Fleeing Fate (Hidden Omegas, #1)

by Sabrina Day

Discussions about one’s nature don’t count when the person talking to you is naked. That’s got to be a rule, right?

“Hey, Wildcat. Eyes up.” Reluctantly, I look at him. “You and me? We’re solid. Aiden’s just being a dick.” He pauses and winks. “Well, he’s always a dick. Right now he’s more of a dick than usual. But that’s about me and him. No guilt, ok?”

“Birdie, when you got dressed and took your little walkabout, was Mal here?” “No.” “Well, brace yourself. You’re about to get the Full Malcolm experience.”

“You went into the forest by yourself?” Fuck this. I am not a child. “No, I went with Shay. But even if I did go alone, why would it be such a problem? Are your lands not safe? You made them sound secure last night.” I frown at him. “Besides, I’ve been going into the forest by myself since I was old enough to walk. Didn’t want to be in your debt anymore than we already are.” This. This is what Shay needs to see. The old Ava. The one with plans and a backbone. The one who can take a ton of shit and still keep her brother safe.

“You bit each other?” Far from looking disgusted, Shay looks curious. “Yup. Back when we were kids. I found these lost little lambs while we were on an alpha-bound wilderness trip as teenagers. Lucky for them, thanks to my intrepid leadership, we realized we were pack mates.”

Long fingers grasp my waist as Hayes turns me around to straddle his thighs. “I can feel your fear, sweetness. But let it go. I’m your knife now. You chose me when you gave me your gorgeous little bite. Anyone who dares hurt you won’t live long enough to regret it. Starting with the alphas who tried to take you from us. Tell me whose hand left those bruises and which fingers stroked what wasn’t theirs to touch. Let your knife slice them off one by one and present them to you.”

“Please, I want Gabe to show me around.” I twist and look up at Hayes. Maybe there’s a way I can help repair Gabe’s relationship with the group before I disappear. At the very least, I don’t want him to feel like I don’t want him around; he’s my Huntsman

“I love your choice of tie, Ava.” He hooks a finger under my makeshift belt and tugs me closer. “It’s getting a little loose though. Next time let me knot you.” With one last rasp of his beard against my cheek, he pulls away and he’s gone.

“Shay thinks I’m not his sister anymore. He’s thinks now that I’m an omega, the alphas will make me their little toy, and I’ll be too sex-drunk to stop them.” Her words are slow to come out at first but pick up speed by the end, her face a mix of worry and betrayal. “Did he say that?” She flinches at the sharp note in my question. I know the kid is just a kid, I really do, but if he’s making Ava feel like shit for something she can’t control, we’re going to have words.

A soft snort leaves Ava. “That does not surprise me. He needs to keep pushing until he hits a wall strong enough to stop him.” Oh Aiden, watch out, the little one’s got your number.

“You get to have your feelings. Even if they’re ugly and loud they’ll never be too much.” I want to tell her to come find me in those moments. I’ll give her the space she needs to be messy and honest. But I don’t. I’m not going to lie to her. Odds are after today, I’ll never step foot on this claim again.

There’s a split second when I consider pulling back. She’s not mine, will never be mine, and if I was at all decent, I’d save us both the heartache and end this kiss right now. But then it hits me: she chose me for her first kiss. All the other firsts will go to Aiden, Mal, and Hayes, but she's giving this one to me. The knowledge has me harder than a kiss ever has before, and I’m up and rolling on top of her before I can stop myself.

But back when all of this was just a dream, when I thought about who this omega would be, I just assumed they’d be a product of a well-placed bribe. A pack prince or princess, found by contracting with a matching agency, an omega who got off on an extra bit of rough they thought shifter mates would bring to the table. Neat. Practical. A mutually beneficial partnership. A transaction that would only affect us as much as we wanted it to. Ava didn’t get the message. She’s affecting whatever the fuck she wants.

Mal scowls. “When we get back, she’s mine for an hour before we go out running. I’m the goddamn lead, and my scent is barely on her. Hell, May had more time with her at the diner than I have. ” “That’s not true, you’ve been her snuggly-wuggley widdle wolf to help her fall asleep a few times now.” He flips me off and punches the gas.

“How the fuck did my omega’s attackers escape?” Mal grinds out. “Watch it boy, you're not lead yet.” Raul growls. My knees buckle slightly, but I shake the implicit call to submit off of me. He can shove his growls up his ass because I’m not the one who fucked up.

“We’d be exactly like those animals they accuse us of being. There isn’t a power on this earth that would’ve stopped us from giving our omega what she needs. We would’ve had your face in the dirt and your ass in the air, claiming all of your sweetness over and over again until we knotted you so deep, so many times, it’d feel like losing a piece of yourself when we’re finally spent and pull out. But you’d still be hungry, because our omega is stronger than us all and you’d be back on our cocks making us earn our place as your alphas.”

