The Omega Hybrid

by J. L. Wilder

  "With the Hearteaters gone," said Echo, deciding to make her voice heard. "The rest of the clans will have the space to grow and thrive. No war, no competition."

  Marx chuckled.

  "Nice thought," he said. "But there's always going to be war. It never ends. That's the way of the tribes."

  He looked away for a moment and shook his head.

  "But I'm not going to lie—taking out Thorne would go a long way to helping the clan heal. We could start building again, to go from a fucking to something real, an actual power in the region. And you could lead us there, Cutter."

  "After Stone is done," he said.

  "Naturally," said Marx. "Once you're the alpha we'll be happy to follow you into whatever war you want, for good or for ill."

  He glanced over at Echo.

  "And your precious omega here will be safe," he said. "For whatever good that does the rest of us."

  He took a deep breath and spoke.

  "Fine," he said. "You want to challenge Thorne, then I won't stand in your way. I'll get to HQ and let the men know that you're coming—if Thorne got word, he'd do whatever it would take to kill you in the woods to prevent you from getting there to challenge him."

  At that moment, the waitress arrived and placed three plates—each stacked high with delicious-smelling pancakes—onto the table.

  "Now," he said. "Let's get a little food in us before this shit goes down. Because we're going to have a hell of a day."

  CHAPTER 21

  ECHO

  "See you there," said Marx as they stood out in front of the diner. "You remember how to get there, right?"

  "Of course, I do," said Cutter. "Like walking home."

  Marx glanced at the bike.

  "Mind if I keep it warm for you?" he asked. "I'll take good care of her—I promise."

  Cutter reached into his jeans pocket and took out his keys, then tossed them at Marx.

  "You scuff the chrome...," he said.

  "I know, I know," said Marx.

  Then he turned to Echo.

  "Well, let's get this show on the road. I hope you're worth all the trouble, little lady."

  With that, Marx started off towards the motorcycle. He hopped on the back and gunned the engine and drove off.

  "Interesting guy," said Echo, not sure what else to say.

  "Known him since we were kids," said Cutter. "Me and him and Thorne ended up being the alphas of the tribe, changed everything."

  Cutter nodded ahead and started walking, Echo following beside him.

  "Three alphas?" she asked.

  "Yup," he said as they continued down the main street. "Usually the fire picks out one, but sometimes two. Or four. Marx decided he didn't want to risk his neck to be the big man on top, so it ended up being just me and Thorne one other bear, a guy named Rock."

  "And then what happened?" asked Echo. "You two battle it out and he came out on top?"

  They reached the end of the block and Cutter gestured to the left, to a road that led down through the town and into the woods beyond.

  "It's...complicated," he said.

  "Well," said Echo. "Considering you're bringing me right into enemy territory, I think I have a right to know the whole story."

  Cutter took a slow breath, as if trying to gather the nerve to speak.

  "It wasn't simply a matter of me not wanting to be the alpha," he said. "There was more to it than that. Because you know that where there's an alpha, there's an omega."

  Echo nodded.

  "Believe me, I know," she said.

  "Yeah, you would. And the fire picked this girl named Jade, someone we'd all grown up with. She was...special to me. First girl I ever kissed, actually, back when I was barely a teenager. Whoever was going to be the alpha would take her as a mate."

  "And then what happened?" asked Echo.

  "Thorne wasn't content to go through the motions and traditions for claiming the alpha position. He wanted to take it, and he didn't want anyone to stand in his way. The morning of the battle, the entire tribe woke to a scream. One of the girls went into Rock's place to get him up and found him torn to shreds. Turns out Thorne had broken in and killed him in the middle of the night."

  "Oh my God," said Echo.

  "My place was secure as a fort, so he didn't get in. And Marx was gone, choosing to spend the entire thing in Montreal."

  They kept on, soon leaving the town behind and reaching the edge of the forest. Cutter stopped at the border and stared down at it for a long moment. To Echo it appeared that he was crossing not one boundary, but two.

  Then they stepped over. Moments later, they were in the shade of the woods, branches snapping and leaves crunching beneath their feet.

  "What happened next?" asked Echo.

  "Thorne didn't even pretend that he didn't know what had happened. He fessed up to the crime, and said that this clan was now his, that he made the rules from here on out. Evidently, he'd let a few of the other bears know about the plan, and they were on his side. Had a little army."

  Cutter sighed and went on, a pained expression on his face.

  "Then he took Jade, held her close. Poor thing was screaming and crying, had no idea what was going on. I didn't either, truth be told. Then he pulled out a knife, put it to her throat, and...you can guess."

  "What? Why?"

  "Because he wanted to let us know he was in charge. He didn't give a damn about tradition or what the fire said—he said he'd pick his own omega, and that he was the alpha no matter what. And if I wanted to take the position, I'd have to fight for it. And he made it clear he wasn't afraid to kill whoever stood in his way. Even the innocent."

  "And that's when you left?"

  Cutter nodded.

  "Leaving the tribe in his hands wasn't what I wanted. But it beat a civil war that'd reduce our tribe to nothing. So, I let him have it. Looking back, I was being a coward. And what Marx had to say about the state of the tribe is proof I made the wrong decision."

