(ASA)
I'd been lucky enough to catch a ride in front of Zevran's home from an alpha on his way to the city of Linwood. That got me much farther away from Zev than I'd ever hoped possible.
Unfortunately, that was as far as my ride was going. I knew that with a rich alpha like Zevran, he'd probably be able to find me if I didn't put even more miles between us. He no doubt had connections everywhere.
I had no illusions he'd come after me because he actually wanted me. No, he'd chase me because of his pride. He'd purchased me, and I was his property.
Once I was dropped off in Linwood, it was around midnight.
I tried hitching another ride to no avail. I guess people were leery about picking up a hitchhiker in the dark.
I wanted to get to the city of Red Butte to the north. That would put over a hundred and fifty miles between Zev and me. Unfortunately, Red Butte was fifty miles away, and I had no money or even a way to get money.
That meant I was walking.
I had high hopes that once the sun came up, I'd be able to bum another ride.
I set out on foot, leaving the bright city of Linwood behind me.
Adrenaline helped push me at first, but I soon tired. I swore under my breath when I heard the rumble of thunder overhead. Just my luck, a storm was moving in. I'd left Zev's home so spontaneously; I hadn't grabbed a jacket.
It hadn't even occurred to me. I'd simply been hell-bent on getting away from Zev. If he didn't want me, and he wasn't going to respect me, he didn't get to have me. It was that simple.
Of course, if I'd realized I was going to make a run for it, I'd have planned better. Leaving the way I'd done hadn't been the smartest way.
I didn't have my ID or a change of clothes. I'd basically bolted in a panic.
I hadn't trusted Zev wouldn't follow through on his threat of loaning me out to other alphas. He'd been so cold as he'd looked at me like I was nothing. Just a problem he didn't have time to deal with. A problem he wanted to unload.
I couldn't allow myself to end up as a plaything for multiple alphas. If I'd wanted to be sexually used and abused, I'd have become a whore. I wouldn't have entered The Auction. I'd purposely not gone that other route.
The point of The Auction was to give omegas a chance to find an alpha who'd been vetted and who would take care of them. Protect them. To have Zevran threaten to loan me out to other alphas as a breeder had been gut- wrenching. A violation of my trust.
Well, fine. If I were such a burden, he wouldn't have to deal with me anymore. I'd figure something out. Perhaps I could get a job in Red Butte. A friend of mine had been hired with a food delivery service there once. He'd said it was easy to get into, and they didn't care as much if you were an upstanding citizen. They just needed people willing to work long hours for shit pay.
I could probably do that. Shit pay was better than no pay. I'd have to figure something out and fast. Eating out of trash cans wasn't anything I wanted to do.
When big raindrops started to fall, I groaned. It was hard enough walking out here on the outskirts of the city. There were no street lights, and the silver clouds obscured the moon. I kept splashing in puddles and soaking my shoes because I couldn't see where I was going.
Shivering, I kept trudging along. I didn't have much choice. I needed to walk through the night and hopefully catch a ride in the morning.
Behind me, I heard the rumble of an engine, and headlights illuminated the road.
Heart racing, I turned and faced the vehicle, holding out my thumb. My hopes were dashed when they went right past me without even slowing down.
Grumbling under my breath, I kept walking.
The cold wind cut through my thin flannel shirt like icy knives. Shivering, I began to feel defeated. The odds of success were stacked against me.
My muscles and feet were already tired, and I had many hours to go before daylight. Maybe I should have just slept in a bus station in Linwood instead of setting out so quickly. I'd simply been worried Zevran's hounds would already be closing in.
I walked for another hour, and the rain was getting worse.
When another pair of headlights lit the road from behind me, I once more turned and stuck my thumb in the air. This time, the vehicle slowed and pulled along beside me. It was a black SUV with tinted windows.
They didn't immediately roll down the passenger side window, and inside the car, I saw the light from a cell phone.
I stopped walking, and the vehicle stopped too. Uneasiness shifted through me when they didn't open the door and invite me in out of the rain.
Feeling uncertain, I began walking again, and the car once more followed. They were making no attempt to let me in the SUV, and I could see they were still talking on their phone.
Flustered, I turned sharply and headed off the main road. With a nervous look over my shoulder, I scrambled into the brush on the side of the highway. They probably wouldn't follow me in their vehicle.
I crouched down in the tall weeds, watching the vehicle through the bushes. The rain poured down, illuminated in the headlights. I heard a car door slam and footsteps on the wet pavement.
A deep voice called out, "Asa, don't run."
I froze, shocked they knew my name. I didn't speak. I simply continued to watch, head down, heart pounding. I didn't recognize the voice. It was an alpha, but it definitely wasn't Zevran.
"You don't need to hide," the alpha yelled. "I'm here to take you home."
Home? I have no home.
I stayed where I was, watching the person move toward the brush. I inched sideways, away from where I'd entered the vegetation. Hopefully, that way, they wouldn't know exactly where I was.
The rain was coming down even harder now.
Shivering, I watched in panic as the person began walking along the edge of the road, searching with their cell phone flashlight.
I flattened myself to the ground as the figure approached, cell phone light reflecting off the wet foliage. It was so cold I couldn't stop shaking, and my teeth were on the verge of chattering.
I wanted to move further away from the road, but knew the alpha was too close. He'd see me move.
"Come on, Asa." The light settled on me through the wet weeds. "Let's get you out of the rain."
I stayed where I was, praying they were bluffing that they could see me.
"Do I have to come in there and get you?" The voice sounded irritated. "I can smell you. I know you're there."
Feeling defeated, I hesitated, then stood. The rain pelted my head as I stared at the silhouette of the alpha. "I don't want to go back," I rasped, my breath a puffy cloud in the chilled night air.
A sigh came from the alpha. "I have no choice but to bring you with me. I have my orders." His voice was familiar, but I couldn't quite place him.
"Fuck you and fuck your orders," I growled.
Another tired sigh came from the guy. "Master Zevran is worried about you."
"Bullshit."