Instinct took over, sending Keiran rolling to his feet. The other animals backed away from the sight of him, an omega with blood spraying from his jaws as he panted, and he used that as an opening to flee past them. There was blood in his eyes somehow, obscuring much of what he saw, but he fled anyway. His paws thrummed hard against the ground, quickly passing from the packed earth of a dirt road to wild and untamed grasses. His snout was full of the scent of blood, and all he could hear was the pumping of his own heart.
Suddenly, pain seared down his back and he collapsed to the side as something hard and fast struck against him. Yelping and rolling, he shook his head to try and see his attacker. Feathers whipped past his nose. More pain, now on his face. “Oof!” he cried out, and snapped at the hawk as it wheeled away. Almost as soon as it was gone, it returned again and dug its talons into the scruff of fur on the back of his neck. Wings beating like crazy as if it was trying to lift him, he felt his flesh tear and hot blood stained his fur.
Then, an enormous paw struck into him from the side and sent him slamming so hard into the ground that he almost dented the earth. The shape responsible was so large it blotted out the sky, covered in shaggy brown fur. A bear. And now as Keiran lay there, a boa constrictor curled around his legs and squeezed so hard that his bones groaned in protest.
“No...” he muttered.
“Oh, yesss,” a soft voice hissed. It was some sort of half-shifted lizard, the one with bulging yellow eyes and iridescent scales. “Thisss time you won’t essscape.”
And he definitely wasn’t going to escape like that again, tying him up this time with his arms bent behind his back and connected to the ties on his ankles. He was literally strung up like a hog now, unable to do anything but lie on his side. Adding to the complications, they shoved a rag in his mouth and tied a gag around it. He struggled to breathe, using only his nose in the thick, musty air of the truck.
“Maybe that’ll show you to listen next time someone tells you no,” Ty grunted. He sounded nowhere near as friendly as he had before. “God, maybe your Pa was right to sell you if you’re that stupid. You think you’re the only person who’s tried to escape?”
Keiran swiveled his eyes in the fox’s general direction but, from this angle, he couldn’t see him. He couldn’t say anything in his own defense, either. All he could do was lie there and take whatever anyone threw at him.
“He ain’t the only ‘un,” another voice grunted mockingly. “Lots of newcomers try it. The stupid ‘uns, that is.”
No one laughed. Keiran closed his eyes and tried not to tremble. Lots of newcomers? If Ty had been in the back of this truck for two weeks, how long had some of the others been in here? Months? Years? Years of travel as the traders tried to gather up enough slaves to make a good haul?
I wish they would kill me. I would rather die than be a slave.
Chapter 4
There was a thorn dangerously near his eyelid, scraping the sensitive flap of flesh whenever he blinked. That was fine. The pain helped keep him aware and, besides, this thicket was the best place to hide for their purposes. It was a waiting game; only a matter of time.
Jace Culvers knew this waiting game well; knew it in the intimate sort of way only a wolf can. Wolves as true animals were known for their endless patience and endurance, running down prey for days until the exhausted animal gladly accepted death. As shapeshifters, wolves were able to come up with more advanced tactics to lessen the hunt time, but that patience and endurance was never wasted when it came to a situation such as this.
All around him were his Pack Guard, a select 15 alpha wolves Jace chose himself. Their sole purpose in life was to protect him and to follow his every command, no matter how ridiculous or risky. And this was both, as they were watching a dirt road with a slave trade caravan approaching. He’d been tracking this one for weeks, desperately neglecting all his other duties for this one endeavor. And now, after so long, here it was. The end of their adventure. It was almost a pity really, that the cloud of dust should continue to near. Another hour at most.
Yet, as much as it was a pity, Jace just had to close his eyes and savor the moment. He felt so close to being a real, true wolf right now. The waiting, the anticipation, sitting at the head of his loyal pack as they all waited for his signal. The day was warm, wind rattling the thicket. There were thorns in his pelt and dirt in his pads, and his fur was ruffled up. He was a far cry from being some immaculate prince. He was a wild animal, a hunter. The Head Predator.
Almost.
Don’t think such things, Jace scolded himself. I will have a long while yet before I take on that title. Father will heal.
Blinking again, he felt the thorn rub his eyelid raw again. Focusing on the pain, he redoubled his efforts to concentrate on watching the hill. Thick billows of dust, growing closer and closer. As the minutes passed, he was able to pick up on the faint roar of a large trunk engine. The caravan was coming.
He could smell his Guard’s anticipation, their fear. He didn’t reprimand them, as fear was vital to survival. Through the connection they shared, he was aware of their muscles bunching beneath them and their shoulders tensing. They were ready. They could smell the gas in the air just like he. The caravan was only seconds from appearing at the top of the hill. That was when they would attack.
Jace let out a very tiny sound, a bark so quiet it was almost a whimper. His pack responded, puffing out their fur and flexing their muscles one last time.
This is it.
The truck appeared. It was a sorry, beaten-up old thing. How so many cities managed to mistake it for being an important envoy, he had no idea. Maybe they didn’t know any better. Either way, though he’d caught many glimpses of the caravan in the past, as well as the truck that led it and the other vehicles that followed, this was the first time he had been close enough to see the driver at the wheel. Hawks rode on the roof of the main truck, and a few animals wove in and out of the line of slow vehicles.
