Page 6 of Briar
I was young and stupid back then. I had no idea what the outcome of that night would be. All I wanted to do was get as far away from Ryan and his dads as possible. Nothing else mattered as long as I wasn’t Ryan’s omega.
Still, being Gideon's captive was a far better fate in that moment of time because if I were to stay in that house, I’d have been shackled to Ryan’s bed, forced to take him whenever he chose, as he used me as some fucked up omega sex doll.
I knew that in the end, my fate was meant to be sold off to whoever Gideon chose. But at least it wouldn’t have been for a few years. While under his care, no one touched me. At least not in a sexual way.
And with the strength of my five best friends, I was able to not only make it through those years, but the years that came after we escaped that prison and made a life for ourselves.
A safe haven for omegas like us. The ones who have nowhere to go, no one to protect them.
Here they’re able to live a life without fear, to heal, to thrive.
When we first started working on Widows Peak, I was worried that somehow my stepfathers would find out where Iwas and come get their revenge for what I did to their son, even though I changed my name.
The world thought Ava Black was dead. And I’ve made sure it stayed that way for the past ten years. After a while, once the town started to grow, to thrive, I started to relax a little bit.
Still, I’ll never fully let my guard down. I’ve learned my lesson way too many times to be that stupid again.
Ryan has been dead and gone for years now and while I might not have stayed long enough to confirm that, there’s no way he’d have survived.
Any time I need that push, that will to keep going I think of that look of pure terror in his eyes when I slid that knife into his neck. The fear of not only me, but the realization he was dying, because of me, and now, the power I held in that moment is my motivation. The thrilling attention of it gave me a new outlook on life, a new purpose of sorts.
I guess in a way I can thank Ryan for my choice in career path.
To my best friends, I’m just an omega who works at the club, singing for the crowd before serving them.
But in reality, my truth is much darker. I’m not sure if they would approve of how I choose to live my life, so I have no plans on letting them in on this part of it.
Hopping into my old pickup truck, I head out of Widows Peak.
My heat is coming soon and while I might have done my damndest not to let Ryan control any parts of my life, present or future, no matter how much I tried, I’ve never been able to make it past making out with someone before the idea of their hands on my body makes my skin crawl.
I always stop before things go too far. Sometimes I want to push myself to just get past the feeling and go through with it, but it isn’t fair to me, or the person I’m with.
So I’ve just become celibate.
And it fucking sucks because in that moment when all logical thoughts leave and I’m left being nothing but the omega I was designed to be, all I care about is having an alpha to fill me up, to give me everything an omega craves. But there hasn’t been anyone I’ve felt comfortable enough to trust with my body.
That's not true and you know it.
Atlas doesn’t count. Nothing will come of it. It can’t happen.
The drive to the nearest town is a quiet one. The roads are dead apart from the occasional car.
I pull into the parking lot of The Rusty Pipe, a little strip club I like to come to when I need a moment to decompress, and park near the front door.
It’s busier than normal tonight but I guess that's to be expected on a Friday night.
“Briar!” Lacy, one of the girls, greets me as I walk in through the front door. She’s in a deep red bikini and I bite my lip, trying to be respectful but her body is something to be desired.
“Hey, Lacy.” I give her a friendly smile. “How’s the night going?”
“Busy. Just how we like it,” she winks.
I let out an amused laugh. “I’m glad.”
“You want a table, or are you sitting at the bar tonight?” she asks, giving me a knowing look.
At the mention of the bar, my attention darts over to see who's working tonight. At the sight of Atlas, my heart starts to race, my body flushing with a mix of arousal and excitement. He’s talking to someone at the bar. A smile stretches over his face as he tosses his head back and laughs, making me shiver at the sound.
