Born to be Broken (Alpha's Claim Book 2) (11 page)

Naked, she looked out at him from the page, marred and damaged, but so fucking proud. Then there was her message… her goddamn message! What the hell was she thinking?

As he made his way to her, Corday passed people on the street who had their own copy, whispering the name 'Claire' amongst themselves.

Corday moved as cautiously as he could through the city until the mid-level byways spread out before him. The flyer crushed in his hand, past pissed off, he found the Processing Plant shut up, desolate and lifeless, just as the Omegas intended it to look. But a careful eye could see the sentry with one of the Omegas' acquired automatic rifles guarding from the chute hatch. The way was opened for him and he went inside, barreling through the space to find Claire and shake some sense into her.

"Corday has made contact with the Omegas. No visual on O'Donnell."

Shepherd and a team of twenty had already surrounded the clever home Claire had found for her pack. There was little view within. Even so, from Shepherd's invisible perch on the building opposite, he and Jules could see the females mulling about in the dim space… but just like the Beta Enforcer scanning the room, they saw no sign of Claire's raven hair amongst the herd.

Nona had been expecting the young Enforcer, and walked forward to greet him. "When you did not return I was worried you'd been killed. Claire assured me you were not—said she could feel you still lived."

There had been no chance to sneak off with Leslie demanding so much of his time. Three days he'd worked on translating the Followers' written language. Every hour they learned more, but at the cost of time he needed to be with Claire. Had he been here, he could have stopped Claire's lunacy. "Do you know what she did?"

Nodding, Nona gave a tired smile. "I do."

Corday held up the crumpled flyer. "How could you allow it, Nona?"

"There is no stopping that girl now." Nona gripped his arm, trying to get the boy to see what was right before him. "There is no stopping what's coming."

Corday cocked his head and had to agree. "You're right. Claire unleashed a storm of trouble with this shit."

"Corday—"

He didn't want to argue with an old woman. Corday wanted to argue with Claire. "At least tell me she is here."

"She is with the boy."

Corday narrowed his eyes, teeth clenched. "What boy?"

"Her dead boy."

"Oh…"

"She buried him in the compost pile out back." When Corday shifted away, Nona gripped his arm again, stopping the Beta so she might speak her piece. "Claire only just returned. She is tired; don't expect much."

Not interested in wasting more time, Corday held his tongue, marching right through Omegas who were less than happy he'd called again. A reinforced door swung in, sunlight invaded, and there she was, head bowed over a freshly turned pile of dirt.

The angle of the building hid her from view, forcing Shepherd to shift from his perch and move like a shadow over the roof. And then there she was, still as a statue, less than thirty feet away, staring down at a small mound of snow-dusted earth. Captivated, Shepherd let out a breath, watching the Beta approach her.

It was as if she didn't register Corday—not until the Enforcer shoved the flyer under her nose. "What is this?"

The Omega brushed the hair off her face, rubbing her skull as if it ached. "A picture of me naked."

"Do you think this is funny?" Corday snapped, working hard to keep from raising his voice. "Do you realize what you've done, Claire? Everyone will know. There will be no safety in anonymity, EVER!"

She would not need anonymity, but she did need Corday to move. "You are standing on my boy."

After a quick exhale, Corday stepped off the mound, pulling her to him. He hugged too hard, his voice breaking. "Your message… it is going to cost you any type of life. You will be hounded until the day you die."

The Omega pushed away, sniffed, and wiped her tears with the heel of her hand. "I know what I did. I know you cannot understand, that our agendas don't line up, but I cannot wait for the resistance to stop dragging its feet. There is no hero, Corday. There is no savior. Thólos has become hell and I cannot even heap the blame for it at Shepherd's feet. What has happened here, we did to ourselves. Either the citizens see what complacency in the face of evil has cost them, or they are all going to die."

Corday pressed his hands to his face to keep his frustration in check. "Are you trying to inspire a revolution? You promised me you would not attack Shepherd's men."

Claire took his hands, pulling them down so he could look at her. She looked like death; exhausted, dark marks under her eyes. "It is not an attack on Shepherd. It's an attack on conscience. It's an attack on the people of Thólos."

Why couldn't she understand? "They will hate you…"

"I don't care." Claire took a step back, her temper flaring. "I told you there was nothing left for me. Don't you get it yet? This is all I can give, so let me give it and stop being so goddamn selfish!"

He tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, saying, "Survival is not selfish. Citizens who hate the bastard will simply kill you for sport. This was suicide."

Claire's voice was flat, steady as she affirmed the obvious. "I know."

"Have you lost your mind?"

She licked her chapped lips. "Look at me, Corday. I'm running out of steam, I throw up everything I eat; sleep gives me no peace… I am already dying."

"You are not dying, you are killing yourself!" the Beta shouted, clutching her shoulders as if he might shake sense into her "If you would just rest… If you would come home with me, I could take care of you."

"No."

"Aside from Nona, the Omegas hardly tolerate your presence here. It's only a matter of time before you're cast out." Why wouldn't she see that he could cherish her? "Why won't you listen to reason?"

