Page 5 of Spark (Damselverse #2)

Chapter five

Zara

I step into the empty cubicle, flicking on the switch for the shower as I wash away the smoke and filth.

It takes a while for the water to grow warm, but I remain under that hot stream of water for some time, long, long after my fingers turn pruny.

Under the water, I can forget about my life. Forget that my mate tried to kill me, that I am on the run, and that I now have a fake alias.

Sure, I may be sleeping at a woman’s shelter, but all that matters is that I am far away from the Wolf and his three Pigs.

As far as they are concerned, I am dead and gone. Burned to a crisp inside that abandoned garage.

But it won’t be long until they catch wind of the unnamed girl who miraculously survived the fire. So until then, I will lie low.

Keep a low profile and cause the least amount of trouble as much as possible.

The thing is, trouble just always has a way of finding me. No matter how hard I hide.

The water runs frigid once again. With a sigh, I turn the dial until only a few droplets sputter from the shower head.

And then I get out and dress.

It’s now the middle of the night. So, the other occupants of the shelter are asleep. I take my time, finding an empty changing room as I find the pile of clothes the volunteer kindly handed me.

Clothes that were donated to the shelter. So now, I throw on a soft sweater and a pair of leggings, then slip my feet into a pair of slippers.

Then, with slow, methodical fingers, I throw up my damp hair into a lazy bun, ignoring the flyaways as they hang to my shoulders.

It will have to do. All I care about is getting some sleep.

But that will prove a challenge. I share a room with three other girls—girls who are silent and keep to themselves.

It's no surprise; we all have our own stories. We’ve all escaped from dangerous situations.

So, for now, we keep to ourselves.

As I creep into the room, finding my bed, I wonder if any of them are an Omega, like me. None of them smells Omega.

If so, they are damn good at hiding it. Maybe I should learn their secret while I’m here.

A sniffle catches my attention, and I look to the bed in the far corner, finding that hunched figure beneath the blankets.

It takes me a moment to realize she's crying, and I wonder if I should go over and say something.

It can’t hurt, right?

Now I drop my own blankets, heading over to the sobbing girl. “Are you all right?”

She tenses, hunching up her shoulders as she curls in on herself. I shouldn’t pry. It's best to just worry about yourself in this world, but then I remember the one friend I did have, the one I could always rely on.

Halle.

Perhaps I can get myself another phone and call her. She must be worried sick after that anonymous phone call.

“It’s okay… things will get better…”

The girl doesn’t respond. I take it she isn’t in a talkative mood then.

Just as I turn back to my own bed, the sheets crumple behind me. I turn, meeting that beautiful heart-shaped face, one framed by the blondest curls that I've ever seen.

Not just curls. Thick corkscrews that fall down to her waist. She’s beautiful.Not only beautiful, but an Omega, too.

Some Alpha’s prized possession, I bet.

It's hard to see her eye color in the fading moonlight that drips in from the window, but they're large, round, and brown.

“How do you know that?” she asks.

I chew on my lip, thinking a moment. How do I know? I guess I was always an optimist in some way, and I’m surprised I still have any optimism left in me.

I shrug. “I just do. I have faith.”

The blonde Omega thinks about it for a moment. Then she sighs, brushing aside a thick curl. “I hope you’re right…um…”

“Ruby,” I respond.

It's best I still give her my fake name, for now.

The Omega takes her time, and in the end, she gives me her name. “Goldie.”

Perfect name for an Omega with such golden hair.

I smile. “Well, cheer up, Goldie. I’m sure things will get better.”

Goldie looks down at her thumbs as she twiddles them around. “Thank you, Ruby.”

Resigning to my own bed, I lie under the sheets, gazing up at the ceiling. Goldie has stopped sniffling, and I’m glad.

Even if my own life doesn’t get better, at least I can cheer someone else up.

Just as I drift off to sleep, I see those burning amber eyes of the Alpha who rescued me from the fire. And then the violet eyes of his packmate swivel up beside his.

Maybe in another life, I could have been theirs. I just regret never knowing what their scents were.

But alas, it was never meant to be. As I said, trouble always finds me.

In turn, trouble would have found them.

***

I’m shaken awake several hours later.

At least I think it was several hours. Knowing my luck, it was just mere minutes. I can never quite catch a break.

It seems I won’t get much sleep at last as I find the eyes of the sweet volunteer who handed me the donated clothes.

“I’m sorry to trouble you, miss,” she whispers so as not to wake the others. “But you are wanted in the manager’s office.”

The manager’s office?

I look at the bedside clock. 7 a.m. It appears hours had passed by after all.

So, I climb out of bed, finding my slippers. “What is it?”

The woman keeps her lips sealed. Then she casts her eyes at the other beds, leaning in closer. “There are two Alphas here to see you.”

My heart rate spikes, and then I flip my head towards Goldie’s bed.

She’s awake, watching me with those concerned brown eyes.

I meet the gaze of the volunteer again. “Wh-who?”

It can’t be the Wolf. She said Alphas . The Wolf was a lone wolf through and through. He preferred to surround himself with Betas.

I’m about to protest and tell her no until I catch that wonderful scent on her clothes.

My mouth waters.

What perfume is she wearing? She needs to tell me now, or I will go freaking crazy.

It's like burned marshmallow, but better. Way better, with a hint of smoke, too. There’s another scent on her person, like honey or syrup, as I don’t question her any further, following her out of the room.

I must be going crazy as I lose all common sense, but I can trust the woman… She volunteers at a homeless shelter after all.

She leads me through the common room, one with a TV, board games, and a small library, as we head up a set of stairs.

Soon we come to the manager’s office, and the volunteer looks at me. “It’s okay, Ruby… Remember, you can tell them no. It’s your choice.”

My choice? That’s a foreign concept. The Wolf never gave me a choice.

Finally, the volunteer steps into the office, and I follow at her heels, freezing in my tracks the moment I find those familiar amber and violet eyes.

It's them. From the fire…

My heart races, and then I have to hold on to the wall.

What is happening? Why are they here?

The Alpha with the violet eyes stands, and it takes me a moment to recall his name.

Nolan. He took the kittens, and he promised me that he would take care of them.

I think I can trust him.

Nolan winks, and my organs turn to mush as heat pools between my legs. He makes me unsteady on my feet.

The Wolf never made me feel that way…

Neither did his ashtray scent, and I just want to wrap myself up in Nolan’s burned marshmallow now.

Dacre is more reserved as he keeps back, but I couldn’t miss his sweet golden syrup either, even if I tried.

It's too addictive, and I just want to bury myself in their scents.

“Long time no see, Ruby.”

I meet the eyes of the manageress of the shelter as she speaks. “Ruby, this is Nolan and Dacre of Pack Bloom. And they have a proposition for you.”

A proposition? Sounds dangerous…

Still, I am all ears as I focus on Nolan. He grins, showing me a set of perfect white teeth, and my Omega only says one word.

Mine.

“Ruby… how would you like to stay with us?”

The question takes me by surprise. Well, he’s certainly forward.

My first instinct is to run back to my bed and hide under the blankets, but I could at least hear what they have to say.

After all, Dacre did rescue me from the fire. He’s a good Alpha. And Nolan took the kittens into his care.

I wouldn’t mind knowing how they’re doing.

So, I take in a deep breath, then say, “I’m listening.”