Fleeing Fate (Hidden Omegas, #1)

by Sabrina Day

“What the hell? He’s an alpha and a shifter! Fuck!” Tarek throws himself away from us and runs to safety behind the truck. Still frozen, I watch him leave. A popping snap draws my attention back to Shay. The bearded man’s head is now bent at an unnatural angle, Shay’s massive paw resting on his throat.

“Look, this is a joint project. Any omega we bring in has to work for all of us. But we need to start looking now because gods know it’s going to take a very special one to put up with both of your shit.”

Wolf Shay whimpers and grabs the shoulder of my jacket gently with his muzzle. Twisting around so only he can hear me, I murmur, “It’s going to be okay. If anything happens to me, run.”

A cloud of pine and cedar and a hint of something else I can’t quite place envelops me. Any worry I have about us being in danger goes up in smoke. I want to crawl inside the warm blanket of this scent.

Gabriel leans in. “All right, Wildcat, why don’t we start with why you’re wearing a shock collar.”

It’s been a while since I’ve wanted to beat the shit out of someone, but the sight of the bruised and broken skin around Wildcat’s shock collar has me wanting to break something. Preferably every bone in the body of whoever’s responsible. Who puts a shock collar on anyone, let alone a tiny slip of a thing like her?

She’s covered in dust and dirt. A frizzy wisp of curls halos around her head, broken free of the two thick black braids running down her back. Broken bits of leaves and twigs poking out between the messy strands. Her hands are beat to hell, knuckles all scraped up. She needs a solid season of good meals, if not more. But none of it hides the fact that she’s a stunner.

Up until yesterday, as far as I knew, none of this,” she waves her arms around the room, “existed because anytime we tried to leave, this collar would shock the shit out of us!” Breathing hard, Ava is practically yelling at me by the end. “So, I’m sorry. You’re the first person I’ve ever talked to that wasn’t family. If all your questions are answered with an ‘I don’t know’ it’s because I. don’t. know!”

“Welcome to Gabriel’s non-accredited school for pretty girls who need to learn things fast.” Gabriel winks at me. My cheeks warm. What the hell is that about?

start shredding my napkin trying to get my head around this fantasy Gabriel describes. Belonging to someone because they want to protect you? To make you happy? A big black nothing comes up when I try to imagine what this would look like with anyone besides Shay.

Sex is like food. It can be beautiful, it can be messy, it can be boring, it can be anything. It’s not good by itself or bad by itself.”

“Only cowards use religion to shame others for something that’s just natural.”

We need what nature intended to lock us together: a little omega to coddle, to dominate and fuck as a cadre. DNA is weird. The same wiring that makes us territorial assholes also demands we share our mate as a group, tying us together like nothing else could.

And now I’m starting my first night as the territory’s lead alpha with a hard-on. Fuck.

“So, none of them smelled right to you?” “Fuck no, I left them to their little cult.” “I don’t want to ask, but I have to. Why a cult? What about them screams cult?” “Man, I don’t know? Maybe it’s because they’re all dressed up in these gauzy little white dresses or tanks and shorts deals. They give me dead-doll vibes.”

After I presented as alpha, Tomas told me what little shits all my dads were until they mated Mom. That I’d need an omega to ground my pack too. That’s the way it goes for all alphas. Claim an omega and grow the fuck up.

“Everyone knows what they’d risk forcing anyone into a bond against their will in this territory, omega or not.” “And the risk is what?” “Death,” Hayes’s smile is sharp as the knives I know are strapped on his legs. “But not until they are begging for it.”

Screw settling pack fights, give me an afternoon of coaxing teens to trust themselves, doling out high fives and wolf tackles when they nail their first transition on their own.

I also wanted to involve you guys because...they don’t know anything, I mean anything, about the world. I taught her about class dynamics over a burger and used salt and pepper shakers to teach her about basic geography.” Hayes leans in, “So when her brother just,” he snaps his fingers, “burst into a wolf, she had no damn idea what was happening?” “No, she thought he was sick and never turning back.”

My one job is Shay. Get him changed back, and get the hell out of here. Leave these alphas to their pretty playthings.

His hair is flame-colored, containing the same riot of red and gold as the flickering hearth fires at home. I’ve never seen anything like it. Cut tight on the sides, the longer tousled layer on top dips over his thick eyebrows, highlighting sky-bright eyes ringed with navy.

