Captive Omega

by Riley Carver

  The Beta looks at the ground and starts to fidget.

  “You have permission to tell me what you think, Beta.”

  The attendant slowly drags her eyes up toward mine. “Sir, I respectfully disagree. The children’s center is designed to teach us the importance of the collective. It’s where we form strong bonds and learn to count on our peers.”

  The Beta must have had a very different experience at the children’s center than I did. I grunt in reply and turn back to my soup. It’s actually not bad.

  The Omega chimes in, and hearing her voice is making me hard. Dammit.

  “You don’t see the value in forming strong bonds?”

  What a loaded question. Obviously, there’s only one answer, and her face falls when I enlighten her.

  “There’s not much value, no. It’s critical that soldiers can work together, but protecting each other comes from a place of duty, not from a place of affection. Fysi comes first. Bonds can distract from that.”

  Even as I speak, something tugs at my mind. I don’t know what’s happening to me, but being in the presence of the Omega gives me a niggling doubt that what I’m saying might not be entirely true. What the fuck.

  My beliefs about bonds are based on how I was raised and how I was trained. They motivate everything I do. That’s why it’s really irritating that I want to make an exception for the Omega. I could imagine myself fawning over her, and it’s bullshit.

  I’m not going to entertain this conversation anymore. I stand up, shaking the entire table as I lean on it to push myself up. I turn and immediately freeze. The hair on the back of my neck is standing up. I hear footsteps coming from behind me. They’re getting faster.

  By the time I turn and lunge, the attacker is a galaxar from the Omega. She’s cowering behind the Beta attendant, who looks positively feral. The Beta is reaching for her laser gun when I push the Srimite to the ground.

  “Don’t,” I bark at the Beta. “I need to take this asshole alive. I’m going to have fun interrogating him,” I snarl.

  I punch him in the face until he stops whimpering or making any noise at all. I prop him up and take hold of him under his arms and drag him all the way back to the ship.

  Yet another situation that doesn’t make any sense. The Srimites have no animosity toward Omegas and no use for them, either. They can’t reproduce with Omegas or pair bond with them.

  I have to figure out what’s going on here. There has to be something I’m missing that’s putting the Omega in danger. I won’t let anyone get to her. I draw in a sharp breath as my true motivations for figuring this out start to come into focus. The Omega’s the first person I’ve ever cared about.

  Chapter 13

  Kira

  Peggy wants to carry me back to the ship, an idea that I find insulting. The alien scared me, but I’m not hurt. Drax made sure he never got close enough to do whatever he planned to do. I insist on walking back, glad that I at least finished my meal. I trudge back to my room surrounded by a circle of guards.

  They’re not an expressive bunch, but I can tell they are all glum. This will definitely be seen as their failure, which isn’t fair. The alien who attacked me was dressed as a waiter. There was no way to know he was a threat.

  I’m crystal clear on the fact that the next time I’ll be let out will be to go to the collection center. There’s no way Drax will think it’s safe enough for me to do more than shower occasionally—if I’m even allowed that. I guess it’s a miracle that he let me leave the ship in the first place.

  Everyone said over and over that there are no Avekis and no Alphas on Srim. It was supposed to be safe. It’s starting to get to me that there’s danger everywhere I turn. I find myself hoping we get to the collection center soon, even though that’s a death sentence of a different kind.

  Worst of all, I don’t think I’ll be seeing Drax again. There’s no reason for him to come to my room, and it’s not like I can bump into him in the halls or something. It hurts to lose him, especially because I think I’ve finally figured him out.

  The Fysians don’t get to experience growing up with families the way we do on Earth. There are no happy memories at home, no birthdays or Christmas mornings sitting under a tree surrounded by presents. Fysians don’t remember their moms’ cooking or playing catch with their dads in the backyard.

  Once a Fysian is old enough to remember much, they’re shipped off to the children’s center. I can’t imagine what that must be like. I mean, I can imagine being forced to go to a Fysian center, since that’s where I’m headed. But at the same time, I have tons of memories of my family to keep me holding onto a sliver of hope that this won’t last forever.

  Drax doesn’t have any of that. He’s been a soldier since childhood, basically. It makes me want to hug him. I can tell he’s a good man doing what he thinks is right. And I know that like Peggy, he wouldn’t hesitate to put his life on the line for me.

  I sigh and pace around my room. Peggy is out filing an incident report or something, and I’m left to all the thoughts swirling in my head like fall leaves. If only I could bring Drax to Earth. I could show him how we do things, and I bet he’d start to show a softer side.

  Immediately, I picture us on a rug in a cabin somewhere snowy. My fantasy is so vivid that I can feel the warmth of his big hands on my skin. I close my eyes and lie back on my bed. I dip two fingers into my panties and let my desire take me over.

  I can’t believe it, but I’m as wet as I get when Drax growls. I can almost smell his musk in the air. I can always smell him when he’s near. I’m getting closer, and my muscles contract. Just another minute more, and I’ll be over the edge.

