Page 41 of Ruined Omega

CHAPTER 13: TALIESIN

The heavy rains have finally abated to a soft mist. Overhead, gray clouds are still pulled over the sky like a dingy quilt, but it is not as dark and ominous as yesterday, and there are even a few holes where patches of blue sky show through and beams of gold light slant downward to the rolling hills of the Farlands—the outermost region of the Zone.

We set out from the shelter at daybreak feeling well-rested. Even Hines seemed energized and refreshed after the ordeal of the preceding day.

Now the Quarantine Wall is far behind us, and with the slackening of the rain, we are making good progress as we travel on foot toward the center of the Zone, to the central ruins where our tribe lives. To avoid the mud and uneven ground, we are following an ancient paved road from the time before the Big Change. This makes it easier for Hines, but it also leaves us exposed, out in the open. I don’t like that.

The most important thing, however, is time. Even though the rain has let up for now, there are dark thunderheads piling up on the eastern horizon, flickering with internal lightning.

That makes me nervous. We need to move fast and reach our checkpoint shelter in the forest before the storms reach us.

Hines walks beside me, and I try to position my body in such a way as to block her from the wind and the rain. We left her sopping wet dress behind, and now she is dressed in dry clothing that we found inside the shelter—an oversized hoody that hangs half way down her thighs like a baggy dress. Her smooth legs are bare, exposed to the cool air, but the constant movement seems to be keeping her warm.

Then there’s the other member of our little party.

Baen.

The young Alpha frequently runs ahead of us, scouting out the terrain ahead, checking for danger.

I’m glad for that. I don’t want Baen anywhere near Hines. I don’t trust him around her. The young Alpha’s reputation is well known throughout our tribe. I know all about his penchant for seducing young, unbound omegas. Although I’m not sure of it, I suspect that is the reason the Elders posted him way out in the Farlands at that remote shelter—it was a punishment for messing with the wrong omega.

And I have no doubt that he’s got similar plans for Hines.

Source, if I hadn’t reached the shelter when I did yesterday, the stupid boy might have actually marked her.

I can hardly blame him, though.

No Alpha could have resisted that scent.

And I have to admit that Baen is a useful addition to our little group. Aside from his reputation as a seducer, he’s known to have one of the most sensitive noses in the Zone. That nose has gotten him into trouble. But now it’s a valuable asset. So he stays ahead, testing the air every hundred yards or so, gesturing back to us that the coast is clear for us to continue our march.

If there are any Farlanders nearby, Baen will certainly smell them before they smell us.

Normally, I wouldn’t have any fear of the Farlanders. In fact, the thought of hiding from them is distasteful to me. I would much rather meet them head-on and defeat them in battle.

However, right now, the most important thing is protecting Hines. We can’t risk letting her fall into the hands of the Farlanders. I shudder to think what they would do to an omega like her.

No, not an omega, I correct myself.

I look down at the small female as she walks bravely beside me, her brown hair stirring in the breeze.

Yesterday, she was beginning to transform into an omega, just as Lily said she would. But then she took that little blue pill, and the transformation was reversed.

I don’t know how I feel about that. On the one hand, being an omega is not a disease that needs to be cured. But on the other hand, halting the mutation means she does not have an omega scent, which means she is less likely to attract Farlanders as we journey deeper into the Zone.

But how long will that medicine last? I have to assume the effects were only temporary because she gathered up the rest of the scattered pills—as many as she could find—and put them back into the bottle that is now tucked in the front pocket of her hooded garment.

Hines looks up and sees me watching her. She quickly looks away.

I can’t tell if it’s shyness or fear on her part.

A pang of remorse stabs at my heart for what happened yesterday. When I was around her in the city, I was able to control my desire for her. But yesterday when I caught the beginnings of her omega scent and her estrus, it sent me into a frenzy. Baen and I were both so swept up in our feral urges that we nearly hurt Hines.

We nearly hurt the very woman we are sworn to protect.

A heavy burden of guilt drags at my heart.

I cannot allow that to happen again. I must protect Hines at all costs. I must not give in to my base, animal urges.