I thought Dez from Red’s looked like he could tear up tree stumps for fun, but this alpha looks like he rips grown trees from the ground before breakfast. Hello, Huntsman. Help me with my wolf?

“Aiden, she—” “She needs our help, don’t you, Birdie?” Aiden is almost as beautiful as the tiny figures in white. But where those angels tempt me to pet them, Aiden’s brand of beauty serves as a warning; a gorgeous threat prowling the room. My hands curl in on themselves so I don’t lose a finger to him. Also, did he just call me Birdie?

“Hello, my name is Mal.” A low rumble pulls my attention away from the argument. Nodding his head at the flame-haired alpha at his side, Tree-Trunks adds, “And this is Hayes.” Mal’s voice, like the rest of him, is deep and solid, and tempered with a hint of kindness. I never imagined the Huntsman’s voice but if I had, I decide it would sound like Mal.

“Anything. I’ll help anyway I can.” I say as fast as I can get the words out. “Good girl.” His eyes crinkle at the corners with approval. I squeeze my eyes shut at the purred praise. The heat stealing through me rivals the heat of the room. It's silly for two words of throwaway praise to hit me this way but I don’t know if anyone besides Shay has ever praised me, even just for show.

Mal has his arm banded around my upper back. One quick tug and I’m pulled against his chest, his nose buried in the crook of my neck, his short beard tickling my collarbone. Again, with the smelling! Got to get Gabriel to explain this to me.

“What are you going to do about these burns? Or this collar?” Slow and relentless, the questions keep coming. “You think leaving looking beat six ways to Sunday isn’t going to turn some heads?” “Not planning on going anywhere with heads,” I mumble.

At no point during his response did Hayes raise his voice or yell, but the effect was the same. His disappointment in the crude questions from the group shines through, and I feel secondhand shame for being a part of the scene. I stuff the shame down. I’m not going to let anyone make me feel bad about stuff no one told me about. No one’s forcing someone as powerful as him to be here. If he didn’t want to be asked these questions, he shouldn’t have stuck around.

“He’s not a dog for hell’s sake,” Aiden mutters. Don’t know what a dog is, but Mal’s wolf is thrilled. Tongue lolling out, he enjoys the scritches I’m giving him before pulling back and nuzzling his head against mine. He lopes back over to Hayes and in one fluid motion, shifts again. In the blink of an eye, Malcolm is standing back in front of us.

shift.” The pitch of Malcolm’s voice hits me right in the chest. Dropping back to the floor, Shay whines. His form blurs for a moment, but then snaps back to his wolf. Power is rolling off all three of the alphas as they focus their attention on Shay. “Shay, shift NOW.” They snap the order in unison. A blast of power directed at Shay hits me as well. Dull cramps twist my lower belly.

Ava’s your family and you’re dealing with a lot of.... new urges right now. Chief among them to protect the ones you care about. But I’m not a threat.” “The fuck you’re not. I see the way you look at her.”

My earlier promise to Mal no longer feels like the right move. The itch to put as much distance between our old home and us is back, stronger than ever. But before I can say anything more, Gabe has us bundled up and headed back down the hall.

“I don’t know, Mal didn’t act like he’d go back on his word.” Even to my own ears, my defense sounds weak. Shay leans against the wall by the door. “Sure, maybe. But what about Aiden?” He pins me with a look. “He'd be just as happy if both of us disappeared and fast.” I know Shay is right. Aiden doesn’t want us around Gabriel, and if Gabriel keeps insisting on helping us, it could push Aiden over the edge. His pack finds helping us easy right now, but it would take barely anything for any of them to turn on us.

Panicked, I bolt up away from the wall. This is how Mom would act before her frenzies. Constantly rubbing up on anything, letting her nose lead her anywhere. But this is not that. It cannot be that. We need to get out of here, and I need to get a hold of myself before I give Shay any more reasons to think I’m not myself.

“See here, girl. We’re going to start as we intend to continue.” Hot, yeast-laced breath blows over my face as Isaiah drawls directly into my ear. He brings up his other arm and wraps it around me, squeezing me until it feels like my ribs will crack. “We’re not going to be the kind of alphas you can lead around by our dicks.”

Bonding is forever; I’m not going to leave it to chance.

