Omega: Third Rare Wolf Read online

  Chapter Two

  Koran

  Perhaps there was a way to redeem myself.

  I rolled in the dirt, small pebbles sticking into my flannel-covered stomach, a bush of some type with long thorns sticking to my side. The stones didn’t bother me. No, they felt comfortable and warm, holding the heat from the day.

  The thorns, though, were literally a pain in my side.

  I breathed in, taking in the dirt’s smell below me and the vegetation all around. I couldn’t smell the wolves right now. Distance had dispersed her scent.

  Opening my mouth a little, I did get a hint of fur on my tongue. This ability to taste scents and things was new and unexpected. I wasn’t sure when I had first noticed it, but it had been growing stronger. I kept meaning to research it more, but didn’t have the time. Perhaps it was something that Berserker bitch had done to me. Anything was possible. I didn’t like it, though. Humans weren’t supposed to taste things like fur in the air, unless they had their mouth open when wrestling with their dog.

  I spit to the side, trying to be silent. A little drop of saliva dribbled down my chin. It sucked not being able to do a proper spit because of the noise it might make.

  I pulled a tissue out of my pocket and wiped my chin, absently shoving the scrap of paper deep into the dirt and covering it.

  I was an elite mercenary, the best that money could buy. I had retrieved the Hybrid, but that stupid scientist had lost her to a Pack. One side of my mouth rose in disgust. I had tried to track down the other wolf, but she had turned out to be something more than just a lycanthrope. She had, in fact, turned into a massive fighting mix of wolf and monster. She had killed almost all of my men, and I had barely escaped.

  God, she would have been perfect to turn over to my bosses, though. If I had a way to capture and subdue her. Unfortunately, she was just too strong.

  Failure would not be accepted a third time. I owed these people because they had paid me well and I had sunk most of the funds into men and equipment, which were now all gone. I had to figure out how to get what they wanted. Or a suitable replacement.

  A woman appeared in a clearing in front of me, heavy with child. I watched as her face changed. I had never seen anything like this. Little growls escaped from her throat, her lips curling back from her sharp teeth before covering them once again.

  A pregnant lycanthrope. In fact, she looked about ready to have the pup tonight.

  Lifting my binoculars, I watched her closely. Was she was trying to shift? Why couldn’t she? Why was she here alone?

  Watching for a few more minutes, I realized that she was trying to hold off her shift, but that it was becoming a losing battle. Her nails grew into claws and hair started appearing on her arms and face in patches. Even from here, it was easy to see her eyes glow yellow as she turned, looking around the clearing.

  I wondered what would happen if she shifted now. Would the pup just shift with her? Edward Black would have been fascinated with this. I glowered, lowering the binoculars. I so didn’t want to think about that man.

  She fell to her knees, her fingers digging into the ground in front of her. I reached for my phone before stopping, my brows drawing down, my mouth twisting. My source of information, a man called Sterling, had disappeared after the Berserker incident. I only had the numbers he had given me and none of them were still connected.

  He had ditched me and ran as well.

  I had been thinking of getting rid of the man since he hadn’t given me enough information about Tessa. He hadn’t told us much at all about that beast form, even after we had encountered one at her parent’s place. He had kept vital information from me. It was partly his fault I failed my bosses. I wouldn’t let that slide. I would hunt him down.

  Even though he was gone. He had just vanished. Just like James had.

  Anger rose inside me, thinking about that man who I had promoted to be my second in command. He was supposed to be loyal to me. He wasn’t supposed to cut and run the moment things went south. While I might hurt Sterling a little - I mean, torture was good for the soul - I would kill James slowly. Making him feel every bit of the indignity he had inflicted on me.

  A thought suddenly hit me. What if Sterling and James had gotten out together? What if they were selling information about my operations? Sterling was an information broker. And James was… Something. Definitely an elite fighter with few morals and a ton of contacts. Perhaps Sterling had bought his protection.

  Damn it! And now they were both gone. Everything was gone.

