The Omega Hybrid

by J. L. Wilder

"Her name was Daphne," said Jack. "She was a member of the Silver Oak clan."

  "And she fell in love with all of us," said Mace.

  "How?" asked Echo.

  "She was a scout," said Cutter. "One of the members of her pack trained to keep tabs on the other clans in the region. But she wasn't a very good one, because we all found her."

  "And she happened to come into our lives at about the time we were all looking for some way to leave our packs."

  "Or when our packs left us," said Jack.

  "So, she led all of us here, and told us what was going on," said Mace.

  "I think she expected the same thing as you," said Cutter. "That we'd flip out and beat the shit out of one another. And truth be told, I thought that's what would happen when she spoke the words."

  "But it wasn't like that at all," said Jack. "Instead, we were...okay with it. The three of us had a love for a woman who had more than enough love to go around."

  "And what's more than that," said Mace. "Is that she was a hybrid, like you."

  "Are you serious?" asked Echo.

  "Yep," said Jack. "And one of the ways that hybrids are different is that they can have many mates all at once."

  "In a way," said Cutter. "Stone was being a real prick by keeping you all to himself."

  "But Daphne," said Echo. "What happened to her?"

  The expressions of the men fell, and Echo could tell that she'd hit a sore subject.

  "She passed," said Cutter. "It was a rare blood disorder. One that only affects hybrids."

  "I'm so sorry," said Echo.

  "Thank you," said Cutter. "But we've all had our time to mourn."

  Then, a tinge of worry ran through Echo.

  "It only affects hybrids?" she asked.

  "You don't need to worry," said Jack. "If you've got the kind of healing I've seen, no disease is going to do a damn thing to you."

  Relief washed over Echo, not just because of that, but because now everything was out in the open.

  "So...the four of us are together?" she asked, still having trouble with the idea.

  "It's not unheard of," said Cutter. "Women having multiple mates used to happen all the time, especially with omegas."

  "More mates means larger litters," said Jack. "If...that's what you're hoping for."

  Echo didn't know how to respond to that. She'd never even thought about the idea of having kids.

  "But we can worry about all that another time," said Jack. "Right now, we've got enough on our plates."

  "Might be a good occasion to have a little bit of a celebration," said Mace. "Not often you get to break out champagne and actually have a reason for it."

  "Good call," said Cutter. "These next few weeks are going to be like nothing we've ever known before. We need to be able to appreciate these moments when they happen."

  He hopped up and went to the kitchen, returning with a bottle of champagne and four glasses. After passing out the glasses he opened the bottle, the pop sounding through the living room. The men let out a cheer as Cutter poured the glasses full.

  "So," said Jack. "What are we toasting to?"

  "To us," said Echo without a moment's hesitation.

  "I like that," said Mace. "To us."

  The four of them tapped their glasses together, a chime sounding out.

  Echo sipped her drink, letting the bubbles wash over her tongue.

  It was all so crazy, but so amazing at the same time.

  And at that moment, Echo was happier than she'd ever been.

  CHAPTER 26

  JACK

  Days later...

  Jack stood out on the patio with Echo, memories of their night of passion the previous evening still fresh in his mind. The air was chilly, and both of them were wrapped in a warm blanket as they watched the sun rise through the trees. Birds chirped, and a gentle wind rustled the branches. Steam rose from their black coffee, the mugs cooling on the balcony railing.

  "It's so peaceful," she said.

  Jack pulled her close and kissed her softly on the cheek.

  "Yeah," he said. "It is."

  "And I couldn't be happier sharing it with you."

  "Careful now," he said. "Don't want the other guys to hear you say that."

  "But I thought they didn't get jealous?" she asked.

  "Just busting your chops," he said.

  She smirked and playfully slapped him on the chest.

  "Prick," she said.

  "Hey," said Jack. "If you don't want me to break your balls like that, you shouldn't look so cute when I do it."

