Omega Phoenix: Hunted

1

Cyra

Zack, Spence, Max and Liam are holding me tightly between them as I try not to go into a full-blown panic attack. Not only did my parents go on TV, on a human TV station which broadcasts all over the world, declaring that my four Alphas have kidnapped me, but they’re also going to pay someone two million bucks if they provide my parents with the information to get me ‘returned’ to them. Which is… That’s a whole other mess. Incentives like that are enough for some people to not question what’s going on, they just need the money.

My parents’ lies keep building, one on top of the next, on top of the next. It started with the lie that they supposedly had no idea where I’d been for the past years, that I’d been ‘missing’. Even though they signed the contract for the apartment I was living in, since an Omega can’t sign their own contract, and I had been living in the same place ever since. They knew exactly where I was or where I worked.

Then they started saying that I’d been kidnapped. First by some unknown person and then by my Alphas. And before they even seemed to have thought that lie through properly, they announced that I was supposed to already have an Alpha. Someone who my parents promised me to ‘years ago’, which is total bullshit.

Depending on which media spin you believe, I already knew about this Alpha for a long time and hid away from my parents because of it, or my parents never had the chance to tell me about this Alpha, because I’d gone ‘missing’ before they could. But the end result is the same, I’ve already been promised to an Alpha so I should be ‘returned’ to my parents so I can be with him. Supposedly, Zack, Spence, Max and Liam are keeping me from being united with my ‘rightful’ Alpha, the one my parents picked, making it appear like the four are breaking the law on purpose when my parents are the ones making shit up.

And since their first attempt didn’t work, they’re now promising two million bucks to whoever provides the information to ‘return’ me to my parents and my ‘rightful’ Alpha…

Something is off. There has to be more to this than just the extra publicity that my parents are getting from it, and the extra publicity that this new Alpha, this Alpha Douglas, a basilisk shifter, is going to get from it.

Why are they putting themselves at risk like this? Because if someone finds out that everything about me being ‘missing’ and me being kidnapped is a lie, and that my parents are threatening my four Alphas over literally nothing but their own hurt ego, then it would ruin them and the Alpha they chose. They must know this. They have to know this. Right?

What’s their game? What’s their… What’s their end goal?

“Cyra?” Max’s voice is warm, soothing, and he runs his fingers over my cheek. I meet his eyes, not sure what to expect. “What are you thinking?”

“None of this makes sense.” I feel like I’m coming back to myself, the immediate panic gone, confusion setting in. “Their actions make no sense. Why paint such a target on their own backs?”

I carefully slide from between the guys, staring up at the TV, which is still showing the clip of my father’s ‘heartfelt plea’, followed by the clip of the Alpha my parents chose for me. “My parents aren’t poor, but they don’t have the money to just hand out two mil to some random person. They also don’t have…” I sigh. “Why?”

Zack appears next to me, his arm around my waist and I lean into him a little, glad he’s calmed down and doesn’t seem ready to strangle the first person he sees. “I could have someone look into that Alpha guy? He might have something to do with their actions? Do you want me to?”

I think it over for a moment and then nod. “Yes. That would be a good idea.” It can’t hurt, it can only help to make this all less confusing.

Liam walks past us, but not after giving me a quick kiss, and he sits on the couch with his laptop. “I’ll check to see what I can find about him online. That might give us some clues.”

My eyes are constantly being drawn back to the TV. I’ve not seen my parents in quite a while, though I’ve called with them, and they’re still the exact same as I remember them. My father always at the front, speaking for everyone, never letting anyone else get a word in, and my mother at his back, silent, but never doubting any word he says, ready to do whatever he says the moment he says it.

Their relationship, and similar relationships of the people around us, showed me why I definitely didn’t want a life like hers. So if my parents, the people so strictly adhering to ‘proper’ Alpha/Omega dynamics, chose an Alpha for me… Yeah, I’m not trusting that at all.

“Cyra?” Spence comes closer, his eyes guarded.

“Yes?” I look at him, not sure by his tone.

“Let’s get you seated.” He slowly reaches out to me and I want to tell him off, tell him I’m not some porcelain doll he needs to handle with care. But then I feel how tight Zack’s arm is around my waist, how he’s holding me up, and I inwardly curse myself. Of course. I’m still under the influence of my heat. Even if my mind is clear, my body is still weakened and, now I’m aware of it, my exhaustion is so obvious.

“Sure.” I let Spence wrap his strong arm around me and when he’s about to guide me away, Zack stops us.

“One last thing.” Zack smirks, putting his lips to mine. The kiss is soft at first but deepens until my head is spinning and I’m out of breath. Then, just as I want more from him, he breaks the kiss. “There. Now I can do some work.”