  Sterling was definitely a ghost. His house was empty. No furniture, no crumbs, no fingerprints. Just dust. It looked like no one had lived there for quite a while. Even the neighbors knew nothing. Had seen nothing.

  I had been played. And all because it had been so easy to just contact the man by phone.

  My mind stuttered to a halt as I watched a second woman race into the clearing, crossing to the pregnant one and enveloping her in her arms.

  Holden Black. Interesting. The little Hybrid was here.

  I watched as she crouched over the pregnant woman, talking urgently to her, their heads close together.

  My lips pulled back involuntarily and a soft hiss escaped. Holden paused, her head up and her eyes roving around the clearing. I sank down deeper into the shadows, pressing my body against the ground and feeling it shift around me to give me room.

  Ever since that cave we found when following Tessa Montgomery, I had felt different. Like I didn’t fit in my skin. That dark places and cool dirt were now places to sit and recover. My skin was rougher, my eyesight a little better in the dark. My sense of taste changed.

  I healed faster after injury now, which I guess was a good thing. Sort-of like how the lycanthropes healed. But I was human. And I don’t change into an animal.

  I started to shake my head, but stopped, my eyes still glued on the women in front of me.

  I froze, tasting a new scent in the air.

  A third woman rushed into the clearing. Probably another lycanthrope, but somehow different. A tingle flowed across my skin, making me want to rub my arms.

  I laid flat against the ground, my chin on the back of my hands which were deep in the dirt, my eyes never leaving the scene in front of me. It felt as if my body became one with the ground, disappearing from sight.

  I felt exposed to this woman, but I couldn’t understand why. That if she looked over here, she would see me. But she didn’t look. And the night was too dark for her to see this far, in any case. I squirmed a little, uneasy.

  She focused all of her attention on the two other women in the middle of the clearing. I breathed out slowly, my breath coming from between my lips in a silent hiss.

  Darkness moved across the clearing, blotting out the colors. I glanced up, searching for the full moon that had been hanging in the sky. Now there was just dark clouds, diluted in the place the moon had been. And cold rain. It came down slowly at first, big drops of cold water hitting my face.

  The water didn’t bother me as much as the coldness. I felt my body slow down, wanting to just drop into the warm dirt and disappear from the cold.

  A strange calm filled me, suggesting that I should just put my head down and sleep. I fought the feeling, realizing that it was coming from somewhere outside of me. Looking back up, I wondered if it was the new person with the two women in the clearing.

  Was it her? Was she somehow making me want to sleep?

  How could she? She didn’t know I was here.

  And yet, I got the feeling she had done something. She was trying to calm the pregnant woman. The woman who was still fighting her shift from human to wolf. This new woman was attempting to sooth the pregnant woman’s wolf and get her back under control as a human.

  A crack rang out, causing me to flinch, my mouth twisting in sympathy. She had slapped the pregnant woman for some reason.

  I leaned forward, wanting to crawl to the edge of the bushes, but knowing I couldn’t move closer. Why had she
hit her?

  Then, two of the women froze, their bodies still in the darkness. What was going on? Frustration rose in me, cursing the weather to have caused it to rain now. I needed to know what that one woman was doing.

  Even without being able to see the moon, these three must still feel its influence. I could feel its influence, so it must be driving their wolves wild. And yet, here these three were, unchanged. Not shifted. Not running with the Pack, which had left hours ago, their voices singing to the moon that gave them meaning.

  How could they resist? Was the Hybrid the reason? Or was it this woman?

  It didn’t matter if it was the Hybrid or this woman, those I reported to would be very interested to learn about their resistance to moon influences.

  Unease crept over me. I unconsciously opened my mouth slightly, tasting the change on my tongue. Fur. Lots of fur. The Pack was coming.

  Time for me to leave.

  The taste of fur and blood grew stronger on the wind and my tongue. I swallowed, grimacing at the taste. I wanted to spit it out, but I couldn’t. Not now. Not with the Pack so close.

  They were returning to help the women.

