Page 24 of Marked Omega

Fortunately, in his nocturnal shifting, Addom has loosened his grip with his arm. With a bit of shuffling and shimmying, I’m able to work my head from underneath his hug and sit up. I glance at Addom’s face, which is blank with sleep. His piercings and hyper-masculine features give him the appearance of a slumbering demon. I turn to look at bearded Hasker, and he’s definitely sleeping like a log too.

Good.

I stand up, saying goodbye to those two rock hard penises. Part of me is thankful that I’ll never have to be penetrated by those beastly things.

It suddenly occurs to me that although Hasker quenched my heat, at least temporarily, my omega scent is probably pretty strong in this cave. That gives me the oddest little tingle of pride knowing that I gave these guys that feeling.

But it also reminds me what they plan to do to me with those terrifying members.

Yeah, it’s time to get far away from here.

Crouching to avoid the bumps and jagged bits of the cave ceiling, I tiptoe toward the blueish circle of moonlight that is the mouth of the cave.

I still don’t know where Kadmon has gone, and it occurs to me that he may be keeping watch, so I move cautiously and quietly.

Stepping out into the blue-tinged moonlit forest, I find myself surrounded by sounds that I have never heard before. I have only read about such things in scientific texts.

The first sound I notice is a strange buzzing that seems to come from every direction, the noise rising to a crescendo and then falling away in waves. Those must be cicadas singing in the trees. How fascinating.

There are other sounds too. The hooting of owls and the high pitched squeaking of bats, which I can see fluttering and swooping overhead. And there is also the rustling of the soft night wind whispering through the leaves in the treetops.

These are sounds of nature that my hive-dwelling ears have never experienced.

Part of me loves these notes. Not to mention the rich earthy scent of the forest or the way the cool night air ghosts over my naked skin. I’ve never felt so alive in all my days. Part of me feels as though it belongs here.

But my rational mind knows that I belong back in the city hive. I have to run. My odds of making it back to the barrier wall on foot are slim to none, but I’ve got to at least try.

And there is no sign of Kadmon. I seem to be in the clear.

Suddenly, a dull ache pulses behind my eyes. My temples throb with pain, and nausea grips my stomach. I double over, expecting to vomit. If that happens, the Alphas will surely hear me, and my cover will be blown.

My first thought is the berries that Kadmon gave me. Could they have been poisonous? Doubtful. The Alphas are surely knowledgeable about what is safe to eat in the forest since they get their sustenance from hunting and gathering.

Then it hits me. The nihiloxin. It’s been nearly half a day since my last dose, and back in the city hive I would always take one tablet before bed to help me sleep.

I’m having withdrawals.

Panic grips me. I’ve never experienced withdrawals from nihiloxin before, but I’ve heard of the symptoms. In some very severe cases, people can have seizures and even go into a coma. If that were to happen to me here in the zone without access to medical technology, I would be finished.

Fortunately, the nausea and headache pass as quickly as they started. A moment later, and I feel perfectly normal again. I breathe a sigh of relief.

Still, I can’t deny, a nihiloxin tablet would certainly come in handy right about now.

No time to think about that. I get my bearings and remember the way that the Alphas brought me. That’s south. If I run that way long enough, I’ll make it to the wall and beyond that, civilization.

God, it will take days.

But I’ll never get there if I just keep standing around. I start to run, moving in and out of the trees and trying my best to steer clear of any dense underbrush.

I’ve barely gone a hundred yards, when I hear a distant sound echoing through the forest.

A feral howl.

My blood runs cold. Was that a wolf? Or perhaps it was Kadmon?

Or was it something even worse?

I pump my legs even faster, dodging in and out of the densely packed columns of enormous, old-growth tree trunks. I stumble over a gnarled root and go sprawling, scraping my knees and hands.