  "What?" she asked. "How do I look cute?"

  "The same thing happens every time," he said. "Your eyes go wide and you make a little ‘o' with your mouth. Cute and sexy all at the same time."

  "I'm glad my mini panic attacks are so amusing to you," she said with a smile.

  "You're more than amusing," he said.

  He couldn't resist any longer. Jack leaned in and kissed her softly.

  "This was the day I saw you out in the woods," he said, turning his attention back to the nature around them. "Same cool weather, same kind of light in the trees."

  "But there's no knocked-out girl on the ground," she said.

  "Nope," he said. "She's in my arms this time. Right where I want her."

  "Cornball," she said with a smile.

  "You love it," he said.

  "Maybe just a little."

  Echo looked back out at the woods.

  "It's not going to be peaceful like this for long," she said. "The war's coming. And it's coming soon."

  "It is," said Jack. "But we've got it planned out. Enough tribes are on our side, and with Cutter's men trained and ready we're going to have more than what we need to take out the Hearteaters and their allies."

  "Stone won't go down without a fight," said Echo. "He's vicious, but he's not stupid."

  "That's why we're going to move fast and hard," he said. "Rally the troops, hit the Hearteaters right where it counts, and scatter the rest of the clans. Once Stone is out of the picture his allies will fold."

  "And if they don't?"

  "We teach them a lesson in knowing when to give in."

  "Sounds like you and the rest of the guys have it all worked out."

  He nodded.

  "Going to be tough to keep the alliance of clans together, but I think we can handle it. And once they Hearteaters are gone they'll all be so excited to split up the territory that they won't even think about fighting for it."

  "For the time being," she said.

  He nodded.

  "Yeah," he said. "You're right about that. But I'll take smaller clans squabbling over pieces of land here and there over massive, ruthless clans like the Hearteaters any day. War never goes away, you know. But at least we'll have peace, if only for a little while."

  "And I won't need to worry about some ruthless prick chasing me down and making me his breeding slave," said Echo with a smile.

  "Right," said Jack. "There's that little detail."

  Silence returned, the two of them continuing to look out of over the woods. Then, all of a sudden, Jack felt Echo twitch in his arms, a violent shake running through her body.

  "Whoa," said Jack. "What was that all about?"

  "I just felt...really sick all of a sudden," she said. "Like, the worst nausea of my life. And then it went away as fast as it came."

  "You're fine now, though?" he asked.

  She nodded.

  "I think," she said.

  It wasn't five seconds before the same twitch returned. But this time it didn't go away. Echo burst from Jack's arms, her tea sloshing over the rim of the mug as she slammed it down before running inside.

  "Echo!" shouted Jack as he ran in after her.

  He heard the door of the nearby bathroom open and shut and hurried in the direction of it. Once there, he pulled open the door just in time to watch Echo drop to her knees in front of the toilet and let loose the contents of her stomach. Jack moved to her side
and place his hand on her back as she finished.

  After a few minutes of dry heaving, Jack rubbed her back softly as Echo recovered.

  "You okay?" he asked.

  "I...I think so," she said, her face a dark shade of red that faded by the second.

  "I don't know about that," said Jack. "You went from ‘fine' to ‘puking your guts out' over the course of about three seconds."

  "Must've been something I ate," she said. "My body wanted to get it out of me."

  But Jack had other ideas.

  "I want to take you to the doctor's," he said.

  Echo stood up and washed her mouth out before turning to Jack with a surprised look on her face as she swished and spit.

  "Are you serious?" she asked. "I feel fine."

  "For now," he said. "But I don't want to take any chances."

  "No," she said. "I don't need you treating me like a baby."

  "It's not that," he said. "Echo, we've got a war on the horizon—we can't take any chances when it comes to things like this."

  That answer seemed to make some sense to her. She nodded and glanced away before turning her eyes back to Jack.

  "Fine," she said. "But only to make you feel better."

