Page 13 of The Runaway

Connor got into the bed and began eating. By all rights, this was Jackelyn’s bed, not his own. But he’d given up sleeping in his own bed over a year ago. It had been a cold night, right in the middle of winter the first time Jackelyn had dragged him out of his own bed and into hers. “Too fucking cold,” she muttered, wrapping her arms around his skinny body. “I just need someone to help me keep warm. So keep still and don’t kick me, or I’ll dump you in the lake.” He hadn’t complained. There was snow on the ground outside, and the omegas’ sleeping quarters were freezing. There was no fireplace for heating, and the cracks in the walls let the draught in. Every winter, two or three omegas froze to death. Having another warm body to snuggle up against was a rare luxury.

The next morning, he’d expected to be kicked out again, told that he was taking up too much space, but instead, Jackelyn had dragged him off to the kitchen, waiting until the cook was busy, then she’d stolen a lump of bread from the counter and a handful of nuts from the barrel by the door. “Only take a little bit at a time,” she cautioned him, splitting her spoils with him in clandestine movements. “That way, the betas are less likely to notice. What’s your name, kid?”

“Connor,” Connor said.

“Jackelyn. But you can call me Jackie.”

“Thank you, Jackie,” he’d said, not wanting to be rude, even though she’d just broken a number of rules. Stealing food was forbidden, as was being out of the bunkhouse before breakfast.

“Don’t thank me,” she snapped at him. “Fuck, what kind of wimpy little runt are you? You want to get by in this world, you take what you need and fuck anyone who says otherwise.” The words were harsh, but her actions were kind, and he decided that it was the actions that mattered more. A good night’s sleep and food in his belly was a good enough reward to put up with being called a runt.

A year later, their odd arrangement was still going strong. By the time he’d finished the bread, the lamps had been put out, and Jackelyn slid into bed beside him, curling up close to chase away the chill.

She was a strange sort of omega, and he still wasn’t sure it was a good idea to break the rules as often as she did. But she was kind to him, far more than anyone else was. And in a world where everyone seemed out to only look after themselves, it was nice to have a friend.

???

Three years later, Connor stood in the washroom, staring down at his own wilting penis in dismay. As he watched, the thing began standing up again, despite having been satisfied twice already this morning.

Fuck. He knew what that meant, and none of it was good news. He was in heat. His first heat, and iron clad confirmation that he was, in fact, a dreaded omega. An omega’s first heat was mild, a few hours of persistent sexual arousal and a mild ache in his belly. But next year, he’d go through a true heat, and from the stories he’d heard from the other omegas, they were terrible things – sweating, cramping, moisture gushing from his nether regions, and if he didn’t get mated, it would include twelve hours of the worst pain imaginable.

Not that he’d ever get the chance to avoid a mating. The farm only existed to make babies, and the four alphas who owned the property were diligent in their efforts to impregnate every single omega, each time they went through their cycle. Was that going to be his fate? A lifetime of making babies, or of following Jackie’s instructions on how to avoid it and hoping no one noticed? So far, it had worked for her, though at her last heat, she’d said the alpha had seemed a bit suspicious that she was back in his bed again. Maybe she’d have to have another baby at some point, just so that no one noticed what she was doing.

Connor began working his erection again, annoyed by the way his whole body seemed to shake with need. His ass felt damp, his balls felt tight, and his skin was extra sensitive. If this was what the miniature version of a heat felt like, he wasn’t looking forward to the real thing.

“Connor!” The frantic shout got his attention, and he looked around in alarm. Was the master coming? Would he get in trouble for masturbating? Like so many other things around here, this basic bodily function was also forbidden. He hastily pulled up his pants and fastened them, then ran out of the washroom. “Connor, where are you! Oh, thank fuck.” Jackelyn rushed over to him as she spotted him. “We need to get out of here. The barn’s on fire. And it’s spread to the main house. The whole fucking place is burning down.” Sure enough, the air was slowly filling with smoke, and he could hear the frantic shouts of the betas further off in the yard.

They ran through the main yard, staff running this way and that. Some of the betas were trying to put out the fire, while others were making a half-hearted attempt at directing the omegas. But with overcrowded buildings and junk lying around everywhere, trying to get everyone out was a nightmare. The omegas were panicking, some running towards the road, where they’d be safe from the flames, while others seemed to be trying to go back inside the buildings. The heavily pregnant ones couldn’t move fast and were pushed and shoved about by the others.

“This way,” Jackelyn said, dragging him towards the road. She shoved a pregnant male out of the way, not caring when he fell over, and then punched a beta who dared to get in her way.

“What about the alphas?” Connor asked, as they made it past the end of the last building. The air was thick with smoke, and he could hardly breathe. He couldn’t even see the barn now, even the flames hidden behind rolling waves of smoke.

“I don’t give a flying fuck where they are. Are you okay? No one hurt you?”

“I’m fine,” Connor said. “What about you?”

“Don’t you worry about me,” Jackie said. “You just worry about yourself. You hear me? You don’t owe anyone shit. You look after yourself and don’t expect anyone else to do it for you. This world is a shitty, fucked up place, and everyone’s only in it for themselves.”

Connor nodded obediently, though he couldn’t take her words to heart. She’d spent the last four years looking after him, after all. And for all her repeated assertions that no one would ever look after him, actions spoke louder than words.

???

Present Day

Gabriel stared at Dante in horror as he recounted Connor’s tale about the farm where he’d grown up. Dante had come into the study about fifteen minutes ago, a dazed look on his face, and told them what he’d learned from Connor.

“A baby farm?” Antoine said in shock, as Dante paused in the story. “That’s hideous.”

“I’ve heard of them,” Gabriel said. “They sell the children to estates who can’t afford a breeding omega, or to beta couples who just want to raise a child. Some of them try to present themselves as legitimate businesses, but for the most part, they’re dank and overcrowded. They have no hygiene and a lot of the omegas end up dying of disease.”

“So Connor never actually had a child there?” Niles asked.

“No. He was too young at the time he was there,” Dante said. “According to Connor, after the place burned down, most of the omegas were sold. Three of the alphas were killed in the fire, and the fourth one didn’t want to continue the business.”

“So was this Jackelyn woman his mother?” Antoine asked.

“Not as I understand it. She was just another omega who decided to take him under her wing. But from the sounds of it, the betas who raised the children only cared for them until they were six or seven years old. Most of the babies were sold, but they kept a few to repopulate the estate. For most of Connor’s childhood, he was raised without much in the way of discipline. There were some basic rules, like not stealing food or being forced to work in the fields, but aside from that, he was pretty much left to raise himself.”