Omega: Third Rare Wolf Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Author's Notes

  Other Books By Author

  Omega

  Third Rare Wolf

  K J Carr

  Copyright © 2020 K J Carr

  All rights reserved.

  Thank you for purchasing and/or downloading this book. It is the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and/or distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes without express written permission from the author.

  Your support and respect for the property of this author is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales, is purely coincidental. The characters are creations of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  Cover Art by SelfPubBookCovers.com/ CatT.

  Chapter One

  I don’t know what woke me, but this was worth it.

  Lights. Pretty lights. So many colors! Sparkling, twisting all around me on a deep black canvas.

  They were not like a night sky, with the stars twinkling above. No, these were closer to fat worms, made up of brightly colored strands that wiggled and rolled in the darkness.

  I blinked slowly, my lips curving up into a smile as I turned my head to watch them move.

  Most of the strands closer to me were green and gold, the two colors twisting around each other, together, yet distinct. The greens varied, not all being quite the same color. I didn’t know there were so many shades of green! I wondered what that meant, if they reflected moods or how one lived their life.

  The gold color, though, was the same pure color that reminded me of our eyes when our wolves were in control.

  My smile grew wider as I reached out to stroke a nearby strand, my smile disappearing as I felt the sadness it emitted. My eyebrows lowered, a frown appearing on my face. This would not do. I stroked it again softly, breathing peace into it. The feeling changed, smoothing out the sadness and providing a bit of acceptance.

  Better. Much better.

  It would have been better if the strand was happy, but one cannot always go from sad to happy in a moment. The happiness in that case would be false. Acceptance is better, since happiness could build from there.

  This I knew. It was a path I had taken many times myself.

  My eyes caught a ball of the strands further off, with thin faint lines leading back near to me. Most were green and gold, but one also had a thin strand of teal weaving in between the green and gold pieces. That strand had a faint line connecting it to another one that stretched out closer to me.

  This one was just teal and gold, which looked strange in a field of greens. Different and yet also somehow similar.

  I frowned, looking at the strand that laid parallel to the teal one. This one looked bloated, with multiple gold strands, along with two or three different shades of green. What did that mean?

  I glanced back up to the ball, and suddenly knew that it was the Pack. My Pack that was out running under the full moon. I touched one of the strands there and heard the joyous howls of the hunting wolves, the cool air against my face, and the taste of blood from their recent kill.

  Pack. Home.

  I wanted to join them, but something tugged at me, bringing me back to the two parallel strands closer to me.

  Were they the reason why had I awakened?

  Maggie!

  The whisper met my ears, coming from one of the strands. The teal one. It was vibrating and reaching out to me. I put my hand on it and I suddenly knew who this was.

  Holden. My Alpha female.

  The Hybrid.

  My eyes snapped to the green and gold strand that ran parallel to hers until they tangled in the end. I realized that strand had too much gold in it, making it look more like the ones that represented my Pack. Who were running as wolves.

  Who could that be?

  Maggie! The voice was more insistent this time.

  I suddenly sat straight, losing my balance on the edge of the couch I had been lying on, my butt slipping to the floor with a thump. I was now wide awake, my eyes scanning the room I found myself in. That pretty colored sky disappeared as I inhaled sharply, identifying the nearby scents.

  Telling me where I was.

  I was in Max’s cabin. Max’s. Cabin.

  Shit.

  Holden wasn’t here. Nor was Sara, Max’s wife.

  Shit! Shit! Shit! Damn!

  I was supposed to be watching Sara during the full moon while he was running with the Pack! Both Holden and I were supposed to be helping her to keep from shifting, which would be disastrous for her pup at this stage in her pregnancy.

  I must have fallen asleep. And Sara had left the cabin, her wolf reacting to the full moon.

  How could I have fallen asleep? Max was depending on me to help his wife through the full moon’s influence! He would never trust me again. Not him. Not Shane. No one. I was not even fit to be at the bottom of the Pack.

  Maggie, get out here!

  I shot to my feet. How could I find them? Where had they gone?

  My eyes blurred and then, suddenly, the teal strand with lines of gold popped back into view. The strands. Holden’s strand. I could follow them.

  I didn’t know why hers had teal while the others were green, but now was not the time to think about that. Not when the other strand, running parallel to it, was almost half gold.

  Sara was shifting.

  Her wolf was fighting her for control. It couldn’t win because then it would kill her pup. And she was so close to delivery. The pup would be born any day now, by the end of the week, at the latest.

  No. Sara and Max needed this pup. They had had too many miscarriages before this pregnancy. I wouldn’t let her kill it. I wouldn’t let her shift.

  I ran towards the door, my bare feet slapping on the wooden plank floor, using the strands to guide me.