“What happened to the other guy? The asshole with a tranq gun?” Aiden frowns. I hesitate, “I think I killed him? I hit him in the head with a hammer when he went for Shay. He wasn’t moving when we left.” Braiding and un-braiding the bottom of my plait I try to replace the sensation of bone giving way under my hammer with the familiar comfort of wrangling my hair. “Fucking right you did.” Aiden crows. The unexpected punch of pride from him hits me in the chest and burns away some of the shame of taking a life.

"Once you come to me, you become mine to protect. From then on, I will provide for you. Satisfy your every need. I will cherish the treasure he dishonored. That asshole is a dead man. He just doesn't know it yet."

My mighty oak. Mal is more beautiful than anything I daydreamed when I wished for saving. The greatest of all my huntsmen I’ve stumbled on. I think I’ll die if Mal is not as close to me as possible by the time I take my next breath. I want that bulk on top of me, driving into me, making me forget there was ever a time I knew what hurting felt like.

Aiden bursts through the door, the wood frame splintering with the force of his entrance. As he takes in the scene, the two of us naked, joined at the hip and Ava, a mess of sobs and clawing hands, a sloppy mix of ‘told you so’ and protectiveness floods our bond and punches me in the gut. He shoots me a silent, angry glare when he lands on Ava’s new mark before toeing off his boots and stripping down to his boxers. I watch, fascinated, as he shuts his eyes and takes a single deep breath, gathering himself together. In an instant the chaotic mix of his emotions is cut off. He blocked our bond! Aiden never blocks!

“When we first met as kids and Hayes and I pulled your drunk ass out of that ravine, do you remember the first thing you told us when we finally made it back up to the trail?” I ask Aiden. Cracking his knuckles in quick succession a slow grin steals over Aiden’s face. “I said, Hi my name is Aiden, we’re going to run this place. Do you want to do claim bites here or back at my tent?”

"She was wearing socks when I left her inside the guesthouse." I add tattling to the list of reasons why Aiden remains at the top of my ‘Least Favorite’' list.

"I hope you don't mind but Mal filled me in a little about your history and how you came to join us." Nina's eyes crinkle as a sad smile dances at the edge of her mouth. "You're so young to have been through so much. But you’re a true omega aren't you? We bend but don’t break. I’m so proud you held on and made it to us. "

The SAT phone sits like a brick in my hand. This is bad. Like out-of-my-way, outside-of-my-wheelhouse bad. Geiger, the stingy ass, wouldn't bet money he didn't have to part with unless he was on fire. That whole poker bit was nothing but a setup to tell me how and when to contact him to have a proper conversation about what the fuck was going on.

This ends tonight. I’m over trying to understand his cruelty. I wanted him to pay a penance for what he did to all of us but there’s nothing inside this man capable of regret. I don’t know how yet but I’m not leaving this clearing tonight with him and he’s not leaving this claim alive.

"First perimeter’s breached." A staticky voice erupts from the black box strapped to Dad's hip. He silences it with a curse. “Time to go." He tosses me up over his shoulder, walking out of the copse of birches and straight to a low-slung black vehicle with no roof. I spit the rag out of my mouth over Father’s shoulder and stay limp in his hold. The shape of a plan starts to come together but timing is key. Let him think I’ve given in for now. The day we buried her, I promised mom we were going to live free and that’s what the hell I’m going to make happen tonight.

I scream, a high and thin sound, as I push so hard that my grief and rage rips something open inside of me and a rush of raw molten energy pours out. I dig my fingers into the dirt as I’m burned from the inside out.

Begging without words for their help to make it stop. Praying that at least a little bit of this white hot energy is getting to Aiden and it helps him defy the moon and shift back. Nothing happens. Aiden's wolf is still. I sob into the dirt and hope he felt his pack around him as he died.

"So you can force-shift others. Interesting. Not as impressive as Lonny's subject, but he’s been training her since she revealed as an adolescent. Still, you could prove very useful in the right settings." Pride radiates off of him as he beams down at me. I stare back at him, unsure how to react to all this. "You passed, Ava, with flying colors! It's a shame we can't bring him in with us. I would've loved to study him too.

"Birdie?" My stomach drops. The alpha stretched out on the ground should be able to snap my father in half, but he’s too out of it now. Father’s advancing on him fast but I’m going to be fucking faster. Aiden has everyone’s back and tonight I’m going to have his. He may be an ass but he’s my ass and goddamn if I’m going to let my Father cut down the heart of this pack. I wiggle against my binds and gather the remaining buzzing energy inside of me, tiny pops of pain exploding down my body and then... I’m sprinting, unbound, lighter, faster, stronger than I’ve ever felt before.

I reach my wolf and throw myself on top of Aiden, growling up at my father's shocked face. Not giving him a second to recover, I tear into his knife hand and bite down hard. “You fucking cunt!” In my periphery Father’s knife drops to the ground.

