The wolf sniffed disdainfully. “Not for lesser wolves to question Alpha man. Lesser wolves must obey.”
“They will, my friend.”
The male sat regally next to Roan, his large grey head held high. “Good.”
“Hello, Beauty,” Sasha said to the smaller Alpha female beside her.
“Alpha female help Alpha man discipline lesser wolves. Is good.”
“Why, thank you, Beauty.”
“Lesser female needed put in place.” She snarled, showing a hint of teeth. “Alpha female did good.”
Sasha merely laughed at that.
“I chose well,” the male said smugly as he looked over at his Mate.
“Yes you did, my friend.” Roan chuckled.
“What is the meaning of this, Roan? Who are these men?” Darren asked angrily. “And just who are you talking to? I demand an answer!”
The Alpha male sprang to his feet with raised hackles, growling low and showing an impressive array of teeth. “Lesser wolf challenge Alpha man. Take lesser wolf down.”
Roan slowly reached out to gently lay a hand on the male’s ruff. “It’s alright, my friend,” he soothed. “This lesser wolf would never challenge me. He doesn’t want to die.”
Darren had the good sense to back down, his complexion pasty. The strong scent of his fear was enough to mollify the Alpha male. He regained his seat beside Roan with a snap of his jaws at Darren. The man jumped.
“Lesser wolf weak,” the male said with clear disdain.
“Yes, he is.” Roan chuckled as he looked at Darren. “Regardless of the so called power you and the others think you have, I am still Alpha of this Pack.” He sent a tendril of power toward Darren, wrapping it around his throat. Then began to slowly squeeze. “And as such, I will have the respect my position deserves or I will take your outburst as a clear challenge to my authority. Are we clear?”
His hands were scrabbling at his neck, trying to breath. Roan let him go.
“Yes…yes, Alpha. I…apologize.” He sucked in more air, his eyes wide with fear.
Sasha snorted. “Not a total lie. But then he’s probably too attached to his head.”
“And he’ll keep it,” Roan quipped. “For now.”
“Hmph.”
“As for your questions, Darren,” he began. “Sasha and I were greeting our friends.” He pointed to the male and female wolf. “These are the Alpha pair from the local timber wolf pack. The other is their beta.” Roan nodded to the big male beside Tristan. “Our Alpha abilities allow us to communicate with the Alpha’s of any species. As for the men around you. May I introduce, Omega Squad.”
“Omega Squad?” Carlyle snorted with contempt. “Those faggoty little Omega freaks are part of a squad? Ab-“
Carlyle finished that sentence with a scream as Roan ripped the wolf from his body. Kyle raced to his side, giving Roan a hate filled stare.
“That will be enough of your insolence,” Roan snarled. “And don’t think you can’t join him, Kyle. I’ve had more than my fill of disrespect this day.”
Kyle had the good sense to lower his gaze. Roan could still smell the anger, but the boy wasn’t stupid. Well, more than he usually was.
“Omega Squad, huh?” Phillip mused. “I always did wonder why my cousin Joey got shipped off to Scotland after his First Transformation. He’s an Omega like these guys?”
Roan nodded. “Because your cousin showed traits before his First Transformation, he was watched closely. An Omega’s abilities manifest not long after their first shift.”
“Abilities?” Darren scoffed. “No offense Roan, but Omega’s are lesser. Hell, our history says they were banished and even killed because of their predilections.” His tone was completely dismissive.
“I think I’ll let you handle this, cuz.” Roan looked to Dane, confident he could handle it. Plus, he needed a moment. He was beginning to feel the faint signs of his separation from Rivera. He was going to need to move things along quicker than anticipated.
“Cuz?” Darren’s eyes went wide.
“Oh, didn’t I mention it?” Roan asked with mock innocence. “My apologies. Everyone, meet Dane LeGuer. The youngest son of my father’s uncle and Squad Leader for the Omega’s here in America.”
The guests who were able just gaped. Roan so loved dropping bombs.
