The Mating Run

Chapter 15

After Jane leaves, the sun begins to kiss the earth and the light turns orange. I consider all she told me, turning her words over and over in my head. I really shouldn't stick with anyone, no matter how much I like them. This is about me. This is about my survival. I take trust in Jane's words. I'm no hero. Not a good time to start being one now.

***

My dreams are empty and grey that night. No wolves, no forest, just my empty fucking grey mind in a grey dream in a grey room. It almost feels worse than all the others.

I stare at the ceiling when I wake up, not really sure if I have woken at all. Everything in life is a goddamned nightmare now. Birds chirping happily, Karina telling her sister a cheesy pun, Trish and Alex continuously playing ping pong from the moment the intercoms crackle to life, to the moment they are dismissed to bed; it all feels like needles piercing my patients and digging into my skin.

I want to run.

I want to run so far that my demons can't catch me.

But I hold it in.

I eat more than usual today. We've all got to build on a little extra body fat before we go in. Despite what most Betas think of the Run, you actually have to hunt and feed yourself and what not. Even the Omegas, at least until a big strong pretentious Alpha comes along. Trish and Alex seem to take note and follow my lead. Before we leave for the rec room to fiddle around with the disabled TV and maybe cut out a few magazine faces to scare people, Alex pulls us into the hall, right below the security cameras.
"Where do we stand with Karina and her bunch?" He inquires, his expression pensive.

"They seem chill," Trish answers nonchalantly.

"I talked with Violet and she's okay with teaming."

"No," I immediately spout out before I can stop myself. Alex opens his mouth to retort, but I cut him off. "Too many Omegas, too many scents. Besides, your sister couldn't protect all of us."

Alex's jaw unhinges for a moment before pinching together tightly. "Fine," he mutters in defeat. "Simple alliance then? We see them and we're friendly?"

I frown. "What do you mean by 'friendly'?"

Trish stares agape at me. "Are you the only Omega in your family or something?"

I have a distant Omega cousin in New York, born from my mom's half sister. Never met him, or his Alpha mate. I don't even know if he is aware of my existence.

"Basically," I respond.

"I don't know what bullshit school or other people have fed you, but some Omegas in the Run aren't exactly friendly towards one another. Most of the bigger ones team to horde all the resources."

Well, fuck. Another fucking hurdle to jump over possibly.

I fold my arms, my jaw clenching. "Fine. We're friendly, then we part. Soon after. I don't want their scents to linger so much that suddenly an Alpha who's got a taste for them comes after us."

Alex nods, seemingly in agreement, as is Trish. "Once it starts, my sister told me to run far southwest and meet her near a little pond."

Fuck. Completely wrong direction of where I need to go. My cave is north west.

"How do we even know where the cardinal directions point?" Trish wonders.