  Sighing silently, I slithered backwards, the movement easy for me as the bushes and dirt gave way to my body. One part of my mind recognized that this was not something I should be able to do. The rest was staying focused on the women in front of me, looking for any sign that they knew I was here.

  The Pack ran into the clearing, the front wolf changing between one step and the next, sliding to drop beside the pregnant woman. The Hybrid moved slightly, allowing him access to her, her hand still on the woman’s shoulder.

  The large Alpha changed and stood naked behind the Hybrid. Shane Loren. I wanted to hiss in anger. He had stolen the Hybrid back from the lab. He had disrupted our plans. I would bet he had a hand in Edward Black’s disappearance. No one could find the weasel. It was as if he never had been.

  Yes, I bet Shane had something to do with that.

  He looked around, his eyes sliding across me. I realized that he couldn’t see me, not in this darkness. The rain distorted any scent I might have as well.

  I could feel the wolves moving into and around the clearing. I couldn’t stay here or they would find me.

  I glanced back one last time as I ducked out of sight behind a bush, catching that one woman looking straight at me. How could she see me if Shane couldn’t? What was she?

  No matter, my bosses might not kill me if I brought her in as a consolation prize. There was something about her that might be useful.

  Yes, there was something special about that one.

  Slipping through the trees as the rain ended, I was glad I had left. The moon appeared in the sky again, shining down on the spot where I had been. I would have been found. Now, though, the darkness of the trees helped to hide me. But I would be back.

  Not tonight. Tonight went to the wolves.

  Tomorrow, though, it would my time.

  I couldn’t get Tessa. Not now that she turned into such a formidable being. I couldn’t get Holden, the Hybrid. It appeared she was now the Alpha female of the Pack, meaning she would be protect at all costs.

  But that other wolf and her ability to influence the others? She was fair game. Perhaps if she could spread calm, she could also project terror. That would be a useful skill to have on our side.

  Yes, she just might appease my bosses.

  Chapter Three

  I could see the dark orange spot, the strand appearing to be staring right at me. A dark emotion filled it, causing me to feel nauseous. The scent of rich loam and dead vegetation filled my nose, strangling me. I held my breath, trying to keep whatever was there from noticing me.

  Stupid me. It already had seen me. I could tell it wanted me.

  I struggled to get myself under control, to not lose consciousness. Not now. This was more important. I had to tell Shane.

  I fought to sit upright, but Boomer’s arms were like bands of steel, keeping me up against his large, firm chest.

  “Rest a minute, Maggie.” I could feel the vibrations of his words in his chest behind me.

  No, I couldn’t rest. Didn’t they see it? Feel it?

  Danger. Protect the Pack.

  I couldn’t speak. The words wouldn’t leave my throat, closed off by what felt like bands of fear.

  I turned my head and met Shane’s eyes, pleading for him to see what I could as I tried to speak. I shook, but Boomer took it to be that I was cold, and rubbed his hands up and down my arms to warm me.

  He wasn’t helping. I needed to get away, but my body felt paralyzed as I stared at my Alpha, trying to speak to him, either with my mouth or my mind, neither of which were working. It must have been all the mental stuff I had done with Sara that had closed down my body, including my Pack communication bonds.

  Shane’s brows lowered, his eyes flaring gold as he stared at me.

  One second…

  Two seconds…

  He broke our gaze and lifted his head, his eyes sharp as he scanned the surrounding area, his nostrils flaring for any scent that shouldn’t be here.

  I watched his eyes slide right by the spot. He couldn’t see it. Panic filled me.

  I elbowed Boomer, harder than I meant to, causing the man to grunt. Finally, he let me go and I was able to squirm out of his arms. I sat up and he reached for me again, but I leaned forward out of his way, my eyes intent on my Alpha. Shane met my stare, his own eyes inquiring.

  Wetting my lips, I pointed at the spot without taking my eyes from him.

  “There.” I fought past the constriction in my throat, my voice a raspy croak. “Look there. Someone is there.”