  He didn't need to hear anything else.

  "There's a doctor in Mont-Tremblant I know, a shifter. We're on good terms with him and he's always got space for us. Come on."

  "You mean now?"

  "I mean now."

  Jack made a quick call to the doctor, Dr. Henna, and confirmed the appointment. He wasn't convinced that it was a mere stomach flu and informed the doctor as such.

  Minutes later they were on the road, this time taking one of the sports cars instead of the motorcycle.

  Jack was totally focused during the drive, his mind racing with implications of her sickness. He had an idea of what it might be, but part of him wondered if the same illness, the one that had taken Daphne, had found another host.

  This had been how it had started, after all.

  "You okay over there?" asked Echo. "You look like you're worried or pissed off or something."

  "I just take this sort of thing very seriously," he said. "No screwing around when it comes to health."

  "For some reason, I'm getting the impression that's not the whole picture," she said.

  Jack said nothing, turning his attention back to the road.

  Before too long, they arrived at Mont-Tremblant, Jack making his way through downtown and finding a parking space among the wide, bustling boulevards. Together, the two of them went into the doctor's office and checked in with the receptionist.

  Moments later, Dr. Henna, a trim, silver-haired man and fox shifter, emerged from the offices to greet the pair.

  "Dr. Henna," said Jack. "This is Echo Wilson."

  "Pleasure to meet you," he said.

  "Doc," said Jack, before anyone could say anything else. "I want you to test her for everything. Bloodwork—all of it. I just—"

  Dr. Henna placed his hand on Jack's wrist.

  "Don't worry," he said. "She's in good hands. Now, Echo..."

  With that, he led her through the back offices and out of sight. And all Jack could do was wait.

  CHAPTER 27

  ECHO

  She was dumbstruck, unable to believe what she'd heard. Echo scanned Dr. Henna's face for any sign that he might be playing some joke on her.

  But that didn't appear to be the case. Not at all.

  "Say it again," she said. "I want to hear the word."

  "Pregnant," he said. "And it looks like with a litter—three babies."

  Echo swallowed and attempted to process what she had heard. It was so surreal to her, something that she couldn't wrap her mind around.

  But she knew what she needed to ask next.

  "There's something else...," she said. "I haven't been with just one man..."

  A small smile formed on his face.

  "I know," he said.

  "How do you know?" asked Echo.

  "Because I've been the doctor of these men for years. If one of them were to come in here with a mate, there'd be a good chance it was one all three of them were involved with." He quickly added, "Not that they've had any woman here other than you and Daphne."

  "I...see," said Echo.

  "But it's more than that," he said. "Three babies with three men means that they've all imprinted on you—if you've been with three alphas there's no way that one of them would be responsible for all your children."

  "They've imprinted on me?" she asked. "But I thought that the ceremony was..."

  "The ceremony just reveals information," he said. "It doesn't actually make anything happen. Omegas like you are drawn to certain alphas, and in this case these three men are a match. And having a sexual relationship with them all in a short period of time would result in what I've seen. Three children, each one connected to one of the fathers in particular. But they're all related."

  "This is...so much to take in," she said. "There's so much going on right now."

  "Of course," he said. "Things like this are never easy when you're a shifter, especially if you don't have the support of a full clan. But I'm sure you'll be fine. And I'm also sure that you know what the first step is..."

  Echo nodded.

  Dr. Henna finished the rest of the appointment, and before too long Echo was back in the car with Jack.

  And there she told him the news.

  "Pregnant!" he shouted, his eyes wide as he pulled back onto the road leading out of town.

  "Are you mad?" asked Echo, worry tinging her stomach.

  "Mad?" he asked. "Why the hell would I be mad? This is...amazing! I almost want to pull over the car and kiss you!"

  Echo laughed, relieved.

  "But this is the last thing we need right now," she said. "With Stone and the war and everything else..."