I realize I forgot the most important lesson Father ever taught me. Always watch what the other hand is doing. I look back up at him just in time to watch as his knife — the one whose tip I've felt the sting of before — ar...

Yelling increases and I’m jostled painfully up into Aiden’s tight forest grasp. Exhausted, I give up. Aiden’s safe. Father’s gone. My name is being called by a chorus of familiar voices. But the pull to sleep is too strong to ignore. I let the frantic voices sing to me as I slip into the dark.

“What I know right now is that I’m happy you’re pack. You’re safe and you’re going to stay that way because I’m going to turn this place into Fort Stay the Fuck Away.” Pressing my forehead against his, a thrumming purr between us draws my attention down to the sleeping fox pressed between our bodies. “I also know when Birdie finally obeys our commands to wake up and shift back, I’m going to tag her little ass with a claim bite so deep she’ll be lucky if she can walk into the next room without me knowing.”

“Did you have any idea she could shift?” “No, and I don’t think she did either.” Making her attempt at being a sacrificial lamb all the more infuriating. Where is her sense of self-preservation? Was her life that bad that she was ready to end it for some asshole she just met? What kind of an omega welcomes violence like that onto themselves?

“Never seen a fox shifter before, do you think there are others?” “Probably, but I bet not in any allied space.” I shrug. “Or if there are any walking among us, they’ve gone to ground.”

Hayes strolls over to the sink and pins Gabe with a look. “I thought you put him to bed.” “I did but for some reason when I said the word ‘stay’ he heard ‘let’s aggravate my injuries and my alphas while I’m at it’ and decided to wander around with a concussion.”

Where Ava goes, I go.” Gabe stalks forward, but the effect of his ultimatum is somewhat diminished by the involuntary moan that slips out when Hayes claps a hand down, collaring the healing bite on the back of his neck. With a smile, Hayes hauls him back until he’s sandwiched between us once again. A pack ready to burn everything down, and a bunch of mercenaries who’ve never let a little client desperation stand in the way of making a buck. This should be fun.

A corded knot presses between my shoulders and up through my chest until I feel like I'm going to choke on all the unanswered questions from the night of the Pack Run. Questions about Ava’s piece-of-shit father, questions about myself. How did the impossible happen? How did I shift back during a full moon?

There was a time every part of this scene — a claimed Gabe, Ava as our omega — would have been impossible for me to imagine. Long ago, I became resigned to the idea of buying the privilege of whatever omega could remotely match our cadre. All of that was upended when Ava flew into our lives, sank her tiny fangs into my lip, and set in motion a cascade of action weaving all of us into better versions of ourselves when it would have been her right to just sit back and let us pamper her. It’s why she needs to let us bring her back. She has to wake up and shift so I can show her what it means to be cherished.

My wolf nudges me to let him out, whining that it wants to wrap around the little fox and blanket her in our scent. In a true nod to Ava’s influence, I don’t ignore him. Instead I flash him a vision of him tucked around Ava in the burrow I built inside my den’s closet.

“What do you think happened the night of the Pack Run? Why could I shift back. How did Aiden survive what killed Frank’s pack?” “Best as I figure it, the common denominator is Ava. She claimed you and I claimed her.” “But what about me?” Aiden asks. “You almost died in front of her.

It was my wolf’s show that night. One hundred percent all animal, all night, until Birdie grabbed me and dragged my ass back to the land of the living.” “So we shared blood with her and suddenly we’re able to take or leave the full moon. Aid, you don’t claim her, and you’re still the moon’s bitch. Then, while watching you die, you caused our baby so much stress that something snapped in her. She tried to comfort you through our pack bond, and suddenly you’re naked, ass up, back in your human body —

“... and then when it became clear that her father was going to kill you, she shocks you both by shifting into a fox, a shifted form no one’s ever seen before, and throws herself in front of what would have been a killing blow to you.”

I watch Gideon carefully extend his arms out palms up in a sign of peace. “This is happening. Her leaving your care is a forgone conclusion. She’s part of something you are not capable of dealing with on your own. The forces that want her? They will keep coming for her. They will split you open, gut you and decorate the trees with your entrails like streamers at a fucking kid’s birthday party before walking off with her as you bleed out. They’ll do that to every single shifter in this territory if that’s what it takes to get her. We can stop that from happening. So stop acting like little children, making decisions after wandering into the middle of a story you know nothing about. This girl will suffer for your hubris unless you give us what we want.”

“Ava, hello. My name’s Gideon.” The mercenary addresses Ava like they were sitting face to face and not separated by a wall of pissed off men. “And your father, Jay, and I, go way back. Once you feel more collected I’d be happy to share what I know about him... and your mother for a price.” “If you do not get out of this room in the next five seconds...” Hayes prowls towards Gideon. “I’m happy to retire upstairs. Ava, come find me when you want to learn more about your sisters.”