She was mine—forever.
Bonding waspermanent.
We were both still coming down from our collective high, and the reality of the situation hadn't hit her yet. At least, that's what I assumed, given that she was still all soft and pliable in my arms. The alley wall had to be digging into her back painfully, but she didn't seem to care.
“I…I need to go,” I stammered.
She lifted her head, her face adorably confused. “Well, I don’t think you’re going anywhere fora fewminutes,” she muttered sleepily. “Plus, we kind of bonded, you know? We should probably go back to my place and talk about all this.”
“I can’t stay.”
“Your boss will understand. Bonding leave is a thing for a reason,” she said, frowning. The post-orgasm haze was fading, and the sweet omega was probably starting to realize she had just accidentally tied herself to a total stranger.
Double shit.
She thought I was a regular firefighter. Who could blame her? I stank like smoke, and I was at a typical bar in civvies. There was no reason to think otherwise.
“I’m not a regular firefighter,” I said through gritted teeth.
“What do you mean?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.
“I’m from…Camp Bower.”
The omega went from soft and pliable to stiff and panicked as soon as my words sank in, her eyes widening as she leaned back into the wall.
“You’re from Camp Convict?” she asked in a strangled voice.
Camp Convict. It was an apt name, given that, technically, Iwasincarcerated.
“Yeah.” I nodded, my chest doing something I wasn’t used to or particularly a fan of. “I slipped out for the night, and now… Fuck, I need to get back.”
Her mouth dropped open farther. All she did was gape at me.
It was getting late, and I didn't have time to help her understand what was happening. If I didn't get back to the camp soon, the staff would notice my absence.
The reality of the situation had made my knot deflate somewhat, so as gently as I could, I pulled myself free, feeling like a monster when I saw her slight wince of pain. Feeling just peachy about all of this, in fact.
Her legs shook as I placed her on the ground. Her dress was still bunched up around her waist, and she righted herself, hereyes not focusing as she moved through the motions of putting everything back in order.
“I'm sorry. Iwillfind a way to explain all this to you, but I just can't right now,” I told her, zipping my jeans.
I already knew I was the worst kind of monster, the lowest of the low, for leaving her like this, but I had no choice. If I didn't get back immediately, everything would be that much worse, any chance of seeing her again and actuallyexplaining this shattered.
“I’m sorry,” I said in a rush before turning and dashing out of the alley, praying no one could see me.
My chest burned with the intensity of the new bond. I could feel the omega even as I hurried away from her. Newly bonded mates were meant to stay together, and instead, I was abandoning her.
There wasn't a word for the type of asshole I was.
Rushing back to the camp, I paused only when I reached the fence line. The guards would be watching, and I needed to ensure I snuck back in when they were distracted by their typical duties, scanning other parts of the perimeter.
As I ducked under the fence, I pulled out my contraband phone, dialing the number I’d memorized ages ago.
My contact picked up on the first ring. “Did you manage to get the information?” he asked, not bothering with a greeting.
“No…I…Fuck.”In the chaos of everything that happened, I’d forgotten why I was even supposed to be in that damn bar in the first place.
He paused for a second before speaking, my tone clearly setting off some alarms. “Are you okay?”