CHAPTER 3
OLIVE
He’s not takingme toEden, he’s not bringing me to a hospital, and he’s not informing the police.
It could be a lot worse, I suppose.
Except that the Alpha driving me to wherever we’re going seems out of his damn mind.
I continue to inhale the disinfectant, desperate for my inner Omega toshut up, and not think about how handsome he is.
I can’t ignore the size of his tattooed hands, the sculpted muscles that strain in his shirt…
“See something you like?” He smirks, and I huff, embarrassed at being caught.
“I don’t even know your name,” I blurt out, desperate to change the subject.
Desperate to keep my mind occupied and not worry too much about where we’re going.
I can’t afford to spiral now, with my body worn out and exhausted.
“Only if you tell me yours,” he replies easily.
I stay silent.
“Your bag is in the backseat. Either you tell me, or I go through it and find out your name, anyway.”
Hope soars in my chest. My suppressants are in there, thankfully.
“Olive,” I say, grateful for my secret victory.
I won’t go into Heat around him.
“Olive…” He purrs my name slowly, as if savoring it. My chest tightens and my breath catches.
“Now yours,” I say softly.
“Killian.”
Killian.
The name stirs something in me, a rush in my stomach I choose to ignore.
As soon as I can, I need to escape him.
I will survive this. I have to.
Slowly, we drive away from the abandoned parts of Los Angeles into the lively, wealthy part of the city.
“Keep the hood pulled over your head,” Killian barks. “Unless you want them to see you.”
Part of me is relieved he knows I want nothing to do with the government’s orders. Occasionally, a drone flies by over the freeway inconspicuously, but nothing is out of the ordinary as we drive. However, if there’s even the smallest suspicion that an Omega is in Killian’s car, the police won’t hesitate to pull him over.
He’s risking a tremendous amount just to be in the same space as me.
It would be flattering if the entire situation wasn’t so twisted.
As we near Beverly Hills, I catch a glimpse of my would-be prison in the distance.