Page 3 of Spark (Damselverse #2)

Chapter three

Zara

M y mind is a fuzzy mess as my thoughts bleed back into awareness, head spinning a mile a second.

I try to get my bearings. Only one voice echoes back in my memory, a harsh, grating voice that reminds me of a barnyard animal.

“We’re coming for you, little bitch.”

The three Pigs did come for me in the end. And then they tried to kill me.

It all comes back in flashes, the rain, running for my life, the sensation of the wet concrete at the soles of my feet…

And last but not least, the fire.

I suppose it was only a matter of time until the Wolf would want me dead. It must be so awful to be shackled to a worthless Omega for the rest of your life.

It's not as if he chose me any more than I chose him, and it appears the feeling was mutual.

The Wolf despises me.

I have never felt so utterly alone.

What else did I expect? There’s no one left in this world who loves me. The Wolf took away the only person I had left, and I hope that wherever she is, she’s at peace.

The stars are bright tonight as I gaze up at a hazy, smoky sky. Maybe she is looking down at me right now.

For a moment, I thought I was going to die. But it seems my guardian angel saved me.

One of the stars burns brighter than the others, and I hold on to the soppy sentiment that my grandmother is watching over me.

Someone hovers in my periphery, and I turn my head to find a beautiful stranger gazing down at me.

Something ignites inside me, and what was that… a spark?

Nonsense. That stuff only happens in fairy tales.

Besides, the stranger hasn’t even stepped into the light yet. His face is still veiled in shadow.

However, when he advances forward, and I find those striking eyes of burning amber, my mind short-circuits.

And then I become self-conscious of the oxygen mask around my mouth, my disheveled hair, as the beautiful Alpha regards me quietly.

Damn. He looks as if he were forged in fire himself and then molded from the finest gold.

Blond, voluminous hair, golden brown skin, and a chiseled jawline. A prominent dip on his chin catches my attention, and it's shaped just like my finger...

Fuck. My head spins again, and the Alpha steps forward again, purring that soft purr.

The foreign sound makes me pause, and I meet his amber eyes again. An Alpha has never purred for me before; I didn’t even know they could make such a sound.

All I am used to are growls and snarls.

How did he know I was in discomfort, anyway? The Wolf was never that intuitive with my feelings, and he was supposed to be my so-called Alpha.

“It’s okay,” the Alpha purrs, and just like that, I relax on my bed at the back of the ambulance.

How did he do that? It’s like magic.

Now, I shut my eyes as his purr vibrates through the back of the ambulance. The medics check me over, but when they try to take off my mask, I stop them.

Because I know from the moment I catch his scent, I will be in big, big trouble.

Call it instinct, but I just have this feeling. Amber eyes may just be the one…

As stupid as that sounds.

It’s best I don’t entangle anyone else in my messed-up life. The fewer people who have to get hurt, the better.

Unfortunately, he speaks to me again, and it’s getting harder and harder to keep my mask on. His voice is so rich and sultry, it puts me at ease.

“We just need you to answer the police officer a few questions, all right? Is that okay, darling?”

Darling? Holy shit.

He even has a pet name for me.

They finally take off my mask, but luckily for me, the Alpha steps out of the ambulance. That’s when the police officer comes into view.

It’s time to recite my tale. But I don’t have to tell the whole story. A little white lie here and there never hurt anyone.

“So, your name is Ruby?”

“Yes.”

My first white lie, but a fake name is best in this situation. I can’t have the Wolf finding me again and trying to kill me.

I want to get as far away from that Alpha as possible, and the greater the distance between us, the happier my life.

“So, you were running from some kids who then set the garage on fire with a petrol bomb?”

“Yes, kids.”

Another lie, but I can’t mention the Pigs nor the Wolf. If I tell the truth, then they will send me right back to the very Alpha I was trying to escape.

According to the government, I’m his scent-matched Omega.

And once they find out that gruesome fact, I will have to go back to that cruel Alpha.

Right back to where I started...

Over my dead body.

“Wait,” I say just as the officer begins to walk away. “What… what happened to the cats?”

I may be willing to lie about several things, but I will not have those babies’ lives on my hands.

They are innocents. They don’t deserve to get caught up in my mess.

The officer stumbles. “Cats?”

“I mean, kittens ,” I correct myself. “They were here.”

The Alpha from earlier steps into view, and I turn my nose away before I catch his scent.

Luckily, he doesn’t notice.

“They’re okay. I managed to get a hold of all three of them,” he tells me next. “I’ve sent them off to a good friend. In fact, he should be here at any moment.”

A car pulls up beside the ambulance next, and then my head swivels for a third time when the driver gets out of the front seat.

Another Alpha, one with jet black hair and eyes of the brightest violet.

“Speak of the devil,” the first Alpha says, stepping toward the newcomer who can’t seem to take his eyes off me.

Again, I avert my nose as his smile grows, showcasing a pair of handsome dimples, and I must resist.

The fewer people I entangle in my life, the better. These men don’t deserve the trouble I would only bring them.

They don’t deserve someone as worthless as me.

“Ruby, this is Nolan. My pack brother. He runs the local animal shelter.”

Oh, lord. He runs an animal shelter?

“Nice to meet you, Ruby.”

Nolan’s kind tenor reaches me, but I don’t meet his gaze again for fear of throwing myself at him. Luckily, I can pass it off as trauma.

However, just one look at him was enough to confirm.

He is trustworthy.

Nolan will take care of the kittens, and at least I can sleep easier at night knowing they are in good hands.

As for me? Well, who knows…

The road ahead of me is dark and uncertain, but I will make it.

After all, I’m a fighter.

And I will find my happiness.