Page 16 of Indigo

Cassidy just shrugs. “I couldn't find her scent anywhere. So I just went by. I didn't knock. I didn't try anything. I just went past her door, but I couldn't find her. She’s not here, and the truck is gone.”

His voice is full of urgency, and at every word, it dawns on me what he’s actually saying.

“Are you sure?” Nash’s voice is low, full of fear.

“Come on. I can scent Sour Peach anywhere. She's not in the building.”

Like the most horrifying movie, it all becomes clear to me. Since the moment she arrived, she didn’t let her guard down. She’s been waiting for a reason to bail, and it’s obvious scent-matching with us was more than she could handle.

I nod, understanding her for the first time.

She left us.

ten

Nash

“And we can just scent-match with them?”

Beau's eyes burn my profile as the questions keep rolling off his tongue. I don’t take my eyes off the security video I’m watching.

“She scent-matched withus.” I arch an eyebrow. “It’s not a guaranteed thing.”

He shifts in his place, rubbing his mouth with his fingers in thought. I can almost hear his thoughts racing. He’s a big guy, almost as tall as Hank with a burly appearance, but his voice is soft, full of hope. I sigh. I don’t have time for this right now.

Indigo is gone. She stole our truck, money from my wallet, and disappeared. I’m happy she got the good sense to take the money, but I know I didn’t have enough cash for everything she needs.

Time is ticking. My plans flew through the window the moment I realized she was gone. Now, I can’t wait for another pack to arrive, or sit down and try to reason with her. Everyminute we are here talking, it’s a minute longer that she could be in danger.

My eyes barely blink as I watch the black-and-white video, fast-forwarding, trying to find her. I decided to start with the front desk camera. Maybe if I can determine the time she came by to steal the keys, I can make sense of her plan. Anything that gives me a clue on what she’s thinking.

“I assume it wasn’t going to happen since we have been in close quarters for the past four months.”

I nod, still not fully in this conversation. “They were unwell. An Omega can’t scent-match when she’s not cared for.”

The same questions running through his mind run through mine too. My papaw’s pack are doctors, Grammie too. When I took the post here, I made sure to call them with a bunch of questions about Omegas traumatized like them. I knew someone was off when I could scent them but not nearly as strongly as an Omega should be. My mother is a Beta, and it’s not like she doesn’t have her own scent, but when she’s in the same room as Grammie, an Omega, their designation becomes very obvious.

One of the things Papaw told me in no uncertain terms is that an Omega barely shows her abilities when she’s neglected. There are many cases of Omegas living among Betas their whole life, never going into heat. Neglected and without a pack to scent-match, Omegas are vulnerable. My heart aches. I can’t think about this without getting worked up, especially now that I have my vulnerable Omega out there, all alone. Not enough money, no ID or any document. How can she even—

“So let me get this straight—”

I can’t do this anymore. I raise my palm, stopping him in his tracks. “Beau, she’s out there on her own. I can’t talk about this.”

“Shit, sorry, Nash, I just—”

“There she is!”

Indigo’s small frame comes to the screen, trembling legs as she approaches the front desk. By the time in the video, she did this during dinnertime. Smart. She was at dinner, though. I remember her piling on food and taking extra apples to go. Should I have noticed that she was stocking up to escape?

Fuck, maybe, but it didn’t cross my mind. To me, the girl was just hungry.

“Must have left when everyone was sleeping…” I say to myself, flicking through the cameras.

“I bet she left through the gap behind the pool.”

The remote drops from my hand as I turn to Beau. His eyes are still on the screen, ignoring my stare.

“Gap behind the pool?”