Ripples of Threat

by Rebecca James

  He was just about to ask one of the other men if they’d noticed Grey’s odd behavior, when a movement to Roanan’s right caught his attention. Looking out into the darkness, he spotted his brother, Ian. Concerned, Roanan washed the blood from his hands in the bucket of water someone had provided and got to his feet. He walked into the shadows.

  “What are you doing back here?” Roanan asked.

  “I wanted to talk to you, but not in front of the others,” Ian said. He looked tired, with dark circles under his eyes.

  “Is everything all right?”

  Ian shrugged. “Do you mind if I spend the night at your place tonight? Or I could go to Darien’s.”

  Roanan stared at his brother, wondering what the hell was going on that Ian couldn’t sleep at home. “Of course I don’t mind. Come on.”

  Something must have happened between Ian and Grey, but Roanan hesitated to ask. He and Ian weren’t that close, Roanan being quite a bit younger and an alpha. But he knew Ian and Grey were in love. Hell, everyone knew it, and that the two mates had immediately fallen for the omega Gabriel was just as well known. They were about to have their second child. What would drive Ian away from them?

  When they entered the cave Roanan had made into a home for his family years ago, they found Josh in the kitchen eating with his brothers.

  “Uncle Ian’s going to stay with us tonight, guys,” Roanan announced, hoping his tone sounded light and unconcerned.

  “Really?” the twins Lake and Landon both swung their blond heads to look at Ian with identical cornflower blue eyes. They looked more and more like Baron every day.

  Ian’s smile was forced, but Roanan doubted the boys noticed.

  “Lake, you’re finished eating. Run get some extra sheets and a pillow out of the hall closet, and we’ll make up the couch.”

  Lake jumped up from the table and headed down the hall.

  “You hungry?” Roanan asked his brother.

  Ian shook his head. Josh began clearing the dishes as Landon ate the last of his meal. When all the boys had gone to wash up for bed, Roanan finally got a moment alone with Ian.

  “Everything okay at home?”

  Ian shook his head. “I fucked up, Roanan. Badly.”

  Chapter 21: Vincent

  Vincent whimpered as Kale knotted inside him. Caught between his two mates, the omega was being deliciously tormented. Craig’s big hands spread him open for Kale while the beta worked his tongue over Vincent’s cock, sucking so fervently, Vincent was sure he’d explode at any moment. He’d flung one of his legs over Kale’s hip while the other bent, pillowing Craig’s head. Vincent shivered as Craig’s fingers traced along where the alpha and omega were connected and gave himself up to the seismic orgasm crawling over him.

  As Vincent soared, Kale’s knot milked the omega dry. Craig climbed up the bed and nudged Vincent’s lips open with the tip of his cock, and the omega eagerly sucked the thickness in, gripping the beta’s thighs and opening his throat to take it all. When Kale’s knot broke, the alpha shouted and bucked against Vincent’s back, shoving Craig’s cock even farther down Vincent’s throat, making the omega gag and drool. Craig came with a moan, and Vincent managed to swallow most of it.

  Lying together in a sweaty heap, the three men slowly came down from their post-coital bliss. As Vincent’s pounding heart gradually slowed to normal, the omega decided it was one of his favorite times of the day, when he could lie with his mates, cuddle, and talk.

  “I heard Ian’s been staying with his brother,” Kale said after withdrawing from Vincent’s body with a hiss.

  Vincent remained silent.

  “Do you know why?” Craig asked the alpha.

  “Sounds like Ian and Grey had an argument. They’ve never split like this before. I wonder what it could’ve been about.”

  “It’d have to be something big,” Craig mused. “I mean, he wouldn’t leave over nothing. Maybe they fought over the omega. Did Gabriel say anything to you when you were at the den today, Vince?”

  Vincent forced his body to remain lax on the bed. “He seemed sad,” he said carefully. “I don’t know the reason Ian left.”

  “I don’t like it.” Kale rubbed over with Vincent’s right nipple. “The pack alpha should be able to keep his mates happy. If he can’t, how’s he going to keep the pack happy?”

  “I’m sure it’s nothing,” Craig said.

  Vincent was grateful to the beta for saying so. Vincent thought Grey was a good pack alpha, and he’d had enough of pack discontent back at River Wolf compound. He felt guilty for what he wasn’t saying, but he’d promised Gabriel.

