It was creased, it smelled like soapy vanilla. Returning it, Corday moved into the small space's only bedroom.
Everything was in the shade of robin's egg blue, styled in the simplistic, comfortable atmosphere Omegas required. The bedding still smelled of her, though it looked as if one of the rioters had rolled about in the linen. Taking a seat on the narrow mattress, Corday picked up the family photograph from her bedside table—her parents and Claire when she was just a girl. An Alpha father's hands rested on his little girl's shoulders. Beside them was a woman with a tight smile, a forced expression that tried to convey joy below surrendered eyes.
Claire was the image of her father, the same distinctive looks, the same black hair, but she had her mother's small frame and swanlike quality. She appeared fragile, but Corday knew she was stronger than she seemed.
Setting the photograph back, Corday began to poke through her collection of worthless jewelry even the looters had passed up. Under the lining of the small velvet box he felt the outline of a ring and pulled back the fabric to find a worn gold band.
It was a wedding band; the same one worn by her mother in the photograph.
Without thought, Corday took it so he might return it to Claire. Because he was going to see her again. His Omega friend was sneaky and smart; she would find her way. Claire would not end up like the glassy-eyed Omegas the Enforcers had set free, the ones begging for some Alpha to claim them and give them a sense of purpose and relief. No... Claire was different.
She had to be.
#
Claire was unsure how many days had passed, what the hour was, how long she'd slept, or why she was always exhausted when she woke. Shepherd had not returned once since their fight.
There was no one to talk to, no soothing scent. There was nothing to do but obsess about the room and try not to think about how very lonely she was.
She cleaned every surface, going so far as to pull everything out of the dresser and refold each item with sharp corners. Even forcing distraction, more than once she unwittingly allowed her thoughts to circle on the Alpha, tempting her to recall his more pleasing points.
The root of the issue was palpable. Claire wanted him back—his soothing purr, the heat of his body in her nest. Life was muddled by enforced seclusion, off-putting and confusing.
After shutting the last drawer, ready to move on to the bookshelf—what Shepherd had called her window—Claire turned and squeaked. A woman was standing behind her, so close they could have been touching.
Green eyes wide at seeing a stranger, Claire stammered, "Hello," wondering for a moment if she had lost her mind and begun hallucinating.
A smile, the lovely, polished, practiced grin of nobility, spread across pink lips. "Hello, pretty."
Claire could smell that the female was not what she seemed. The exotic beauty was an Alpha, but so delicate that the brunette could almost pass for Omega. Backing away, Claire found blue eyes tracking her movement and a small, amused smirk on those lips. "Who are you?"
The coolness of the woman's fingers made Claire instantly pull her head back. It did not stop the smirking woman from tracing her nail over the delicate skin under Claire's jaw. "I am Shepherd's beloved."
That string in her chest, the chain, writhed at those words. Pressing a hand defensively over her belly, Claire choked out, "I am Claire."
"Claire," a wealthy, accented voice drew out the pronunciation of the name.
A glint was in those oval eyes, something unwelcome and treacherous. The Alpha was dangerous, looking at her like a piece of meat, countering each step Claire took backwards until the Omega found herself trapped against the bed.
The intruder purred, "Be still, Omega."
Claire's voice dropped, her shoulders grew stiffer, and she said it again, "My name is Claire."
Pain burst across Claire's face. Pressing her hand to her bleeding lip, she stared in shock at the stranger who'd struck her.
"You're drenched in him." The Alpha female sniffed. "Lie on the bed and spread your legs so I may see."
"I don't know who the fuck you are, but back off!"
There was a tutting sound in the air. "You can obey, or I will have Shepherd force you."
"Then get him to force me... I don't spread just because an Alpha bitch commands it."
Before she might escape, an unyielding hand circled Claire's throat. She was forced back until her knees bent and the Omega's back hit the mattress. Clawing at the grip crushing her windpipe, Claire stared up into the unblinking blue eyes of a killer—what she saw there inspired more fear than she'd ever known.
The woman's hand stroked under Claire's skirt, fingers jamming inside her to swirl painfully around her dry womb. The brunette drew them out and tasted. "You are pregnant. How interesting."