Page 22 of Daisy

"Not yet. But I can smell them." The first alpha inhales deeply, and the sound makes my skin want to crawl off my body. "Sweet little omegas, just waiting to be claimed. Governor's been hoarding the good ones too long."

They're talking about us like we're things. Like livestock to be divided up among thieves. The casual way they discuss us makes something inside me shrivel and die.

That's when I see him.

Mikey is at the far end of the hallway, pressed against the wall near the emergency exit. His young face is pale but determined, and he's clutching something in his hand, aweapon, maybe, or a radio. He's trying to get to us, trying to help.

No.My mind screams the word. Don't come here. Don't try to save us. Run.

He's so brave. So much braver than I am.

I want to call out to him, to warn him, but terror has stolen my voice. My chest constricts so tightly I can barely get any air at all. Black spots dance at the edges of my vision.

The first alpha turns just as Mikey steps into the light.

Everything slows down. Time moves like syrup, each second stretching endlessly.

The alpha's face splits into a grin that has nothing human in it. Pure predator recognizing easy prey. Mikey tries to run, but he's too young, too small, too slow. The alpha moves with predatory grace, catching him before he makes it three steps.

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

Mikey fights. He really does. His hands come up, his radio clatters to the floor, but he's just a boy trying to stop a monster.

The sound he makes when the alpha breaks his neck is small and sharp, like a bird hitting a window.

The crack echoes in the hallway. In my head. In my soul.

He falls.

And doesn't get back up.

My vision tunnels. My ears ring. Something inside my chest tears apart.

His eyes stare at nothing, wide and surprised, like he can't quite understand what just happened. Dark liquid pools beneath his head, spreading across the pristine marble.

The book he gave me is still in my room. Jane Eyre. A story about a girl who fought back.

Mikey will never read another story.

"Shame," the alpha says, stepping over the body like it's rubbish. "But I prefer omegas anyway."

That's when his eyes find mine.

The world stops.

His gaze locks onto me through the shadows, and his grin widens until I can see all his teeth.Predator. Hunter. Monster.

I try to run, but my legs won't work. Terror has turned my muscles to water, my bones to glass. Camelia screams. A high, piercing sound that echoes off the walls and the predator's grin widens.

"There we are," he purrs, stalking toward us with deliberate slowness. "Two pretty little presents, gift-wrapped and everything."

Each step he takes makes my pulse race faster. I'm hyperventilating now, tiny gasps that aren't giving me enough oxygen. The edges of my vision keep going dark.

His scent hits me like a physical blow as he gets closer. Something wrong. Something that wants to hurt and break and destroy.

I'm going to die. The thought crystallizes with perfect, awful clarity.

"Please," I whisper, my voice cracked and broken. "Please don't."