Marked Omega (Quarantine Omega Book 1) Read online

  Even the cicadas have stopped singing.

  Another roar, this time so close that it is deafening. Kadmon answers it with a strange barking call.

  All around me, the forest erupts into total chaos. The night fills with yelps and barks and high-pitched whines. But over it all is that horrible, bellowing roar. And it’s not just one roar, I realize. There are two of them, and soon Kadmon adds his voice to make three.

  The enemy Alphas start to flee, running away in all directions. The ones who are unable to escape in time fall around me. Some of them are unconscious. Others are howling in pain, clutching at bleeding wounds or horrific compound fractures. Wet splintered bones gleam in the pale light. My stomach turns, and I feel myself on the verge of vomiting.

  It doesn’t help matters when a pair of rough hands wet with blood and gore grab my shoulder and pull me to my feet.

  I scream again, but then I realize that the moonlit face I’m looking into isn’t hideous and bestial like the other Alphas who attacked me.

  Sure, this face is a bit animalistic, but in a handsome way. Pale eyes and metal piercings glint in the moonlight.

  It’s Addom.

  He’s awake. I swallow hard as I realize what that means. He speaks two words, low and rumbling. He says them slow so I can understand.

  “Bad. Omega.”

  CHAPTER 10: ADDOM

  The little omega looks up at me, her round, tear-filled eyes reflecting the pale moonlight through the trees. Even in the dark forest, her fair skin practically glows. She is more beautiful than any omega I have ever seen.

  And way more of a pain in the ass.

  Hasker and Kadmon should never have broken that chain. We could have bound her for the night to keep her from escaping.

  Still, the omega should have known better than to leave our protection. I have a mind to throw her down right here in the middle of the forest and rut her into submission. To discipline her with my angry cock until she knows exactly who her sweet little cunt belongs to.

  But it’s not safe here. I let my urges get the better of me yesterday, and just look at the trouble it got me into.

  No. Her pounding will have to wait.

  Hasker and Kadmon finish chasing away the rest of the far-lander Alphas. Brutish, inbred creatures with no sense of honor, loyalty, or empathy. Many of them lie dead at our feet. Others, weak and groaning with pain, are crawling away from the battle.

  One of them crawls right into Hasker as he is circling back. The bulky, bald Alpha stoops, gripping the far-lander’s head in his hands like a vice. With a swift twist and a dull pop of bone, the far-lander’s neck breaks.

  The omega screams again. The shackles around her wrists clink together as she raises her hands to cover her mouth.

  Such a curious little creature. Those disgusting far-landers would have mercilessly used her body and then brutally slaughtered her. Yet she seems upset that Hasker just killed one.

  “Quiet,” I growl.

  Now all of the far-landers have left. The ones that are capable of leaving, that is. Kadmon and Hasker return and stand before us. The omega spins slowly, looking at each of us in turn, her eyes wide with terror.

  “No need to be afraid now,” Kadmon soothes her, speaking slowly and clearly so her outsider ears can understand his speech. “We will protect you.”

  She relaxes slightly. It is clear that she feels more comfortable with Kadmon. He is younger, closer to her age. And while he is no whelp in battle, he is not nearly as fearsome in appearance me and Hasker. Give him a few years, and he’ll acquire more scars.

  In fact, as he draws nearer, I realize some of the blood streaming down his arm is his own. He has received a nasty gash across his shoulder.

  “Are you okay?” I ask, gesturing to to his wound.

  Kadmon nods and tries his best to hide his wince of pain. He is strong willed and courageous. He will make a great warrior, but he still has much to learn.

  Hasker, never one for sensitivity, growls at the younger Alpha.

  “Now do you understand what I was saying about taking on these far-landers in their own territory?”

  “We bested them, didn’t we?” Kadmon retorts.

  Impetuous too.

  Hasker bows up at the younger Alpha’s insolence. For a moment, I fear he may even strike Kadmon, so I place a hand on Hasker’s broad shoulder to make him stand down. He does so reluctantly.

