Auctioned Omega

by Kellan Larkin

Rohan lay his head on the cold, wet ground. Why had he ever thought he could be a good alpha to Briar? All he’d done was allow his omega to fall into one dangerous situation after another. And worse, he’d betrayed his trust, destroyed the fragile faith Briar had placed in him.

  Rohan’s wished he’d never become involved with the rogue army. At first, it had been easy to respect their mission. The small band of exiles wanted to tear down the packs they’d been cast out from. Rohan had always hated the violent pack culture, and it wasn’t hard for the exiles to convince him to join their cause. As more and more rogues joined the movement, and their numbers grew into the dozens, their plan to dismantle pack culture entered the realm of possibility.

  But the alphas soon realized that fighting would be impossible without omegas. As much as alphas liked to pride themselves on their abilities in battle, it was omegas that supported their efforts by preparing food and providing healing for wounded alphas. Not to mention, being around omega pheromones helped an alpha to fight much harder than he could otherwise.

  But had Rohan really ever believed that the omegas brought back to the army would have good lives? How far had he stumbled from his moral code that he would steal an omega from everything he knew to live amongst a horde of alphas?

  He’d become so deeply entrenched within the ideology of the rogue army that he’d actually believed it was a better place for omegas than in the pack. But was it? What if he’d never fallen in love with Briar? What if he’d given his omega to the rogue army like he’d been supposed to? Briar would live a life of servitude to the army. Even if he were treated better than he was here, he wouldn’t be free to make his own choices, or to experience the love he deserved.

  Rohan felt sick at the thought.

  His omega deserved so much better than that. All omegas did. And alphas too—they deserved to know that there was more to life than pressuring and bullying omegas. The moment Rohan laid eyes on Briar, this all became clear to him. Loving his omega had made him a better alpha than he could have ever been on his own.

  He wouldn’t—couldn’t—let that feeling slip away. Somehow, he’d have to regain Briar’s trust.

  But first he had to save his life.

  If he could get out of the storage hut, he could probably find Briar. He had to figure out a way to get that collar off him. And then there was the question of whether Briar would ever trust him again. Rohan prayed that he would. Their child’s life depended on it. Surely Briar would see that.

  Unless Briar decided he didn’t want to have the child of a traitorous monster.

  No, no, no, Rohan had to escape. He had to convince Briar that he was worthy of loving once more.

  Rohan began scratching at the dirt by the wall, feeling satisfaction at each ache that burnt through his body. He deserved to feel that pain for how he’d hurt his omega. And if it took the rest of his life to repay Briar for his treachery, then he would be Briar’s grateful servant until the day he died. His life had ceased being his own the day he met Briar. Every breath belonged to his mate and their beautiful child.

  A scent filled the air, making Rohan stop what he was doing immediately. His heart throbbed in his chest. It was Briar. He was close. Rohan began to pace, swallowing a whine as he felt painfully trapped with his omega just on the other side of the tiny hut. Then he heard his voice.

  “Rohan?” Briar hissed from the other side of the wall. “Can you hear me?”

  “Yes!” Rohan leapt to the spot where he could hear Briar’s voice, digging urgently to try to get under the wall.

  “Stop,” Briar urged. “We’re going to escape two moons from now when the bulk of the alphas are out attacking the Flatlands pack.”

  “You mean you would trust me again?” Rohan’s heart leapt in his chest, but fell when he heard silence on Briar’s side of the wall. He pawed the dirt, desperately wanting to be next to his omega. The inches of dried mud seemed like such a small barrier compared to the distance Rohan’s betrayal had caused between them.

  Finally, Briar said quietly, “I won’t let our pup come to harm. If that means I have to trust you again...”

  He didn’t finish, but it was a start, a chance, Rohan could show him how devoted he was to their family.

  “I love you,” he murmured against the cold wall.

  The silence on the other side broke Rohan’s heart. What had he done?

  Before he could say anything else, a gruff voice broke him off.

  “What are you doing, you little rat?”