  Shane didn’t even question me. He turned and looked towards the spot I pointed to. Then, I saw something strange. His and Holden’s strands swirled together, his protecting hers while hers bolstered his. Holden also turned to look at the spot, stiffening in surprise at the same time Shane did.

  Together, they felt it. This was their land, their Pack to protect. They would see the one that shouldn’t be here. That wasn’t Pack.

  Shane waved a hand as he surged forward. Another Beta, Splinter, moved rapidly across the clearing in front of him, homing in on what was there. He had almost reached the place when I felt it just disappear.

  Poof. Gone.

  Splinter stopped, his eyes searching. Shane joined him seconds later.

  “Nothing here.” While the Beta wolf spoke softly, we all could hear his words.

  Shane bent over and started searching through the brush, his movement sure. “I felt something, Splinter. Something not Pack. Something that felt off. Dark.”

  I nodded, my eyes meeting Holden’s. Her wide eyes stared back at mine before she gave a small jerk of her head. She had felt it too.

  Shane stopped and knelt, pushing bushes to one side. “Splinter.”

  The other man knelt beside him and stared. “Shit. Shaz!” His voice was raised a little as he called over one of the other Betas who was on the far side of the clearing.

  Shaz pranced over, still in wolf form. Shaz’s wolf was small and thin, almost more like a large fox. I don’t think he could sense anything yet, or he wouldn’t have been so relaxed.

  Shaz was our resident computer geek and information officer.

  Splinter pointed at the ground and Shaz took a deep breath before snorting and then sneezing three times. He placed a paw over his nose and whined before sneezing again. I watched as Shane and Splinter looked at each other, surprise crossing both of their faces. I frowned, wondering what would have caused that reaction from the three men.

  Shaz sat and rubbed his nose with one paw, sneezing several more times. Splinter sighed before shifting to his wolf. He took in a breath and a disgusted look crossed his face before he yipped at Shaz, slipping into the brush to follow the obviously unpleasant scent. Shaz followed slower, shaking his head and blowing air out his nostrils.

  Shane watched them for a moment before returning t
o us.

  “What was that?” The words left my mouth before I could contain them. I slapped a hand over my mouth.

  Shane shook his head, pushing a large hand through his dark, damp hair, before dropping it. He looked around the clearing, the rain having stopped around the time the Pack had arrived. Everything was still wet, the trees a dark silvery color in the moonlit night.

  The moon hung a little lower in the sky, heading towards the horizon. Dawn was coming. The air was cold, and we were all wet. A hot shower sounded wonderful about now.

  “Thanks, Maggie. There was something or someone lying there, watching the clearing. I think they were probably here when Sara first arrived. It appears they were watching all three of you.” He frowned, not liking the fact that someone not sanctioned to be on his lands had been here, and close enough to hurt not only his mate, but two other females of his Pack.

  Several of the wolves who were still wearing their fur coats moved uneasily. They didn’t like this either. I could feel they wanted to leave, to hunt down the invader. But they wouldn’t go until Shane gave the word.

  “What caused Shaz to sneeze?” I wasn’t sure why I needed to know, but felt this might be important.

  Shane turned towards Holden, his hand reaching out to her. She put hers into it and he lifted her up and into his arms.

  “Just a tissue. And a bit of dampness, like maybe saliva. Typically, nothing special except it indicates someone had been there that shouldn’t have. Unfortunately, Shaz is highly sensitive to the smell of reptiles.”

  I stared at him. “Reptiles?”

  He shrugged. “Yep. Not sure why it is, but they cause him to sneeze.”

  Max stood up, stretching to crack his back.

  “I think it is the dead skin that causes him to sneeze. I haven’t tested it because what could we do if it was true?” The doctor shrugged, twisting his body from side to side. “We don’t run into snakes very often, so he just has to grin and bear it for now.”

  Reptiles? Snakes? Why would they even be out now? Wasn’t it too cold for them? I didn’t like snakes, but this didn’t feel quite right. We were missing something.