  Coming, Holden. I pushed out to my Alpha, my heart beating fast as I ran.

  I burst through the cabin door and leapt down the stairs, stumbling slightly, before running down the path, following the strands mentally.

  Sara! I am sorry! I am coming! I sobbed to my friend.

  Max will kill me if he lost this pup because I fell asleep while watching his wife and mate. He will hate me forever!

  I figured out where they had to be, which was good since the strands had disappeared as I raced down the path, my arms pumping. I didn’t feel the stones in the path that my bare feet flew ov
er, nor the branches that tried to snag my hair. Every sense was focused on the two women in front of me.

  Sara!

  Only a growl came back to me on the wind. Her wolf was in the house. Damn it!

  I flew down the tree-lined path, my lungs struggling to keep up with the strain I was forcing my body to endure. They were there. Just up there. Another twenty steps.

  I burst into the clearing and stopped before them, my chest working to bring in oxygen, my eyes locked on the two.

  The one had her arms wrapped around the other woman, who was not only shorter but also was kneeling on the ground, trying to drop to all fours. The moon covered them both in silvery light, making them look like eerie statues in the night.

  A strangled howl filled the air, its voice lifting and changing, growing louder and fuller.

  In the distance, another howl answered her, and then another.

  Max. The Pack. They were coming.

  Max must have felt his wife trying to change, giving her human side up to her wolf.

  But they were too far off. Max wouldn’t make it in time. He wouldn’t be able to stop his wife from shifting.

  Sara would be devastated. They both would be. I had to help.

  A cloud passed in front of the moon, dimming the light that was shining down on us. Cold, wet rain fell, quickly soaking my hair and clothes.

  Shit. Just what we needed. Not.

  We had to get Sara out of this rain soon.

  I dropped to my knees in front of my friend, my hand out to lift her face.

  “Maggie.” Holden sighed, her arms still locked tight around Sara.

  Wolf gold eyes stared back at me, reminding me of the strands. There was nothing human there, except she still wore her human skin. Mostly. Outside of a few furry patches on her arms and face, as well as a mouthful of teeth and a handful of claws.

  There may still be time to push her wolf back. I prayed there was.

  Dark red blood covered Holden’s hands, falling sluggishly from the places where Sara’s claws had dug into her flesh, mixing with the rain. Sara’s mouth was open, panting. She was still fighting the shift, remaining a combination of wolf and woman. I hadn’t known she could hold that line between wolf and human.

  “Help me help her, Maggie.” Holden’s eyes pleaded with me, her arms still struggling to restrain the woman who had given everything over to her wolf.

  I froze, those words filling my mind.

  How could I help? What could I do? I wasn’t that person they thought I was! I wasn’t! I was just me, Maggie O’Brien. Useless. Insignificant. Submissive. Just like I have been told over and over and over again by those who knew the best.

  My parents. They knew how useless I was in all things.

  “Please. You know she doesn’t want this.” Holden’s voice was a little more insistent.

  The wolf howls were closer as Max and Shane rushed towards us. Around us, in this clearing though, there was a hush, as if everything here were holding their breaths, waiting to see how this would turn out.

  Wanting something from me that I didn’t think I had to give. But I would try. I would try for Sara. And Max. And their pup.

  I stared into Sara’s eyes, only seeing her wolf. She snarled at me, her lips drawing back from those sharp teeth, her nose crinkled and her eyes narrowed. She didn’t like me meeting her eyes. She was higher in the rankings than I was.

  Or was she?

  Something snapped inside my head. I don’t even know why, but I slapped her. Hard.

  Crack!

  Sara’s head rocked to the side, her eyes shut against the force of my hand. When she turned back around to look at me, her eyes were opened wide. For a brief moment, I saw the woman I had come to know, the hurt radiating out of them from my betrayal. And yet, there was also a slight sense of relief.

  We stared at each other. A drip of water ran down my nose, dropping to my shirt. I watched a similar one run down her face, her hair colorless in the dark, but all the wave gone under the beating of the rain.

  I felt miserable. I hated freezing rain. But this wasn’t the time to second guess myself. We couldn’t return to the warmth of the cabin until Sara was back in control.

  Sara was really looking at me now. She had taken back some control from her wolf, but I could see the beast still lurking behind her eyes. I needed to take advantage of her being present, in order to help her.

  Cupping her face between my hands, I laid my forehead against hers. I had never done this before, but it felt familiar. I reached out mentally, a wisp of my essence reaching into her mind and grabbing that bit of humanity her eyes now showed. I wrapped it in love. A shimmer of light appeared around her green strand that hardened to protect her from her wolf.

  The wolf inside of her snarled again, snapping at me, trying to get me to let go. Its gold light beat against my shield, but it held. As long as her human soul was conscious, the wolf couldn’t take full control. So I wrapped myself around her tighter, my mind acting like another shield.

