by Hawke Oakley
“Jericho!?” I growled. “What’s wrong with you? You just let our buck get away!”
“Me?” he snapped back. “What’s wrong with you, Flint? Didn’t you hear me howling for you?”
I paused. The memory came back to me now. The howl in the background while I was engrossed in the hunt. In the heat of the moment, I hadn’t realized it was Jericho - and I didn’t notice the hint of panic in his voice until now, either.
My normal state of mind came flooding back. Now I saw the serious expression on Jericho’s face.
“What’s going on?” I growled. “Did something happen?”
I was aware of Casey padding up behind me, glancing from me to Jericho with fear in her eyes.
“Flint…” Jericho began, his voice grave. “I was just on my way to warn you that Hector was spotted earlier near the border.”
My blood ran cold. But that wasn’t the worst part. The words that Jericho said next made my heart drop into my stomach.
“Just to be safe, I went to check your home. But all I found was broken glass. Flint… Charlie is gone.”
For a moment I could only stand there and stare in shock. Jericho’s words sounded like a cruel joke, like something out of a horror movie. But this wasn’t a movie. This was real.
“Daddy’s gone?” Casey asked, her voice shaking.
“Why are we just standing around?” I snarled at Jericho. “Where did Hector go? Where was the last place they saw him?”
“It was on the edge of the northern border,” he said hurriedly. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
“What’s happening?” Casey cried. “I’m scared.’
I felt like I couldn’t answer Casey properly right now because I was so afraid for Charlie and angry at myself for not listening to Jericho’s howl earlier. But I knew I had to soothe her; it was my job as a father.
“Something’s happened to your daddy,” I told her. “But we’re going to fix it. Don’t you worry.”
“Is it that scary alpha?” she asked.
“Yes,” I growled. “Your dad is going to get rid of him once and for all so that he can never scare you again.”
We pounded through the woods, following Jericho. We cut through the trees and stopped briefly near the cabin to refresh the scent. When I saw the broken shards of glass and the empty window, the fur on my neck rose in fury. A deep growl full of rage built in my throat. The air was thick with Charlie’s stale fear scent.
I was furious with myself. I should have been here for Charlie. I should never have left him alone. With a snarl, I swiped my claws through the dirt.
“Stay calm,” Jericho said. “We’ll find them soon.”
“How can I stay calm?” I snarled at him. “My mate is missing and there’s an enemy alpha on our territory!”
Jericho’s ears swivelled back at the force of my words, but he said nothing. He turned around and flicked his head towards the north, indicating where we were going next.
I shut my eyes tightly in anguish. There had to be a way to fix this.
As Jericho led us to the northern border, I tried something crazy. I’d always known mated alphas and omegas had a special connection - but could regular shifter telepathy extend beyond its usual short range? I forced myself to concentrate. With all the inner strength I could muster, I reached out to Charlie, hoping and praying he would reply.
“Charlie…? Charlie, please hear me. I don’t know where you are, or if you’re safe, and it’s making me insane. Please let me know you’re out there somewhere.”
There was no response. I was stupid, thinking that would work. I growled at myself for being such an idiot and wasting time when we were supposed to be finding my mate.
Then, suddenly, something reached out and brushed the edges of my mind, like smoke across the water’s surface.
“Flint?”
I stopped. My eyes went wide as the moon. It was just a whisper, only barely audible. But I heard it. Charlie’s voice.
“Charlie? Can you hear me? Where are you?”
I paused, holding my breath for the next communication. It came quietly again, but I could definitely hear him.
“I’m okay. I’m in Indigo Mountain territory, but not sure where exactly. I’m safe.”
Hearing that made me breathe a huge sigh of relief. My most important concern was eased. Now all that remained was finding him and bringing him home.
“Can you describe your surroundings?” I asked him.
He paused, and I hoped our mental connection wouldn’t fade before he replied. But then he said, “I’m close to the top of the mountain, I think. There’s less trees and I can see the whole sky. There’s an old den. I’m hiding there.”