“Like we need permission to claim an omega. The feral fuckers have the right idea. Spot ‘em and knot ‘em.” Isaiah’s pack-a-day rasp drifts back to me. “Too bad we couldn’t grab another one. This one’s all fucked up. Did you see her neck? Why isn’t she all clean and dressed sexy like the rest of them?” Vaughn whines. “Don’t know, don’t care. She’s an omega and she’s in heat, ripe for the taking. If you can’t stand looking at her neck just choke her while you’re fucking her. Problem solved.” I growl. Knife or claw, I’m going to tear this trash apart.

If there ever needed to be more proof Isaiah’s cadre are the dumbest of dumbasses, kidnapping a beta thinking they nabbed an omega may be their crowning achievement.

That girl is under our protection. No one takes from us and walks away.

Gone is the little beta miss from earlier tonight. In her place is the most delicious bundle of omega I’ve ever come across; a captivating mix of crushed summer grass, wildflowers and soft places waiting for me. For us. My mind blanks out. The damn girl went and revealed on me. For once, my wolf and I are one. Get our precious bundle to safety. Then shred these assholes apart for daring to touch what’s ours.

The scent of wildflowers clings to his hands and body, ramping up my fury. He touched her! I howl, and call to my pack. Work together. Destroy the threat. Save our mate.

I stalk back over to our prize, satisfied my cadre has proven ourselves worthy of her. Our little omega is trying to reach me, straining against Gabe’s hold. Why is he keeping her from me? She is ours. Bounding over to him, I knock him back with two paws to his chest. Our prize tumbles with him but I break her fall. Her skin is sweet beneath my tongue as I drag her away. My wolf nudges back enough control so I can shift back into human form and climb over her, blocking out everything but us.

“Alpha.” Her mouth is soft and her eyes shine with awe as she whispers the word up to me. “Omega.” I rumble against the base of her throat and am rewarded with a gush of slick drenching my thigh. I trace my nose up along her jaw, under her chin, over the arch of her cheek. Forehead pressed to forehead. Her honey warm eyes stare into mine. The blood of the wolves I fought pools to the tips of my eyelashes and rains down crimson tears. The fat droplets glide down to the corner of her eyes, leaving a bloodstained trail across her sun-kissed skin.

She leans up and sinks her teeth into the thin skin of my bottom lip, not stopping until my blood pools in our mouths. Freeing her teeth, she drops her head back. I catch it before it can hit the ground. A blissful smile graces her face. “Mine.” This act. That word. Whatever ground my wolf had ceded back to me is snatched back. Spreading my thighs wide I slap my cock down onto her belly; the desire to smear my pre-come and mark her precious skin overtakes me, lighting a near-manic urge to squeeze myself inside that sweet cunt and pin her to the ground with my cock in her belly and my hand at her throat.

I grab my pain in the ass packmate by the collar and yank him back to his feet. “Knock it off. I get you're having some big boy feelings right now but stop being a little chicken shit about it. Baiting Hayes into beating the crap out of you so you don’t have to deal with all of this is a punk ass move, and you know it.” Aiden’s mouth gapes open. Shutting Aiden up would be comical if my patience wasn’t worn the fuck out. A girl to whom I promised safety was assaulted tonight.

However, Betsy says since Ava is now considered your property, I don’t need her consent anymore?” “Doctor, Ava is a living being, not a vacation home.” Hayes finally turns his attention away from the hall to eye the doctor. Feeling a prickle of concern that perhaps the doctor is newer to the territories than I originally thought, I jump in, “As lead cadre tonight, we assumed custody of Ava. And yes a claim was initiated... by Ava.” Best to emphasize none of us went rogue and started biting defenseless omegas.

My wolf whines, confused why this woman is keeping us from Ava. Both of us are anxious to get back to her. The brief time we had her in our arms as we transported her confirmed what I suspected when I scented her earlier tonight. She is the one. She is meant to be ours. The need to make up for my earlier lack of protection is riding me hard.

“What a pretty mess you two make.” Aiden swipes two fingers down Gabriel’s stomach before swirling them around my over-sensitized nub and licking his wet fingers clean. “I think I’m going to keep both of you.” Sitting back on his haunches, Aiden’s dark gaze is possessive.

“You’ve got to rest. Shay is fine. This fight was coming for them regardless of you showing up. It’s theirs to deal with, not yours. Now, sleep, Ava.”

If anyone makes me fall asleep again, I will stab them.