Used: Omega Market, #1

By Leann Ryans

Elise knows she's being sold to the highest bidder, but if she sticks to the plan, she'll be okay.

Things go astray when she's kidnapped and held for ransom, and her attraction to the alien pirate only complicates things further. 

When the idyllic life she'd imagined turns into a living nightmare, will she hold to her plan…

Or choose to save herself and rescue her pirate?

***This is a Dark Science Fiction Omegaverse Romance. There are situations that could make some readers uncomfortable, so please check the author's website or the warning inside for content concerns. It can be read as a standalone, though characters introduced in the book appear in later titles.***

• Language: English
• Publisher: Leann Ryans
• Release date: Sep 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223343943

Leann Ryans

I'm a wife and mother of four who's been an avid reader since I could pick up a book. It wasn't unusual for me to read a book a day, ignoring the real world as I was sucked into the pages of a great story. I grew up on sci-fi and fantasy books before discovering the world of romance. PNR has always been my go-to, and omegaverse is my addiction of choice. I love writing books featuring heroes who are a bit rough around the edges but aren't overly cruel. My heroines aren't always the take charge type, but neither are all women. They are comfortable in their femininity. If you're looking for a story that has dark themes without leaving you wanting to punch the hero in the face, mine might just be for you.

Book preview

Used

Omega Market Book 1

Leann Ryans

Copyright © 2020 Leann Ryans

All rights reserved

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

Cover design by: Dazed Designs

To the readers who like their heroine to go through hell before she gets her Happily Ever After.

Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty-One

Chapter Forty-Two

Chapter Forty-Three

Chapter Forty-Four

Chapter Forty-Five

Chapter Forty-Six

Chapter Forty-Seven

Epilogue

Thanks

Warning:

This book is intended for a mature audience only. It contains adult content. There are scenes of SA involving doctors, SA not committed by the MMC(Skip Ch 37 if you prefer not to read the details), as well as moments of dubious consent that may make some readers uncomfortable.

Please do not purchase if you don’t enjoy dark romance or if these situations cause you distress. She does get her HEA.

Chapter One

To be omega was to be subjugated.

Dominated.

Enslaved.

But it was also to be wanted.

Desired.

Valued.

It dictated the type of life to be had, yet it offered happiness in return.

Or at least contentment.

Other omegas tried to hide from their fate. Tried to have a say in when, and who, they mated.

It never worked. They were always found.

Caught.

Dragged, crying and fighting the whole way if necessary.

The end was always the same. Their biology used against them.

If they were lucky enough to be found before their heat, that is. They were always found once their cycle began. Nothing could hide that scent from an alpha, and the results could be… unpleasant.

It was easier just to do what the law dictated. Go to the Collection Center and avoid the stress.

Hiding away in the dark, half starving in the cold, just to put off a little longer what was going to happen anyway seemed pointless. Showing up willing, clean, and docile, not scrawny from lack of food, seemed like the smarter way to go.

Elise thought she would get a better price that way, and it was obvious if someone could pay more for an omega, they would have plenty for a decent home and food to eat as well. She could even hope they would take care of their investment. Having a young, willing omega, who wouldn't try to escape or fight before she was bonded should be worth something.

According to the law, every omega was to present themselves to a Collection Center before their first heat, to be matched with an alpha with complementary genetics, who would then claim and bond them during their first cycle. Since omegas matured slower than the other dynamics, that usually meant somewhere around their twenty-first year.

They were told it was for the good of future generations. That it was the way to assure diseases and genetic disorders were eradicated, and that their children would be healthy.

Elise knew that in reality, omegas were a commodity like any other, to be sold to the highest bidder. Used for the wealth and gain of their planet.

   Some species naturally produced more omegas than others, and they became a great way to create alliances throughout the Federation. Especially for Earth, since human alphas were even rarer than omegas were, and the females were compatible with any race.

Alphas had to pay a premium for access to the Omega Market, and the more they paid, the more choices they had. The omegas were filed in a galactic database where the alphas could put in their preferences and browse through the options, though they wouldn’t have long to decide. Bidding began as soon as the omega’s information was listed.

Being virginal was not a requirement.

Most omegas wanted their first time to be with someone they chose since they wouldn’t be able choose their mate unless they were from an extremely wealthy family who could pull strings to keep them off the Market, Elise figured it was another thing that would increase her value, so she had waited. None of the beta males had ever interested her enough to make her think twice about it.

Brushing her blonde hair until it shone and lay about her shoulders and down her back in a straight sheet, she adjusted her freshly trimmed bangs. The dress she wore had been made especially for the occasion. A deep blue that matched her eyes, it hugged her curves enough to hint at what was underneath without being indecent. Elise had spent the past few months making it from cloth she’d used all her savings to purchase. Every credit she’d earned had been invested in making sure the day would be perfect.

Using a finger to smudge a bit of soot on her eyelids, she stepped back from the small piece of broken mirror on the wall. It was finally time. The day she had been planning for since she presented as an omega had arrived.