My heart raced at his choice of words. He was hiding - but from who? I think I had an idea. I had to get to him before Hector did.
Filled with new adrenaline, my pace exploded. Soon I was ten feet ahead of Jericho. Suddenly I realized that I couldn’t bring Casey with me - it was too dangerous. I skidded to a halt and faced my friend.
“Jericho, I need you to take Casey into town. She won’t be safe with me right now,” I told him.
He flattened his ears and whined. I knew he wanted to come with me and help find Charlie, but this was important too. He fought an inward battle with himself for a moment before sighing and saying, “Fine. But I’m warning the guys. There’s no way I’m letting you do this alone. Tell me where you’re going so I can let them know.”
I described the location Charlie told me, then I watched Jericho gently nudge Casey around to return to town. When I was sure they were leaving, I turned and bolted off towards the mountain top.
Every cell in my body vibrated with fury. It was like the Moon herself had breathed life into me, spurring me onward. My paws hit the ground fast and hard. Every stride threw up dirt behind me as I darted across the territory with all my might. The image of my mate was etched into my mind. It was almost physically painful that I wasn’t by his side right now - but soon, I would be. And when I was, I swore I would never leave him alone again.
As I tore up the side of the mountain, my muscles strained with effort. I forced myself to keep running. Soon, the trees thinned out and I reached a clearing. I skidded to a halt. I was on the edge of a cliff overlooking a deep, rich wilderness - unclaimed lands. I wondered briefly if anyone even knew this cliff and this view existed. It was valuable land that we could add to our territory.
But that wasn’t the point right now. I sniffed the air carefully, trying to pick out any trace of Charlie’s scent.
But I couldn’t sense it.
I looked around frantically, trying to find him. He had described a den - my eyes were peeled were such a thing, but when I couldn’t find it, I was filled with panic.
“Charlie?” I called desperately. “Please, where are you?”
Ruffling leaves sounded behind me. I whipped around in time to see two furry ears sticking out from a pile of leaves. He shook the leaves off his face, revealing the surprised face of my mate.
“Charlie!”
I ran up to him, nuzzling him frantically and burying my nose in his fur. He whimpered and nuzzled me back. A powerful, warm feeling rose in my chest, like returning home. I licked my mate’s cheek and ears until I was satisfied with our reunion.
“What happened?” I asked. “Tell me everything.”
He shifted back to human form for ease of speaking. He looked so small, delicate and fragile like that. His pale skin was paper-thin and his soft eyes were full of relief. He reached out and laced his fingers through my fur as he spoke.
“I was sleeping, waiting for you and Casey to come back, when I heard glass shattering and got scared. I knew it wasn’t you, or anyone we knew, because the door was locked and they would have just knocked… I knew there was only one person it could be.”
“Hector,” I growled.
Charlie nodded. “I didn’t know where you were, but I couldn’t waste time howling for you. I had to get out of there
as fast as I could. I was scared out of my wits, but I shifted to wolf form and when I saw Hector, I clawed him in the face and ran.”
“You did?” I asked, amused and surprised. “Good for you.”
He smiled. “He was too busy cursing me and whimpering over his eyes that he didn’t see the direction I ran off in. But to be honest, I didn’t really know where I was going… I just ran and ran.” He ran a hand over his belly. “I guess my nurturing instincts kicked in, and I knew I had to protect my baby.”
I growled protectively. “I’m here now. We’ll protect our baby together.”
“Thank you, Flint…” He threw his arms around my neck and buried his face in my fur momentarily. When he pulled back, he gestured to the pile of leaves he was still sitting in. “I didn’t know what to do when I reached this cliff, so I figured the only thing I could do was hide.”
I sniffed. “That reminds me… You smell kind of weird.”
“Oh, that.” He blushed and began digging through the leaves. “I was still freaked out that Hector would follow my trail and find me, so I tried to disguise my scent. I think this was an old badger’s den or something. I rolled around in it for a while until I knew I smelled thoroughly disgusting.” He grinned.