  Stay with me, Sara. Let’s get you through this. Max is on his way.

  She heard me. With a sigh, her human part grabbed onto me. I could feel her resolve, but her strength was waning. She had been fighting for so long.

  Her wolf howled, wanting to be released, wanting to run with the moon. It fought both of us, trying to cover us in its gold essence.

  No. Not now. Not until after the baby is born. I snarled back at her wolf, my wolf working with me to push hers back.

  I could feel the pup’s rapid heartbeat. There was a slight echo, almost as if it skipped a beat, but it wasn’t enough to worry me. Wisps of thoughts that could not be translated into human words swirled through his head. Feelings intermixed with those thoughts, those of hunger and comfort. He had known her wolf had appeared but hadn’t seen it as a danger to him. All he knew is that the wolf was part of his mother and therefore would protect him. Should have protected him.

  Except that wolf could unintentionally kill him, causing him pain as the shift tore him apart.

  And that would tear Sara apart.

  I refocused on Sara’s human side. She felt a little stronger now, more present, peering through my barrier at her own wolf. Her strand was showing more green, the gold beginning to recede just a little.

  She reached out and scolded her wolf, tapping her on her nose, taking back control. It was a slow process, since the wolf didn’t want to let go, didn’t want to go back into hiding. It had been too long. It wanted to run, free and wild, with its mate.

  Soon. Soon. I wasn’t even sure if it had been Sara or myself whispering these words to her beast.

  Suddenly, a third presence appeared with us.

  Max. Max was here.

  Stay with me, Sara, my love. Stay human just a little while longer. His love poured into Sara, pushing her wolf away. His wolf rubbed up against hers, before bumping against her shoulder, pushing her down to lie in front of us. Her wolf whined, but dropped, waiting.

  We will run once the pup is here, Max promised her.

  I felt uneasy, like a voyeur. Watching how their wolves interacted. How the couple interacted. It spoke of an intimacy I had never had or even had dreamed of.

  I started to withdraw. Sara was out of danger now.

  Don’t let go yet. Max urged, turning towards me, his phantom fingers deep in her wolf’s neck fur, his own wolf standing over hers protectively.

  So, I watched, amazed. I had never seen anything like this before, the dance of mated wolves. The way the human and wolf often worked together within our skins. It was so interesting to see how bonded they were, wolf to wolf, man to woman, each to the other’s wolf. Their strands intertwined, so that Max’s green touched Sara’s gold, and his gold touched hers. Their greens were not exactly the same color but they were of harmonious hues. Their golds almost looked like one thick strand at times.

  Her wolf submitted, accepting their promise that the time was almost over. She knew that Sara would deliver the p
up before the next full moon, allowing her to run with her mate. Max’s wolf rubbed up against Sara’s once more, scenting the thick fur at her neck, entwining his tail with hers, making her feel loved.

  Sara’s wolf looked over at us and huffed. Sara tapped me, asking to be let free. I had forgotten I had enclosed her in a barrier to protect her. I slowly unwound my shield from around her, watching as the woman slipped over and hugged her wolf, praising her for waiting, for understanding. Her wolf groveled, turning to its back so Sara could scratch her stomach.

  The pup’s heartbeat slowed, now that his mother was out of danger, as her adrenaline lessened.

  Max and Sara looked to me and nodded, relief emanating from their strands. I slipped back out, lifting my head from Sara’s, blinking several times to clear my eyes.

  Sara sat in front of me, Max on one side with his arms wrapped around his mate, his head lying on top of her long brown hair. Holden was on her other side, one hand on her shoulder, the other one gently stroking the woman’s bulging stomach, as if to sooth the pup lying there.

  Shane stood behind Holden, his eyes scanning the area for danger, his posture one of protection.

  I dropped my hands from Sara’s face, my breath easing from between my lips. Spots filled my vision as darkness started to fill my mind. I had pushed things too far. I had never gone into someone’s mind like this. I felt so tired.

  I just needed a nap.

  I started to fall backwards, the movement appearing in slow motion to my closing eyelids. I saw Max’s eyes widened slowly, his lips slowly opening as if he was going to say something. Shane started to crouch, to reach for me. But I wasn’t sure why he was doing that. My mind felt so fuzzy.

  I landed up against a hard chest, just as time returned to normal. Someone’s arms wrapped around me tightly. I took in a deep breath, looking up into Boomer’s face. Where had he come from?

  “I’ve got you, Maggie.” The Beta’s voice was quiet, calm and deep. I felt a smile creep across my face as I slowly blinked, my head turning towards the side. I blinked again, not sure what I was seeing.

  Over on the far side of the clearing, near some bushes, were the remnants of a dark orange strand.