Now!
Digging his claws into the ground, Jace threw himself forward from the depths of the thicket. That nagging thorn scraped a hard line up his eye to his forehead, and he left several other knots of fur behind in the bushes, but the stinging pain was invigorating. He threw his muzzle up into the air as he charged, howling. As one, his fifteen pack wolves surged from the thicket and ran up the hill with Jace at their head.
He twisted his head from side-to-side, silently ordering his wolves to flank him in a solid line. They did so, matching his pace perfectly. By now they had been noticed, but it was far too late for anyone to do anything.
Jace barked the command and 16 huge alpha wolves jumped and tackled the huge truck along the side where the slaves were being held. Pain cracked down his shoulder and he rebounded off the metal, landing awkwardly with one paw tucked up beneath his body.
For one terrible moment, as he turned to watch, he wondered if it hadn’t been enough. The truck teetered on a slant, frozen on one side of its wheels while the driver opened the door and jumped out.
And then gravity took over and the truck crashed over onto its side and started falling down the other side of the hill. Jace would worry about the omegas inside later. There was still a battle to be fought, though it ended up not being much of one. Together with his pack, they slaughtered the slave traders. They had given their bought possessions no fairness and now Jace gave them none in return. He ripped the wings from the hawks and left them to bleed to death; he slit the bellies of the reptiles with a flick of a hooked claw, and he joined in with three other wolves to bring down that massive bear.
The whole operation took less than three minutes from attack-howl to victory-howl. Blood covered the road, turning dirt to mud. The dead littered the battleground, contorted in the agony they deserved. Intestines clumped in piles here and there in the middle of those thick, muddy blood pools.
And though they were covered in blood, absolutely drenched in it, the only injury for the wolves was the scrape on Jace’s for
ehead.
“Not bad, eh, Marvin?” he said to the alpha standing beside him, a particularly swift male whose wolf fur never seemed to lie right. His hair did the same, sticking out in choppy clumps that he adored aggravating.
“Not bad, my prince,” Marvin replied respectfully, tipping his head down.
At least this was a problem I could fix. Something I could finally solve for my future kingdom.
Jace stood back and surveyed the scene with a fair amount of grim satisfaction as his guards investigated the truck scene. They had to rip the crumpled doors open by using brute force, and then began a long process of dragging out the tied omegas and freeing them from their bonds. Some wept. Some acted like wild animals. Many were nearly catatonic, and all of them were so thin that Jace could count every single one of their ribs.
His heart ached for them. Poor things. Such a ragged little menagerie of predators, wolves and foxes and felines all shoved together into this tiny box for who knew how long. God, and they were filthy, too. Poor things. His alpha’s instinctive want to protect omegas was getting the better of him, making him emotional.
He focused on the pain from the bloody scratch on his forehead, although he was already healing and the pain was nothing more than an echo of its former self. Still, it helped keep him in check, and by the time all the omegas were freed, he was ready to address them.
As ready as he would ever be, anyway. His father always thought it ironic that a prince should hate to stand before his subjects.
Standing up straight and tall, Jace faced the omegas. “47,” Marvin muttered in his ear as he passed by. “Lost one in the fall. Crushed. Tiny thing. Wouldn’t have made it anyway.”
It took everything he had not to let this information show in his expression.
“Omegas,” he began, “you all were slaves. Bound for trading. But now, you are free. Free to go wherever you might wish.”
“That’s great and all,” a rapid voice interrupted. It came from a thin fox with rather loud orange hair. “But like, most of us were sold because we weren’t wanted. Where do you expect us to go?”
Those of the gathered omegas who were still coherent looked at the fox as if he’d gone mad to speak to Jace that way. However, Jace was more than willing to make allowances for someone who had gone through such trauma. For now.
“Well, those of you who still have homes to return to, I won’t stop you from going. If you weren’t sold, you would have been stolen and I wish you well on your journey back to your families.” Jace nodded firmly, more for their benefit than to confirm the idea to himself. “And those of you who just want to leave and get as far away from here as possible, I wish you well too. But as for the rest of you... You may return to the castle with me. I will procure jobs for you in the castle or in the capital city. It won’t be a permanent fix and I can’t promise you that you’ll be anything more than simple servants or kitchen assistants, but it will be a place to start. If you have any specialties, you’ll be able to speak with my advisor about them and he will attempt to arrange a job better suited for you.” Jace paused for breath. All of the omegas were fixated on him now, half of them wondering and the other half incredulous.
How terrible had their lives all been before they even became slaves?
“You will be given three meals a day, as much as you can eat, and we will provide housing for you. It’s the best I can offer. I know it isn’t much, but...” He gestured to his left. “Those of you who are coming with me, stand here. The rest of you, on the right.”
At first, no one moved, but then the fox stood up and sauntered over to Jace’s left, giving him a rather unflattering grin. The others slowly stood and started dividing their numbers, choosing a side. In the end, the split was still nearly half and half.
“What about the...?” One of the omegas gestured to the truck, where the dead omega still lay.
