Used (Omega Market Book 1)

5

I was too stunned to react, breath caught in my throat as my mind tried to catch up with what happened. The doctor stepped away from me, and I heard water running, but I remained where I was, unsure what to do.

"Get dressed. The nurse will be back in a moment."

Voice void of any further interest, the doctor left, door clicking behind him.

My tears stopped as numbness spread from my chest. The whirling thoughts ended with the click of the door, my mind a blank fog that seemed too thick to push through.

Standing, I found some wipes, cleaning the mess from by bottom as well as I could. Pulling my clothing back on, I sat in the chair against the wall, hands folded over the bag in my lap.

I didn't bother to look up when the nurse entered. I couldn't believe she didn't know what the doctor did to the omegas he processed, and I didn't want to see her fake smile and pretend interest.

"I need to take a bit of blood to help match you to the right Alpha."

Rolling my arm, I held it out, eyes still focused on the floor in front of me. She pressed a device to my forearm, a quick prick followed by a green light, and then she was hustling me out the door.

Taking the elevator again, we went up a floor before she left me in another waiting room. This one was small, barely large enough for the four chairs sitting around the coffee table in the center of it, but at least it was clean.

I hadn't sat there long when I heard heels clicking on the tile floor of the hallway.

"Elise?"

I looked up into the startling orange eyes of a woman in a white blouse and pencil skirt. Her blonde hair was tucked behind pointed ears, but the rest of her looked completely human.

"Yes?"

My throat felt thick, but the brain-fog had thinned a bit.

Taking the last few steps toward me, she held out her hand.

"I'm Suri. I'll be the one finding your match. Now that you're all done with medical, I'll be asking you a few more questions about your life to be sure we find someone who will be more than just genetically compatible."

The woman wore a smile like she actually believed her words. A small part of me wanted to tell her I wasn't a fool. That I knew they were putting me up for sale to the highest bidder and it had nothing to do with genetics or improving the species.

Instead, I forced myself to smile back and take her hand.

"If you'll follow me to my office, we'll get this finished so you can settle in. You'll stay here until we have a match for you, then depending on where they are, we will arrange transportation to your mate."

I listened to her cheery dialogue, letting it pull me further away from the experience on the floor below. She moved with an easy grace that I ached to be able to imitate, but next to her, I felt like a toddler learning to walk.

I realized that unlike the medical personnel, she actually had a scent, but it took a moment to register that she was an omega. She smelled different than the others I had met, but I wasn't sure if it was something to do with her heritage or if she was bonded.

Scanning her neck with interest, I caught a glimpse of a scar as she leaned forward to take her seat.

"So, I need to know a bit about your background and education. Where are you from?"

"I was born in Low End. We moved a lot, but I did well in school until I had to start working."

The woman began typing away on her tablet.

"It shows here you completed your eleventh year but didn't enroll for year twelve."

"Yes. I have five younger siblings, there wasn't room for me anymore, so I had to work."

Her orange eyes lifted to mine.

"Your parents left you on your own? At sixteen?"

I shrugged a shoulder.

"I found a job in a hotel. They let me stay and provided two meals a day."

Suri seemed surprised by what I said, but it was a frequent story in Low End. Many kids were on their own by that age. I had been lucky to find a job on the edge where things weren't as bad and worked my way up until I earned a transfer to a different district.

"So, no formal education after that? Any special training?"

I shook my head and shrugged again, but she gave me a smile.

"Don't worry, many Alphas don't expect or want their mate to work, the questions are just to learn more about you."

I nodded, trying to fake a smile in return.

"Any special interests or hobbies?"

My brows drew together, and she must have seen my confusion.

"Do you sing, dance, play an instrument?"

I couldn't stop my snort. As if I had ever had time for anything frivolous like learning to play an instrument. I hadn't had a day off in over three years.

"No. I'm a passible cook and I can sew. Besides that, cleaning is all I know."

"What are you looking for in a mate?"

My brow raised as I stared at her. Though I may have turned myself in, it didn't change the fact that I didn't have a choice. I would have been hunted down within the next few years, and this was the better option.

Suri sat with a patient smile, like her question wasn't completely pointless. I had never considered what I wanted in a mate, because I had always known there was no chance that I'd get to pick one. I decided to be blunt.

"Someone who's not going to hurt me."

While Suri managed to keep her plastic smile, she couldn't stop the way her eyes widened. It took her a moment to catch up and react to what I said.

"Oh, honey, no one is going to hurt you! The Alphas in our database have all been vetted. They are well-respected men looking to settle down with a mate and raise a family."

I wanted to believe her words, but what happened downstairs proved what I had heard my whole life. Omegas were to be used.