AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You know it's important for your image to be seen taking courting seriously. I want you to at least consider some of these packs. They can secure a great future for you.” She turned to glare at him.
“I already have a great future ahead of me! And these packs know how to get a hold of me if they are interested.” She stalked off and I was left holding my glass, still looking in awe at her even though we had no interaction at all. I couldn't imagine what power she held to be able to skip out on an event without even caring to talk to the packs.
I don’t know how long I waited there with my glass, but it felt like time was going on forever. Packs were approaching omegas left and right, but their eyes passed right over me, sometimes lingering for a moment on my dress. I felt my face heat as I realized no one was interested in talking to me. Would I spend the whole ball being ignored?
I moved around the room just to have something to do. The tapas table was a bit more lively, so I headed that way. Evangeline was still talking to the same pack, who were now smiling and surrounding her. Each of the omegas I saw had a pack chatting them up, and the lonely packs were waiting their turn or ignoring me as I walked by. Once I reached the tapas table, I saw the pack Evangeline had pointed out earlier. Pack Lockwood, Celeste’s apparent adversaries, were standing right by where I was gathering food. They spoke in low tones, but didn’t seem to notice that I was there.
“Look at that. Already on her second glass. What a mess.” One of the alphas proclaimed, his lip curled up in disgust. My ears pricked up in interest. Why did these alphas hate her so much? Another one took a swig of his drink and glared in her direction. “We won’t have to worry too much longer. She’ll be out of the way soon enough.” One of the other pack members stepped inward. “Are you sure she’s messy enough? She can’t be there tomorrow.” One of the other pack members mumbled something, and I had to strain to hear. “She won’t show.” He ushered the rest of them away from the table and I was left wondering what all that was about.
I turned back to grab some more tapas and felt something slam into my body. An omega had crashed into me, her wine glass spilling out as the alpha next to her tried to keep her from falling. Unfortunately, the wine splattered all over me, drenching my face and the front of my dress. She giggled, but realized what she had done as she looked over at me.
“Oh my god, I’m sorry!” She whined as the pack steadied her. She had too much to drink, but the damage was done. I looked down at my dress. It was covered in red wine, and I was sure my face looked a mess. She reached over, trying to wipe some of the droplets from my cheek. “It will be okay, at least the dress wasn’t expensive!” Her eyes were sympathetic, but her drunken words were the truth. Everyone could see that I was wearing a cheap, worthless dress. The alpha pack that was flirting with her looked over at me with sympathy, but none of them moved to comfort me. A few other packs looked over, their reactions varying from sympathy to disgust as they watched me, the charity case in an inappropriate dress, standing there dripping in red wine. My chest was heaving, and I realized I needed to get away from here before I broke down in front of everyone. I turned and dashed through the crowd, trying to keep myself from falling apart until I was out of the way. It didn’t escape my attention that there were no other omegas around without a pack vying for their attention - I had been the only one that was alone.
No one stopped me from leaving, and I ran through the halls and past the guard post of the omega wing. There was no one there at the moment, which was odd. But I saw someone down the hall, coming to resume his post and I turned the corner to disappear, not wanting any attention. I quickly hurried down the hall to my room, desperate and disheartened. I didn’t belong here. Anyone could see it. There was no pack here for me. I had even less of a chance here than back in Haven. Why had I ever thought differently? Tears blurred my vision, and I lifted my dress so that at least the hem wouldn’t get dirty. I stepped quietly, hoping that I wouldn't draw any attention to myself. I wanted to disappear, so no one would see me, hear me, or have the chance to reject me ever again.
I wiped at my tears and almost missed the way the door to my left was slightly ajar. Only half an inch, maybe. And I wouldn't have noticed it had I not been hyper attuned to the fact that Celeste was staying in that particular suite. My footsteps slowed as I looked over. Should I shut it? I went over and pulled on it slightly. It was open and unlocked. That was odd. My chaperone had been adamant that we lock our doors, despite being in one of the most secure locations in this province. It was probably to avoid petty theft by jealous omegas. Even so, I peeked inside, wiping my face a bit to look presentable.
“Hello?” I wiped my eyes one more time and gave a quick knock on the door, even though I knew Celeste was probably somewhere with a pack right now. Maybe I should tell her about what Pack Lockwood was saying. I stepped inside, marveling at her suite. The lights were low, but it was stunning nonetheless. About five times the size of my suite, and I already thought mine was massive. I took it all in, but something felt off. I frowned as I looked toward the vanity. Bottles of alcohol were left open, tipped over and strewn on the floor. A half full wine glass lay next to two empty bottles, the corks askew on the white surface of the vanity.
I was hit with a strong sweet scent - but it seemed too strong and too different to be her real perfume. I remembered reading one time that Celeste had ordered a custom fragrance to be made that mimicked her own perfume scent, but since it was synthetic, it didn’t have the pheromones to set off an alpha, thereby letting people know her beautiful scent smelled without causing any issues. Something like that was too expensive for most people to order, but her room was filled with the scent.
