Page 49 of Crave

In a flurry of movement, the kid was on the ground, wheezing, with Murphy’s boot on his throat. “You aren’t Alpha enough to play in the big kids pool, little ‘Alpha.’” He actually did the finger quote thing. “To answer your question though, you’re going to have to be more specific. I’ve killed many men, something you should remember.” He pushed a massive wave of Alpha power at the kid, who turned his head in instinctual submission, even though it made Murphy’s boot scrape across the soft skin of his neck.

Someone behind us piped up. “Wilkie. We want to know if you killed Wilkie and took his Omegas. People are saying you’re Omega stealers.”

I didn’t turn fast enough to see who said it, but I rolled my eyes. “We didn’t kill Wilkie, though the fucker deserves it. If I ever see him again, I’ll happily plunge my claws into his chest and rip out his damn heart.” Little did they know that I had no idea where his heart was. I turned to the group. “If any of you believe that Omegas are possessions that can be ‘stolen,’ then I hope to the Goddess you die alone. Omegas are a gift. Atreasure.But they are people with minds and hearts of their own. They choose who they wish to love. Not me. Not you. Not their parents, and not the fucking Alpha General. Got it? Or do I need to beat that point into each and every one of you?”

No one would meet my eyes. Half of them would end up back in Maxton, guarding the borders of our forefathers. Murphy and I would go wherever Susannah and Quinn went.

I walked over to Dominic and climbed onto the rail beside him. On his other side was Loren. Fuck, it was good to see him.

“Little shits. Wouldn’t know morals or loyalty if it slapped them in the face,” I grumbled at Dominic. “Have you decided how you’re gonna split them?”

Dominic shook his head. “Court wants to give them a choice, like everyone else. More than you think will go back to Maxton, just to feel like they have some power again. It’s hard to stand in the shadow of an Alpha as strong as Courtland and pretend you’re the biggest badass in the world.”

Yeah, Courtland was something else. His power was like a thick blanket that smothered you, and if you were a weak Alpha—like the guy still under Murphy’s boot—it would be a reality check.

“Murphy,” I warned.

With a dramatic sigh, he lifted his boot and leaned down to pull the kid to his feet. He slapped his back. “You’re brave, I’ll give you that. But you know what happens when you’re brave and stupid? You end up dead. Work on that.” My mate walked over to me, barely holding back his smirk. Dominic called out for the others to work on their hand-to-hand combat, and off they went, fighting in the thick heat of the midday sun.

“Fucking little shit,” Murphy muttered as he dragged himself up onto the fence too. “Luckily, I’m in a good mood.” He grinned, and I smirked back. We’d gotten a picture this morning from Quinn and Susannah, and it was just a trail of chocolate sauce over the flat plane of Susannah’s stomach. Quinn must have taken it from between her thighs, because you could see the underside of her breasts and the sugary stripe of chocolate right down to her belly button. My mouth had ached with the urge to go over there and lick it up myself.

Loren laughed. “You guys do seem to be walking on sunshine over there. A couple of pretty Omegas making you happy?”

Murphy leaned forward. “The kid was right about that. I intend to steal those Omegas and worship them for the rest of my life. We just have to convince them that we aren’t like their old Alpha.”

We fell silent for a bit, just watching the soldiers practice. Finally, Murphy shook his head. “And you, you wiley fuck. I’m so glad you’re all right, but I’m going to kick your ass for having us so worried. How’d you survive anyway?”

Loren grinned, sending Murphy a wink. “Luck, more than anything. I don’t know why my portal dropped me here, but I can only imagine it was the will of the Goddess. I was convinced that I was a dead man, and then Electra appeared like a fucking angel.” His voice went wistful. “She’d felt the force of my magic within the wards of Moonburst, and rescued me. Hefted me back to town by herself—I’ve never been so colorfully sworn at in my life, and we used to operate a fucking cartel.”

I shook my head. I’d seen the beautiful witch that had Loren tied up in knots. She didn’t look like she ever smiled, but she was kind. They’d be a weird match, but they’d work. I jumped down.

“Are you trying to woo her?” Murphy teased.

“Nah, man. She’d rather cut off my balls than have sex with me. Her words, not mine.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Yeah, he had his own problems. “I’m going to grab some lunch, then I need to talk to Courtland. Want to come?”

Murphy shook his head. “Nah, I’m going to watch the recruits suffer a bit more, then I’m going to see if I can track down our Omegas. Make sure they’re properly cared for. Check in on Tanner, too. I know that the witches aren’t the biggest fans of vampires.”

Loren shrugged. “We operate with life, and the vamps are the exact opposite of that. They’re like black holes for energy. It screws with the balance, but it’s nothing personal.”

We all had our unfounded prejudices. The Manix feared the Lycanthropes on a cellular level, due to generational trauma. Fortunately, unlike vampires, there were very few Lycans left. I’d met one of the last. He’d been nice, not at all like the boogeyman they’d built them up to be when we were children.

I squeezed Murphy’s hand and said goodbye to Loren and Dominic before I made the short walk back to town. Every witch I walked past said hello, and honestly, it was almost creepy how excited they were to see us. Like our own little witchy cult.

“They get a rush of magic whenever any of the Manix walk by. That's why they’re so happy.”

I whirled in surprise at the voice behind me, unsheathing my claws. The hybrid Jericho stood off to the side, and while the witches were looking at me like I was a rainbow, they looked at him like he was a bear trap waiting to spring.

“Like little hedgewitch junkies.”

I purposefully slid my claws back inside my knuckles. “It doesn’t take anything from me, and they’ve given up most of their town to us. A little boost is the least we can do.”

Jericho rolled his eyes, stepping up beside me. “We got off on the wrong foot.”

I kept my face neutral. I wasn’t going to give him any insights that he didn’t tease out on his own. I didn’t trust this guy, who by all accounts had been lurking on the edges of Manix territory for a decade, and was worryingly attached tomyOmegas. “Did we?”

He nodded, and as I kept walking, he continued to keep pace with me. “I know how it looks. But I swear, I mean Susannah and Quinn no harm. I’ve watched over them for so long that I feel”—he paused, finding the right word—“attached to them, I guess. When the fire ripped through Maxton, I was convinced they were dead. Or that their Alpha had used the opportunity to do something, like finally matebond them.”

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