by Leann Ryans
What if something happened and she needed help? What if another Alpha tried to claim her while she was carrying his child? What if she’d changed her mind?
Pharmacies had been searching for a synthetic replacement for an Alpha’s essence for years. They’d been doing everything they could to eliminate Alphas completely, but so far it hadn’t worked. He had no idea if she would take the risk of being one of their guinea pigs to test a new product.
The tension built until he was worried he might snap. He paced his room, the tiny cell seeming to grow smaller with each lap around the space. He’d given up going to the Pen because he didn’t want to risk his mood affecting one of the other studs, but he was going crazy on his own.
The knock on his door froze him mid-step, the urge to growl building in the back of his throat until he choked it down. Taking a deep breath, he strode to the door to find one of the employees waiting on the other side.
“Ms. Haranne would like to speak with you.”
The woman turned her back, walking down the hall, assuming he would follow. No one refused when Ms. Haranne called, but the way the woman delivered the message left him unsure if he would be happy with the outcome of the talk.
Sucking in another gulp of air, he straightened his shoulders and followed behind the beta. It seemed like he passed through miles of white corridors before he finally reached the director’s door.
The woman who fetched him knocked on the door, poking her head in to announce his arrival. He heard Ms. Haranne’s voice say to send him in, the beta nodding and stepping aside for him to pass.
The click of the door shutting behind him made his spine twitch and he had to resist the urge to spin around. He knew there was no physical threat, but with his senses on high alert it was hard to fight what instinct dictated he do.
“Please take a seat Liam.”
She waited as he followed her instructions, forcing his body to fold despite its insistence at remaining rigid. He sat on the edge of the chair, leaning forward as he waited for the woman to speak. Despite knowing it was more likely she was letting him know they received the results, the doubts had lingered too long.
“I received Miss Farah’s results today. You’ll be boarding the transport tomorrow morning.”
Once the words had a moment to sink in, Liam released the breath he’d held, shoulders relaxing with the news. He didn’t know why he’d been so worried about other possibilities, but he was glad those fears were allayed.
“That’s good to know. Thank you.”
He moved to stand but Ms. Haranne held up her hand to stop him.
“There’s a few more things to cover before you go.”
Liam’s gut clenched, eyes narrowing at the little woman across from him. It felt wrong for something so small and delicate to be so powerful, but Ms. Haranne held the life of every Alpha in The Haven in her tiny hands, and they all knew to respect that.
Once he’d settled into the seat again, she glanced down at the tablet in front of her.
“After the evening meal you will report to the medical bay to be fitted with a tracker and your teeth guards. The guards aren’t meant for long-term wear, so you will need to have them checked regularly while you are in Eden. We’ve arranged the appointments with a provider there, and you’ll be given a list of when they are.”
His breath caught in his throat as another growl tried to force itself from him. He barely swallowed it.
“Tracker?”
The single word was all he could manage. He hadn’t realized there would be extra stipulations to him living in Eden.
“They’re required for all unbonded Alphas living in Eden. An added precaution. It’s a simple black anklet that shouldn’t cause any issues. While you’re not required to maintain a job like the other Alphas there, you will need to keep yourself in top shape for your return. Your schedule will be based on Miss Farah’s needs, and she will be in charge of anything you’re allowed to do.”
He ran his tongue along his teeth, processing what she’d told him. Though he hadn’t given it any thought before, he wasn’t surprised by the tracker or the guards.
“Okay.”
“Someone will fetch you in the morning when the transport arrives. There are a few other Alphas from the city heading out to Eden, so you’ll be going with them.”
Nodding, Liam pushed to his feet. His hand was on the handle of the door before Ms. Haranne spoke again.
“I heard your brother is moving to Eden and your parents are looking for a place as well…”
He froze, hackles rising. He couldn’t turn to look back at her, the threat of what she could be about to say leaving him unable to face her with the proper respect.
“Don’t forget you’ll only be there until the delivery. Once Annalise no longer needs your presence you’ll be returning to your place here.”
He blew the air from his lungs slowly, biting his tongue. He knew her warning made sense, but it seemed unnecessary for her to state it.
“I understand.”
His voice was rough, but it was the best he could manage. Fleeing from the room before she said anything else, Liam tried to shake off the tension coiled through his shoulders.
It wasn’t surprising for her to remind him of his place, and he tried to think it wasn’t personal. They were all slaves to society, and there was nothing he could do to change it. He belonged to her until she decided she no longer needed him, then he would be sent to work out the rest of his life doing manual labor. His time in Eden would be the most freedom he was likely to ever see.
14. Annalise
She spent the rest of the day in a fog. She logged into her computer, answered emails, checked the markets, sent off recommendations… but she was simply going through the motions. Her mind wasn’t in it.
It was still replaying those two little words.
You’re pregnant.