“Smart omega,” I growled affectionately.
Suddenly a swig snapped loudly. My attention turned swiftly to the woods behind us. I let out a sigh of relief, thinking that it must be Jericho and the other alphas catching up to us.
But then I turned to see an unfamiliar face. A brown, thin wolf stood there, glaring at me with narrowed yellow eyes. But his eyes were clearly in bad shape; I saw the claw marks and red streaks on his face, from Charlie’s attack earlier. I was extremely smug, and proud of my omega.
“There you are,” the wolf growled at Charlie. I recognized the voice as Hector’s.
Instantly my body reacted. I threw myself in front of Charlie and snarled so loud the noise tore through the sky. My massive wolf blocked Charlie from sight. I dug my claws into the ground and fiercely glared at Hector. His wolf was smaller than mine, and he was already weakened, and I knew I would easily win in a fight.
“How many times do we have to tell you to stay off Indigo Mountain pack lands?” I snapped. “If we were any other barbaric pack, we would have ripped you limb from limb by now. But to be honest, I’m thinking about doing that right now.”
But to my surprise, Hector lowered his head slightly in a form of submission. “Please wait. I know I should not be here. Just let me speak.”
He waited, looking at me expectantly. A growl reverberated in my throat but part of me wanted to hear him out. “Speak, then.”
I felt Charlie’s fingers clutch my fur as he huddled behind me. The only reason I hadn’t chased off this mongrel yet was because I knew Charlie was safe.
Hector lifted his head. “We know about the omega Charlie’s pregnancy.”
Charlie gasped. “How?”
Hector flicked his tail in irritation. “Foolish omega. Your scent is clearly different. Any wolf could see that.”
“Watch your mouth!” I snapped. “One more word to my mate and I’ll tear your throat out.”
His lip twitched. “My apologies. But back to the point. Gunner is aware of the omega’s current pregnancy. It is unacceptable for him to remain here. Since the omega belongs to Gunner, this current pup rightfully belongs to him as well. The omega can stay here until he whelps, but after that I’ll be back to collect him and the pups.”
I listened to his words with a growing sense of rage and fury. I almost snapped. I wanted to rip Hector’s face off. I couldn’t believe the garbage spewing from his mouth.
“Get. Out.” All my fur stood on end, like tiny sharp knives. My fangs thirsted for blood.
Hector flinched but didn’t move. “I can’t. Not without the omega.”
Fangs bared, I threw myself at Hector. With my massive weight and powerful muscles I knocked him over easily. I pinned him to the ground and snarled in his face. “Get out now, and never come back! Before I kill you right here and now!”
Hector’s bloody eyes glared up at me with hatred.
But suddenly something was tugging on my back. Charlie’s voice snapped me back to normal.
“Flint, wait!” he cried, pulling me back. “Don’t kill him.”
“Why?” I growled.
“Because he’s not the source of all this,” Charlie said almost sadly. “Even if you kill him, Gunner will still be out for me. This won’t stop.”
As I glared down at Hector, I knew Charlie was right. But right now all I wanted to do was beat Hector up so badly he could never return here.
Grudgingly, I stepped to the side and let Hector up. He looked pathetic enough as it was; he was thin and weak, and his face had been scarred by Charlie’s earlier attack. The brown wolf crawled to his feet and shot me a nasty glare.
“There’s one more thing you should know,” Hector growled, then snapped his eyes to Charlie. “It’s about your firstborn.”
“Casey?” Charlie said, thinking about his daughter. Right now she was safe with Jericho, but I wanted her by my side, to protect her.
“She truly does belong to Scarlet Ridge pack, and needs to be returned at once,” Hector said. “Because Gunner is her father.”