“The reason our history says that, Darren, is because the Alpha’s and other Omega’s made it that way to protect us.”
“Protect you? Why, other than being weak and gay, would you need protection?” Darren scoffed.
Dane gave him a mischievous grin. “Because I can do this.”
He held out both hands toward Darren. In moments, Darren was rising high into the air amid panicked shouts from his Mate.
“Don’t hurt him. Please,” she pleaded. “Haven’t you done enough?”
“Not really, Muriel,” Roan stated coldly. “But Dane is the one who has your Mate suspended in mid-air, not I.”
She looked at Dane with confusion. “Dane? I don’t understand.”
Dane lowered his arms as Darren slowly came back down, being dropped a foot from the ground and landing heavily on his ass. Darren grunted with the impact, his Mate rushing to his side. They both gave Dane a murderous glare but he simply smiled.
“You’re lucky I didn’t drop you from higher than that,” Dane quipped. “And on your head.”
Darren wisely kept his mouth shut as his Mate helped him regain his feet, her small hands fussing over him.
“Omega Squad was formed a century after the ten families grabbed control of the Pack. After the Alpha in training stepped into his role, he knew something wasn’t right with the council. But seeing as the council had been responsible for most of his education about Pack Law, business, and responsibilities, he had no basis for comparison. Thankfully, his father’s Beta took matters into his own hands and waited for when the child could finally become Alpha himself, instructing him. Those instructions encompassed the journals Roan’s father discovered and the Alpha’s real role in the Pack. You see, the council had the old Alpha’s inner circle swear a blood oath of secrecy and for the one’s who wouldn’t, they were killed. The Beta did this just to bide his time because even though he swore the blood oath to the council, the one to his old Alpha superseded the councils. But the new Alpha had to tread carefully. No one but the old Beta knew about any of this or even his Alpha abilities. Keeping his gifts a secret was one of the few lesson’s the Alpha had remembered his father drilling into him before the man was killed. But how to use his powers for the good of the Pack? Simple really. Gather those that share similar abilities and police the Pack until a solution to the council could be found. Because even though they had only ruled for a century, the council had moved swiftly to garner as much control of the Pack as they could. By the time the Alpha had learned the truth, his hands were pretty much tied. So the Alpha’s only recourse was to use those like him and bide his time,” Dane explained.
“Police the Pack? What is he going on about? And what similar abilities? Can all the Omega fags lift people?” Darren sneered.
Roan was so going to enjoy putting this pompous fool in his place. “Policing the Pack means that Omega Squad became the Alpha’s eyes and ears,” he said. “For 650 years, every Omega born into the Pack has used their unique abilities to keep the Alpha informed about the goings on in the Pack. Specifically, the council and all their descendants.”
“You spied on us,” Arianna spluttered with outrage.
Kate glared at him from Eli’s side. “That’s going too far.”
“How dare you,” Muriel snapped.
“I dare much where the Pack is concerned,” he told them. “As for Omega Squad, levitation is just one of the many and varied skills they have.” He pointed to Tristan. “Tristan here can communicate with any animal on the planet.”
Out of nowhere, a bald eagle flew toward Tristan. The majestic raptor landed lightly on his shoulder while the rest of the Alpha pair’s wo
lf pack suddenly appeared at the edge of the tree line and surrounded them.
“Cole can render himself invisible using light refraction and shadows. It’s one of the Omega’s rarer abilities.”
With a jaunty wave, Cole stepped near Sasha and vanished. A moment later, he appeared beside Mikeal and Nicolai with a broad grin.
“Dane, like a few other’s, has dual abilities. He can levitate objects and also communicate telepathically with any member of the Pack.”
“I can also talk from great distances, but it’s a strain the farther away you are from me,” he sent to them all.
“The other’s here can conjure fire, create wind, move the earth, make it rain, and even call down lightning.”
As Roan ticked off each ability, the Omega’s around them showed the guests just what they were capable of. It was quite impressive. It also showed that Omega’s were no where near being lesser.
