41. Jeremy

"You may want to prepare yourself. It"s not pretty…"

I look toward my Omega.

We stand outside the door of the compound—the place where my team currently hides the Omega captive.

Miles called earlier to inform me that she finally woke from her sedative, and now I am here to get my answers.

Rian"s heat passed several days ago, so his scent has diluted to the point where he can successfully hide his real identity from my team with just a small spritz of desensitizer.

But I still worry about him.

Yet the Omega was determined to come today.

He"s still a part of my team, and I can"t forget that.

But I can"t forget the fact that Rian is as much an Omega as the woman we"re hiding from the government.

Which may be why this will be hard for him.

He may see himself behind those bars…

So, I guess it"s time we learned where she finally came from.

Rian is going to discover some things today that will surely shock him to his core.

Such as the fact that the Omega bears a similar tattoo to the girl that he welcomed into our home and into his heart.

There"s no denying it anymore…

Belle and the Omega have come from the same source.

I just don"t know what that source is yet.

Belle is still so tight-lipped, but I won"t force answers from her any more than I will the Omega on the other side of this door.

"Open the door," Rian orders, and now we both brace ourselves as we enter the compound.

The Omega is silent in the corner of her cell. She is no longer tied to the bed, yet she resembles a ghost as she gazes at nothing.

My heart aches looking at her.

She reminds me too much of Belle.

The dark-haired Omega has found her way inside my veins too, and all I want to do is shelter her and keep her safe from the world, but I just don"t know where to start.

Right now, I am protecting her from an invisible enemy.

I don"t know who or what is after her, but for now, I will give her some grace and allow her to tell me in her own time.

I won"t give up on her.

Because Barret"s words still ring throughout my head and when I next see my cousin, I will punch him in the face for being right.

I think Belle might be the one.

The Omega we have all been looking for…

Rian steps up toward the cell and there"s no missing the shine in his eyes.

"Poor thing…" he whispers. "She really won"t talk?"

I stop beside him, and now we both watch the poor little creature inside the cell.

The more I look at her, then the more I see Belle, and finally, I glance away.

After today, I will be handing her over to the government.

I have no other choice.

She"s unregistered, and it"s a crime to harbor an unregistered Omega.

But aren"t we doing the exact same thing with Belle?

I don"t care…

For Belle, I will gladly break the law.

Because she is ours.

She is mine.

No one will have her.

I turn to Miles. "Has she not spoken?"

The Beta shakes his head. "No. After her heat finished, she huddled up in the corner and hasn"t moved since."

"Do we at least have a name?"

Miles sighs. "No."

Suppose it"s better that way. If I never learn her name, then it may hurt less.

If only it were that simple.

I dare another glance at the Omega.

She rocks back and forth in her little shadowy corner, and I really wish there was more I could have done for her.

Rian wraps his fingers around the bars of her cell, asking her kindly, "What"s your name?"

No reply and I reach across, gripping Rian"s shoulder.

"Twenty-two…"

We both stare at the Omega.

Neither of us breathes.

Rian"s face pales. "W-what?"

She doesn"t meet his gaze, but she holds out her wrist, and I spy the moment the penny drops in my Omega"s eyes.

Rian looks as if he has seen a ghost, and then he finally looks my way, his jaw tight.

It"s the same tattoo as Belle"s.

"My… my name is twenty-two…"

That"s the only thing she is willing to tell us.

But my Omega still tries.

"Where have you come from? Please, we only want to help you."

He doesn"t get his answer.

The Omega disappears inside herself once again, and then she returns to rocking back and forth.

It"s time.

After today, she will go to the government, and then her fate will lie in the hands of a higher power.

I hope for her sake that it all works out for her, and maybe I can speak to Gryphon on the council and ensure that she is at least treated fairly.

"Come on."

I try to haul Rian away, but he can"t stop gazing at the pitiful little creature beyond the cell.

He feels so helpless; I can sense it through the bond.

Rian tugs on the bond, and I let him in, his voice filling my mind.

"Is there really nothing more we can do?"

I don"t look back at the Omega as I reply, "No. I am sorry."

Silence. Then, "Why didn"t you tell me about the tattoo?"

I"m not sure how to respond, and a sigh leaves my lips. "I"m sorry. I wanted to at least confirm that she was of no danger to us… to you…"

I"m talking about Belle, of course.

Rian swallows. "And did you?"

"Yes. I did. Belle is no threat."

My Omega keeps his eyes on our captive, and I know he can see Belle on the other side of the bars.

They"re both so shy and similar. It"s hard not to make comparisons.

Finally, Rian turns away from the cell, having only one thing on his mind.

Belle.

She"s all I can think about now too.

She will not meet the same fate, and I swear, I will keep her safe.

The government won"t get their grubby hands on her.