Page 17 of Generation Omega: Revealed
Dr. Wellington is not even slightly crusty, probably not older than early thirties. He’s also not wearing a goofy bow tie, and I seriously doubt his socks are mismatched. He’s basically the bookish version of gorgeous with thick dark hair, black-rimmed glasses, and that perfect length of five-o-clock shadow that makes men seem more mysterious. His build is solid, his suit expensive, and he carries himself with the fierceness of a man who’s had to defend himself against all manner of attacks, possibly even physical.
The buttoned-up professional who spends his evenings at an underground fight club—that’s what I see in the man now behind the podium surveying the standing-room-only crowd. I don’t think anyone is even breathing as he glares at us. He clears his throat which seems more aggressive than uncertain. For a long moment, I try to imagine what voice will emerge from this man and, as he leans toward the microphone, I’m anxious to get the answer.
But he doesn’t speak. He grimaces, spins, and storms off the stage.
“What just happened?” someone near us asks no one in particular, while the crowd becomes a muttering mob.
Ethan looks to me and finds me grinning. “Dude knows how to capture our attention, doesn’t he?”
I laugh. “Aren’t you dying to know what happens next?”
He winks at me. “Yes, I am.”
CHAPTER9
THATCHER
I blame their faces, their expressions so filled with hope and wonder about a belief for which they have no proof. Their faith is pure because they haven’t seen what I’ve seen and they haven’t suffered the repercussions for believing this fractured world can change.
I came here to honor a promise, but the cost is too high. Enemies are in the room, their faces decorated in flowers while their bodies are wired with listening devices and cameras to capture any evidence that the unrelenting omega legacy is trying again.
Sage approaches me after I abandon the lectern and all those people blissful in their ignorance of just how malignant this world is.
“Thatch.” Sage speaks my name like it’s a curse and a broken promise, her voice—so like her sister’s—singeing me to my core.
But I can’t allow that to distract me from what’s right in this world of wrong. “We can’t do this,” I mutter crossly as she grabs my arm and pulls me away from the few people watching us. Are they acquaintances of hers, employees, staff of the venue? Are they covert agents sent to discover what she believes about her missing sister? Or are they here for me?
Sage’s green eyes hold the same intensity as her sister’s, but all the softness they were capable of is long gone. “We decided it was time. You can’t bail now.”
“Yes, I can, because this isn’t about us and it’s not even about Sarah.” I point toward the stage and the auditorium beyond it. “It’s about them. If I do this, it’s the equivalent of tossing a biological weapon into that room and then walking away, while knowing what’s coming for them.” My voice lowers and becomes rougher. “Our enemies are everywhere and they aren’t afraid to kill, to destroy everyone and everything to ensure that all of this remains a frivolous myth. If I do this, I’ll never forgive myself.”
Sage’s chin raises and I know she’ll draw blood directly from my soul. “And what about me? What about Sarah? Do you forgive yourself for what you’ve done to us? Or rather, what youcouldn’tdo forher?”
“I will never forgive myself for any of it, but that doesn’t mean I need to compound my sins by ruining more innocent lives.”
Sage’s grip on my arm tightens. “Dammit, I know you’re a good man and you would protect them all if you could, but you can’t. Another omega will reveal and she will suffer the same fate—whatever the hell that is—that Sarah is facing, if she’s even still alive. You aren’t poisoning the innocent. You are protecting them with the truth.”
Her jaw clenches and rage seeps from her words. “I’ve done all of this, brought all these people together, because they are an army. If you open their eyes, they will watch for the next reveal. We’ve tried to do this alone, and it hasn’t worked for anyone. Omegas will keep revealing and they will continue to be completely defenseless to forces that are trained to spot them and seize them before they even understand what’s happening.”
She shudders. “What happens when omegas are denied their alphas? Does that stop their heats or are they forced to suffer through them alone? Are they drugged and caged? Or are they buried somewhere to hide the truth from this ignorant world? We don’t know. We don’t know anything.”
Sage nods toward the stage. “Is this a risk?Yes. Are they at risk anyway?Yes. Please, Thatch, you are the only one who can do this.” Her grim determination only increases. “I would do it if I could, but they see me as the queen of this fandom and nothing more. Please, do this.Shecould be out there.Hecould be out there. The next omega who will reveal no matter what we do. We need help. We need the support of this army. I promise they’re ready and waiting to be called into service. Theybelieveand we need to believe in them.”
I feel sick, more so because it’s impossible to argue with most of what she said. An omega will reveal. Biology can’t be denied and we can’t be everywhere at once. But these fanaticalomegeesaren’t an army—they are collateral damage. “I can’t.”
Sage closes those potent green eyes of hers and I watch as she steels herself for what comes next. “Okay, then make a run for it, because I’m giving your presentation.”
“No, they will kill you this time.”
In almost a growl, she snaps, “They can try.”
Sage spins toward the stage and takes two steps before my hand encircles her arm and forces her to stop. She glares at me, probably considering showing off her kickboxing skills, and I shake my head to stop the needless words she’s about to lob at me.
“I’ll do it.”
Hope flirts with fury in her gaze. “You’ll do it? You won’t cave?”
“It’s insanity to think we can change the world, but I knew when I came here that I would never see my home again. So I might as well throw a truth grenade before they silence me forever.”