“And as the Alpha’s of this Pack, Sasha and I have all these abilities and more.”
Both of them held out their hands. In Sasha’s palms, she created two wind funnels of red and gold flames. In Roan’s palms, lightning crackled with a blue/green glow. Sufficient they had gotten their point across, Sasha clapped her hands together and the flames winked out in a shower of sparks.
“My fire is much stronger than my wind.” She grinned wickedly.
Tossing his hands up, the lightning flew into the sky and disappeared. But the sound of thunder in the cloudless blue sky could be heard overhead. Roan’s audience stared, the scent of fear and apprehension quite strong. Good. They were finally starting to understand just how much jeopardy they were really in.
“Omega Squad has changed over the centuries, their abilities adapting with the times. They still use these abilities to keep the Alpha informed, of course, but with the advent of new technology, keeping in touch is much easier.” He smirked, about to put the hammer down. A good thing too. He was beginning to really feel his separation from Rivera. “And so is keeping track of the ten families. Case in point, Tristan and several others are geniuses with a computer.”
“And this means what, exactly, Roan?” Darren sneered but Roan could smell just how nervous he was.
“What it means is you and the ten families have been funnelling the Pack’s money into your own accounts and businesses for centuries,” Tristan spoke up amid gasps and grumbling. “All the so called wealth you and the others have amassed has been stolen a little at a time since the council first gained control. But Boone and his two flunkies’ got greedy after taking over their titles. Being impatient and stupid, they didn’t want the status quo to continue. They wanted Roan and Sasha gone so they could bring the Pack out of the Dark Ages as they saw it and take the Pack to the top of the food chain.”
Darren rounded on his son. “Is this true?”
“Well, what if it is?” Morgan countered, puffing up. “We’re stronger than the humans. Why should we keep in the shadows and hide what we are? We deserve more than that. They’re the ones who should fear us. Not us them,” he growled.
“You ignorant little bastard,” Darren shouted. “Do you realize what you and your dim-witted friends have done?”
“Oh, I’m sure he and Kyle do now.” Roan chuckled.
“I don’t know why you’re so pissed at me,” Morgan yelled back. “It was you and the others who told us for decades that the Alpha’s were nothing but figureheads. That their title was only to keep the lesser Pack members in line. You said they had no real power in the Pack, only strength to defeat any challenge.”
“Quite a shock to learn otherwise, ain’t it pup?” Quinn laughed.
Darren turned back to them, his eyes glowing with anger. “You were the Beta for Roan’s father. So you knew about all this, didn’t you?”
“Of course.” He nodded with a big grin. “Every inner circle of every Alpha since the council took over has known about the Alpha’s powers and Omega Squad. The knowledge has been passed down and each inner circle sworn to a blood oath of secrecy. That is, until the day that secret was no longer needed and the Alpha’s resumed their rightful place in the Pack.”
“That day is today, Darren,” Roan said proudly. “Most of the money you and the others stole has been returned to the main Pack fund. It will be distributed accordingly. The rest will be paid back with the businesses all of the ten families started up using the stolen money.”
“What?” Muriel gasped.
Kate growled. “No!”
“You can’t do that,” Arianna cried out.
“I can and have,” Roan stated. “If the money isn’t paid back by the end of this year, I will take control of those businesses as per Pack Law and exile that person from the Pack.”
“Now, Roan. Let’s not be so hasty,” Darren placated.
Roan stopped him before he could speak further. “The ten families are through, Darren. Your arrogance and greed nearly cost this Pack dearly. And if your son and his buddies would’ve had their way, we’d have been found out by the humans and killed.”
“Or worse,” Rafe quipped.
“It has and will always be the Alpha’s birthright to lead and protect the Pack, Darren. Not you and not the other families.”
“Yeah, way to lead.” Sasha snorted. “They were too busy stealing and being asshat’s for all these years rather than doing any kind of duty to the Pack. No wonder the moron trio turned out the way they did. They had such sterling examples to go by.”
