Page 13 of Daisy (Omega Chosen #3)

Dante

T ime stops.

Her scent hits me like a physical blow. Honeysuckle and vanilla so pure it cuts through smoke and chaos like nothing else exists. But underneath the sweetness, there's something else that makes every protective instinct I've ever had roar to life.

Fear. Pure, overwhelming terror.

It's Daisy. Governor Crane's niece. The omega I've protected at events for years. The one whose blockers failed seven weeks ago, letting me scent her for the first time. The one I've watched smile and nod while her uncle sold her future to the highest bidder.

I told myself it was just my job to care.

This feeling in my chest says otherwise.

The bastard carrying her doesn't know we're here. Doesn't know that death is about to find him in this smoke-filled hallway.

I don't decide to move. My body just goes.

Cassian appears beside me, moving like the violence he was born to be. The stranger keeps pace with us both, tattooed and wild-eyed, knife already drawn.

The alpha carrying Daisy spins toward our approach. The stranger strikes before any of us can breathe.

"Game fucking over."

His blade slides between ribs with practiced precision. The rogue alpha's eyes go wide, then empty. He crumples forward.

Daisy tumbles from his shoulder. I lunge forward, trying to catch her, but I'm too far away. She hits the floor hard enough to stop my heart.

But she's breathing. Moving. Alive.

I'm on my knees beside her before the alpha's body finishes falling. Behind me, Cassian's fist connects with brutal efficiency. Drops the second attacker cold.

Silence. Except for distant chaos echoing through the building. And Daisy's soft, rapid breathing.

Hawk wipes his blade clean. "Hawk," he says by way of introduction.

His scent should feel threatening. Leather and motor oil with something darker underneath. Instead, something about him makes me want to trust him. Like he understands exactly what's happening here.

"She's your scent match too, isn't she?" Hawk says quietly, looking between me and Daisy.

I don't understand what he means, but something in my chest tightens. "What?"

"Never mind." Hawk's expression gentles as he looks at her. "She needs to feel safe first."

Safe. When's the last time Daisy felt safe? Before her uncle started using her as a political pawn? Before I watched him grip her shoulder hard enough to leave bruises?

Before I stood by and did nothing?

"Dante." Cassian's voice pulls me back. "We have to go. Now."

Cassian. I still can't process him appearing here. We haven't seen each other in years, but when our eyes met through the smoke it was like no time passed. Like we're still those kids who had each other's backs against the world.

I strip off my guard jacket. Settle it over Daisy carefully. The fabric swallows her whole, makes her look even smaller.

"Daisy?" Softer this time. "Can you hear me?"

Nothing. Her eyes are open but unfocused, staring at something I can't see. Like she's not really here anymore. Like whatever that bastard did broke something vital inside her.

My chest feels like it's caving in.

I slide my arms under her carefully. Lift her against my chest like she's made of spun glass. She weighs nothing. Just silk and honeysuckle and terror wrapped in my jacket.

She doesn't resist. Doesn't respond at all.

The absolute trust in her stillness breaks something in me.

"This way." I head toward the service exit I know will be clear. Training kicks in automatically—assess threats, identify escape routes, protect the asset.

Except Daisy isn't an asset.

She's... I don't know what she is. But the thought of anyone hurting her again makes me want to burn the world down.

Years of watching her from room edges. Years of standing guard while her uncle paraded her in front of predators in expensive suits. Years of wanting to step in, to shield her from it all. To tell her she deserved better than being sold to the highest bidder.

Years of telling myself it was just my job.

I was lying.

The hallways are chaos—smoke, emergency lighting, distant sounds of violence and terror. But all of it feels secondary to her weight in my arms. To the way her scent wraps around me like something I've been missing my whole life without knowing it.

We emerge into night air. A black van waits, engine running. Another figure sits behind the wheel—broader, quieter, with steady hands despite the chaos we're fleeing.

I position myself protectively between the unknown alpha and Daisy, my grip tightening on her unconscious form.

"Gunner," Hawk says. "My pack."

Pack. Right. These aren't just strangers. They're bonded alphas with their own connections.

Hawk slides open the back door, revealing a makeshift living space inside. There's a mattress on the floor, camping gear, even a small TV mounted to one wall.

"What the fuck is this?" I step back instinctively. "I'm not putting her in there."

"We live in this thing," Hawk says impatiently. "We've got a little stove, camping setup. It's not what you think."

A distant roar echoes through the night—alphas catching Daisy's scent on the wind, getting closer. My protective instincts spike, and I can see Cassian tense beside me.

"Look," Hawk's voice hardens. "Those bastards are tracking her scent, and they're getting closer. You can get in willingly, or I'll throw you in myself. Your choice."

The sound of running footsteps echoes from the direction we came. Multiple alphas, moving fast.

"I'll go up front with Gunner," Hawk continues. "You and Cassian stay back here with her. But we need to move. Now."

The sound of running footsteps gets louder, closer. I look down at Daisy's pale face, then at the approaching chaos behind us.

I climb into the van. Cassian follows, and Hawk slams the door behind us.

The confined space amplifies everything. Her scent, the way her heartbeat flutters against my ribs like a trapped bird. This strange certainty that this is exactly where she belongs.

"August," Cassian says quietly. "We need to get my beta."

His beta. Another complication in an already impossible situation.

The van lurches forward, pulling away from the burning Omega House. Away from her uncle's control, the future he planned for her. Away from the system I was supposed to uphold but that failed her when it mattered most.

In my arms, Daisy makes a small sound—not quite a whimper, not quite a sigh. Her eyes flutter open, unfocused at first. Then she sees me. Sees Cassian. Two alphas in a confined space with her.

She goes rigid in my arms, then scrambles backward so fast she hits the van wall. Presses herself into the corner, shaking violently. Her breathing turns rapid and shallow.

"Hey, it's okay," I try, but the moment I speak, she hyperventilates harder. Pure panic.

"Don't," she whispers, voice cracked and broken. "Please don't."

I freeze. Every instinct screams at me to comfort her, but she's looking at me like I'm another monster.

"We need to get August," Cassian says urgently. "Now. She can't breathe with our scents."

"No." My voice comes out harder than I intend. "We need to get her out of the city. Your beta can wait."

"Look at her," Cassian snaps. "August will calm her. Beta scent."

I look down at Daisy, pressed against the van wall, shaking so hard her teeth are chattering. Her scent spikes with terror so sharp it makes my chest ache.

"Fine," I grit out. "But we make it fast."