  A whimper seared in Rohan’s ears as he heard his omega being dragged away from him. He scratched frantically at the dirt, barking and growling, a maddening rage taking over him. No one put their hands on his omega.

  Calm down, a rational voice inside him said. Your family needs you to save your strength. You may need to fight.

  He lay down with his head between his paws, struggling to quiet the blood lust boiling inside of him. Briar would be fine. His brave little omega was so clever. Rohan would have to trust in Briar’s plan and have faith that his omega could protect himself until then.

  Briar

  “You said you were gathering grass.” The alpha jerked Briar hard by the arm.

  “I just… had to relieve myself,” Briar said with meek submission that he knew the alpha would fall for.

  “Get your work done.” He shoved Briar forward toward the grass fields surrounding the village.

  Briar stumbled, feeling clumsy from the weight of his belly and the collar around his neck. He nearly fell, but caught himself before he did. He felt a flutter of movement in his belly and stroked it comfortingly. “We’re okay,” he murmured to the child inside of him. “No one will ever hurt you.”

  He set to work tearing out grass and bundling it up to carry back to the meat processing hut. His heart still pounded from his exchange with Rohan. It was frightening how much he wanted to trust the alpha again. Was he a fool?

  He touched the crystal around his neck, remembering the time he and Rohan had spent together; how Rohan had cared for him in the caverns; how many times he’d risked his life for Briar’s. A then there was the deep connection Briar felt in the pit of his soul. That couldn’t have been an act, could it?

  ‘I love you.’

  Rohan’s words echoed in his head. He hadn’t been able to bring himself to say them back. Truthfully, he had no idea how he should feel anymore.

  Briar pressed his lips together. He didn’t just want to trust Rohan, he had to. Their child’s life depended on it. Already, Briar loved his little one more than he’d ever imagined possible, and he’d sacrifice anything for his pup.

  He couldn’t help thinking how unfair that was. An omega’s dependency on their alpha gave them so little power over their own lives, and most packs offered no protection to omegas or their pups from the threats of cruel alphas. Rohan had been right, the way pack culture treated them was deplorable. Even in Briar’s old pack, Omegas weren’t equal to alphas, and he’d always know that one day he would be obliged to be mated to an alpha, whether that was what he wanted for his life or not. And his culture had been so ingrained in him that he’d hardly questioned it.

  Briar tore at a chunk of grass, ripping it violently from the earth. He hated this world. Hated everything about it. Perspiration wet his face. He thought of the attack that would take place two moons from now. More bloodshed. More omegas tied up for auction and awarded to the most ruthless killer.

  And there was nothing Briar could do to stop it.

  Tears mingled with the sweat dripping down his face, and he nearly stumbled again as he pulled at the grass around him. He just wanted to tear everything to pieces. Burn it to the ground. He didn’t want to leave anything standing in this sick, horrible world.

  He wrenched at a clump of grass, jerking his hand back as a burning itch spread through the skin on his palm. He hissed, rubbing his hand on his clothes as he looked down at the purple flower that had been hiding in the grass.

  Wolfsbane. />
  Briar glanced back to his guard. The alpha scowled back at him, looking bored and irritated.

  “Are you nearly finished?” he barked.

  “Just about,” Briar called back, hands shaking as he began to gather wolfsbane by the armful, hiding it amongst the bundles of grass.

  Maybe he really could burn this world to the ground.

  ***

  “I understand why you hate the Bloody Fang, but this… this is crazy.” Peregwin stared down at the wolfsbane, voice barely a whisper. “They’ll kill you—and me.”

  “Not if we’re safely away by the time they come too. A high enough dosage of wolfsbane in their food will keep them sick and delirious for nearly a week.”

  Peregwin shook his head, stroking baby Ollas’s hair. “And we’re supposed to get dozens of omegas and children to safety in that time.”

  “Do you want your child to grow up in this world?” Briar clenched his jaw. “Do you want to see him end up at an auction some day?”

  Peregwin looked down at the baby in his arms and Briar didn’t have to wonder what he was thinking. A parent would do anything for their child.