That got a few chuckles and laugh covered coughs. It was spot on though. And leave it to Sasha to state it so baldly. But then, it was the truth. An ugly one at that.
Not done making his point, Roan found each of his remaining guest’s ties and yanked, ripping their wolves from their bodies. “Heed me well. If any of you or the other’s think to defy me again, I will see it as a challenge and end every one of you. Do you all understand?”
Those that were able nodded. The others continued to whimper and pant heavily in pain.
“Good,” Roan said with satisfaction. “The effects of the forced shift will wear off in a couple hours. When you shift back, I want you all off this property. By the end of the week, I expect to see all of the ten family’s proposals on how they’re going to pay back the Pack. And don’t think you can undo any of this. This day has been a long time coming and I have more safeguards in place than any of you could possibly imagine.”
“Roan, if I may ask a question?”
Standing to the side away from his parents, Phillip was still in human form. Roan hadn’t seen the need to make his point to the man by making him shift. Phillip seemed ignorant and even uninterested in his family’s machinations. Still, Roan was a careful man.
“Yes, Phillip?”
“The other families. How will they know about this?”
Roan pointed to several trees behind and in front of him that held video cameras. “Encrypted satellite feed to all the Pack members and the rest of Omega Squad.”
“I see you had all your wolves in a row.” He laughed. “Well played, Alpha. Well played.”
Roan gave him a slight nod in acknowledgement. “Plans?”
“Well, if you’d permit me. I could help the ten families draw up their proposals. I was a lawyer at one time.”
“Hmm…that’s generous of you, Phillip. I’ll have my solicitor contact you tomorrow.”
“Sounds like plan.” He turned to go then stopped. “And, Roan. If it’s alright with you. I would very much like to meet my niece.”
The request surprised Roan, but he scented no deception from the man. Still, he was an unknown. No way was he getting near Rivera without Roan doing a little checking. “I’ll talk to her about it.”
“Fair enough.” He gave a them all a small salute then walked off.
Watching as he disappeared into the trees, Roan asked. “What do you think Quinn? Rafe? Sasha?”
He felt and heard all of his inner circle approach as well as Rafe and Quinn.
“I’d ke
ep an eye on that one, mijo,” Rafe said. “He’s strong, so is his wolf. But there’s something…”
“Yeah, something not right about that boy,” Quinn finished the sentence.
Turning to Sasha, Roan noticed her brow furrowed and a frown on her lips.
“What is it, little sister?”
“I get a bad vibe from that one, Roan.” Her frown deepened. “He was too quiet and watched everything a little too closely. I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him.”
“Dane?”
“I’m sorry to say that he never showed on our radar,” He said as he too glanced where Phillip had disappeared into the forest. “His actions haven’t set off any red flags and all his accounts are above board. There’s been nothing for us to keep tabs on.”
“I’m with Sasha and Rafe on this one,” Steven spoke up. “There’s something definitely hinky about that guy.”
Looking to the others, they nodded as well.
“Tristan…”
“Not to worry, Roan.” Tristan chuckled, the eagle still perched delicately on his shoulder as Tristan gently pet his feathered chest. “Me and the boys will get started on having a closer look at Mr. Cool’s accounts and businesses.”
“Good. In the meantime, keep the video feed and upload going. I want the Pack to see and hear everything until the clearing empties out. I…”
Before he could get another word out, a lightning bolt of pain streaked through his middle, causing him to almost double over. Mikeal and Steven were at his side immediately despite the large wolf still sitting there.
“Alpha man need Alpha Mate.”
“Yes,” he gasped.
“Shit! You’ve been away from Rivera too long,” Mikeal said with concern.
With finally wresting control of the Pack away from the ten families, the symptoms of his separation from Rivera were too minor to be bothered with. He felt them, but victory had been too close at hand to stop. And even though the sun was still out, it was much lower in the sky than earlier, letting Roan know he had greatly pushed his time limit. Now that he had won the day, the skin crawling and cramps were building. Much faster and more intense than he had expected as another jolt flashed through him, nearly taking his breath.
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