“We still have our badges. That gives us access to these areas. As far as they’re concerned, she’s our omega.”
The bounty was out. Their faces were everywhere. And though they dressed in stealth and cloaks from the desert regions of the south, none of that would matter if a high official saw them roaming the rows.
Vash stumbled onto the bed. If Vash didn’t get better, he wasn’t sure how the others would fair against Cassian.
They’d be fucked harder than Wren.
“We’ll find Aidrick,” Lucas said, sharing a glance with Killian.
“Like hell,” Vash argued and tried to stand unsuccessfully.
Killian extended his chubby hand to block him. “Rest.
Wren merely watched the alphas, taking in as much information as she could get.
“Is that an order?” Vash asked with rare sarcasm.
“It’ll give you more time to prep her,” Killian said.
Aidrick was easy to find, but he wasn’t a team player. They couldn’t rely on Vash to save the day anymore.
“Fine. But hurry,” Vash uttered.
The two men nodded and walked into a crowd of alphas. Vash turned to face the shivering and silent omega. He waited for her to say something, anything to keep his mind occupied, but she said nothing.
Finally, the twisting pain stirred him enough to break the silence. “Don’t mind Lucas,” he said.
A faint smirk formed on the innocent omega’s mouth, but she bashfully looked away. “You are worried,” she said. “About losing your strength.”
Vash ran his fingernails against each other, tapping the cracked edges until they caught. She was right, but she was out of line again.
“We won’t be here for more than a night,” he said, studying the ceiling.
Her strands of dark hair stroking her face, she nodded. “You won’t prepare me here?”
Cassian sat still, despite the ache. “No,” he said.
Wren toward him and laid her fingers on the threading of his shirt. When he didn’t squirm, she lifted the moist fabric.
“Does it hurt?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Pain is only relevant to the situation at hand,” he said. “I hurt because I know I could lose everything I worked so hard to gain.”
It was a stark admission that he wasn’t used to giving. It made him feel weak, and he blamed the girl for it.
“You won’t lose me,” Wren said.
Yes, she had been obedient, but Vash felt a level of unease with everyone lately. Sometimes, he wondered if parting with Cassian was worth it. Then, he’d remember the goal and felt the urge to keep fighting.
“I know that,” he lied. “All I care about is bringing down Cassian and his army.”
She pointed at his bag. “Hand me your medical kit. I will clean and wrap you with fresh gauze.”
He handed her the bag and inhaled deeply through his engorged nostrils. This was another level of trust they weren’t used to providing. It wasn’t a violation of the pack’s rules—technically, they could have her whenever they pleased. It just rubbed Vash the wrong way.
Vash furrowed his brows and leaned back against the wall. “They don’t trust me anymore,” he said.
Removing the old bandage, Wren dipped a small cotton swab into the bottle of alcohol and the liquid soaked into the fuzz.