  "But it's not too late," Echo said. "You can still make things right."

  "I suppose so," said Cutter. "But that doesn't change the fact that I waited too damn long to begin with. I should've fought Thorne when I had the chance and taken the alpha position from him. Instead, I ran. And now the tribe's been suffering for years because of it."

  The two kept on, moving deeper and deeper into the woods.

  "You know," he said. "There's no reason you need to be here for this. This is my fight—you can turn back now and stay at the house where it's safe."

  "No," said Echo, not hesitating for a second. "I want to be there for you. This isn't going to be easy, and you're going to need all the help you can get."

  Cutter flashed her a confused expression.

  "Why?" he asked. "Why would you put yourself at risk for me like that?"

  "Because," she said. "This whole thing's about gathering troops to fight Stone and his men. You wouldn't be here if it weren't for the trouble I've caused."

  He smirked and let out a snort of a laugh.

  "I suppose there's some truth to that."

  "And...you're not the only one who's tired of running. I fled my tribe because I was scared, because I didn't know what to do. But the truth is I should've been sticking up for myself the whole time, not letting anyone walk all over me and make me feel like less than I am. But those days are over—from here on out I'm not going to run from a single battle."

  Cutter smiled warmly.

  "Now you're starting to talk like an omega," he said.

  "Really?" she asked. "By standing up for myself?"

  "Sure," he said.

  "But, by standing up for myself? I thought that being an omega was all about submitting to the alpha."

  "Nope," he said. "Well, there are omegas who choose to live that way, to be nice and docile and do whatever their alpha says."

  "That's what I've always heard. Thought that would be my life if I went with Stone."

  "But that's one kind of omega. The
other kind is willful, powerful. She's supportive of her alpha, sure, but that doesn't mean she does whatever he says. She's not afraid to make her voice heard, to call out injustice when she sees it. Some say omegas like these have the real power in some tribes—power behind the throne, so to speak."

  Echo laughed.

  "No way Stone would ever let me be like that," she said. "He'd slap me across the face before me or anyone else ever disputed him."

  "Sounds like he'd be a shitty alpha," said Cutter. "More like Thorne than anyone worth a damn. And it makes sense why you choose to leave. A woman like you doesn't have it in her to be the pet of her alpha. She needs...something else."

  "Something else?" asked Echo. "Like what?"

  Cutter glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, a look that made Echo feel something deep within. Just his glance was enough to make her blood run faster through her veins and make her breath short.

  It was the same feeling that Mace and Jack were able to inspire in her with just a look or a touch. And now there it was happening again. All three of these men had the same hold on her, and Echo knew she wouldn't be able to ignore it.

  Before either of them could say anything else, or take another step, a branch snapping off in the distance caused them both to pause.

  "Stop," said Cutter. "You hear that? You smell that?"

  Echo stuck her nose into the air and took a sniff.

  Sure enough, a distinctive scent was on the wind.

  It was the scent of shifters.

  "Where are they?" asked Echo, panic in her voice.

  "They're right on top of us."

  CHAPTER 22

  CUTTER

  "Don't even fucking think about moving."

  Cutter's first instinct was to protect. Against the request of the voice, he stepped in front of Echo to make sure he was close. He knew there wasn't a chance these shifters were there in peace.

  "What the fuck did I just say?" the voice spoke.

  "Come out of the fucking woods," said Cutter. "Show yourselves."

  "As fucking bossy as ever," said the voice.

  "Yeah," said another. "And you're not even a member of the clan any longer. Where the fuck do you get off on telling us what to do?"

  "Thinks he can run off and still be the alpha," said a third voice. "Doesn't work like that. Not at all."

  "Getting tired of hearing people run their mouths when I can't even see them," said Cutter. "You want a fight? Come on out and start one."

  A long moment of silence passed, Echo and Cutter standing close to one another. Then the trees around them shook, three men stepping out from among the brush. Cutter's eyes shot from one face to another, and he realized at once that they were men from his tribe.

  He'd been tracked down. And he was outnumbered.

  "Three to one," said one of the men. "Look at you talking the big talk when you're about to get the floor wiped with your sorry ass."

  "Make it three to two," said Echo, a hard look on her face.

  The men glanced at one another, their eyebrows raising.

  "Wow," said one of them. "Looks like the MIA alpha brought some serious backup."

  "That right, Cutter?" asked another of the men. "Brought a cute little thing to fight your battles for you?"

  All the men looked familiar, and Cutter recognized them as low-level men from the Saw Tooth clan. But their swaggering and sneering suggested that they'd made some moves up since he left.

  "Enough with the bullshit," Cutter said. "Did Thorne send you?"

  "Thorne sent us off on patrol," said one of the men. "But holy shit, we had no idea what we'd find during our little stroll through the woods."

  "You have any idea how long the tribe's been looking for you, Cutter?" said another. "How long Thorne's been waiting to tie off this loose end?"

  Cutter tensed, sensing a fight was near. He glanced down at Echo, wishing that she'd gone back when she had the chance.

  Too late for that.

