3. Ian

three

Ian

Three years and one month ago

S ilver

He says his name is Ian, and he's introduced me to his pack. I'm hiding and masking my pain again. They don't see me watching the resort, learning all the layout, escape routes, hiding spots. I mean, why would an omega need to know these things?

They say they aren't meant to be here yet but needed a few days. A favour was called in, and they were given their rooms early. "It was charity," Ross said with a smile. They are kind and generous. Funny. I keep waiting for the mask to slip, but it doesn't.

They don't hit me or demand I service them.

Are they genuinely nice guys?

Present Day

I turn around and smile at Falcon as he approaches me. He's wearing a suit as he always does, and his cold assessing glare runs over me and leaves me feeling like a muddy toddler yet again. The sun is shining at the Treyfield estate. The garden party is superb, and everyone is having fun. Everything is beautiful, expensive, luxurious. The people are friends. So, why am I so annoyed by it all?

It's been three weeks.

Three weeks since the night she disappeared. I don't even know why I care. I don't know why it's bothering me so intensely. How does a woman who looks like Silver just vanish? What happened to her?

I heave a sigh, not wanting to deal with him. Not today. I was not out driving around searching for an omega. Not at all. I was hungry and couldn't find a bakery open. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

"Have you thought about our deal, Ian?"

"I have. I'd like to see the contract, but I like it. The project sounds incredible." I don't care about the deal. Go away, Treyfield. I'm tired, and I want to pretend I'm just resting. Who's idea was it to come to this stupid party, anyway?

Oh. Mine. Damn.

Falcon grins, but his attention gets side-lined when Grayson waves his hands in the air. He points at Grayson and nods his head. I don't miss the way his eyes soften as he looks at the happy alpha.

"Attention, everyone. I just want to say thank you," Grayson booms.

Not a speech. Anything but a speech. I groan and have to stifle it when Falcon shoots me a frigid glare.

I tune out of his conversation and discreetly melt back into the gardens. If I can just get five minutes alone to deal with this headache. I turn three corners of shrubs, quickly becoming lost. With a backwards glance to ensure I'm alone, I heave a sigh, letting the tension out of my shoulders. I'm almost relaxed when I spot movement. Someone is already drunk and sneaking into Grayson's maze. The person looks small. Why can't I be alone? I'm tired.

"Ian?"

I glance to my left and realise Quint has snuck up on me but refocus my attention on the figure. There is something wrong and off about the whole situation. I find myself drifting towards them. The hair is dark, and the clothes torn and filthy. The smell is awful, but is it a child? A runaway teen?

"Hey, you can't go in there!" I call out, increasing my pace as the person steps towards the mansion and the open doors.

The person flinches and trips on the next step, hitting the ground hard. They don't move, they just lay there on the ground, barely breathing. I rush forward, kneel, and carefully turn them over.

For a moment, I think it's Onyx because there's no way Silver could look this bad in just three weeks. There are bruises all over her. She's filthy, and she's thinner than I've ever seen any omega.

"Silver, what have you done?" I whisper the words in horror.

Her eyes open a fraction, and in them, all I see is pain and defeat. She doesn't seem to recognise me.

I scoop her up into my arms.

"Call Adrian!" I bellow, uncaring of what I'm interrupting.

She clutches at me, her eyes wide and huge. "No! I didn't mean to come here! Ian, please, I'm sorry! I'll leave! Please! I'm sorry!"

Why does she beg like this? Where is this fear and hysteria coming from?

"Well, it's a good thing you did come here," Quint says, though I can hear in his voice that he's struggling to keep the horror out of it.

She coughs weakly, and I get the impression that if I don't do something, I might just watch this omega fade away and out of my life. My heart thuds, slamming against my chest. I see her image a million times in my mind's eye, and the panic at the thought of having her gone leaves me raw and blind.

I loved her back then. I never got to tell her.

I can't lose her!

It's not conscious thought, it's not intentional. There is no plan, there is only instinct.

I bring her wrist to my mouth, and I bite hard. She stiffens and whimpers, but that's the only sound she makes. Her body is so depleted that she can't even cry out. I can barely feel the bond. It's so weak.

Please! Oh, please let this work!

I put my hand to her mouth. My fear is a living, writhing beast inside me. I will not lose her.

I can't lose her.

"Bite."

She shakes her head. Just a weak movement from side-to-side. I snarl at her.

"Bite!" I order in a bark that allows no obedience. She sinks her teeth into my hand. The bond between us flickers with strength. "Now, you will live. You will have a purpose. My purpose. My pack will be your home. My pack will be your family. You will live, Omega," I order in those same tones, refusing to let her go.

Her eyes blink up at me, so blue, like sapphires. She's lost and confused, but that's okay. She won't be for long. It doesn't matter that she's my omega now. The position was filled in my heart a long time ago.

"What did you just do to my sister?" Onyx snarls, attempting to pull Silver out of my arms, but I lift her, cradling her to my chest, and refuse to let Onyx touch her.

I snarl back at her. "I gave her a reason to stay."

Onyx glances at Silver and does a double take. "What…what happened to her?"