  “How’re you feeling?” Craig asked Vincent, running his hand over the omega’s swollen belly.

  Vincent was relieved at the change of subject. Kale continued to tug and roll his nipple, and the omega hardened again.

  “Good,” Vincent said. “Better than the first pregnancy. The baby’s started moving. I feel him a lot.” He liked how Craig stroked his skin with gentle fingers, up and down, over and over again. Sometimes the omega still couldn’t believe the beta liked touching him.

  Kale’s fingers stilled, breathing evening out in sleep. Ryan appeared at the bedroom door asking for a glass of water.

  Craig rolled out of bed. “I’ll check on Jasper,” he told Vincent, who turned over and lay staring at the ceiling, wondering what Gabriel was doing at that moment.

  When Craig returned, the beta climbed back into bed and held out his arm for Vincent, who immediately snuggled close. Craig worked at Vincent’s cock with a firm grip, and it didn’t take long for the omega to arch and come in the beta’s hand.

  Vincent awoke sometime later to the sound of a gut-wrenching howl.

  “What the hell?” Kale was immediately up and on his feet. He shifted into wolf form and raced outside.

  “What is it?” Vincent asked groggily, although he was pretty sure he knew. His stomach dropped.

  “I have no idea.” Craig looked around for his clothes. By the time the beta and omega made it outside, a crowd had gathered on the other end of the lake.

  “I’ll stay with the kids if you want to go see what’s going on,” Vincent said.

  Craig nodded and walked quickly around the shore to join the others.

  Vaughn came outside, holding J.J. “What’s happening?”

  Vincent shrugged. The sun hadn’t risen, but the grass was crisp with a frosty dew that tickled the omega’s bare feet. He bit his lip, staring at the gathered crowd across the lake. He could make out Kale’s and James’ dark heads standing close to the pack alpha’s even darker tresses whipping in the cold wind. Vincent shivered.

  Finally, Kale, Craig, and James walked back home.

  “What happened?” Vaughn asked. J.J. had fallen asleep on the omega’s shoulder.

  “Gabriel’s gone. Grey’s frantic.”

  “What do you mean, Gabriel’s gone?” Vaughn looked at each of the men. “Where’d he go?”

  “Nobody knows. He took off, I guess. He’d stuffed some clothes under the covers so Grey wouldn’t notice right away the other side of the bed was empty.”

  “But…he’s carrying! And alone!” Vaughn turned worried eyes to his twin.

  Vincent was worried, too, but he’d promised Gabriel he wouldn’t say anything, so he kept quiet.

  “I want to go to the omega den. I bet everyone’s upset. I’ll go get dressed and meet you out here, Vince.” Vaughn handed J.J. to James and hurried into his house. Vincent turned and headed for his own. He pulled his pants on and looked for a shirt. As he riffled through the closet, Kale walked up behind him.

  “Weird that Gabriel would leave like this.” The alpha said.

  Vincent nodded agreement, tugged a blue shirt off a hanger, and pulled it over his head.

  “Vinny.” Kale tugged so the omega had to turn and face him. “Do you know anything about this?”

  Vincent’s heart took a nose dive. “Why do you ask that?”

  “You’re fr
iends with Gabriel, and you were with him earlier in the day. Did he say anything to you?”

  “Like what?” Vincent’s knees were ready to buckle from under him.

  “Like, I’m taking off tonight, don’t tell anyone.”

  Vincent looked away.

  Kale grasped the omega by the chin. “Vinny, you have to tell what you know. That omega doesn’t stand a chance out there alone.”

  Vincent’s bottom lip began to tremble. “I promised…”

  “You don’t want your friend to die, do you?”

  Tears spilled out of Vincent’s eyes and ran down his face. “He said…he thought he could make it to Cascade City. To River’s pack.”

  “Why the hell did he want to go there?” Craig asked from the doorway.

  Vincent’s breath hitched in his throat. “He…he said he’s been nothing but trouble to Grey and Ian, and now they’re not talking because of him.”

  Kale shook his head. “Crazy omega. I need to tell Grey, and you’re coming with me.” He turned to Craig. “Drop the kids at the nursery and meet us.”