I peeked through the rest of the room, my eyes flitting around to see if Celeste was in here drunk. It seemed unlikely based on how sober she had seemed earlier, but the truth was there were plenty of stories about her not-so-secret party girl reputation. Perhaps she was able to hide her drinking well enough to function. I stepped inside slowly, avoiding the vanity table and peering around the bed in case she was in here passed out. My eyes caught on a dress laid out on the comforter, presumably one of her many choices of dress to be worn at the ball. My breath caught in my throat. It was breathtaking. A silvery sheen corset embroidered with glittering jewels, leading down to a flowing princess skirt with layers upon layers of fluffy tulle. That was the kind of dress that might have made me fit in more. I walked over to the bed as if in a trance; the dress calling out to me like a siren. What would it be like to be Celeste? Even for one night? My hands lightly grazed the fabric, which I could now tell was hand embroidered, heavy and high quality.
I looked around again, wondering why there was no sign of her entourage. Maybe they were all having fun somewhere, not a worry in the world, living their carefree lives. This was the closest I would ever get to being wanted. I reached for the dress, wondering if I could try something bad just once. It wasn’t illegal to try on clothes, but I knew I’d be in huge trouble if I got caught in another omega’s room. It was unlikely though - I had used enough de-scenter that no one would ever realize I had been inside.
I slowly took off my cheap, stained dress and set it down as I marveled at the beautiful dress in front of me. Carefully, I unzipped the bodice and stepped inside, feeling the weight of the crystals as I pulled it up on my body. Celeste and I wore almost the exact same size - the dress fit like a glove. I turned in it, looking over at the full-length mirror in the corner. It was bizarre - she and I looked similar enough that I could imagine I was her, waltzing in through the ball, the desire of every pack. Only a few physical differences set us apart, but a few massive monetary differences put us on opposite ends of the spectrum. I moved carefully over to the vanity. Her signature perfume bottle was there, miraculously saved from being toppled over like everything else was. Even though my omega side was agitated by another omega’s smell, I spritzed the scent on my neck and wrists. Looking at myself in the vanity, I could finally pretend I was wanted, that people saw me as a valued and precious omega, not an unfortunate, undesirable charity case.
I sighed, looking around once more at the vanity’s surface. Why would she mess up her chances by imbibing like this? She had everything in the world. It didn’t make sense. I sat there puzzling for a minute, wondering why it seemed so off. The rest of the room was clean and tidy, just how an omega would keep it. Then suddenly my instincts went on high alert. Something wasn’t right. It was too quiet, but the noise in the room when I moved the chair wasn’t normal. There was someone here. Someone trying too hard to not be noticed. I stood suddenly, ready to fight or run, but when I spun around, it was already too late. Someone dressed in all black with a ski mask was just at the corner of my vision, approaching me silently and so quickly I almost missed it.
But years of running through back alleys and getting out of scrapes during my childhood taught me well. The person in black wasn't expecting me to sense them, and I turned quickly and ducked, avoiding their grip. “Fuck!” A deep, muffled male voice rang out through the room as I scrambled away, knocking the chair over while he recovered and lunged for me again. He had a cloth in his hand, and with a sickening realization I knew he meant to subdue me. For what purpose, I didn’t want to find out. The dress was heavy and interfered with my footsteps. I just needed to make it to the door and yell for help, and the guards would come for me. The man, who I could now see was extremely large, knew this as well and in a few steps was within inches of me as I backed up, trying to cross the room in my panic. His hand caught my arm, twisting me as he tried to bring the cloth to my face. I knew I was done for. An omega had no chance against someone this size, who despite being completely obscured in black, was most definitely an alpha. I did the only thing I could, which was try to leave some trace of DNA. I used my free hand to reach for his mask, yanking it up and quickly and pulling back again to scratch him as hard as I could across the cheek. I was too slow. Although I pulled his mask up, he grabbed my hand before I could scrape my nails on his skin.
I could tell by his face that it was the last thing he expected, his shocked look giving me half a second to memorize his features. He was an alpha all right - with a stunningly masculine appearance, a set jaw, full lips and a dark, close-cropped beard that encompassed the lower half of his face. He had a straight nose and intense blue eyes that looked right into my soul.
Too quickly, he turned my other hand and spun me around so my back was against his chest, holding me there with a vice grip as I screamed out as loud as I could. A cloth covered my mouth and nose, and try as I might, I couldn't stop myself from breathing in the strong chemical smell. My heart was racing as I struggled against him, but it was no use. I could feel my body slowing, my head feeling sluggish as I tried desperately to stay awake. In the last seconds I was conscious, I heard footsteps approach the door. A guard stepped in quickly, and for a moment I felt a surge of happiness that I was saved. But as he assessed the situation, he simply shut the door quietly and walked toward us, his face displeased as he walked up, not even looking at me as he addressed the man holding me.
“We have a slight problem.” The alpha holding me said, and everything faded to black.