  “You’re sure you know how to prepare this?” Peregwin whispered.

  Briar nodded. “Wolfsbane is rarely toxic, but a high enough dosage in the meat for the feast should knock the alphas out for long enough for us to get away. Once they come to themselves, it’ll be hard for them to pursue us with no omegas to prepare food for the run.”

  A tingle ran up Briar’s spine at the thought. It wasn’t just freedom for the omegas that excited him. Without the work that the omegas did in the pack, the Bloody Fang would fall apart. The alphas didn’t know how to prepared medicine or build houses. They couldn’t even preserve their own food. If Briar could get the omegas to flee with him, there would no longer be a Bloody Fang, nor would there be the wave of misery they spread wherever they went.

  Briar set to work showing Peregwin how to crush up the purple flowers to make a juice that they could marinade the meat in before they cooked it for the pre-war feast. His hands itched from the toxins as they prepared the juice, but he ignored the discomfort. Peregwin lit some candles as they worked through the night. Briar could see the sun creeping through the cracks of the hut, and he stopped to rub his tired eyes, cursing when he remembered that his hands were covered in wolfsbane, and his eyes seared with pain.

  “Here.” Peregwin wet a cloth in a bowl of water and helped Briar wash his eyes.

  “Curse the moon.” Briar rinsed the cloth out and continued scrubbing at his face, slowly feeling relief from the burning.

  “I think we’ve done all we can for now.” Peregwin washed his own hands in the basin of water. “We might kill ourselves if we get any more tired.”

  Briar nodded. They’d carved up the two deers and five rabbits and three ducks that the hunters had left with them, and the meat was now soaking in the deep purple liquid.

  “We can add some garlic to these tomorrow to cover up any flavor of the wolfsbane—not that any alpha would be able to identify wolfsbane or any plant for that matter.”

  Briar almost wanted to laugh. Most alphas would consider plants to be an omega’s work, and would die of shame if they were forced to pick berries or prepare a tincture. To think, their ignorant prejudice was about to be their downfall.

  Briar helped Peregwin tidy up and they both headed back to Peregwin’s hut, trailed by an alpha who stayed outside the door to ensure Briar didn’t run away. Briar watched Peregwin soothe his baby to sleep in the small basket he’d woven, and thought of his own future. He could only hope that it would be full of such precious moments.

  He lay down on a makeshift bed set up on the kitchen floor behind a thin curtain, anxiety rolling through him. What if the plan didn’t work? What if one of the alphas detected something was amiss? What if the omegas didn’t make it to safety by the time the alphas recovered from the effects of the wolfsbane? They should have a good week before the alphas were in any condition to pursue them, but how fast could they really travel with small pups? It would be so much easier if it were just him and Rohan traveling alone.

  Briar thought of how Peregwin’s mate had berated him for giving birth to an omega. Klaw couldn’t even be bothered to name his son, that was how little omegas were thought of in the Bloody Fang. Briar envisioned the happy little baby’s smile and he knew that they had no choice but to try to help the omegas to escape. Baby Ollas deserved a better life than he would ever have here. And so did Briar’s child. They all did.

  He willed the trembling in his hands to cease. He had to get some rest. There was so much riding on his plan that he couldn’t afford to waste energy stressing about it. As he tried to quiet his mind, his thoughts went to the one place where he’d always felt safe.

  Rohan.

  He inhaled deeply, remembering what it had been like to be surrounded by his mates scent, that feeling of being protected. His memories pulled him back to the first time Rohan had mated him, of how strong and powerful the alpha had felt on top of him, but also how gentle he’d been as Briar’s body learned to take him for the first time.

  Briar swallowed a moan, his cock hard and aching with pressure. He slid his hand down his body, remembering what it had been like to have Rohan stretch and fill him for the first time, and that sensation of being so full of his alpha he thought he’d burst. Briar stroked himself faster and faster, his body aching for his alpha. Even if he still had doubts about Rohan, he couldn’t silence the bond they shared and his innate desire to be with his mate.

