Chapter 4: Run, Little Omega
1190 Words
Chapter 4: Run, Little Omega
Rhea Grey's point of view
The Moon watches me run.
It hangs low and bright over the estate, and the silver light spills over stone and shadow like it knows what it has done. As I stumble down the servants' corridor, my bare feet slap against the cold floor and my breath comes out in sharp, broken pulls.
I don't remember making the choice to run.
I only remember how much it hurt.
The bond burns under my skin, hot and wild, like fire trapped in my blood. Every step I take makes it tighter, pulling something inside me that shouldn't be stretched. I can't see clearly because of the tears, but I don't stop. I can't.
If I stop, I'll break.
I can hear the Alpha's words in my head.
This bond won't change my path.
Each word is a blade.
I push through the side doors of the hall, the noise of the pack crashing behind me is like a wave. Voices rise in confusion as they notice my flight. Someone calls out. Someone laughs. Someone swears.
I don't look back.
The cold, sharp night air hits me hard, cutting through the thin fabric of my dress. My chest is tight, my heart is racing so fast it feels wrong, and my lungs burn as I gasp.
Run.
That's all my body knows now.
Run, little omega. Run before the fire eats you alive.
When I walk across the outer yard, the gravel hurts my feet. Torches flicker along the walls, making long shadows that twist and stretch. I duck between them, holding my skirts in my hands and shaking my ribs with sobs.
The scent follows me
It is everywhere
It sticks to my skin, hair, and breath. Iron, power, and storms. The Alpha. My mate.
The word makes me choke.
"No," I say softly, but the night swallows my voice. “No, no, no.”
I get to the trees at the edge of the estate and plunge right in without thinking. Branches scratch my arms and get caught in my dress. I hardly feel it. The pain inside me is louder.
The forest is quieter and darker. The sounds of the pack fade away behind me, and all I can hear is my heavy breathing and the thud of my heart.
I trip over a root and fall hard, hitting my knees on the ground. I scream. I curl up and hug myself as the bond flares up in a bright, cruel way.
It hurts because he is close by.
It hurts because he isn't.
I don't understand how both can be true.
The smell of wet soil fills my nose as I press my face into the ground. My tears soak into it, hot and without hope.
I didn't want this.
I wanted a quiet life. A small room. A healthy mother. A chance to learn. To love someone kind.
I wanted Kale.
Thinking about him makes my chest feel different. The expression on his face when he reached for me and felt nothing. Confusing? Hurt. The begin of distance.
I lost him too.
A loud, ugly sob breaks free. I put my hand over my mouth, and my fear rises. I pay close attention.
Nothing.
No footsteps. No voices.
I make myself get up, but I sway as I stand. My legs feel weak, like they could give out at any moment, but I make them move. I push deeper into the trees, not following any path, just wanting to go farther. Away from the hall. More distant from him.
The bond resists.
Every step feels like I'm ripping something out of my chest. The pain comes in waves, some so sharp that they take my breath away, and others so dull that I can move again.
I don't know how far I walk.
In the dark, time doesn't mean anything.
I realize that I'm shaking for more than just pain at some point. The cold gets into my bones. My dress is ripped at the hem, my feet are bleeding, and my arms are sore and scratched.
I don't care.
I find a small hole between two old trees and sit down, pulling my knees up to my chest. I rock back and forth a little, like I did when my mom's cough kept me up at night.
I whisper, "It will pass," but I don't really believe it. "It always passes."
But this doesn't.
The bond hums under my skin, alive and waiting.
The pack hall is bright, loud, and full of eyes, but it's far behind me. And in the middle of it—
The Alpha freezes.
The moment hits him like a punch.
The laughter stops. The whispers stop. Silence spreads, thick and heavy, rolling through the hall until everyone turns to look at him.
Alpha Dorian Blackthorn doesn't move at all.
His silver eyes are fixed on the doors I ran through, and they burn. His chest rises once, slowly and with control. His jaw tightens, and the muscle under his skin jumps.
Vivienne moves closer and touches his arm again. "Dorian?" she asks softly, but there is steel behind the sweetness now.
He doesn't look at her.
The elders are anxious as they wait. The pack shifts, restless.
He can still feel her.
The bond pulls hard and sharp, like a living thing clawing at his chest and demanding his attention. Asking for obedience.
An omega.
Mine.
The word roars through him, and he can't stop it.
His hands turn into fists.
This shouldn't be happening. This can't happen. He has built his life on rules, control, and sacrifice. He won't let fate ruin everything.
But the pain—
He has never felt anything like the pain he feels when she runs.
He takes a slow breath out, which makes the Alpha calm come back into his bones. He raises his head. His voice is low but strong, and it cuts through the silence like a knife.
"Find her."
The order is calm.
Absolutely.
Guards immediately snap to attention, their eyes sharp and their bodies moving without question. Wolves move around under the skin. As trackers get ready, scents fill the air.
Vivienne's eyes get a little bigger. "Find Who?" she asks too quickly.
Dorian finally turns to look at her.
His gaze is cold.
“An omega,” he says. “Who left without permission.”
Her lips press into a thin line. She follows his stare to the doors, then back to him. Something dark flickers behind her eyes.
Torches light up the grounds of the estate outside. Stone is hit by footsteps. Voices rise, giving orders and spreading out.
The hunt is on.
In the woods, I jerk up when the bond flares up again, hot and sharp, like a warning.
Fear comes over me all at once, like a flood.
They are on their way.
I get up quickly, my heart pounding against my ribs, and run again, deeper into the dark and away from the light.
Not knowing that the Alpha's order has already sealed my fate.
- Writer
