. If I had swooped in and offered to help, Nick probably would have seen that as me suggesting he wasn’t strong enough to protect you or something, and since it’s obvious he wants you as his omega that would not have ended well for one of us.”

“Oh,” she said. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Don’t worry, love. You’ve had a lot on your plate the past couple days with being hunted all all. And still I saw you repeatedly put others before yourself. Even now, you’re risking yourself with me to try to help the other omegas, when the reality is regardless of the rules, they will all be taken by one of the alphas here before this hunt comes to its final end. And you’re again risking yourself to make sure another alpha is okay.”

“What?”

Now she was sure he was crazy. She was a good person, and good people didn’t disappear on those who got hurt while helping them. That was all.

He laughed. “We both know you’re hoping we run into Nick at the main house. I watched you search that cabin and I know it was him you were looking for. Just like you took care of Kasim when he got caught in the snare. You could have left him there, but you didn’t.”

He moved in close, bending down and whispered in her ear. “Don’t think I missed what happened after dinner. I came so close to tearing the door down to get you away from that Prince, but you pulled away from him just in time.”

“Why do you care so much if I’m for your employer? Wouldn’t any omega do?”

“My employer expects the best, besides,” he brushed her hair over her shoulder, “there’s just something about you.”

“Yeah, that’s what everyone keeps telling me,” she said.

“There’s a lot I don’t agree on with most of the guys here, but they know what they’re talking about when it comes to you. I’ve seen my fair share of omegas in my lifetime and none of them have held a candle to you. As alphas our nature drives us to take care of our omega and most omegas fit right into that lifestyle.

“You’re built for it with your slender bodies and delicate skin. You, though, you seem to want to take care of everyone around you. I might not get the privilege of calming you myself, but I’m looking forward to seeing you give my employer a run for his money.”

“You haven’t captured me yet,” she said, suddenly feeling like a reminder was very much needed. “We’ve got a truce until I notify The Lady about the cheating that’s taking place.”

“Yes, a truce.” He lifted her hand to hip lips and kissed the back of her hand. “But don’t get too comfortable, Savannah. This is merely a delay. There are too many alphas here that seem determined to have you and I can’t allow that. Once we talk to The Lady, all truces are off. I won’t let you slip away from me tonight.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Savannah had suspected that was his plan all along. She wasn’t sure how, but she needed to find a way to put some distance between them once they got back to the main house. Maybe she could convince The Lady she needed to speak to her privately. If Nick was there he would probably be willing to run interference to get her away from Yuu.

The only problem with that plan is she’d be trading one alpha for another, and Nick doesn’t want her so he can transport her back home for some employer. Nick wants to claim her for himself. To be honest, she wasn’t sure which was the better scenario. Winding up with Nick who she would have to try to escape anyway or become his mate, or Yuu.

The more she thought about it the more she realized she might need to rethink her plan. Maybe Yuu having to transport her to his employer would give her the opportunity she needed to make her escape. She needed to come up with a plan, whatever it was going to be, because after she spoke with The Lady all bets were off.