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“Char! I’m so glad to see you.” I rush toward her and pull her into a hug. She pats me slightly, but pulls away fast. At first, I’m surprised. Most omegas are very snuggly by nature. But then I remind myself that Char has been through a lot. I might not know the specifics, but I can tell it hasn’t been an easy road for her. I should have been more thoughtful.
“Sorry,” I say sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to pounce on you like that. I’m a mess. They’re taking me to the mansion, and the guys I was with, they seem to be abandoning me and… I feel terrible.”
“I know,” Char says softly. “About the mansion, I mean. Derek told me.”
“He did? When?”
Char hesitates. “I think it was yesterday? He gets drunk. Tells me things.”
“Is that all he does?” I ask softly. “Because you don’t have to put up with—”
Char shakes her head, cutting me off. “Don’t worry about me. I’m a survivor, and I’m not the one walking into the snake pit.”
“Snake pit?”
“Haven’t you ever seenOmega Girls? We’re lucky out here; no competition, no eliminations… we say no, they go away. But up there?” Char shivers. “Let’s just say, it’s the first time I’ve ever been grateful for this,” she points at the scarred side of her face.
I smile because I don’t know what else to say.
“Haven, be careful up there, ok? All of this, it’s entertainment first. But it can be hard to remember that.”
“You’re right,” I say softly. I’m learning that first hand. “I’ll be careful.”
“Just… guard your heart,” Char adds.
Too late for that, but I nod solemnly anyway. “Thank you. I’m glad we met.”
“Me too,” she says.
My smile turns into a frown as I process what she told me. “Wait, Derek told you yesterday that I was going to the mansion? But he just came in and said… well, he implied, anyway, that I was going to the mansion because of—”
“Haven?” Derek calls from the doorway. Char immediately fades into the shadows, and I step forward to try to keep her out of sight. Derek doesn’t seem to notice. He looks down at my clothes and wrinkles his nose. “That’s what you’re gonna wear?”
“Well—”
“Doesn’t matter,” he interrupts, looking down at his phone distractedly. “We’ll change you before the cameras go up. The car’s out front. Let’s go.”
I start back toward the door, but Derek blocks me. “We’re going to go around the house. No reason to go back in.” He points to the stairs leading off the deck.
I hesitate, peering over his shoulder at the house. “Can’t I say goodbye?”
“They’re already gone,” Derek says tensely.
Already gone? My stomach drops. In a few short days, I had started to think of Arlo and Reese as my protectors; my pack. Did they really leave? Reese made it clear that he didn’t want me, but Arlo? I guess I wasn’t even worth a goodbye.
It hurts more than it should. What did I expect them to do, try to overpower Derek and make a run at me? Even if they did, the network has me by the throat because of my debt.
Still, I feel tears trickle down my cheeks as I follow Derek out into the backyard and down a small path that winds its way around to the front of the house.
A car awaits us on the street, a chauffeur holding the back door open for us. Derek doesn’t speak to me as he gets into the back of the car and slides over to make room for me. He taps the screen of his phone, muttering to himself before holding the phone to his ear.
“Yeah, it’s me,” Derek says as the driver shuts the door and races around to the driver’s seat. “Look, the redhead is coming up now. Yeah, her little fuck buddies were more interested in each other than they were in her, no surprise.”
I grit my teeth, my hand curling into a fist.Control yourself, I think to myself. Nothing good will come from hitting this douchebag, as much as I might want to. My contract has a non-violence clause, as I recall. I’m sure no one would be sad for Derek, but I can’t risk it.
“Yeah,” Derek continues, “I fired them both. Yeah, she’s here with me. I’m bringing her to the house now. Might make a good Easter Egg at least. Tell wardrobe to find a gown in her size, ok?”
The car rises and dips over the San Francisco hills. It takes about five minutes, and then we’re pulling up at a gorgeous townhouse, gas-lit lanterns flickering on either side of a bright pink door. Derek pockets his phone and gets out of the car.
