Eric

Having access to a nearly unlimited credit card was a huge relief. But I still didn’t feel comfortable using Dominic’s money unless I really needed to. I went to the bank in town and pulled out all my cash in small bills. I stashed what I could on my body, and then the rest of it was packed in my bag.

It was a risk, but using a debit card tied to my name was riskier.

Once I was done with closing my accounts, I went to the bus station and bought a ticket to a tiny little town called Apricot Grove.

The small town sounded like it would be safe and easy to hide out in. It was far enough away that I didn’t think the Santiagos would bother looking for me, and small enough that I could start fresh and not have to explain too much about my past. People in small towns were nosy, but usually only after they got to know a person.

By the time I had nosy neighbors, I hoped to have a whole new story to tell them. At least, that was what I imagined a small town would be like. I’d never lived in one, so it would be an adventure. Hopefully, a good one for me and my baby.

I did some quick research before boarding the bus. The town had a grocery store, a few shops, and various restaurants. Based on social media, at least a few of them were hiring, so getting a job shouldn’t be too hard. There was a boarding house that had vacancies, so that was an option for a place to live.

I couldn’t risk my phone being tracked, if I took it with me. So after I got as much information as I could, I went into the bathroom, smashed it up into a ton of little pieces, and tossed it in the trash.

No smartphone to keep me company meant the bus ride was gonna be long and boring. But my thoughts would have to keep me occupied.

The bus ride was slow. I expected it to just take a few hours, but it stopped every fifty miles for thirty minutes. At the beginning of the trip, I started out in a seat by myself near the back of the bus. But at the second stop, a man got on and sat across from me.

The alpha didn’t disguise his interest in me, practically staring at me for the first fifteen minutes of the stop. Uncomfortable under his gaze, I grabbed my stuff and scrambled off the bus to stretch my legs and get something to eat.

My appetite had been hit or miss, and I was afraid to eat anything that might make a reappearance if we traveled over any windy roads. But the hot dog stand at the rest stop called to me, so I grabbed two dogs. I inhaled the first one and then wrapped up the second one and stuck it in my bag for later. Once I got to town, I had no idea what to expect, and it was very possible that nothing would be open.

It had been so long since I’d been anywhere but the Santiago estate, I’d forgotten what the real world was like. From here on out, I was no longer under their protection. I had no privilege. I was just an omega. An unmated, pregnant one.

I wished I could fast forward to just being in my new town.

At the rate we were traveling, it would be midnight before I actually landed in my new home.

The first order of business when I arrived would be to find the boarding house to see if I could move in. If not, it wouldn’t be too hard to find a motel that would rent a room for a week or more at a time.

I got back on the bus and chose a seat near the front. If any strange alphas took an unwelcome interest in me, I wanted to be close enough to the driver to ask for help.

Sighing, I realized that was gonna be my life now. Not only would I always be watching my back for alphas who wanted to make a move, I would have a helpless child that I was dragging along with me. What kind of parent intentionally chose a life of running and looking over their shoulder?

The alternative, unfortunately, was no child at all.

A tear dripped down my cheek as I was about to host my own little pity party, but before I could completely succumb to my emotions, the alpha I’d been avoiding dropped into the seat beside me. “Everything okay, little one?”

Shit. Straightening my back, I sniffed away my tears and forced a smile. “I’m good. Just sad to be leaving my friends.”

He crossed his arms over his chest, respecting my personal space. At least that was something. “I’m sorry to hear that. Leaving is always hard.”

“Yep.” I cleared my throat. “But I’m fine. How is your day going?”

He allowed me to change the subject as he rambled about his trip to Detroit to visit his dad. When we got to the next stop, and he said he had to transfer to a different line, I waved goodbye and breathed a sigh of relief. He seemed harmless enough on a crowded bus, but strange alphas couldn’t be trusted.

No matter how harmless they seemed.