  I hear someone clearing their throat, and my eyes snap open. My fantasy wasn’t so powerful that I conjured Drax’s smell—he’s standing right in front of me.

  Drax

  The little Omega’s cheeks are bright red. I should have snuck out of her room when I realized what she was doing, but I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to watch her pleasure herself. She must have been thinking about how our bodies felt when I bred her. At night alone in my chamber, that’s all I think of.

  I can still taste her on my lips. I can still feel the hardness of her nipples between my fingers. I need her slick to coat my cock. I need her.

  The thing between us is primal. Alpha is meant to command Omega, to make her beg to be filled.

  “Wh—why are you here?” she asks, squirming up to a seated position.

  “I had to check on you.”

  She arches an eyebrow. “You have a ship full of soldiers at your beck and call. You could have sent anyone to check on me.”

  “No. I had to check on you.” I punctuate my statement with a growl, and her eyes roll back in her head for a moment.

  The whole room pulses with our need.

  “Please,” she whimpers. “You can’t be here. I know that you can’t touch me a second time.”

  She’s right, of course. It’s forbidden, even more so than the first time. If I have her, she will be bonded to me, and my career will be over. The Upper Council could even charge me with treason if they were feeling vindictive.

  But right now, it’s hard to see why I thought my career mattered. I’m in an Omega-induced haze, and there’s so much going on. Why didn’t I see what was right in front of me? Why did I think I could blindly trust the orders handed down to me?

  I slowly start to unbutton my uniform. The Omega’s eyes widen when she sees me undressing, but they get huge when she spots the streaks of blood on my forearms.

  “I made your attacker pay,” I say. “And he had a very interesting story to tell once the pain got him talking.”

  It’s fun to watch the Omega’s internal battles. They play out across her face every time. Right now, she wants more information, but at the same time, all she wants is me.

  “It turns out the Srimite is part of a network of spies and assassins,” I say. “Naturally, their number one objective is to kill all the Omeg
as bound for Fysi. They have plants on every ship. We’ll be lucky if a handful of Omegas make it to the collection center. But don’t you worry, they have assassins at the center who can finish the job.”

  I laugh bitterly and give the Omega a dark smile. “The Upper Council is at war—not just with the Avekis, but with itself too. Half of the council are traitors. They have been bought by the Avekis.”

  I rub the stubble on my face. I’m feeling wild and unbalanced. There’s no one to trust except myself. I have to find a way to save Fysi. Alone.

  But first, I’m going to do what I wanted from the second I smelled the Omega’s intoxicating scent. I’m going to make her my mate.

  Kira

  I’ve never seen Drax like this before. I’m trying to follow everything he’s telling me, but it’s so hard to focus on anything but his rippling muscles now that he’s taken his shirt off.

  It’s clear he’s feeling reckless. I want him more than anything, but it’s not my career that’s on the line. Unlike him, I don’t have anything to lose.

  “Wait!” I say.

  Drax stops unbuttoning his pants and gives me a searing look.

  “Are you sure about this? How can you trust what the Srimite says?

  “We’re not discussing this now,” Drax answers. “Lie back and undress.”

  I cross my arms and glare.

  Drax grabs one of his horns and gives a frustrated yell. “We have evidence that backs up the Srimite’s claims. It’s been proven. There’s a conspiracy, and it comes from the highest levels. I have a plan to deal with it. Once I enact my plan, I’ll be considered a rebel anyway. At least let me have the silver lining.”

  There’s one more thing that’s bothering me and keeping me from tackling him where he stands. “But what about the pair bonding? What does that mean for me?”

  Drax’s face softens. “Did no one explain this to you?”

  I shake my head and bite my lip.

  “I see. I assumed that Peggy prepared you.”

  “No, I didn’t want to know. I was supposed to pair bond with a stranger, and it was too horrible to talk about.”

  “Once I mate with you a second time, you will be bonded to me for life,” he says quietly. “You will be able to hear me call to you in your mind. You will want to obey me, and your suppressants will no longer be effective. In fact, you’ll go into a powerful heat cycle.”

  I’m hanging on to every word he says. He is giving me the time to process what he’s saying, and I’m trying my best to stay focused. This is important.

  He cocks his head like he’s expecting more questions. This is a side of him I’ve never seen before, a more attentive side. My mind is blank, though. I don’t fully understand what this will mean for us.

  Now Drax starts tapping his foot a little. I can see his huge bulge, and I have to fight keep myself on task.

  “I will never lie to you or mislead you again,” he says. “There’s no one to trust except for me. Once you’ve pair bonded with me, Alphas won’t have uncontrollable urges around you. You’ll be safer. I can protect you from the Avekis as well.”