  The walk around the lake seemed to take forever. Vinny’s stomach remained in knots, and he paused once to retch up bile in the tall grass. Kale kept his hand on the nape of Vincent’s neck, reminding the omega there was no avoiding this—he was going to face the pack alpha.

  When they reached Grey, who stood outside the schoolhouse, talking to a group of alphas, Vincent knew how he must look by the expression on Ian’s face when the beta saw him. Grey’s eyes were wild as he shouted orders.

  Kale had to raise his voice to be heard. “Alpha, my omega has something to say.” He nudged Vincent forward, and the omega wondered if the pack alpha would tear him to pieces when he heard that Vincent had known Gabriel was leaving. If Kale hadn’t reached out to grab him, the omega would have sunk to the ground when the pack alpha’s blue eyes turned to him.

  Vincent tilted his neck in submission, and his voice shook. “Gabriel told me he didn’t want to cause any more trouble between his mates and needed to leave, so he was going to Cascade City to River’s new pack. He made me promise not to tell. I wouldn’t have known at all, but I found him crying and made him tell me. That’s all I know; I swear it.” Vincent stepped back to the safety of Kale’s arms and stood trembling, face hidden in his alpha’s neck.

  Vincent gripped Kale’s shirt when Grey growled.

  “He wasn’t thinking,” Kale said.

  “We’ve got to find him!” Grey nearly roared.

  Vincent bared his neck once again.

  “It shouldn’t be too difficult.” Ian’s tone was laced with tension. “We can both scent him.”

  “We’ll take a few others to help.”

  Vincent thought Gabriel would be glad Ian and Grey were talking to each other, even if it was about him.

  “Who should go?” Ian asked.

  Grey paced back and forth. “Milo will be in charge here. We’ll take Tarz-no, his omega’s pregnant. We’ll take Duncan, Jeff, and Scott.”

  Roanan stepped forward. “Let me go, too, Grey. Josh is old enough to look after his brothers.”

  Grey nodded. Running a hand through his thick, black hair, he said, “What was Gabe thinking?” He looked at Ian, who stared miserably back.

  “I’m sorry,” Vincent whispered. “I promised him I wouldn’t tell.”

  Kale tightened his hold on the omega. “We get it. Don’t worry; they’re gonna get him back.”

  Grey composed himself. “Milo, I don’t know how long we’ll be gone.”

  Milo nodded. “We’ll be fine. Good luck.”

  “Finny’s at the nursery,” Ian said.

  “Good.” Grey turned to the men beside him, the rest of the alphas breaking up from their group and stepping back.

  “We’ll shift and head out. He’ll probably avoid the woods but otherwise take the fastest route to Cascade City.” He turned to Vincent, sharp eyes pinning the omega. “You sure that’s all Gabriel told you? He didn’t say which way he’d go or if he planned to go anywhere else first?”

  Vincent shook his head. “No. He only said he would leave at night and go to Cascade City to find River.”

  Grey growled, as though infuriated that his omega would seek another alpha. He shifted into his wolf, shook out his dark coat, and waited until the other five werewolves had done the same. The group took off across the fields, Grey in the lead.

  Chapter 22: Gabriel

  Gabriel knew his chances of making it to River’s pack in Cascade City were slim. He was an omega, traveling alone and carrying. And he wasn’t even a healthy omega. At least the only one he had to disappoint was himself.

  Until that day in the bathroom, Gabriel had never heard Grey raise his voice in anger at Ian. He’d sunk into the water, trembling in submission as the alpha exploded in rage at Ian’s admission of their subterfuge regarding Finny’s paternity.

  Ian had gone pale when the alpha said out of everyone in his life, Ian was the one he thought had always believed in him. The hurt in Grey’s eyes had killed Gabriel, as had watching Ian crumple under the blows of the alpha’s words. In minutes, their small family had shattered at their feet. But with the pain came a calming sense of relief Gabriel couldn’t deny.

  Gabriel knew Ian hadn’t had to tell Grey the truth. Grey hadn’t heard all what Gabriel had said, only that there was something Grey didn’t know. Ian could have easily made something up but had chosen to come clean for Gabriel’s piece of mind. Gabriel had been falling apart, the sudden surge of guilt over their deception crippling him in his weakened physical and emotional state. When Grey had refused to listen or even to try to understand, Ian had left the house.