"I have no idea, but when Adrian's seen her, I'm taking her home, and I'm going to find out."

Silver whimpers, but when Quint comes closer, she hesitates, and then struggles free with surprising strength and pushes her way between the twins, clutching onto their shirts to keep her up. West lifts her easily into his arms and holds her close.

"She should stay with me!" Onyx says calmly, with complete irrational thought.

I scoff at Onyx's ridiculous demand. "Absolutely not. You have a pack, and an omega to protect, and that."

I point at a barely visible baby bulge. "Silver can come stay with us. It's safe, it's clean, no one will get to her."

"But she's-"

Dylan murmurs in Onyx's ear. She bursts into tears and turns into his arms.

"I know. I just don't want to see her get hurt," Onyx cries out.

I assume I've won the battle and catch sight of Falcon, Silas, and Grayson's grateful expressions. It rubs me the wrong way, but I don't say anything.

Adrian and Jade get here, and he rushes over. "Lay her down on the table." West carefully lays her down on the outdoor table but stays close, holding her hand, while Adrian checks her over. He shakes his head.

"Oh, god, why didn't she come to us for help!" Jade whispers. "We're friends. Why didn't she tell me she was in trouble? Shit, I knew I should have found her before we left on that holiday! I'm so stupid."

No one answers her. Silver is a mystery unto herself. No one knows why she does anything. And since she's passed out again, no one can ask her anything, either.

"Let's get her to your house. I can set up an IV and get some fluids into her and check these bruises. It doesn't look too bad, but I need to check some-" Adrian hesitates, and my stomach flips over.

"Okay," I say and swallow hard. I carefully lift her into my arms. She weighs nothing.

Jade and Kandi trot along behind us. Neither of them ask questions, but Kandi opens the back of a huge SUV. I turn and put Silver into West's arms before climbing up into the back seat. He hands her to me, then climbs in.

"Where are we headed?" Ross shouts.

"Our house," I say evenly. I glance at Adrian through the door and meet his eyes. "I have a setup there for emergencies. It's safe, sterile, and has what you might need to treat her."

He nods. "Kandi, meet me at home."

"Fine, but I'm sending Sven over," Kandi growls.

The omega and her beta peel away from the car and disappear.

I direct the alpha the five minutes to my house, and then open the gate with my key fob. She's so small in my arms, and her breathing is strained and painful.

"You look awful," I tell Silver as her eyes blink open and look up at me.

"So sweet, always trying to turn my eye." Her rasping comment comes out with a surprisingly unexpected tease.

I chuckle and stroke her face gently, smoothing her hair back. My door opens, and Ross gets out of the way, rushing into the house, Adrian a few steps behind.

"Seriously, Silver, what'd you do?"

"You should see the other guy," Silver mutters, and then appears to fall to sleep. I tense up, but Adrian doesn't appear to be concerned at all. Instead, he just follows me through my house until I stop at a door. Ross opens it, and I slip inside.

"That will make things easier, actually. I need permission to undress your omega and inspect her for injuries that could be hidden."

Everything in me balks, but I don't know why. She's not mine. Then I remember the bite. She is now. I shrug. "Do what you need to do." I cast Ross a flat look when he protests.

It hurts to put her down on the bed.

It takes everything in me to walk away.

"Her injuries are superficial. She appears to be suffering from dehydration and lack of nourishment. The bruises are contained to her face and arms. She has a couple on her legs. But nothing else."

"That's because I learned how to fight," Silver snaps. She glances up at the IV bag and winces.

It's clear she's exhausted but trying so hard to be angry and defensive. Her eyes keep falling back to the bite mark on her skin. There's a whole lot of horror on her face when she looks at my mark.

I'm not sure how I feel about it. Truthfully, it pisses me off, and I want to go and put more of my marks all over her. Give her something to really be horrified about.

And then, what I'm thinking makes me feel ill. I promise myself I won't be an idiot. Then she glances at the bite, all horrified, and the cycle starts again.

But then, every now and then, a wave of reality hits me. I marked an omega without talking to the pack. I claimed an omega who isn't ours, who we don't even like. An omega who hates everyone, who everyone hates.

"Oh, god," I say out loud and sway.

Adrian frowns and flicks me in my forehead.

"Hey!"

"Get it together. I'm not going to save your pretty face if you faint."

I snarl at him. He snarls back, completely unintimidated. But I do catch a hint of a smile in his blue eyes. He runs a hand through his black hair and packs up his things.

I ignore him and stagger to the nearest chair and flop down into it. After everything that happened with Brandy, we'd sworn to never take an omega. I look up when Quint and West enter the room. I can't tell what they're thinking. Not even a little bit.

But when Ross comes in, there's a giddy happiness on his face that makes my stomach jerk even worse than if he were frowning.

Oh, no, this will not be good.

"What have I done? She's horrible. She's going to destroy us."

Ross' face falls, and he glares at me.

West shakes his head and turns away. Only Quint silently seems to agree with me.

It's a disaster!

"Can you get out? I need to pee."

I whip my head around, glaring at the selfish omega and her snarling tones. What the fuck have I done? This is going to be hell on Earth.