She found herself cradling her belly, staring down at the flat expanse that would soon begin to bulge. Wanting a baby and knowing there was a little life growing inside her were two different things, and she found herself coming up with all kinds of questions she hadn’t thought of while she was with the doctor.
The woman was an omega herself, not surprising considering her specialty, and she’d tried to explain the symptoms Annalise may experience, but Annalise hadn’t been able to pay attention. Everything after her greeting when she came into the room was warped through a cloud of shock.
As much as she’d hoped and planned and dreamed, a larger part of her had maintained the certainty that it wouldn’t happen. That her mother had broken her.
Doctors assured there had been no damage to her organs when she was old enough to approach one on her own, but the fear had still lingered in the back of her mind. The remembered pain left her certain something had been injured when her mother found her as she entered her first heat.
Her parents had never wanted an omega daughter. Her father had been resigned to it, but her mother made sure to let Annalise know how disgusted she was with her when she came home to Annalise writhing in a slick-soaked bed, hand buried between her legs searching for relief.
The first few kicks to her belly hadn’t even registered, the screams falling on deaf ears. But as each blow grew more forceful, the pain finally broke through the haze of her heat. It didn’t end until her father came searching for the source of the noise and physically hauled her mother away, locking Annalise in her room for two weeks. If it hadn’t been for Adalynn slipping food under the door once Annalise was cognizant enough to be able to accept it, she would have been too weak to walk from the room once the door was unlocked.
Even after so long, the bruises across her abdomen had remained.
Her father had locks installed on her closet door, and she was informed she would spend her cycle there from then on. She was required to put anything she needed in the tiny space to get her through a week’s time and had to lock herself inside at the first hint that it was coming. He would rel
ease her once he was sure it had passed.
The memory of her mother’s face when Annalise looked up at her and begged her to stop made sure Annalise was never late to hide herself away. It didn’t stop her mother from making insinuations over the years. When her sister announced her second child was a girl, their mother went so far as to say Adalynn should do what she’d done if it turned out to be an omega and be sure she could never reproduce.
Discrimination wasn’t restricted to the Alpha population. Her mother was one of many who looked down on omegas with disgust, thinking the world would be better off without the other two dynamics.
Annalise had gone straight to a doctor after that remark to be sure everything was fine, but the fear had lingered. She never spoke to her mother again. The woman had died a few years later, her father following shortly afterward. He was the only reason she hadn’t been left out of the will.
Pulling her thoughts from the past, Annalise let out a sigh as she rose from the bench by the river. Despite her inattention, she’d remembered to send the results to Ms. Haranne, and had received a message that Liam would be arriving in Eden the next day. Everything was already arranged for him to be processed in and given a tour before being brought to her apartment, but they couldn’t give her an exact time for his arrival, so she didn’t know if she would get to go on her usual walk the next afternoon.
She had his room prepared when she first moved in, so everything was ready for him except her. She’d lived alone since leaving her parent’s home twenty years earlier, so it would be an adjustment she’d have to grow used to. It was going to be awkward for a while, but she hoped they would be able to work out an arrangement that satisfied them both.
***
Annalise was able to focus a bit better the following day, though she kept one ear open for a knock on her door. The transport wasn’t expected until noon, but she had no idea how long processing would take.
She had just finished up her last task of the day when it finally came. Startling, it took a moment for her brain to kick into gear and tell her feet to move toward the door. Opening it to not one, but two massive Alphas was more than she’d expected though.
“Good afternoon. I’m Ethan, the Chief Controller here. We’re done with the in-processing and tour, so he’s all yours.”
Ethan gave her a nod and turned back to the elevators before she could think of how to respond, leaving her along with the man she’d last seen lying naked in her nest. Liam’s eyes trailed over her, leaving an unexpected heat in their wake.
“Hello Annalise.”
Already unbalanced, his deep voice caused a shiver to run down her spine, her nipples tightening to painful points. She tried to steady herself by pulling in a deep breath, but the flood of his pheromones hitting her system only served to distract her further.
The desire she’d been ignoring for the past week slammed into her. The feel of slick soaking into her panties brought a flush to her cheeks as she tried to pull her eyes away from the Alpha standing in front of her.
Clearing her throat, she took a step back, crossing an arm across her chest to hide her traitorous nipples.
“Good afternoon. Please, come in.”
She took another step back, trying to give him as much space as she could without releasing the door and making it look like she was running from him. They may be a step above animals, but Alphas were predators, and she was the prey. Running would only incite a reaction from him.
She held her breath as he passed into the room, using the moment where she faced the door as she shut it to get herself under control. There was no reason for her body to respond to him the way it did since she wasn’t in heat, and she wasn’t going to make a fool of herself.
She needed his presence to keep the baby healthy, not to quench her primal urges.