  Grey had taken off soon after, and, once Gabriel had finally crawled out of the tub, cried for hours until he’d finally gone over to the omega den, seeking comfort.

  Vincent had given it to him, but had pressed Gabriel for what was going on. He’d been the only one to know Gabriel had planned to leave. Gabriel had tried to explain to Vincent how he felt—that he was a liability to Grey and Ian and to the pack in general. Going to Angel Hills had been a mistake, and the only thing Gabriel could do to rectify the situation was to leave. He’d made Vincent promise not to tell, but Gabriel knew if Grey got an inkling Vincent knew something, the pack alpha would force the omega to spill the information. That’s why Gabriel needed to get as far away from Angel Hills as fast as possible. If he died, he died. He only wished he didn’t have to take his unborn pup with him.

  Gabriel already missed Finny and tried not to think about the boy, knowing Ian and Grey would take care of him. With Gabriel gone, the two would eventually get back together for Finny’s sake. The omega’s heart ached, yearning for his alpha’s protective touch. They’d been happy for a while. As he walked as quickly as he could through the darkness, he kept telling himself they’d all be better off without him.

  “I’m sorry, little one,” Gabriel said to his belly. “Maybe we’ll make it to River’s pack and be all right. I’ll try my hardest, for you.”

  Gabriel knew no one would expect him to enter the woods, so he decided to do just that. A search party would waste time skirting the forest, and Gabriel could gain precious time. He’d also rubbed himself down with eucalyptus leaves to help tone down his scent.

  Although he hated to do it because it hurt so much in his condition, Gabriel shifted into his wolf form for easier traveling. He couldn’t go faster than a trot but managed to cover several miles before giving into exhaustion and finding a small outcropping of rock to crawl beneath. He immediately fell asleep.

  Gabriel was on his way again before day break, keeping his ears pricked for strange sounds, although he didn’t trust his senses much lately. He could only hope he would scent a bear before it was on him.

  When the sun had risen enough to peek through the tops of the tall trees, Gabriel stopped at a creek and took a long drink. He caught a chipmunk without too much trouble and downed it in one bite. All he wanted t
o do was sleep, but he set off again, following the creek that he knew eventually ran into the Cascade River.

  Every part of the omega’s body hurt, but he forged ahead. A distinct howl in the distance sent a shiver down his spine. Grey. Gabriel’s breath caught when Ian’s familiar howl called back.

  They were together. Looking for him. Gabriel wanted to laugh at the irony, but as a wolf that wasn’t possible, plus it would take too much energy.

  Wearily, Gabriel dragged his tired body into the shelter of some dense overgrowth and circled a few times before lying down, curling inward around his belly. All the fear and misery of the past couple of days bore down on him. Ian’s sacrifice for him, Grey’s angry words, how alone Gabriel had felt, his recriminations against himself—all of it forming a barrage of grief and despair. The omega hadn’t realized he’d been whimpering until he felt the nudge of a soft nose at his neck. Startled, Gabriel jumped to four feet. A brown wolf stood a couple feet away, ears flattened and tail tucked between his legs.

  Gabriel’s first instinct was to run, but he knew he wouldn’t get far, and this wolf didn’t seem threatening. Gabriel was larger, and the other wolf looked just as frightened, if not more so. Gabriel put his snout forward and sniffed. The other wolf stood perfectly still as the pregnant omega circled, smelling him from nose to tail. Omega.

  Satisfied, Gabriel took a deep breath and shifted into human form, wincing at the pain it caused him. After a moment, the other wolf morphed into a thin young man. He was small—about Justin’s size—and almost dainty, with a heart-shaped face and lips that formed a pretty bow. Wavy brown hair hung into large blue eyes that blinked at Gabriel beneath lush lashes. The small omega’s body was scratched and bruised as though he’d been in a fight or tumbled through bushes and packs of rocks.

  “Who are you?” Gabriel asked.

  The strange omega slowly shook his head.

  Gabriel frowned. “My name is Gabriel. I can scent you’re an omega like I am. What are you doing out here all alone?”

  The strange omega lifted a slim hand to his neck and clutched at it while opening and closing his mouth.