  "No," he said. "This isn't the ‘last thing we need right now'—it's the one thing we need right now. As of today, this war isn't just about territory or clan feuds or anything like that. It's about our future. Because the future is what you have in your belly right now."

  Echo allowed herself a smile.

  "That's good," she said. "But do you think the rest of the guys will feel the same way?"

  "I know for a fact they will," he said. "Bringing an omega into the home and making a family...it's all we've ever wanted."

  He reached across the car and took her hand into his.

  "Everything's going to be fine," he said. "I promise."

  His touch felt good to Echo, reassuring. They continued up through the woods, the shade darkening the road. No cars were around them—it was just Echo and Jack and the endless forest.

  That is, until they made their way around the next bend.

  Echo's stomach fell at what she saw.

  Situated on the road were several motorcycles, all of them gleaming in the stray beams of sunlight that poured through the forest ceiling. And posing on the bikes, all of them menacing, with sneering expressions on their faces, were the men of the Hearteater clan.

  Jack slammed on the brakes as soon as he realized what was ahead. Silence filled the air after the tires finished screaming, dirt from the road kicking up all around them. And when the dust settled Echo spotted, standing in the middle of the pack, his arms crossed over his chest, none other than Stone.

  "Jack," said Echo. "We need to move. Now."

  "Just stay here," he said. "I'll get us out of this."

  "No!" she shouted. "You're not going to talk them out of—"

  But it was too late. Jack was out of the car and on his way to the Hearteaters, his boots crunching against the dirt. Echo clenched her fists and prepared for a fight, making a silent vow to herself that she'd never be taken by them.

  "What the fuck is this all about?" asked Jack.

  "You know what the fuck this is all about," said Stone.

  He pointed to Echo.

  "That fucking girl, right there. She's my omega, and you
've got her."

  "She's no one's omega," said Jack. "She's her own woman. And you're not going to claim her."

  Stone glanced around to his men, as if checking to see if they'd heard what he just did. The men laughed.

  "Are you fucking kidding me?" he asked. "Do you see what the fuck is going on here? There's a dozen of us, and one of you. You're fucked, dude."

  "You don't have to do this, Stone," said Jack. "There's a war coming, and it's one you're going to lose. But you can put a stop to all of this now, just by letting her go."

  "Big fucking words," he said. "And rich coming from the man who killed my men and took my woman. You think I'm going to let you walk all over me like that and live? And not make you and your butt-buddies pay the price?"

  Stone spat.

  "No," he said. "I've got my eyes on this region—hell, this province—and this is looking to me like the perfect reason to start my war of conquest. I'll take her, make my babies, and conquer this fucking region like Genghis Khan. And whatever shitty little clans you've got on your side will get crushed under my boot. Got it?"

  "Not if I kill you first," said Jack.

  Stone stood up straight, his arms dropping to his side. He squared his shoulders and began walking towards Jack slowly, pure hate on his face.

  "I'd like to see you fucking try," he said. "I'd really, really like it. But more than that, I'd like to see you die. So, that's what I'm going to make happen."

  Panic took hold of Echo as she watched Stone move closer and closer to Jack. But Jack was fearless, not, budging an inch.

  "Jack!" she shouted out.

  But Jack only turned and shouted back.

  "Run!"

  Stone shifted, transforming into his massive black bear form.

  "I said run!"

  Echo wanted to stay, to fight at Jack's side. But then she remembered what she'd just learned.

  She was pregnant.

  That meant she was just responsible for her own life, but for the lives of the babies inside of her.

  She had to run, and she knew it.

  Echo pushed open the door and ran out of the car as quickly as she could. Once she was out, she turned towards the woods and took off. Stone let out a roar, one that seemed to say, "follow her!" Echo didn't stick around to see if they listened.

  She shifted into her hybrid form and took off through the woods, a quick glance over her shoulder revealing that the rest of the men were in close pursuit. She ran as fast as she could, until her muscles burned, and her lungs were sore.