“And here’s your Stelline ID,” says Gerry, handing me yet another card. This one is also beautifully designed, though the picture is my old one from when I first got my cash card. It’s convenient that all these computer networks are linked now, but I wish they weren’t because I really need a new picture.
I don’t look like the sixteen year old boy on that card anymore. That boy had no idea what was coming for him. His smile is pure and unburdened, and his eyes are bright.
Well, maybe at least Hunter will look like that someday, if not me.
“You should be good to go,” says Gerry. “I’ll hold on to your cash card, as the bank shreds those. You shouldn’t have any problems, but our number is on the cards if you do.”
“Thank you so much,” I say, relieved. Now I can actually pay for stuff in this city.
“Not a problem,” says Gerry, standing up and shaking my hand again. His grip is firm, even though he seems older and a little frail. “Oh, I almost forgot.” He retrieves my phone and hands it to me. “Looks like it’s half full.”
“Oh good, thanks,” I say.
“Thanks, Gerry,” adds Carson, and before I know it, I’m back in his driverless car, reveling in the air conditioning. I don’t think I can be cold enough.
“Where to next?” he asks me.
“Um… I really don’t know,” I say. “I guess I need to find housing. And a doctor, stat. Hunter’s due this month.”
“So you basically need to set up a whole new life,” says Carson.
“Yeah,” I say, looking away, a little embarrassed. I don’t want Carson to feel obligated to take on the huge burden of helping me. It’s a tall task, and there’s a lot I need to do. And it’s urgent, because I need to have a comfortable space and situation set up before Hunter arrives. I don’t even know who’s going to help me with the baby, but I can deal with that later.
“It’s not so difficult to do here,” says Carson nonchalantly. “The city runs hostels for visitors and temporary guests. You can stay there while you figure out a place to live. There are some nice little houses and apartments in good areas. Even though Stell’s a big city, you can find something affordable, since the city council tries to keep the cost of living low. And your Stelline ID, when you link it up with your new address, will afford you free healthcare.”
“Free healthcare?” My eyes bug out.
“Yeah,” says Carson, as if it’s normal—and maybe for him, it is. “So don’t worry about the baby. In fact, if you can prove you’re looking for housing, they might help a bit with the bills, until you get into the Stelline system.”
“That sounds almost too good to be true,” I say, still incredulous. Maybe there’s something wrong with what he’s saying. Maybe the free healthcare and hostels only apply to rich people, people who look like him. Not grimy small town folks like me.
“It’s just how life is here in Stelline,” says Carson. “The city has its problems, but we make it work. I guess it’s a lot different from you’re from, huh?”
“Totally. There’s so much different, I don’t even know where I’d start.”
Carson looks at me, a thoughtful expression in his eyes. I can’t help but notice how handsome he is, with light laugh lines around his mouth and strong brows. He looks like a good guy. But there’s no way I’m letting my thoughts go beyond that. I’m still reeling from my previous relationship.
Still, it’s nice to have some eye candy.
“I hope the other governments take a hint already,” says Carson finally. “We’re clearly doing something right. Time for the rest of the territories to get with the program.”
I don’t pay much attention to politics. It’s hard to, when you’re focused on surviving. I can’t think of anything to say, so I nod noncommittally.
“Here we are,” says Carson, as the car slows to a stop in front of a building made of dark gray bricks. It looks like some kind of fancy hotel; I can see a chandelier in the lobby.
“Is this where you live?” I ask.
“No, this is where you’re going to live,” says Carson. “For now, at least.”
“What the…” I can’t believe my eyes. Never in a million years will I be able to afford a place like this. “You sure there isn’t anywhere… more uh, more affordable?”
Carson chuckles. “Go on in and talk to them. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”
So far, Carson hasn’t screwed me over, so I want to believe him. But I find it extremely hard to believe I’ll be staying in a place so fancy.
“Hey, why don’t I get your number?” says Carson. “Please, let me know if you need any help. It’s hard to come to a new place when you don’t know anyone.”
“Wow, thanks,” I say, retrieving my phone. I can’t at all imagine why Carson’s being so nice to me. It’s the middle of the day on a Wednesday. Doesn’t he have better things to do?
After entering his number, he hands my phone back to me. “Seriously, don’t hesitate if you need anything.”
“Got it,” I say, oddly reluctant to leave the car. I felt almost… safe with Carson around. That isn’t surprising, because he just massively helped me, but it isn’t just that. There’s something else I can’t put my finger on.
“Take care, Harley,” he says as I step out of the car, grabbing my backpack and shopping bag.
“Thanks for everything.” I wish I could do more to convey how grateful I am. Carson might have just saved my life—and Hunter’s.
He smiles at me as the door slides shut again, and the car gently picks up speed and merges back onto the road. I’m left in front of this fancy hostel, intimidated to go inside in my dirty condition. I look around and spot a couple of convenience stores, a coffee shop, and some boutiques. It looks like I can pick up some basic supplies here.
But I can’t believe I’ve made it. I’m in Stelline City, finally embarking on my new life with Hunter. We’re going to make it. I just know it.
I turn around and step into the hostel lobby, since the sun’s hitting me hard again. I take a deep breath and walk up to the counter. I can do this.