  Now is no time for in-fighting. Still, I’m not letting Kadmon off the hook so easily.

  “Aye, we bested them,” I growl. “But only together. If Hasker and I had not arrived when we did, those far-landers would have eaten you alive. And Source only knows what they would have done to the omega.”

  That’s an untruth, of course. We all know full well what the far-landers would have done. They would have raped her until her body was broken beyond use, and then they would have eaten her. But there’s no need to say such things aloud. Not with the shivering omega standing right here.

  Kadmon stiffens and instinctively draws the omega closer. A protective gesture.

  “Where were you, Kadmon?” I growl. “Why were you not at the cave?”

  The faintest tremor in his young voice betrays the fact that he’s lying. Or at the very least omitting some details.

  “I couldn’t sleep. I was scouting the nearby area for enemies. I told Hasker—”

  “All night?” my second cuts him off. “All night you were scouting? It’s near dawn boy. Out with it. Tell us what you were doing.”

  I wave my hand. Although Hasker’s annoyance is justified, now is not the time.

  “Save it,” I say. “We need to move. The far-landers have fled for now, but there will be more.”

  I nod toward the omega.

  “And her heat is returning.”

  Hasker nods. He knows I’m right. We both smelled it as soon as we arrived. The raw needy smell of her fresh cunt is already filling the forest around us. Signalling to every Alpha in the vicinity that she is ready to be bred.

  That’s what drove the far-landers into a frenzy. And that is what is making my own cock hard as steel.

  “Kadmon will carry you,” I say to the omega.

  I shove her roughly toward the young Alpha. Kadmon may be gentle with her, but I will not be. She needs to know who is in charge here. And she needs to understand the consequences of disobedience.

  Soon she will.

  She makes a little squeak as Kadmon hoists her and tosses her over his shoulder.

  “And you, boy,” I hiss. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten your truancy. I will figure out a suitable punishment later.”

  We all set off, moving north. Moving toward the homelands.

  CHAPTER 11: LILY

  “Put me down!” I demand.

  We have emerged from the shadows of the forest into an area with rolling meadows of high grass. The dawn is just starting to break on the horizon, bathing the world in golden light.

  And I’m getting sick and tired of bouncing along on Kadmon’s shoulder. I would have puked up every bit of food in my stomach if there was anything in it in the first place. I haven’t had anything to eat except those berries Kadmon gave me yesterday. Plus, my nihiloxin cravings are getting intense, but I do my best to ignore them.

  “Don’t worry, Lily,” he says, keeping his voice low. “You are a small burden to carry.”

  “It’s not you I’m worried about,” I shout, kicking my legs. “It’s me! I feel like my belly is about to burst.”

  “I’ll try not to bounce you so much,” he says.

  His strategy to keep me from bouncing too much apparently involves squeezing both of my bare butt cheeks with his massive hands and holding me even more tightly to his shoulder. I can’t deny the sudden rush of arousal at having his fingers so close to my sensitive recess. But that doesn’t make me any less annoyed.

  “I have two perfectly good legs,” I protest. “Besides, you’re wounded.”

  “You wouldn’t be able to k
eep up on your tiny legs,” he says matter-of-factly. “And my cut is merely a flesh wound. It will be healed by day’s end.”

  Addom’s voice hollers from ahead of us. Well, from behind me since I’m turned around backward.

  “Quiet back there,” the leader shouts.

  I pout. Behind me, Hasker shakes his head. He’s been glaring at me ever since we started running.

  I have to admit, what Kadmon says is probably right. I don’t think I could keep up with these guys. They have huge strides, and they are keeping a swift pace, unhindered by the rolling terrain.

  But the other thing he said. About his cut being a flesh wound? That’s insane. Even though it was dark in the forest, I could tell he had a deep gash on his other shoulder. It definitely requires medical attention. Hell, a normal guy might have bled to death by now.

  Kadmon, however, is not a normal guy.

  I glance across his broad, muscled back. Although I can’t get a good look at it from this angle, I can see the very edge of his cut, and it looks like it has already scabbed over completely and even started to shrink.