"I CHOOSE HOW TO SPEND MY LIFE! NOT YOU, NOT SHEPHERD, NOT SENATOR KANTOR, NOT THE FUCKING PEOPLE OF THÓLOS. DO YOU HEAR ME, BETA?"

He had never once seen her with such fire in her eyes. "You're upset."

Throwing her hands up in the air, Claire agreed, "Of course I'm fucking upset! All I want to do is scream. Knowing that all I can offer Thólos is a naked picture on a flyer makes me loathe myself. How DARE YOU reprimand the fact that at least I am trying to do something while I still can? Your precious resistance does nothing!"

"Claire." He reached out to hold her, soothing what made her tremble and cry. "Please…"

"I can't be what you want me to be," she sobbed against his chest. "I can hardly be myself anymore."

"I am sorry," Corday whispered, his heart breaking to see her so sad. "Don't cry. I will purr for you, and you can rest. Okay? I should not have shouted."

His offered low vibration began, Claire weeping like a child in his arms. Her arms went around him, her broken apologies lost in the wretchedness.

Muttering nonsense, Corday stroked her hair. "We'll go inside, we'll eat and you won't get sick… I will stay so that you can sleep."

He had to carry her and she let him, clinging to his neck as if he would disappear otherwise.

From a distance, Shepherd fought every instinct that told him to rush in and take her from the man comforting what was his. He hardly registered Jules's hand gripping his forearm, the silent reminder to be still and measure the consequences. Because it was clear now his second-in-command was correct. Even if he dragged her back, she would not survive in this state.

Claire had lost the will to live.

Throughout the day, Shepherd observed her actions inside the reeking plant. Corday was correct in his assessment. The Omegas avoided her and Claire seemed utterly unconcerned as she kept to her corner, purposefully distancing herself. All but the old woman had turned on the very catalyst of their freedom.

Envisioning a long row of women swinging, their hanged corpses on display to any who would deny his mate, Shepherd measured each wary look they turned towards Claire, even hating the women who gently ignored the suffering, dark-haired girl.

They were all unworthy of her, every single one; just like this city of lies and evil.

The Beta did tend to her, made her eat and held back her hair twenty minutes later when it all came up. He fed her again, pressured the small thing to drink water, all the while holding her in his lap, chest to chest, her legs wrapped around his torso, as if she were a child or his lover. The second serving seemed to stay down and in minutes Claire was dead to the world, snoring on his shoulder.

It was impossible to hear the exchange between Nona French and the Enforcer, especially with the man's lips pressed against Claire's hair. Eventually the Beta lay down, and the old woman pulled the man's long coat over the pair.

The dark arrived, Claire cried out in her sleep. When Corday's horrified eyes looked up to find Nona's sympathetic expression, Shepherd focused on the movement of the Enforcer's mouth and watched his lips form the words.

"She just called for Shepherd."

The absolutely crestfallen expression on the hated Enforcer's face brought a curl to Shepherd's own lips. The Beta might be the one holding her, but even damaged as the bond was, his Omega's mind was full of thoughts of her rightful mate. A sign from the Gods, a reminder to them all, that Claire was his.

Claire woke less haggard. "I am feeling better. Thank you."

In a voice so low that no member of the spying Followers could hear, Corday pressed his lips to her ear and whispered, "Claire, it's going to be over soon, we have access to their communications now. So hold on. Hold on until I can kill him. I swear to you I will."

Doing her best to pretend she wasn't ill, Claire nodded and kissed his cheek. "I have a great deal of faith in you, Corday. You are a wonder."

"And you will be free."

"I will," she acknowledged, eyes soft.

Slender fingers carefully pulled off her mother's wedding band. Under their makeshift blanket, she took Corday's hand and slipped the band on his pinky.

"What are you doing?"

"I want you to keep this for me." Claire smiled as she gave her token. "A reminder, so that you don't forget I'm rooting for you."

She was making him uneasy. "I can't keep this."

"I am only lending it," she corrected, squeezing his hand. "You are to give it back to me when Thólos is free."

He hugged her, felt his heart soar. "Claire. I have faith in you, too."

"You are my hero, you know."

Corday wanted to kiss her, was so very tempted to thread his fingers in her hair and pull her lips to his. But that was not what they were; that was not what she could be…

At least not yet.

"Now," Claire broke the moment, shy. "You need to get out of here before the sun comes up. If I don't feel you're safe, I'll worry."

Already untangling herself, she eased out of his embrace. Corday was not allowed to linger, Claire urging him to leave before light might make his journey dangerous. It was obvious he did not want to go, but she seemed so much better, her eyes more alive and a smile on her lips when she spoke.

The Beta retreated. The second he was gone far enough down the causeway not to hear her, Claire doubled over, and quietly lost her stomach all over the frost by the chute.

Corday did not hear her vomiting, nor did he see even a hint of the Followers that had surrounded him so flawlessly when he stepped out of her sight. He popped his collar to warm his neck, and shuffled off with his hands buried deep in his pockets—smiling.