Finding a bus with the back door still open was dumb luck. But now that I’ve been riding in it for the past forty minutes, I have to decide what to do next. If I stay on for too long, it’ll circle back to the Omega House. It’s unlikely my luck will hold out long enough for me to pass by that place without Curtis catching my scent. Even I know how bad I stink. Thank god there aren’t any alphas on this bus or I’d be in serious trouble.

With my gaze focused directly out the window beside me, I try to figure out where I am. We pass a familiar park and I realize why it’s familiar. Tad lives around here. He brought me to his house a few times over the years when there was maintenance going on at Ropers and he didn’t want to risk a stranger finding me.

I pull the string to ring the driver and stand by the exit door, anxious to get off and look for Tad. I don’t know if he’ll be home or if he’s still in jail, but one of the cooks said the staff of the breeding farms are usually not held for more than a few days before they’re released on their own recognizance and slapped with some heavy fines. The authorities are generally looking for the owners, the kingpins of those establishments, not so much the betas who were just trying to earn a living. As long as direct criminal activity can’t be linked back to Tad, it’s possible he’s sitting at home right now.

Once I’m off the bus, I head straight back to the park. I remember two columns in front of Tad’s building were visible from the pond. If I can get there, I should be able to find my way to his place.

* * *

After sitting in the stairwell for over an hour, I finally build up the nerve to knock on Tad’s door. At first, there aren’t any sounds. No TV or radio playing on the other side. But just before I turn to walk away, the sound of footsteps heading toward the door stops me.

A little window in the center of his front door opens and Tad’s eye peeks through. A second later, the door flies open and he’s pulling me into his arms. “Max, honey, is that you?”

It feels good to be held like this but it also feels wrong coming from Tad. He’s hugged me over the years, but we were never physically affectionate. Even though I might have had a crush on him for a while, he never showed any signs of interest. But the relief he obviously feels in finding me is almost tangible.

“I’m sorry to just stop by.” I hold him for another second and then pull away. “But I didn’t know where else to go.”

“I’m so glad you did. I hoped you would make it to one of the good shelters like Omega House so you could start fresh, but I guess you didn’t…”

“Well, I did get there and it was nice until… Well, anyway, I couldn’t stay there so I figured I’d see if you were okay. I thought you were arrested.”

Tad groans and ushers me to his sofa. “I was, but they only held us overnight. I don’t think any charges will be filed.”

“Good. I’ve been worried.”

Tad smiles and reaches for my shoulder. “I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve really missed you.”

His fingers skate across my skin up to my neck. And his pupils are wide under his lidded eyes. Shit. He’s reacting to my heat.

I pull out of his reach and slide to the other side of the couch. “I need some suppressants. It just started today, and this need inside me almost hurts.”

Tad leans forward, slowly approaching me with his right hand extended. “You don't need to suppress it anymore, honey. You're free now. You can live a normal life. We can live a normal life…together.”

“What?” I don’t understand what he’s saying. It almost sounds like a romantic proposition and not the caretaker and child relationship we’ve had for so long. His hormones must be as jacked up as mine are at the moment. “Maybe we should open some windows. Or I can leave until the suppressants kick in.”

“No.” Tad pulls my wrist to his nose and inhales deeply. “You smell so good. I’ve always known you would. I was planning to ask you to move in with me when the raid happened. You would have said yes, right?”

What? No! Well, maybe I would have, but that was before… Now that I know what he wants, I know without a doubt it isn’t what I want. “Tad, I think you’re confused. My heat is messing with your mind.”

“No, Max. I’ve thought about this a lot…about you a lot. I’ve wanted this for a long time, and now that you’re ready, we can be together.”

“What? I’m not ready.” I stand up and put some distance between us, edging closer to the front door. “You’re like a father to me…or at least a brother. This isn’t right.”

“Max, that was when you were a kid.” He stands up but doesn’t get any closer. “You’re a man now. A beautiful man who needs me.”

Holy fuck. This isn’t going to happen.

“I’m sorry, Tad. I shouldn’t have come.” Before he can try to stop me, I run out of his apartment and down the stairs. I don’t know why I’m so against the idea of being with Tad. He’s a good man and there was a time when I wanted nothing more than for him to notice me in that way.

But that time is over. I don’t know what changed or when but something has. I’m not ready for this. And being out in public is just stupid. As soon as an unmated alpha gets a whiff of me, it’ll be game over. Like with Curtis.

Curtis.

Why does just thinking his name feel like a calming blanket being wrapped around me? Where is the fear I felt a few hours ago when he looked at me with lust and desperation in his eyes? Why am I considering going back to the Omega House?

Without any money, I don’t have many options. And while I’m in heat, the only thing that truly matters is to get as far away from alphas as I can. There aren’t many places that come to mind, but I’m not too far from the ghetto I grew up in. Omega-villes are scattered throughout the city and one of the few safe havens for omegas. At least, they used to be. With all the recent raids on breeding farms, rumors of omegas being picked up off the streets and never seen again have surfaced. I don’t know if they’re true or just urban legends to keep omega teens off the streets, but I don’t have any other choice.

I take off in the direction of the encampment closest to Tad’s place. There’s a slight breeze tonight, but if the wind picks up a little more, I might be able to hang out up wind and mix my scent with all the other omega pheromones. It’s not a brilliant plan, but I hope it’ll get me through the next few days. I’m already feeling less horny than I was when I first hopped on that bus.

Maybe this will be a quick cycle and I can find some suppressants before my next one begins.