  "Man, Cutter," said one of the men. "You have no fucking idea how much we'd love to cut your belly open right here and now."

  "Yeah," said another. "And to take that sweet little thing of yours and have some fun with her before giving her over to the boss."

  A tinge of rage flowed through Cutter at the suggestion of them harming Echo. He'd go down fighting before he'd ever let one of those pricks lay a hand on her.

  "But we can't," said one of them.

  "Huh?" asked Cutter. "You want to fight? Then, let's do it now."

  "Not that simple," said one of the men. "See, Thorne has some standing orders about you. Said that if anyone ever happened to come across your sorry ass that we needed to bring you in."

  "See, he wants to take a look at you in person. Figure out how he wants to make you suffer."

  "Then again," said one of the men. "We don't have to tell Thorne anything."

  "That's a good point," said another. "Could be that we had a regular-ass patrol, didn't find anything out of the ordinary."

  "Mhmm," said the third. "We could do what needs to be done, pass some time with our new pet, and leave no witnesses."

  Cutter tensed for a fight.

  "You even try that, and I'll make sure I rip all three of your shriveled little cocks off before I go down."

  The men glanced at one another. Cutter knew they had to realize that Cutter was no ordinary shifter. An alpha like him would be no easy fight, even for three of them. And with Echo at his side...

  "Whatever," said one of the men. "Orders are orders. And I bet if we show up with this prick Thorne will let us do whatever the fuck we want with his girl."

  "Yeah," said another. "Thorne knows how to reward the ones who do good by him."

  "So," said the third. "You gonna come with us, or are you gonna make this nice and bloody?"

  It wasn't even a question for Cutter. He wanted to be face-to-face with Thorne, to finally end this once and for all.

  "Take me to him," said Cutter. "I want to see him."

  "Your wish is our command, prick."

  One of the men moved to Cutter's side and looked him over, his eyes moving up and down Cutter's frame, a sneer on his lips. Then he turned his attention to Echo, giving her a once-over for entirely different reasons.

  "I'll tell you right now, though," he said. "You lay a fucking hand on her..."

  The men laughed.

  "You're not exactly in a position to be giving out orders."

  With a sudden kick, he slammed his foot into the back of Cutter's knee, dropping him to the ground. The men laughed, and Cutter made sure to burn every one of the men's faces into his memory.

  He'd settle the score, he decided. No doubt about that.

  "Now get your ass up," he said. "HQ's a few hours away. Move."

  The men formed up around Cutter and Echo and together the group started through the woods. The hours passed in silence, no noises but the sounds of their feet on the forest floor, one or two of the men occasionally offering up a comment to one of the others.

  Cutter braced for what was to come. After all this time he was finally back, ready to finish what he'd started so long ago.

  They eventually reached the edge of Saw Tooth territory, the woods more and more familiar to Cutter with each step. Soon the wood cabins of the clan appeared, and as they drew closer Cutter couldn't believe what he saw.

  The place was a fucking mess, to put it lightly. Trash was strewn everyone, food wrappers and beer cans and liquor bottles and condom wrappers. The houses were all in various states of disrepair, and members of the clan staggered drunkenly here and there. Rock music filled the air, the scene like some kind of a party in the middle of the evening.

  "What the hell is going on here?" asked Cutter, taking in the scene.

  "This is how Thorne likes to run things," said one of the men. "Non-stop fucking party."

  "And when we say ‘fucking' party," said one of the men.

  "We mean it," said another.

  The
three of them laughed as they traveled further into the small town-like collection of houses. A woman darted in front of them, he hands over her breasts as she let out a scream, one of the other members of the clan chasing after her.

  "Brought in some new girls from a tribe we just crushed," said one of the men. "They're still getting used to how we do things around here."

  "They'll learn," said another of the men. "They all do."

  More laughs. Cutter felt sick to his stomach at what the clan had become. He considered how if he'd known this is what would become of it, he never would've left.

  Too late for that now, he thought. All I can do is make things right.

  "Where are we going?" asked Cutter. "I want to make sure you're not leading us into a fucking trap."

  "Oh, don't worry about that," said one of the men. "We're taking your ass straight to Thorne. You have no idea how fucking happy he'll be to see you."

  "Yeah," said another one of the men. "Happy."

  More laughs.

  As they moved further into the town, the party got thicker and wilder. The music was deafening, and the commotion intolerable. Men and women were passed out here and there, and Cutter spotted more of the new girls doing their best to stay away from the men of the Saw Tooth tribe.

  One of the girls ran by, a similar look of terror on her face to the first girl they saw. This time, however, Cutter wasn't content to just watch. When the man chased after her, Cutter shot his hand out and grabbed him by the collar.

  "What the fuck!" he shouted.

  Cutter stared hard into his frightened eyes.

  "Find something better to do with your time," he said.

  He dropped the man into a heap and watched as he scrambled to his feet and ran off in the opposite direction.

  "Always the fucking boy scout," said one of the men who'd found him. "See how much good that'll do you in Thorne's tribe."

  They made their way through the thick crowd, eventually reaching an elevated stage. A band was on it blasting out thrash metal tunes.