AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I grinned back at her, and my spirits lifted a bit. I liked that she could joke about it. That was what I tried to do most of the time.
“Yeah. They like to keep tabs on all the free-range omegas.”
Maddie shook her head, brown curls bobbing around her freckled face. “I forget you are one most of the time.”
Good. I tried to forget, too.
“Well,” she went on, “I’m about to get out of your hair. You sure you don’t want to come? It’s gonna be dead around here.”
“Positive. Tell your parents I said hi.”
“I will.” She grabbed her duffel bag by the door. “Give me a call if you change your mind. They’re saying we’re getting snow tonight. I can come dig you out if you need me to.”
“It’s March. I’m sure it won’t be that bad.”
“You never know.” She shrugged and opened the door to leave. “Have a nice week off.”
“You too.”
Maddie closed the door. Standing where I was by the sink, I heard her truck start, followed by the familiar sound of tires along the long gravel driveway. I listened until she turned onto the narrow paved road that wound through the park, and then everything was quiet. I was alone.
Finally.
It wasn’t terrible having a roommate. Maddie wasmy age—twenty-five. As we’d gotten to know each other, we’d become good friends. But I still liked having the place to myself once in a while. We were both year-round employees at the park, assigned to different sections, so it happened often enough.
Maddie would be gone a few days at a time, doing inventories of butterflies or invasive grasses in one of her meadows. Then I would go hiking into the backcountry to monitor fish spawning and frog numbers. In between, we both had administrative duties that kept us busy.
Either way, I didn’t have to deal with many people, and when I did, it was only other park staff. Those I did interact with were betas, and I blended in. They probably thought my light lavender and honey scent was from my laundry detergent or something.
Yes, I had the typical hourglass omega figure, but I put my blond hair up in a ponytail and never wore makeup. It seemed to work well enough, because I didn’t get comments, ever.
I felt like one of those rabbits that turns white in the winter to hide in the snow. Camouflaged.
Safe.
My phone buzzed. I glanced at the screen and saw two text notifications.
One was from my mother, the first few words something about checking in on me. The other was from Ben, a PhD from the local university who wasstudying spawning patterns in the park’s waterways. I opened his first.
Ben:Hi Tracy. I’m heading up to Creek 133 to take measurements today, last minute weekend trip. It would be nice to meet in person if you wanted to swing by.
I sipped my coffee, considering whether I was up for peopling. Taking a breath, I opened my mom’s text.
Mom:Hi sweetie! Just checking in. We miss you. Can’t wait to see you in a few months.
I winced. Ever since the abduction, I got one of these proof-of-life requests every couple of days. If I didn’t answer soon, she’d start to panic.
I tried to be sympathetic, to consider her feelings, but I resented the constant need to reassure her.
Maybe if I was bonded to a pack, with some big, burly alphas to protect me, my mom would have been less anxious. Too bad. I wasn’t going to look to someone else to solve my problems, just to make her feel better. It was up to me, and I was perfectly capable of living independently. I wished she could see that.
Me:I’m fine, hope all is well there. I’m going to be hanging out with Maddie’s family for the next few days, out of touch for a bit. Talk to you next week, love you.
A weight lifted off my shoulders. One whole week without my roommate, work, or reminders about thepast. I had a book I wanted to read and a cupcake recipe to try. Things were looking up.
Movement outside the window caught my eye, and I glanced out as a few snowflakes fluttered past. If I was going to meet up with Ben, it probably needed to be now.
Me:Hi Ben. I’ll be there in an hour. We’re expecting snow, hope you came prepared.