Looking around her room one last time before stepping out and shutting the door behind her, she sucked in a deep breath. The room had hardly been bigger than the single bed pressed against the wall, and didn't hold anything important to her. She wouldn’t miss it.

She’d left a note on the bed for the girls she lived with so they would know what they could let someone else have the room and the things she’d left behind. She’d done the same with her boss. She knew they wouldn't agree with her decision, but it didn’t matter.

A couple of the girls were omegas still holding out, refusing to submit. Elise was younger than them, but the others had no plans to turn themselves in. Eventually they’d run or be brought in during a raid.

Elise had decided long ago that her twentieth birthday would be the day. There was no reason to wait since she was of legal age and there was nothing to keep her where she was. She’d already lost everything that mattered.

She stepped out of the building into the cool air with just a small bag over her shoulder. It held what little clothing she had, and not much else. Her brush, and a single photo of her family. She didn’t have anything else of value to bring with her.

It was cold enough in the weak morning sunlight that standing still left her chilled without a jacket, but she knew walking to the Center would warm her.

She turned down the street without a backwards glance. She had no attachment to where she had lived the past few years, or the people within. Elise had known she would be leaving before she got there and hadn’t made an effort to befriend anyone. She had no second thoughts about walking away now that the time had come.

This was what was best for her.

It was a short walk, and Elise stopped a block from the Center, eyeing the plain building. She had taken her time so she wouldn't arrive sweaty or out of breath, but she still wanted to take a moment to calm herself.

First impressions could make a difference.

Once her breathing had slowed to a gentle rise and fall, she crossed the last bit of sidewalk leading to her destiny. Taking the stairs to the front doors, her heart began to race, though she tried to hide it.

No one knew what was inside. No omega to enter the Center had ever returned, and the people who worked there wouldn’t talk about what happened within.

Fingers pressed to the handle, Elise paused, a shiver running down her spine. There was no turning back once she stepped through. Her life would no longer be her own.

Thinking of the dreary, worn-down buildings she’d passed on the way as she took in another breath of the smog-laced air of the city, she straightened her shoulders and pulled.

There wasn’t much that could be worse than the life she’d had. Worked to exhaustion day after day, fed just enough to keep her going, she was familiar with the disappointments of life. Her future was inside, and she reminded herself she could handle whatever lay behind the doors.

Chapter Two

Stepping through the entrance of the Collection Center, the first thing Elise noticed was the cold. Where the temperature outside had been chilly, the air within the building felt like she had stepped into a refrigeration unit.

The walls around her were a plain white, scuffed and dirty around the base, with a single abstract photo hanging in the center of the room. The white floor tiles were in even worse shape, cracked and dull with age and lack of care. The only spot of color was an artificial tree in a green pot standing in the corner to her right, its leaves drooping with the mass of dust collected on them, and three dull-blue plastic chairs sat against the far wall.

It was… disappointing.

The desk sitting at an angle in the far-left corner was empty, and Elise hesitated, unsure what to do. Her plan had gotten her to the entrance, but that was where it ended.

There was a partially open door leading further inside behind the small desk, and Elise could hear voices echoing from the opening as she crept closer, hoping someone would come out and notice her. By the time she stopped in front of the cheap piece of furniture, there was still no sign that anyone would be coming to greet her.

With nothing left to do but fidget, she called out a shaky, Hello?

The voices from the other room stopped, followed by shuffling and footsteps growing closer. Straightening, she crossed her hands over her bag, trying to slow her breathing and appear calm.

A head of messy blonde hair popped through the opening, brows drawn together in confusion over plain brown eyes. When the man noticed Elise, he pushed his way through the door to stand behind the desk.

Hello, Miss. Are you lost?

His tone and question made it obvious not many people passed through the lobby. With the state of it, she was almost willing to bet she was the first.

Sucking in a deep breath, Elise spoke before she lost the nerve.

I’m here to turn myself in.

The look of confusion didn’t leave his face as the man stared back at her.

For collection. I’m an omega.

His eyes widened, lips parting as his jaw dropped. Her racing heart made it seem longer than it probably was before he gave himself a shake, throat working as he looked down at his desk.

Yes… Of course…

Gaze flitting over the bare surface between them, he leaned down and yanked open a drawer, the screech it released another sign of disuse and neglect. Pulling out an old tablet, he cleared his throat as he tried to turn it on, color creeping up his neck to his cheeks as the screen refused to light.

Dropping it back into the drawer, his eyes landed on the outdated laptop sitting on the corner of the desk. Fumbling it open, he let out an audible sigh of relief when it cooperated and showed signs of life.

There’s form you need to fill out. I’ll pull it up on the computer, and you can sit at my desk to answer the questions while I go get one of our nurses.

Nurse?

She blurted the word before she could stop herself, and his head jerked to face her.

Everyone gets an exam when they arrive to be sure they are in good health. Just routine, he assured.