  Incredible. I knew that Alphas were metabolically enhanced compared to uncontaminated men, but I never expected rapid healing on this level.

  I used to think that I knew so much about the zone, but I’m quickly learning that things are very different from my expectations.

  We come up alongside a river and follow its twisting banks.

  “Well, how much farther do we have to go?” I grumble at Kadmon. “I don’t even know where you’re taking me.”

  “I already told you,” he says quietly. “We’re taking you back to our dwelling in the city.”

  I know I should leave things there. I should just be patient and see how this plays out. I’m totally at the mercy of the superhuman Alphas. But my temper is wearing thin. Maybe it’s from my nihiloxin cravings. Or maybe it’s just from being carried naked for miles like a caveman’s prize.

  Whatever it is, I can feel my irritation boiling over. Besides, the Alphas have clearly made up their minds about what they plan to do with me. Nothing I do or say will dissuade them, but that doesn’t mean I have to take it lying down.

  Okay, maybe that’s not the best phrase to use.

  “But what city?” I blurt. “How far is it? And when can I go back home? I have a right to—”

  “Enough!”

  Addom’s deep voice booms like a cannon, and a flock of white birds burst from the tall grass nearby and flutter away squawking into the rising sun.

  My body tenses, and my breath catches in my throat. Okay, maybe it wasn’t a good idea to keep complaining.

  The Alphas halt. Addom grabs my leg and uses it to turn Kadmon around so that I’m looking directly at the lead Alpha.

  “Listen to me.” His voice is husky. “Your never-ending questions are giving me a headache. You will be quiet. And you will obey your Alphas. Do you understand me, little omega?”

  His face is frightening, his expression harsh. His nostrils flare, and his septum piercing gives him the look of a bull that’s about to charge. Stick a pair of horns on this guy, and he’d be a minotaur.

  There’s no doubt that he means business. He will not tolerate insolence.

  But I’m sick of being called omega. I’m a human, not some stray animal that these brutes have adopted for a pet. I’m a woman, and I intend to let them know it.

  “My name isn’t omega,” I whisper harshly. “My name is Lily.”

  Addom’s speckled gray eyes grow wide with surprise, but this soon subsides into raw anger.

  “Give her here,” he barks at Kadmon.

  The younger Alpha doesn’t argue. He hands me over to the tall savage leader and I find myself flung over a new shoulder now, a few extra inches higher off the ground.

  “Put me down!” I shout.

  I beat my fists and iron shackles uselessly against Addom’s musclebound back. Behind me, Hasker bursts into laughter, and I can even hear Kadmon chuckling too. That traitor. He’s supposed to be the nice one.

  But if Addom is amused, he’s certainly not showing it.

  “Put. Me. Down!”

  I twist and struggle, flailing my arms and legs. There is a sudden whoosh of air, and something broad, flat, and rough strikes my bare behind which is bent over Addom’s broad shoulder. The sudden sting makes me squeal, but it is soon replaced by a funny, tingly warmth in the shape of Addom’s massive hand.

  “Hey, you can’t do that!” I shout.

  His hand smacks me again, jiggling my cheeks and stinging the naked flesh of my bottom.

  “Quiet, omega,” Addom growls.

  “I will not be quiet!” I yell, “And I will not be spanked!”

  Rather than debate that point with words, Addom gives me three hard smacks in quick succession. The sound of his heavy palm impacting my rear echoes across the grassy meadows. My skin sings with pain, and I struggle to choke back my protests.

  “Behave like a child, get spanked like a child,” Addom snarls. “Understand?”

  “Yes,” I whisper.

  That word of submission tastes bitter in my mouth. But I don’t want this jerk to spank me again. For one thing, if he keeps it up, my butt’s going to be so bruised I won’t be able to sit down.

  But there’s another factor. I’m starting to get wet between my legs. Shamefully so. Anymore rough spanking like that, and my thighs would be dripping with arousal.