I have to.
2
Carson
I can’t help but watch Harley enter the hostel door as my car zooms away. A thread of worry tangles itself in my heart. It isn’t unusual for an alpha like myself to worry after the safety of an omega, especially one so close to giving birth, but there’s something different going on here.
I put it out of my mind; I have way too much on my plate to follow this train of thought any further. Harley did a fantastic job of taking care of himself and his baby up until now, and now that he has a safe place to stay, he’s even better off. And he has my number, in case he needs it.
I kinda hope he needs it.
There’s just something about a pregnant omega, especially one who’s experienced so much hardship. Even though his eyes were tired and his hair unkempt, Harley had a certain glow to his cheeks that I found appealing. And while his belly was rounded, he was clearly a fit guy, if his lean arm and leg muscles were any indication. I immediately find myself wanting to get to know him more. Refugees from other territories or the backlands aren’t uncommon in Stell, but Harley’s the first one who interests me on a personal level.
I shake my head. There I am on that train of thought. I slip my phone out of my pocket and check my messages. Lars texted me: we’ve got a situation in paisley. heading there now.
Damn. I know the situation in the Paisley, a lower income neighborhood to the north, is getting more dire, but if our pack’s stepping in…
I open the navigation app and tell my car to head straight there, instead of pack headquarters, like I was intending. I’m not fully prepared, but there isn’t much I can do about that.
I hit another button to tell the car to darken its windows, then I start slipping out of my suit. I have a shiftsuit ready in the car for emergencies like these, and I slip it on easily. It’s similar to a wetsuit people use for swimming in the oc
ean, but it’s made of a light material that’ll adapt with my body when I shift—meaning I can shift back into human form and not be left naked.
Not all shifters can afford shiftsuits, though.
I can see the run down buildings of the Paisley approaching quickly. Two or three story buildings of red and gray brick, the old stones rounded or chipped off at the corners, are scrunched together. Broken windows are covered with tape, and small, cobbled-together security drones buzz loudly everywhere—the residents here can’t afford the stealthier ones. I’ve been told that this was a peaceful little neighborhood at the turn of the century. Amazing how things can change just a few decades later.
And it’s too bad, because this neighborhood is largely full of refugees coming to Stell to seek a better life, much like Harley. All they want to do is find a safe community for their family. But there are shifter packs, as well as nasty groups of humans, who see them as easy prey—in the financial sense.
We constantly have to put out fires like this. A rogue shifter pack will come to shake down a block full of refugees, or even try to get the older kids to sell dangerous drugs or other illegal materials. While there are police in Stell, they aren’t the best at dealing with shifter issues. We’re a pack of shifters who want to do good, and see it as our duty to help make Stell a good place for everyone to live. It’s an ongoing battle, made even more difficult by the fact that most people outside of our territory have no idea shifters even exist. This is one of the few territories where shifters can live more or less openly.
As the car slows and the map indicates that I’m getting closer, I get up and get ready to hop out and join Lars. I can see him standing on a street corner, and he waves as he sees my car come near.
I get out of the car and it zooms away, to where, I don’t know, since there aren’t many lots in this neighborhood, but that isn’t my concern right now.
Lars claps me on the back, gently squeezing my shoulder. His suit is covered in bits of gray and white fur, and he’s breathing heavily and covered in sweat. He looks sexy, but I’m too anxious to focus on that. I hope I arrived in time.
“What do we have going on here?” I ask, ready to spring into action.
“Just took care of it, man,” says Lars. “Sorry to make you come out all the way here.”
“Not a problem,” I say, shaking my head. “I’m glad I was able to come, in case you needed me. Always better to be safe.”
“Definitely,” he agrees. “Here, let me get you to the others and I’ll give you a rundown of what happened.”
As we walk around the corner and approach a group of shifters from my pack, Lars explains everything. We’ve been in contact with these two sisters, humans who escaped their family in a more oppressive territory. They’re trying to get settled and on their feet, and they could only afford a house in the Paisley. The neighborhood is reasonably safe, it just lacks amenities. Unfortunately, when one of the sisters explored the dating scene, she fell in with the wrong kind of guy—a fox shifter.
This asshole started harassing her when she broke it off, and we had to step in. We knew he’d return to harass her, so we told her to call when he showed up next, so we could catch him in the act. Since we were successful, we worked with the cops to remove him from the territory. He wasn’t allowed to set foot here again.
The door to the sisters’ home is open, and I can see two of our pack members inside, comforting them and talking with them. I assume the perp’s been carted off already, to be held in custody in our pack headquarters.
“Looks like everything’s taken care of,” I say, putting an arm around Lars’ shoulder. Now that I know the danger’s passed, I feel like I can let my guard down and show Lars some real affection.
We don’t often seem like we are, but Lars and I are a couple. The thing is, we’re both alphas. It’s rare that alphas fall for each other, but it happened with us. It would’ve been fine as is, but we can’t have kids, not without an omega—a man who can become pregnant. That’s something that aches in my heart daily. I love Lars, but I also want kids more than anything.