  Everything he’s saying adds up. What else could I hope for other than pair bonding with an Alpha who cares for me? Being around the Fysians has awakened the Omega in me; there’s no going back. A stranger is waiting for me at the collection center. And I can’t forget that my planet might be rubble by now. Immediately, I remember the way Vylrin looked, the way there was nothing left but smoke and a charred landscape.

  There have been times that Drax has annoyed me, infuriated me, made me want to kick him in the shins. But once I got to know him, I never doubted his goodness. It doesn’t hurt that his body looks like it’s chiseled out of stone. It’s obvious what I have to do.

  Suddenly, I feel shy. I’m more apprehensive now than when I lost my virginity on Earth. What is pair bonding like? I guess I’m about to find out.

  Drax smiles when he sees me lean back and pull off my shirt. It’s a big, genuine smile, and he looks so handsome it almost hurts. That smile slides from his face and he gets a serious look when he catches sight of my breasts. He lunges at me and rips off my soaked panties and throws them aside.

  His growls echo around the room, which makes my body feel like it’s on fire. I need him inside me now. I can hear myself begging, and I don’t even care. Drax finishes undressing. His cock is hard and pulsing with desire.

  He takes hold of my shoulders and guides himself into me. As he enters, the pleasure starts building in me. He begins to thrust, and I close my eyes and enjoy being filled.

  Then, something strange happens. I can feel Drax swelling and swelling. It wasn’t like this the first time we were together. It’s not painful, but it’s starting to be a bit uncomfortable. I jerk back, but Drax doesn’t pull out at all. It’s like he’s stuck inside of me.

  He gets a knowing look and leans down to whisper in my ear. “Don’t worry. Knotting is normal during pair bonding. It will start to be pleasurable soon.”

  I try to relax as best I can. I’m not really sure what he means. He tilts my face up to look at him and purrs, which makes my mind go blank. I’m able to lose myself in the moment again. And he’s right. It’s starting to feel good. It’s like he’s swelled for the tightest fit, and I can’t uncouple from him.

  He starts pounding into me, and I breathe in short, ragged breaths. I’m close already.

  “Come for me,” Drax says, but I’m looking at him, and his lips aren’t moving. It’s happening; I’m hearing him in my mind.

  “Come for me, Kira,” he says again, and the sound of him calling me by my name for the first time does it. I wriggle around his cock, even though I can’t move an inch when he’s knotting me. I feel him coming too at the same time, and I get a thrill from the way he grinds his hips into me.

  I yell his name and scream as every muscle in my body tenses. The orgasm feels like it’s going to tear me in two. It’s better than any sex I’ve ever had before.

  When Drax finishes, he strokes my face and lies on top of me. I start to feel a little less full, and he pulls out. My body is tingling all over. He turns me on my side and holds me against his warm body for a long time, ignoring the pounding on my door that starts just a minute after he claims me as his forever.

  Drax

  I don’t know why I can’t have literally five minutes to myself without some kind of crisis cropping up. Someone is banging on Kira’s door, and I grit my teeth and try to talk myself out of snapping their neck.

  I throw a blanket over her and pull on my pants and shirt. It’s obvious we’ve had sex from the way I look, but it doesn’t matter. Everyone will know soon enough anyway.

  “What?” I growl as I stalk to the door.

  In a muffled voice, I hear Amiran say, “Let me in.”

  What is Amiran doing here? I slide the door open, and he darts in.

  He sniffs the air once, and he stiffens. “What the fuck did you do?” he asks, and he shoves me backward.

  I wobble slightly and then catch myself.

  “You’re willing to jeopardize the mission? You’re willing to risk treason charges?”

  His mouth is a grim line. He’s looking at me like I’m a bug or an Aveki. I don’t appreciate his judgment, and I have some questions for him too.

  “Maybe you should explain what you’re doing here before you start coming after me,” I say.

  “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Finally, one of the guards said that you went inside the Omega’s room. The repairs are finished on the ship, and we need to get out of here.”

  “Why? What’s the rush?”

  “We’ve had a radio transmission from the collection center. They’ve upped the timeline for the mission. Every ship is expected to deliver their Omega in five days’ time.”

  “But that means making the rest of the journey in hyperdrive. The Earthborns can’t sustain hyperdrive for that long. The Omegas will be half-dead by the time we get them to Fysi. It’ll
take months for them to recover. This is exactly what that Srimite traitor was talking about.”

  “Drax, what’s going on? Did you interrogate him by yourself? I would have helped you break him.”

  “I didn’t need any help breaking him,” I spit out. “He told me everything. We can’t trust the Upper Council. It’s not safe for Omegas to be on Fysi. I’m not taking Kira there.”

  When Amiran hears me call Kira by her Earthborn name, he snaps back to his initial fury. He could smell that I had pair bonded with her the second he walked into the room. I’ve permanently marked her with my scent.

  He curls his lip and turns on his heel to leave the room. I grab his shoulder and we tussle a little before I get him to look at me.