Jace nodded. “Don’t worry. She will be retrieved and given a proper burial.”
He held his ground and watched as the half of the omegas not coming with him slowly started to disperse. Only a few thought to thank him, but he still didn’t mind it much. He had his Guard roam the hills for about an hour while the omegas staying with him were fed, watered, and allowed to stretch their muscles. Not only would the roaming help them burn energy, it would keep the omegas protected as they started off on their journey.
Soon enough though, it was time to get going. The dead omega was buried beneath enough earth to dissuade predators from going for her corpse, and the others were well on their way.
“Time to get going,” Jace commanded. “We will travel as our counterparts. Omegas, gather behind me and my Guard will flank you for protection.”
As the omegas moved to obey Jace’s commands, he caught sight of one in particular. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what drew his gaze to that particular omega, other than that he was beautiful. He was tall and handsome in a dainty sort of way, with a shaggy mop of blond hair and vibrant blue eyes. His shoulders were thin and his ribs could be easily counted from beneath the ragged shirt he wore, but there was something about him. He clearly wasn’t powerful. No, it was something else. Some sort of grace in the way he moved, and a peculiar daintiness in the way he shapeshifted into a wolf. And his wolf form was beautiful as well, black as a shadow but with white markings.
“Everyone is ready,” Marvin informed him, before shifting and taking his place.
Startled out of his reverie, Jace turned to see that everyone really was in position. Good then. He nodded to Marvin even though the wolf couldn’t see him any longer, and then he himself shapeshifted into his wolf form. While he wasn’t the largest alpha in the world, and not even as large as some of the wolves in his Guard, he had been given royal training and was just as deadly as any of them. He had every right to lead.
He didn’t howl this time, out of respect for the fallen and buried omega. Instead, he lifted his tail up high over his back as a moving-out signal and he started off in the direction of the Capital. His home city was named Auroris, but only spoken of in that general honorific. Capital. A Very Important Place.
Pah. He snorted inwardly. Some people thought themselves too important for their own good. They should all be like him, knowing his own importance but also knowing his place in the world. Ah, well. Some of the first things he planned to do when his turn to reign came would be to install more checks and balances throughout the various governmental systems, to prevent those egotistical bastards from causing more harm than they already had.
Of course, that day was hopefully years away still. His father, the king, the Head Predator, would get better and live out the rest of his life in peace. Jace’s concerns lay with the current moment, until then.
He set the pace at an easy trot, one which would allow the omegas to keep up. If any of them started to lag behind, the guard would take care of it.
Worry not, Jace thought grimly. I will take care of all of you.
Chapter 5
Keiran hadn’t seen the spectacular rescue coming. He had spent a week in the back of that damned truck, sleeping most of the time because it was better than being awake. They were fed once every two days and given a bathroom break twice a day. Water was given to them in the form of a single bucket, which naturally ran out most of the time before it reached the rear of the truck, where Keiran was located. As he was still hogtied on his side, all he could do was sit there with the bucket overturned and lick at what dribbled out. Naturally, he stopped feeling the need to do anything during the bathroom breaks, but he relished the feeling of being able to stretch his muscles for a few seconds. It was almost enough to make him weep.
And then some dashing stranger had broken in, killed everyone, and set them free. And what a stranger indeed. Keiran had never seen anything like that mysterious man, who headed what was practically an army of wolves. He was tall and bronzed by the sun, with muscles so sharp they could have been chiseled from stone by an artist. His eyes were dark and mournful som
ehow, and his thin line of a mouth made it seem as though he never smiled. His hair was dark brown, almost as dark as his eyes, and cut so short that the shape of his skull was clear beneath the shorn strands. He looked like a guard himself, and not at all the type of man who could promise what he had.
Yet, he had made that promise. So, would he be able to keep it? That all remained to be seen, but what choice did Keiran have? He had been sold and not stolen, so he had no home to return to. It was best to head to the Capital. There would be a lot more opportunities there, right? Maybe he could find a place where it didn’t matter that he was a lowborn omega. Talent had to count for something.
He was so lost in his own thoughts that he staggered sideways and bumped into Ty, who was scampering along behind him. Ty whipped his head around and hissed, baring his teeth. Keiran leaped back into his own spot, an image of similar spiky teeth flashing through his mind. Needle fangs and bulging eyes...That would haunt his sleep for ages. Maybe forever.
Hell, he might never get over any of this.
Keiran shook his head and tried as hard as he could to settle into a regular gait again, but it was difficult. He was weak and his body had already begun to waste away. His tongue was parched in his mouth and his paws kept wanting to collapse from underneath him. His pelt prickled with shame to be so weak when he hadn’t been imprisoned nearly as long as the others, especially when an immense Guard alpha broke formation to push up against his side. A low growl thrummed in his throat; a question.
Keiran yipped in response, confirming that he was fine. The Guard nodded and moved off again.
The shame faded after that, as his tired brain forced him to think less and concentrate more on what was going on in the world around him. It turned out that the Guard alphas were constantly in motion, weaving in and out of the group of omegas to offer an encouraging nudge or to boost them from behind if they stumbled. Everything was perfectly measured and polite.
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