9
Charlie
A wave of sickness hit me. My skin went clammy and cold. I nearly doubled over and threw up.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. There was no way it was true. Gunner wasn’t… he couldn’t be…
“You know it’s true,” Hector sneered. “You were bred at the clinic, just like every other omega. Obviously, you have no idea who the donor was, so I’m telling you now. She is an alpha born to serve in Gunner’s army.”
My knees shaking, I fell to the ground. My head was swimming. I felt like the world had turned upside down.
“No, she can’t be…” I couldn’t finish my plea. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Her fierce determination, her strong attitude, and the fact that Gunner and Hector just wouldn’t give up on finding me…
Suddenly Flint’s wolf let out an air-splitting snarl. He snapped his jaws just inches from Hector’s face.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Flint growled. “Gunner isn’t Casey’s father. I am.”
His words struck me like lightning. I remembered all the times Flint looked after my daughter - our daughter - playing with her, feeding her, comforting her. I slowly got to my feet and faced Hector.
“He’s right,” I said firmly. “Flint is Casey’s father. Gunner may have donated the seed, but he is nothing to her. Flint is her family, through and through.”
Flint nodded angrily towards the brown alpha. Filled with determination to protect our family, I stepped forward.
“None of us will ever serve in Gunner’s army,” I said, anger rising in my voice. “Not me or any of my pups. Our home is here now, and you have no right to trespass on our territory and demand me back like a slab of meat. Now get out of here before my mate really does tear you to shreds!”
Hector looked stunned. For a moment he said nothing, just standing there in the wake of our words. Then something like fear flashed across his eyes. Slowly, he turned around and began padding away.
Flint and I stood on pins and needles, waiting for him to disappear from sight. Then the forest exploded.
The bodies of four huge alpha wolves burst out from between the trees, all fangs and spit. They surrounded Hector like a wall of fire, blazing and furious. Hector immediately shrank to the ground in fear and made himself as small as possible.
“You came,” Flint growled to his friends.
The wolves briefly acknowledged Flint before turning back to baring their teeth at the intruder. I recognized the wolves immediately - David, Jericho, Tyson and Ken. My heart glowed with affection. When I first arrived here, they were all strangers to me - but now I trusted them as packmates and as friends.
Then I gasp
ed. There was another little wolf in between their legs, snarling and growling in her tiny voice.
“Casey!” I cried.
Her head perked up and acknowledged me with a quick wag of her tail, but she didn’t move. She looked just as fierce as the adult male alphas keeping Hector in his place.
“What do you want us to do, Flint?” David growled deeply, never taking his eyes off of Hector. “Kill him now, or take him prisoner?”
“I saw we skin him and hang him on the border to warn Scarlet Ridge from ever coming back!” Jericho snapped.
“Please, wait,” Hector cried. He was practically plastered to the ground, a pathetic display of submission from an alpha wolf. Fear scent radiated off of him in waves.
Flint raised his tail, signalling the other alphas to hold off.
“I’m leaving right now,” Hector said, his voice pleading. “I’m not stupid. I know I cannot win a fight against you all. I’m leaving and I swear I will not return.”
“He’s lying!” Ken snapped.
“He’ll just keep coming back!” Tyson added.
But Flint briefly curled his lip, a signal for them to be quiet. They fell silent. Instead of saying anything, Flint turned to me. “It’s up to you, my omega. Decide his fate.”
A brief flicker of shock ran through the other alphas, including Hector, but no one interrupted me. The Indigo Mountain alphas faced me with respect, awaiting my decision. Never in my life had I had this type of power of someone - especially not an alpha.
I looked down at Hector, snivelling and weak and pathetic, bound to Gunner and unable to make a decision of his own. He didn’t deserve to die. He wasn’t even worth the effort. I looked at the red streaks across his face and eyes from the clawing I’d given him earlier. I wanted him to live with that for the rest of his life - to know that an omega, someone he thought of as a lower life form, did that to him.
“Let him go,” I said finally, a hint of my wolf’s growl edging into my voice. “And if he ever comes back, I’ll make sure he goes blind this time.”