  A shudder ran through Briar as he stroked himself faster. His back arched. His mind flooded with the memory of Rohan groaning on top of him, losing himself completely in the omegas body until he’d filled Briar with his seed, and, unbeknownst to them, impregnating him with their beautiful little gift.

  Briar moaned out, soaking in the memory of taking everything his alpha had given him. His muscles tensed as he stroked himself faster and faster, pleasure overwhelming his senses. As he came hard in his hand, he imagined Rohan gazing down at him, a look of love and adoration on his face.

  Briar panted, grabbing for some nearby kitchen rags to clean himself up with. Despite his climax, something in him still felt unsatisfied, and Briar knew it was his need for his mate. Due to the bond fate had formed between them, he would never feel whole again unless Rohan was by his side.

  He lay back down, sighing. Everything in his soul told him to trust Rohan again, and he ached to be with his alpha. He wanted the happy dream of a family and a future he’d once hoped for.

  But even if Rohan had never intended to harm him, how could Briar overlook the fact that he’d hidden his original plans to deliver Briar to the rogue army? So much hurt pooled in Briar’s gut, and he had no idea if Rohan was even who he’d thought he was.

  The fading moon was just barely visible in the morning sky outside the window, and Briar prayed that he would be able to forgive Rohan; that Rohan was worthy of forgiveness; that their child would be safe; that their escape would be successful; that he, Rohan, and all the other omegas in the Bloody Fang, would eventually live happily ever after.

  It was a lot to ask for, but as he drifted off to sleep, he felt a warm glow telling him that the moon had heard his prayer.

  Rohan

  Rohan woke from another fevered dream about Briar, almost feeling his omega was beside him. After days with next to no food or water, it was becoming harder and harder to distinguish reality from delirium. His strength was failing him, but he had to trust his brave little omega. Briar was the most clever creature Rohan had ever met, and he deserved Rohan’s faith.

  It was hard for Rohan to track how long he’d been held captive, but he could tell from the excitement outside that today was the day of the attack. On the other side of the door, his guards laughed about the upcoming bloodshed, and boasted about how much they would eat at the feast beforehand.

  The feast surely would be an event. The scent of cooking me
at reached Rohan’s nose from some distant place in the village, and his stomach practically leapt from his body. He held in a groan, wondering how he was supposed to help his omega escape when he was in such a weakened state. Would his guards abandon him to join the attack, or would the Bloody Fang leave some alphas behind to keep the omegas in line? Rohan doubted how many wolves he’d be able to fight off, and prayed to the moon that his omega had a plan. He hated how useless he felt, not being able to rely on his own strength.

  Another waft of cooking meat reached Rohan’s nose, making him salivate with hunger. Surely all the alphas would join the feast. That would give him at least a few hours to make an escape, but there was still the issue of how to get past the heavy wooden door.

  He paced to the back of the hut where he’d been scratching at the dirt. It would be an enormous effort to dig under the wall, but if given a few hours, he might be able to tunnel out and find his way to Briar in the short window of time they had to flee.

  He began digging furiously, ignoring the pain and exhaustion that burnt through his body with every movement. He just thought of his omega and their little pup who needed him. His chest rose and fell with deep, panting breaths, and still he’d barely made any progress in the hard dirt. After days of being starved and beaten, his body had so little left to give.

  He growled in frustration as his claws struck a tight tangle of roots that prevented him from digging any deeper into the dirt. He couldn’t let this stop him. He gripped the roots in his teeth, snarling with determination as he forced his exhausted muscles to pull until he tumbled backward, a knot of roots dangling from his mouth.

  Rohan spat the disgusting knob out onto the ground, but paused as he looked at the red flesh of the roots, broken open from his fangs, oozing a blood-like liquid. A tingle ran up his spine as he remembered Briar instructing him on the nutritional properties of these roots when he’d taught Rohan to forage for foods to help nourish his omega and their child. Briar had called them blood roots, and had said they were valued as medicinal herbs for their ability to help shifters recover their strength after battle or childbirth. At the very least, they were something to eat.