Asshole. Fucking asshole. I’m severely turned on and he’s just walking off, taking his phone out of his pocket, all perfect nonchalance, though I can see how his cock is straining in his slacks. He’s not unaffected either, but somehow he can still walk away from me. Asshole.

I turn to Spence, purposefully ignoring Zack. “I think I’d like to go to bed. It’s been…”

“A long day.” He gives me a soft smile.

“Yeah.” I sigh. “A long day.”

The day had started out pretty nice, with Max making us pancakes, but from there on out, things went downhill. First, Max’ cousin Julie called, the same Omega who’d hired me to play princess at her daughter’s birthday party. She told us about the reporters bugging her and her family and about how she could get me help from the Omega Association.

Then, I got into an argument with the guys when I accepted her help. The guys, the Alpha guys, didn’t think that taking help from other Omegas would be of any use. Because, in their world view, what can Omegas do that Alphas can’t? Well, other Omegas can understand the problems I have to go through, for one…

Since I’d had enough of Alphas messing up my life and to clear my head, I fled into the forests around the house. I needed to be alone for a while, think things over. I didn’t get that far, not wanting to get lost, and I sat down, simply enjoying the sounds of the forest around me, calming down. Until Liam found me, at which point we both realised that I was going into heat. I was going into heat much earlier than I should have. It’s still a week or two from the start of the mating season.

And after that… Well, the things that happen when Omegas go into heat around their Alphas happened. We had mind-blowing sex, and they marked me, my neck is still sore.

And then… Well, then the stuff with my parents on the TV. Throwing our whole world for another loop, as they started claiming even more ridiculous things about me and about my Alphas.

I definitely need sleep. A lot of it. I want to do things, things that seem useful or important, get out of this mess my parents have made for us. But I’m in no state to do anything anymore. I just need to sleep. Lots of sleep.

Max follows us as Spence guides me out of the living room. Once we’re in the massive and luxurious hallway, with the broken table still in the middle, from where Zack threw it earlier, Max picks me up and cradles me in his arms. Like I’m his bride or something.

I glare at him, opening my mouth to tell him off, but the soft look in his eyes stops me. “Fine.” I sigh. “Just this one time.”

He smirks, winking. “This is the second time today, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I roll my eyes at him.

The first time was when he carried me into the house, after Liam had found me in the forest. At that time, I was in no state to walk, unlike now. But his arms are warm and strong, and it’s not actually that bad to be carried by him. It makes me feel safe, much safer.

Spence walks in front of us up the stairs. “We opened the windows in the bedroom and cleaned the bed. Hopefully, most of the scent will be gone by now.”

“And we’re not adding to it again.” I narrow my eyes at Spence’s back and then at Max, who smiles, his warm brown eyes sparkling with some sort of delight. “I’m serious.”

“I know. I’ll just wait until the morning.” Max winks and I smack his chest.

When we’ve reached the same room as we were in last night, where we had sex this afternoon, I really feel how much I want to just curl up in bed and put this day behind me.

The room is cool, the fresh air flowing through the room actually welcoming on my heated skin. And while someone has made the bed, it’s… Well, it’s obvious that they’re not used to making their own bed. The sheets are on in a really weird way, too tight in some places and too loose in others, and I have a suspicion that they used the wrong size sheets. They’ll come right off during the night, with all five of us in it. But I can fix that in the morning. I can’t be bothered right now.

Max puts me on my feet, his eyes on my neck, on where they marked me earlier. “Do you sleep naked? Or do I need to get you something to wear? And do you need something on those marks? Bandages or something?”

“I’m fine.” I undo the towel that Zack put on me earlier. The way the guy knotted it with the hair tie at the top actually kept it up pretty well. It stayed on the whole time and I’d almost forgotten that I was wearing a towel and not a dress. Though, the towel is really big, reaching well past my knees, so it’s basically the same as a wrap dress, just fluffier.

Then I climb into bed, under the covers, and Spence and Max join me, both in just their boxer briefs.

“You’re going to let the others work while you sleep?” I poke Spence in his side, and he squirms away from me, laughing.

“We’re going to guard you in shifts, extra protection. Max and I are going to sleep now and Zack and Liam can sleep in the morning, or something.” He laughs, leaning close and giving me a soft kiss. “I’m kidding. The other two will join us soon enough, once they realise we’re not coming back.” He winks and kisses me again.

I’m not even going to reply anything to that, because he’s probably right. And I’m too tired to even come up with a proper response. Anything that needs my attention, I’ll deal with tomorrow. Not today.

I’m asleep in moments, a deep dreamless sleep. The sleep of exhaustion.