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Pearl is still missing, and every time she thinks of her pet, tears fill her eyes.
I’m so sorry I failed you; she thinks to herself.I’m so sorry, Pearl.
But she left Pearl three hours away. The ankle monitor won’t allow Audrey to leave Mindy’s house and find Pearl.
She’s all cried out. It doesn’t stop hurting, though.
“I’ll post everywhere I can online,” Mindy says. “She’s a smart cat, Audrey. We’ll find her. I’ll drive back there tomorrow with some friends.”
“Take me with you. We’ll cut this thing off, or deactivate it, or something…”
“Absolutely not. You’re in shock, and you need rest. And we need totalk.” Mindy sounds so much like their mother in that moment that it makes Audrey’s tears start again.
She can only compartmentalize so much, and when they make it back to her sister’s house, Mindy has to hold her up as she sobs. Audrey’s embarrassed; she hasn’t fallen apart like this since their mother died, and she hates the sound of her ugly, choked sobs echoing off of her sister’s fancy walls.
But her cat is gone. She’s an Omega under house arrest.
And Julian’s scent is still on her skin.
She’s helpless, and as Mindy helps her into the shower, Audrey shuts down.
* * *
She doesn’t eat.She doesn’t drink.
But she keeps the news channel on the television in the guest room, hiding under the covers while listening to the headlines.
She does everything she can to keep Pearl off her mind, when she’s not posting on local forums and shoving Pearl’s photos onto every social media platform she can think of.
Her mating gland still burns, and her thighs are still sore from Julian.
Mindy is more than willing to take care of Audrey. She uses the strongest fabric softener she can on the blankets and sheets, changing them daily for her sister without a word.
Mindy may not be an Omega, but she’s done her research to help Audrey as much as she can, which includes hiring a lawyer.
The laws surrounding Alphas and Omegas are crumbling in the country, and Canada continues to offer asylum to anyone in need.
But Audrey’s legal representation is the only thing keeping her in Mindy’s home instead of in an Omega city.
She’s not sure how other states are handling it, but from what she’s seen on the internet and television, it’s chaotic.
Maybe Julian’s fled the country.
Maybe Pearl went with him, and she’s being cared for the way she should be—by a man who dreamed of being a veterinarian before his world turned to violence and chaos.
It’s a comforting thought, and she holds on to it as best she can.
“Was he blonde, at least?” Mindy finally jokes, giving her a small smile. She convinced Audrey to join her on the couch and watch reruns of old reality shows instead of just continuous news stations.
Audrey picks at a plate of cheese and crackers that Mindy prepared for her and shrugs. “Yeah. He was.”
“Good. Blue eyes?”
Her sister knows her so well.
“Yup.”
Audrey’s ankle monitor beeps and Mindy narrows her eyes. With her dark hair pulled back and her sharp cheekbones, her sister looks ready to kill. “I can’t believe you need to have that thing on your leg. What, they just decide since you’re an Omega youhaveto do what they say? It’s a human rights violation!”
