Steve remembered the moment that he had discovered his little omega's escape. He'd been out on a mission with the Avengers, only to come home with thoughts of showing her just how much he'd missed her. Even before he made his way into his room, he discovered that she was gone, that she was just not there. That Maisie had run away and as hard as he had tried, he couldn't seem to catch her scent. Which meant she'd been gone for days, likely nearly as long as he had.
His instincts fueled his anger, his alpha desperate to get back to Maisie. His omega. His! He had claimed her, made her his own and she'd dare run off on him? What if she got in trouble and he wasn't able to keep her safe? What if she stumbled into a crowd of alphas and they touched what was his? Maisie was his omega, his property, and the thought of her getting hurt or touched by someone other than him sent his blood boiling in a way that it never had before.
It had been nearly a year since Steve's fateful return home. He'd bedded other omegas, a few betas here or there, but no one came close to the omega that had dared to run out on him. He had thought he'd quelled the fire in her belly but he had been wrong, and that meant only one thing. He needed to find her and show her just how wrong it was for her to run out on him. She had made a fool of him and for that, she had to pay. For that, Maisie would be under lock and key until he could trust her again. If he could ever trust her again.
Steve had taken leave from the Avengers, telling Tony that he had something personal to take care of. He'd return, with his omega in tow, after he'd had a bit of time to spend with her.
Little did she know Steve had tracked her down to the shitty apartment she'd been holed up in for God only knew how long. It angered him to think that his omega might be living in conditions other than the absolute best. It was his job to provide for her, to care for her, to protect her... to mate her.
Growling at the thought, Steve pulled into a parking spot around the corner from Maisie's apartment. He crept through the shadows, easily finding himself in her apartment. He didn't bother to try and hide, lowering himself down onto the couch as he waited expectantly. Maisie would return home soon and by the time she realized he was here, it would be far too late.
Adelaine was quick to toss back her suppressant before she left her apartment. It wasn't the best, in downtown San Francisco, but it was her own. She paid the rent, she paid the bills, she bought her own food. She didn't have to worry about Bucky watching her every move. He had seemed like a knight in shining armour in the beginning. Adelaine had been so against settling down with an alpha because she'd grown up on the horror stories of what a bad alpha was capable of. They could control everything about an omega if they so pleased.
That was the last thing she'd wanted. She wanted to live independent, she wanted to be able to think for herself, and it had seemed like Bucky was content with that. He'd treated her like a princess, doted on her in all the right ways that made her heart flutter. Had lowered her walls until she found herself claimed by Bucky, his mark on her neck.
It had seemed like things switched in the span of a few hours because the next day, Bucky's attitude had completely changed. She lived her life in fear because either Bucky was going to be angry about something she did or something that happened out on a mission and he'd use her as an outlet for his anger. She learned to live her life according to her rules. She no longer wore clothes that could be deemed remotely provocative, she no longer went out without Bucky by her side, she watched what she ate. She had to stay healthy to one day carry Bucky's pup.
The day she'd left, Adelaine hadn't been planning it. He'd lashed out at her for talking to Clint the night before at one of Tony's parties. She'd known it was wrong almost before she did it and she didn't need to look at Bucky to know the anger that was brewing behind his eyes.
She'd run the next day. Bucky had left because he had something to tend to. He never told her what he was going out for and she never asked, not anymore. Adelaine hadn't even thought of the ramifications as she shoved a few clothes into a bag before sneaking out of the tower, hoping to be long gone before Bucky returned.
Adelaine had taken trains and buses across the country, until she was on the other side. As far as she could get from Bucky. And she started her life there. She got a job waitressing, started taking supplements so she didn't need to worry about her heat or any unruly alphas, and for the first time in years, she lived freely.
It had been a long shift on a Friday night at the restaurant. By the time Adelaine made it home, it was nearly three in the morning and her feet ached. She was exhausted, ready to slip under the covers on her bed and sleep through the morning, straight into the morning.
She knew something was wrong but she brushed it off as nothing more than the shady area that she lived in as she made her way up to her top floor apartment, her brows furrowing as a hauntingly familiar scent hit her nose. Adelaine stood in front of her door, her hand shaking so badly that she dropped her keys before she could unlock the door. Her heart stopped, her eyes widening as she eyed the door. She swallowed, her breathe hitching in the back of her throat as fear flooded her.
Her omega was begging to get inside, closer to the source of the scent and that seemed to cement the fear flowing through her veins. Adelaine let out a small whimper as she took a step back, her grip tightening on her purse. No.
June 8th, 2019 at 04:38am