46. Mila

Chapter forty-six

Mila

M y father's funeral was a small affair.

Only a handful of people came in the end, but even as I sat in the front row, watching as my father's coffin was lowered into the ground, I held on to hope.

Surely, they will come.

I haven't been able to get in contact with them, but I at least hoped that they would still turn up.

They didn't.

Had something happened to them? Or, maybe they realized that they didn't want me after all.

Maybe Gryphon finally managed to convince Oliver that he didn't need me and told him to forget about me.

No, that can't be. Oliver would never do that to me. He took a bullet for me; there is no way he would forget about me that easily.

Unless Gryphon did something behind their backs. Something so awful and deplorable that he can never crawl back from.

I knew the Alpha hated me, but not to this scale.

This past week has been hard; I have never felt so alone, and I just needed someone beside me while I was planning my father's funeral.

At least I had Jane. She helped guide me all the way and got me into contact with the right organizations.

But I needed my guys.

I needed my family…

My father was so happy when I told him that I finally found a family, and I promised that I would go back to them as soon as I could.

But it appears they don't want me anymore.

My thoughts are becoming dark, I am twisting things in my head, and I am finding it hard to remember exact details.

Did Oliver truly care about me? Or did I just imagine it?

Omegas aren't normally the sacrificial type but he shielded me from a bullet.

My fears are just getting the better of me.

I'm sure they will still show.

My father's wake is happening right now. But I stay by his grave.

It's hard to see his name on a headstone.

But at least he's buried with my mom now.

They had a plot.

Jane has gone back to the house to host the wake in my stead. I needed more time.

It's raining, and I am getting soaking wet. But it's a fitting atmosphere.

A crow squawks nearby, and no wonder they call them the birds of death.

They love graveyards.

I hug myself to keep warm, but it has little effect.

Soon, I need to go back to the house. It's only a short walk from here.

"So, I guess this is it, Dad…"

Silence. Except for the smattering of the rain on his headstone.

I suck in another breath. "They… didn't come…"

More eerie silence, and now my tears blend in with the rain that soaks my face.

"I… really thought they would…"

The crow answers this time, and finally, I fall down to my knees.

I'm not sure what I have to do. Do I go back to the house? Or find a new pack?

After all, I am still a soldier. And I will need to protect another Omega…

My other pack has already made their choice.

They don't want me anymore.

It looks like I was a spare after all…

Someone steps up behind me, and I whirl around, trying to see through the rain.

They're too far away, but when I squint, I make out the silhouette of a woman in black.

My heart pounds, and I climb back up to my feet, backing away.

She stops several feet away, a sly smirk curling across her face, and I don't move.

Governor Lily…

I didn't invite her.

"Hello, Mila Stone. We finally meet."

I curl my fists, wishing I had a weapon.

It just didn't feel appropriate to take a knife to my father's funeral.

I had been a fool.

At least there are rocks around…

Lily steps closer, and I move around the grave. "What do you want?"

The smirk doesn't vanish from her face. She merely crosses her arms, and instinctively, I jerk my head around the graveyard, sensing them.

She has me surrounded.

"Governor Frederick is dead, Mila. The Trials are over, and I thought I should be the one to tell you myself…"

Wait… Frederick is dead? That's not possible.

She feigns a melancholy sigh. "I'm sorry. I know how close you two were…"

We weren't.

I know why she is really here…

Governor Lily has come to finish me off just like she finished off Frederick.

The soldiers close in, and now I have nowhere to run.

But I won't go down without a fight.

Lily smiles, and my heart thumps in my ears like an alarm. "Seize her."

Two soldiers come up behind me, twisting my arms behind my back, and I kick my legs.

"Get off!"

Lily paces back and forth, careful not to step on my father's grave. How nice of her.

"I am going to give you a choice now, Ms. Stone. Either you leave and never contact the Hart Pack again, or die."

I snarl. "And where am I supposed to go?"

She grins, glancing at the distant hills.

No man's land, basically. No one lives out there. It's just trees for miles.

The entirety of our country's population lives inside the Alpha and Beta cities.

"You want me to leave civilization?"

"If that's what it takes to keep you away, then yes."

I look her straight in her black eyes. "Why?"

She raises a perfectly plucked eyebrow. "Why what?"

"Why do you want to keep me away from them so much?"

The woman looks me up and down, wondering if I am worth telling her deepest, darkest secrets.

All this time, I thought Frederick had been the one with a special interest in the pack. He told me to get close to Oliver because he was a male Omega, and male Omegas are rare.

As rare as he might have been, though, he could never bear an Alpha's young. Well, not unless he…

The penny drops, and a protective growl escapes me. "You stay away from him…"

Lily rolls her eyes, looking away from me. "So, will you leave or not?"

My heart rages, and now all I can see is the color red. "Just so you can get your hands on Oliver? I don't think so…"

Lily sighs, turning her back on me at least. She knows she has already won.

"A shame. I kind of like you, Mila. You remind me of a younger version of myself. But, unfortunately, you have to go… Well, fellers, you know what to do…"

A hand clamps around my mouth, and despite how hard I struggle, the soldier knocks me out.

Then I see no more. ***

I open my eyes to bright sunlight.

Birdsong trills around me as I come to, blinking up at a forest canopy.

Where am I?

The memories come flooding back, and I jump to my feet, searching the trees. I have no idea where I am, and I curl my fists, imagining Lily's smug face.

That Alpha… she only went and decided for me in the end after all.

She decided to spare me and let me live.

Big mistake.

I will find my way back.

Oliver is in danger, and I won't let that psychopath get her hands on him.

But I don't even make it two steps until the pain hits my gut, and I double over, gripping my stomach.

What on earth was that?

The cramping returns, and I twist around on the forest floor, biting my lip to stop from screaming.

There are wild animals out here. I have to be careful.

I will not end up as prey.

I guess it was only a matter of time until this day inevitably came. I had been ignoring all the signs, but they were there, warning me…

But there is no denying it anymore. What I truly am. What I always knew I was deep down.

I'm an Omega, and I have gone into heat. END

Will Mila survive her heat? Find out in Part Two Saved. (the release date is just a placeholder file for now).