Her mouth went dry, but she nodded. Her experiences with the medical field were less than pleasant since she had come from a poor family that couldn’t afford anything more than the charity clinics scattered throughout the city. Overburdened, understaffed, and lacking in funds, she’d learned only to visit if there was a dire need. She’d always felt like just another body to get out of the way, and her mother had died of pneumonia after an overworked doctor barely looked at her and claimed it was nothing but a cold.

Her father followed not long after due to an accident at the plant he worked in. He’d lost too much blood, then ended up with an infection that was resistant to the generic antibiotics he had been given.

Luckily for Elise, she had already been working and didn’t end up in the system, though things didn’t turn out as well for her siblings. As the oldest, she had always been too busy helping to play or bond with them, and she felt more like a nanny or a maid to them than a sister, but she still carried guilt for not being able to help them.

Perhaps her alpha would be willing to look into what happened to them.

Giving her a tight smile, the man stepped back and gestured to the seat behind the desk.

Go ahead. I’ll be back in just a moment.

Turning, he seemed to flee through the door he had come from, shutting it firmly behind him. Elise could hear voices again on the other side, but they were too muffled for her to understand anything.

Placing her bag on the desk, she stepped around and pulled out the seat. The creaking made her breath catch in her throat when she sat, and she waited for the chair to collapse beneath her, but it held.

She took a quick glance at the form before beginning to fill in her information. Name, age, registration number… it began with the usual questions asked on government documents.

When she reached the medical history her cheeks heated with embarrassment, and she startled when the door behind her flew open before she could answer. Turning to see who it was, she recognized the man who she’d already spoken with, but there were two others behind him.

One was a short, older woman. Beta by the scent of her, like the initial man, and who Elise assumed was the nurse since she wore a set of grey scrubs. Her pinched face was decidedly uninviting.

Turning her eyes to the second man, a shiver rolled down Elise’s spine. His shoulders filled the doorway as he glared down at her, his size alone stating he was an alpha. He wore a military uniform, the gold bars on his collar marking him as an officer, though she didn’t know the ranks. His dusky blue skin was a surprise since there weren’t many aliens on Earth, and his icy gaze made her skin crawl as he stared at her.

Dropping her eyes to his chest, she didn’t miss the flare of his nostrils as he scented her.

Well? Is she really an omega?

The nurse crossed her arms over her chest as Elise’s attention darted to her. Her narrowed gaze showed she fully expected the man beside her to say no, but her brows rose as he let out a rumble.

Yes.

All eyes focused on him as he kept his on Elise. His expression was less foreboding than it had been but wasn’t something she would call happy.

It’s faint, but the scent is there. She has time before her heat.

Turning, he walked away, leaving everyone staring after him.

The other two finally turned back to Elise when she heard a door close down the hall behind them. They stared at her for a moment before the nurse waved a hand at her to stand.

Well, come on then.

I’m not done with…

Elise trailed off as the nurse flicked her fingers at her protest.

We can finish that in the back. I have to go through all the questions anyway.

Standing, Elise grabbed her bag and pulled the strap over her head. Giving the man who had first greeted her a polite smile as she passed, she followed the nurse down a tight hallway, trying to swallow the misgiving stirring in her belly.

They passed doors on each side, the first one open to reveal a breakroom where the blonde man had most likely been when she arrived, but the others were all closed. They continued for a while before the woman led her around a corner and stopped in front of a set of elevators.

The nurse pushed the button to go down, keeping her back to Elise as they waited. A growing feeling of dread built in her chest the longer she was ignored. Things weren’t going the way she’d expected.

Chapter Three

S o, what’s your name girl?

The nurse didn’t bother looking at her as they stepped into the elevator, tapping away on her tablet.

Elise Carson.

Date of birth?

July twenty-third, twenty-seventy.

She rattled on with the basic questions Elise had already answered on the computer as the elevator descended. Considering she had entered on the ground floor, it was a bit strange to be going down.

When they finally came to a halt and the doors slid open, the hallway ahead of them was as different from the one they’d left as it could get.

Where the previous hall was the dingy, off-white of a tired office building, this one was a pristine white that brought a hospital to mind. Brightly lit, the walls seemed to glow as the fluorescents shone off them.

Leading her past more closed doorways, the nurse turned down an adjoining hall before reaching an open door at the opposite end. Inside was the usual, sterile exam room.

There was a reclined exam table, stool, a single chair where Elise placed her bag, a counter with a sink, and various containers of medical supplies. Cold, impersonal, and completely unwelcoming.

The nurse picked up the questioning with Elise’s medical history. She had never smoked nor done drugs. Never drank. No surgeries or history of medical issues in her or her family. Her medical history was as plain and boring as the rest of her life had been.

Except for one thing.

How many sexual partners?

Elise felt heat rush up her chest and neck to burn in her cheeks. She had to remind herself that being a virgin was nothing to be ashamed about. It was all part of the plan, not because she was undesirable.

None.

Elise had taken a seat on the exam table and was studying her clasped hands. When she flicked her gaze up to the nurse after a prolonged pause, she could see the disbelief on the