Chapter 12
Jameson
I held the small omega in my lap, looking at her all bundled up in a blanket while Maddox drove the van. I wasn’t too concerned about getting away from the castle. We had planned out every detail and planted every piece of evidence to make the story believable. In a few days, Celeste Harringday would wake up dazed and hungover after her latest bender. At least, that’s what the tabloids would report. The first night of the Darlington Ball was over, and no one would notice she was missing until the next day, when she would shirk her responsibilities to Harrington Corp, which wouldn’t be a surprise. She was known to run off on a whim, following whatever alpha suited her fancy or spoiled her for a weekend. And all we needed to do on our end was make sure that she didn’t make it to her meeting tomorrow.
It should have been easy. Omegas were small and lacked fighting skills, especially the wealthy ones like Celeste who were raised in privilege and lacked situational awareness. It wasn’t my first time on a kidnapping mission. But this one had thrown me for a loop. Maddox sent me the message when Celeste had passed by him to go to the ball. He’d used his cover as a guard to slip into her room and set the stage, leaving evidence of her alcoholic bender planted perfectly. Her movements were tracked, and I waited in the hidden passage behind her wardrobe for the signal that she was returning. When she left the event and went down the hall to her room, I was ready. Maddox pinged me that all was clear, and I silently crept up through the tunnel and quietly cracked open her dresser door. When I saw her, she was sitting at her vanity, wearing one of her designer dresses and staring at the wine bottles. I silently stepped out, ready to subdue her before she registered what was happening. It should have been so easy. But something in her sensed danger. She surprised me, seeing me before I could take her down. Instead of running, she did the last thing I expected by pulling up my mask. It would be easy enough to sell the story that Celeste Harringday, socialite and party girl of the year, went on another bender and missed what was probably one of the more important meetings of her life. She would never have remembered being kidnapped, not if it had been done right. The last thing she would remember was being in her room after a few drinks and waking up with a raging hangover. But seeing someone in her room, and seeing my face - she might claim she was kidnapped, although it was unlikely anyone would buy that as an excuse, knowing her penchant for wild nights. But if she remembered my face, if she could describe it to anyone, it was possible someone could verify my identity. It made things more complicated. She had screamed, but we were secure enough in our plans that no one would have heard her save for the guards, which meant Maddox.
When we carried her through the back passageway the various scenarios ran through my head. What we could do for damage control, how to cover any tracks that I had missed. I calmed a bit when I looked down at the small woman in my arms. We could pull it off. She just had a little more fight in her than I anticipated. Her scent was strong and matched the swabs we had been given during the planning phase, but I could tell that they were synthetic and wouldn’t cause any response from us. That was an unexpected bonus, since the woman was the prettiest thing I had ever laid eyes on. She looked even better than the photos, although somewhat different in person.
Maddox had started up the van and changed from a guard’s clothing into a catering disguise as I loaded her into the back and bundled her in a blanket. She should sleep soundly for two days until we released her in a safe location where she would wake, might have a muddled memory, and then go back to her regular life while we were half a million dollars richer. Looking at her and knowing how valuable she was, I was surprised we weren’t being paid even more. The wrong group would have held her ransom for much more. But we had a stellar reputation for staying true to our word and not harming omegas, which was lucky for Celeste.
I looked down at her while we drove. She was knocked out, deep into a dreamless sleep with a small frown on her face. I felt the strange need to care for her, although there wasn’t much I could do except make sure she was comfortable for the next two days. She could have fooled me - nothing about her said irresponsible party girl. My thoughts were interrupted by Maddox, who glanced back at me in the rearview mirror.
“Everything alright? You’re pretty quiet back there.” Maddox was the silent chameleon of the pack. He could be anyone, get in anywhere, and be practically invisible if he wanted to be. Now he was dressed as a caterer, and anyone seeing him would think he was just leaving the event to go home after a full day of work.
“I’m fine. It’s just that no omega has ever caught me like that. She has a sense for danger.” I could tell he was deep in thought. I told him what happened as we went down the passageway behind the wardrobe in her room. That was a simple part of the plan - most of the rooms were connected via an older, forgotten passageway in the castle that had been sealed up years ago. We just needed to make sure the one behind Celeste’s wardrobe had a little renovation and connected to a hidden door behind the wardrobe before the ball.
“At her level of wealth, she might have been targeted before.” I nodded absentmindedly, pushing a lock of hair that had come undone in her struggle with me behind her ear. She fought bravely - like an omega with nothing to lose. I admired that in her, and wondered what else we were missing from her profile.
After an hour of uneventful driving, we pulled up to the safe-house where Cy was waiting. It was far enough away from any major roads, but well equipped and big enough for us to wait it out until we delivered the omega to the drop-off location. Maddox pulled up to the garage and waited until we were clear before getting out to open the van. He looked down at me with a frown. “She’ll have one hell of a wild story to tell once she wakes up.” I looked at her, cradling her carefully as I moved her from the van. I wouldn’t let a single hair on her head be damaged while she was in our custody.