15. Liam
The scent that hit him as the door swung open had a surge of blood rushing to his cock. Even before his eyes landed on her his mouth was watering, and he almost forgot the presence of the Alpha beside him.
The transport brought them straight to the Admin building where Ethan had waited to escort the new Alphas inside. Liam had barely paid any attention to him at first, too busy taking in the sights of the city.
His face had been glued to the window of the transport since they left The Haven. He’d never been outside the city and had been surprised by the openness. The lack of buildings to hamper his view brought home how vast the world really was.
And how much he was missing being locked away.
Ignoring those feelings, he looked around the apartment he would be staying in for the next few months. The area in front of him was a living space, the furniture arranged to focus on the glass wall looking onto a patio that held a table and chairs with a variety of potted plants. The walls were painted amber, giving the space a warm feeling without being too bright.
To his left was a small dining area beside a nice kitchen. The cabinets and appliances were arranged not to block the natural light coming from the windows, the countertops shining. There were only a few things sitting out, making it look like something from an advertisement and not a kitchen that was actually used.
“Let me show you to your room.”
His attention was pulled back to the woman who’d haunted him for the last week. The slight change to her scent that he’d noticed before she left him was more refined, though still light enough to be missed.
Giving her a nod, he waited for her to pass him and head down the hallway behind the dining area. She was trying to hide it, but he could feel the tension radiating through her, her nervousness natural since she was inviting someone who was essentially a stranger into her home.
And an Alpha at that.
He couldn’t help the pleased feeling that spread through his chest. Omegas were careful who they invited into their space. The fact that she didn’t really have a choice about it didn’t affect the way his instincts responded.
He also couldn’t stop himself from watching the sway of her ass as she walked ahead of him. His erection throbbed, urging him to move closer and press against the plush curves of her backside.
“This will be your room. I hope you don’t mind the bedding I chose.”
Annalise stepped through the door on the left, moving aside for him to enter. The walls were painted a dark grey, the bedding a deep red that contrasted nicely. The bed and dresser were the only furniture in the room.
It didn’t hit him until he realized that the room only held traces of her scent that it wasn’t her bedroom as well. She obviously expected them to sleep separately, and he had to fight back a wave of disappointment. He didn’t know what he’d expected staying with her to be like, but it certainly hadn’t involved separate rooms.
“It’s fine. Thank you.”
He walked over to the window, looking out on the landscaping between their building and the one beside it. He wasn’t familiar with looking at things from above and was distracted by how tiny the people below seemed.
Annalise drew his attention by clearing her throat. Giving him a nod, she edged toward the hallway as he moved to peek into the door of his closet.
“I generally work from seven to four, and I’ll have dinner ready at seven in the evening. You can help yourself to anything in the kitchen, and if there’s something you need, just let me know.”
He took a step closer to her, resisting the need to reach out and grab her. The flutter of her pulse above her clavicle caught his attention, a smirk pulling up his lips as he noticed the hint of a bruise still lingering on her pale skin. He may not have claimed her, but he’d still marked her body.
“I’ll leave you to get settled.”
His groin tightened as the door shut behind her, wafting her scent to him. He knew she’d deny it, but the traces of slick in the air were indisputable. Her body wanted him no matter how hard she reigned herself in.
Her mind apparently needed a little encouragement. He’d been looking forward to a more�
� enthusiastic greeting.
A grin split his face as a plan formed. Annalise may give the appearance of a stick in the mud, but he knew the passion that lay beneath the façade. She had needs and desires like any omega, and he was willing to bet it wouldn’t take much to get her to give in to them.
Chuckling to himself, he tossed his bag on the bed so he could get unpacked. He’d give her a day or two to get used to his presence. To let her need for his seed grow.
Then he’d start making denying herself difficult.
16. Annalise
She pressed her back to the wall beside her bedroom door, desperately sucking in air that wasn’t tainted with Liam’s pheromones. Her heart was banging around her chest, the fabric between her thighs drenched to an embarrassing degree.
What was wrong with her?
Deciding she needed fresh air and still had time for her usual walk, she grabbed her flats from the closet and slipped them on. She took a deep breath to brace herself before stepping out into the hall. There was no reason for the sudden urge to run to the front door, and she refused to give in to it.
Annalise didn’t find any relief in the elevator, the Alphas’ scents lingering in the space they’d occupied shortly before. She wasn’t able to draw a breath free of their smell until she stepped out into the breeze flowing between the buildings along the street.
“Hey Annalise!”
She startled at the voice behind her, whirling to find Penny smiling at her. Penny’s brows rose as she held up both hands.
“Sorry for startling you. Is everything okay?”
Annalise swallowed, smoothing a hand down her belly.
“Yes. I just wasn’t expecting anyone to call my name. How are you?”
She used the polite response that had been conditioned into her to gather herself and settle her nerves.