  I don’t want these beasts to know how turned on I’m getting. I don’t want them to see how my disobedient body is responding to their harsh treatment.

  So I keep my mouth shut.

  But the way that Addom is sniffing the air makes me think that the cat is already out of the bag so to speak.

  “Good.” His voice has softened to a purr that vibrates right through my belly and into my core. It gives me a feeling like someone’s tickling me with a feather inside. “Very good.”

  He strides forward, soon speeding up to a run. I bounce lightly on his shoulder, watching the other two Alphas following behind.

  I still don’t know where they are taking me. I guess I’ll find out soon enough.

  CHAPTER 12: ADDOM

  “You want to know where we’re going?”

  “Yes,” the omega grumbles. “I’ve only asked you like a million times.”

  I haven’t been keeping track, but a million times sounds pretty accurate. Despite my commands, this feisty little omega has taken it upon herself to pipe up every few minutes. Each time I have reminded her to keep quiet by smacking that plump ass that is bent over my shoulder.

  But she has a very short memory.

  Or maybe, just maybe, she likes being disciplined like a naughty child. From the way more and more of her overpowering scent wafts from between her legs after each sharp smack, I would say that’s the case.

  Anyway, as we climb a high ridge of grass-covered terrain, the answer to her incessant question comes into view.

  The city.

  The center of our territory and the home of the Source.

  “All right,” I tell her. “Have a look for yourself.”

  I swing around so that my back is facing the city, and now the omega, who is bent over my shoulder, has a clear view of our destination, illuminated by the golden rays of the low morning sun.

  “Wow,” she gasps with awe. “It’s…it’s beautiful.”

  She’s right. The city is indeed beautiful. The pride of our homeland. It was built long ago, before the big change. According to the stories of the old-timers, it was quite ugly then—sky choked with smoke and noxious fumes that blotted out the sun. So many people they were practically packed in like ants, and nothing but solid rockcrete for acres.

  But now, after a century, the city has come back into harmony with nature. Trees and grasses have burst through and grow in the roads where cars once drove. The towering buildings of steel and glass are tangled in climbing vines as thick as an Alpha’s wrist. Flocks of white egrets soar through the
city canyons.

  It is our home, and we will be there soon.

  “You know,” the omega says. “If you put me down I can—“

  She yelps as I swat her behind again.

  “You’ve already run off once,” I tell her. “We’re not going to play that game again. I’m carrying you, end of story.”

  “Fine,” she grumbles as her small hand reaches back to rub her reddened tush.

  Hasker approaches and speaks in a hushed voice.

  “Boss, the omega’s heat is coming back something fierce.”

  He doesn’t have to tell me. With her perfect little butt bent over my shoulder, I’m fully aware of the alluring scent wafting from between her legs. It’s nearly unbearable.

  When I first smelled her yesterday, the intensity of her pheromones threw me into a feral mania of lust. Thankfully, Hasker managed to quell her needs a little bit in that cavern. But he’s right, the effects are wearing off, and her estrus is growing stronger again.

  And I know full well what Hasker is getting at. We can’t bring her back into the city like this. It wouldn’t be fair to our brethren in the tribe. We need to mark her first.

  When an omega has been marked, her scent changes, among other things. It is the first step in the bonding process. We must see to that necessity before we return to the city.

  “We’ll take her to our cave. I don’t want to be interrupted.”

  Hasker nods. He is clearly eager, as we all are, finally to relieve some tension with the omega.

  “Cave?” Lily asks, twisting and squirming on my shoulder. “What cave?”

  She squeals as my hand comes down once more on her bottom with a sharp and satisfying smack.

  ***

  A few minutes later and we can hear the low hiss of splashing water.

  “Is that a waterfall?” Lily asks from my shoulder.

  I’m impressed. Her ears are nearly as good as mine. From what little I’ve heard about them, outsiders are supposedly far less sensitive than we who live here in the zone. But I also know that Lily’s body is undergoing changes as she becomes conditioned by the power of the zone, and the closer we draw to the Source, the deeper and more permanent those changes become.