The sensible thing to do would be to adopt, but Stell’s social infrastructure works too well. New parents are given a lot of support, so they have all they need to care for a baby—and themselves—and don’t often feel the need to put it up for adoption. Healthcare and education are advanced here, and people rarely have pregnancies they don’t want. There simply aren’t that many babies to adopt here, and the waiting list is a mile long.
Nope, if we want a baby, we have to do it the old-fashioned way. It’s something we talked about for a while, but we put it on the backburner.
I think of Harley again, his soft face swimming into my mind. He’s cute, there, I said it. Maybe that weird feeling I had earlier was romantic in nature. Then again, every alpha’s a sucker for a cute omega.
“Anything interesting happen today?” Lars asks as we wait for my car to pull up. He got a ride with someone else, and most of the pack dispersed by now.
“Actually, yeah,” I say, and as we ride back to headquarters, I tell him how I met Harley and made sure he was safe.
“Wow,” says Lars. “A pregnant omega. I wonder if…”
I know exactly what he’s thinking. “Doubt it,” I say sourly, and I sigh.
We’re silent for a moment, as the car enters the streets of Stell’s downtown and skyscrapers rise around us. The black glass façade of our pack’s headquarters comes into view, and the car drops us off before zooming around to the underground parking lot. We go up the high speed elevator to our floor, where our apartment awaits us.
Now that we’re safe and sound at home, I can relax. And when I relax, I tend to get interested in Lars… Of course, when you have such a sexy alpha as your partner, it’s hard not to be aroused all the time. The fact that he just finished a mission, and his suit clings to him, accentuating all his curved, bulging muscles, just adds to my desire…
He went to take a shower, so I slip out of my suit and go into the bathroom, which is just starting to steam up. We have a garden tub and a shower, and Lars is sitting on the edge of the tub, watching it fill up with hot water.
Perfect.
I touch his shoulder, cool with sweat and condensation, and he looks up at me, his ice gray eyes bright. I sit down next to him at the edge of the tub and look over his body. God, I’ll never tire of him. His smooth skin glistens, the smattering of blonde hair on his chest covered with tiny crystals of water spraying from the faucet, and his cock is a deep pinkish red, starting to get hard from the sight of me.
It’s flattering. The hazy look in Lars’ eyes tells me he’s thinking the same thing I am. He reaches out and touches my knee, sliding his hand up my inner thigh. His touch is warm, and the rising steam makes the room even warmer. He must have put some soap in the tub, because a fresh fragrance fills the air, and a layer of foamy bubbles rises on the surface of the water.
Trust Lars to turn an ordinary moment into something romantic. I love this man.
Our lips press together and it’s like fireworks are going off. This is always how it is when I’m with him. Some people don’t believe in the fated mates legend, but I do. I love Lars, and I know, in the very fibers of my being, that we belong together.
His lips break away from mine, and start to travel down my jawline and neck, making me moan. My cock twitches, desperately wanting friction. I reach down and grasp it firmly as Lars leaves bruises on my neck. I fist my other hand in his hair and pull gently.
This is what sex is like when two alphas go at it. We’re both full of energy and wanting to push at each other’s boundaries. You wouldn’t think two alphas could be fated, but we are.
Most other fated mate pairs I’ve ever heard of is an alpha and omega. I’ve heard of people like us, but I’ve never met them.
But that’s okay. Our pack accepts us and we’re happy.
Lars moans when I attack his neck with my own tongue, nipping at his collarbone. I pull apart
for a moment when I realize the bath is ready.
When he realizes it too, we step into it, taking care before resuming our previous activity. Submerged in the hot water, my cock throbs.
We’re going to be in here for a little while, I can tell already.
After washing off, we rest our tired bones on the bed. Lars told me he’d take a quick nap, then we can make dinner later. I can’t, and don’t want to sleep. I’m still thinking about Harley and wondering how he’s getting along. I can’t believe I met him only earlier today.
I wonder if I should text him, but then I remember that he didn’t give me his number, I only gave him mine. It’s up to him to contact me if he wants.
If I really want to, I can call the hostel and ask if he’s okay. But that would be completely nuts. It’s the kind of thing an anxious parent would do to their kid on their first school trip, or something.
No, I have to let it go. But I can’t help but ask myself, why can’t I?
3
Harley
Carson was right. I can’t believe it. The accommodations are free. Completely free.
No, that isn’t true. They’re free for two weeks, after which point I have to pay. Still, the fact that anyone can stay here, at such a nice hostel, for free is incredible. I saw some people like myself, who looked like they’d been through hard times, as well as young travelers and students. There were even some families who looked like they’d come on vacation in the big city.
Because I’m pregnant, they gave me a single room, which is nice. It feels so good to actually have my own space. I can spread my things out and take stock of my situation.
First of all, I have to find an actual house. The hostel is nice, but I don’t want to spend my money on staying here after two weeks, when I can put down a deposit on an apartment of my own.
Second, I have to find healthcare. While I had some prenatal care towards the beginning of the pregnancy, I wasn’t able to keep up my appointments towards the end of my stay in Spruce Springs. I need to make sure everything is fine now, and find someone I can trust for when the baby finally arrives.
Runaway Omega_Harley Page 2
