Omega Hunted by Linsey Moon

4

The car pulledup to the front of the house and the DOA agent got out first, opening the rear door and waving Savannah and the other girl out at gunpoint. For lack of better options they complied, though Savannah eyed the tree line thoughtfully. If she distracted him and ran fast enough...

Before she could get up the nerve the two men were shepherding both omegas inside through the huge wooden front doors. They stepped into a grand foyer, the marble floors softened by elegant woven rugs, which opened up into a large round space at the foot of a great sweeping staircase. A huge glittering crystal chandelier hung above them, and alcoves to either side featured huge marble statues of graceful female figures, posed as though dancing.

There were other people in the room already. Savannah guessed based more on their collective worried expressions than the pheromones in the air that they were all omegas. There were about a dozen all together, all around Savannah's age, mostly women, though there were three young men as well. They were all slender and pretty, even the men, androgynous and doe eyed. Savannah was stunned to see so many omegas in one place. She wasn't sure exactly how many omegas were born each year, but she knew it wasn't a big number.

One of the women, tall and angular with long, dark hair, looked less confused than the rest, though no less anxious. Savannah edged towards her, and the girl who had been in the car with her stuck close to her side.

"Do you know what's going on here?" Savannah whispered.

"Nothing good," the girl muttered back.

Before Savannah could ask anything else, a woman appeared at the top of the staircase.

She was in her forties or fifties. She was beautiful in an elegant in a severe way, with blonde hair pinned up high, wearing a blue dress and blazer than managed to look simple and incredibly expensive at the same time. She didn't have to speak. The whispers of the omegas instantly fell silent as all attention turned to her.

"Welcome, omegas," she said grandly. "To the House of the White Rose. I am the lady of the house. I am certain you are all confused, but you need not be alarmed. You are in no danger. In fact, I am here make you an offer most omegas could only dream of."

There were murmurs of confusion, doubt, and excitement among the omegas, which died instantly at a flash of the lady's eyes.

"In a few hours," she said. "Twenty four of the wealthiest and most powerful alphas on the planet will gather here for the most exclusive party on earth. For three days, they will enjoy the finest White Rose has to offer. The world class food and furnishings will be second only to the company. That's you, my omegas.

You too will attend this party, participate in the celebration, and have a once in a lifetime opportunity to attract the attention of an alpha of unparalleled caliber. That is the true purpose of tonight's festivities- these men, these Alphas of Alphas, will be competing to bring home the one thing every alpha wants most. An omega."

This time it took longer for the alarmed murmuring to quiet down.

"I have given you an incredible gift by bringing you here, my omegas," the lady continued. "Instead of a life in shackles at the whim of your government, you will be modern princesses, swept away by your new mates to a life of luxury and power. It's a life anyone, omega or not, could only dream of! In return, all I ask is you to attend this party, entertain the guests, and try not to let yourselves be caught too easily."

"What do you get out of this?" the tall girl next to Savannah asked sharply.

The lady smiled thinly.

"If one of the guests chooses you as his mate, they will pay a generous fee to the House for introducing you."

"What if no one chooses us?" Savannah asked, emboldened by the other girl.

"An astute question," the lady replied graciously. "If you remain unclaimed by sunrise on the fourth day, you'll receive our consolation prize. A new identity complete with paperwork confirming your status as a beta, and enough money to establish yourself comfortably in any part of the world you choose. Nothing near as grand as the life you'd expect to live with one of tonight's alphas, of course."

The tall girl scoffed in disbelief and Savannah echoed the sentiment. It would have been an amazing offer if Savannah believed for a second that it was real. But she could see on the faces of some of the girls around her that they wanted it too badly to question the obvious deception.

"Now, if you'll all follow me my darlings," the lady said, turning and waving them up the stairs. "We must get you ready for the party! We can't have you greeting your alphas in any old rags."

Savannah exchanged a glance with the tall girl next to her, and together they looked back at the front doors, now closed. Two large men in plain suits with the stiff posture of security guards stood on either side.

There were open corridors to either side of the staircase they might bolt down, and simply hope there was another exit to the house unguarded somewhere in that direction. Or they could hide somewhere in the house and try to get to a phone... Savannah considered it, but the tall girl caught her eye and shook her head slightly, then nodded in the direction of a discreet security camera watching from the corner of the ceiling. Where there was one there would be more. It wasn't worth the risk for such slim odds. Better to wait for an opportunity with more likelihood of success.

Together, they headed cautiously up the stairs, and the other girls followed behind them, trailing uncertainly, all of them waiting for the trap to close as though they were not already inside it.