Page 4 of Destined Mate

“We need to move her back to the den,” Henry said abruptly. “We can’t leave her out here. Tomorrow we’ll mourn, then the next day, well, I’ll need to contact the Council of Wolves. Hopefully, they’ll send a temporary alpha until we can arrange challenges for Alphaship.”

I hope I’ll still be alive by then.

Li Li was gone, and the Cross Creek pack of San DeLain was in chaos. A pack without an alpha was a pack with a target on its back. As alpha mate, Jerome most definitely was in the line of fire.

He didn’t want to die, but he also didn’t want to be forced into yet another mating against his will. All he truly desired was to be left alone, but as an omega, that was an impossible dream.

The damn Council of Wolves, which was the governing body of their kind, was old-fashioned in their ideas in some respects. But Jerome knew they had to be contacted. A beta wasn’t strong enough to lead, much less fight an alpha, and they needed an alpha immediately.

The last thing anybody wanted was for some unknown asshole to show up and claim the pack as his own. Which could very well happen.

The council rarely enforced the old laws, but back then, a new alpha often killed the alpha mate, any cubs, and betas. Unless, of course, the mate was an omega. If so, that changed everything.

Werewolf politics sucked.

Nowadays, the new alpha usually allowed pack members or loyal betas to petition other packs to join. Not omegas. Betas were a dime a dozen, while omegas were a completely different can of worms.

Pack members often treasured the peace and serenity that omegas brought, especially if the alpha and omega shared a Fated bond.

There were rumors that a fated alpha/omega pair was stronger and more powerful when bonded. Jerome had no idea whether that was true because his match with Li Li had been nothing more than a business transaction that favored Jerome’s pack because of his status as an omega.

But Li Li hadn’t been a bad person. In fact, she’d been a wonderful alpha, but there hadn’t been love there.

They were more friends than anything, which had posed a problem in the bedroom. One of several, actually. Sex was a duty, something done for heirs, but their wolf god hadn’t blessed them.

He snapped out of his musings as the pack members gently lifted their alpha. With heavy hearts and silent steps, they carried her back through the forest pathways lit only by streaks of moonlight filtering through the canopy above.

He was sure he wasn’t the only one anxious. Each member of the pack was unusually quiet, likely because of grief, but also worry. Worry about the uncertainty of what lay ahead.

Back at the pack house, they laid Alpha Li Li in a guest room. Jerome returned outside and looked over his pack—their faces gaunt with fear and sorrow. Someone needed to say something, and that someone was him.

“We will not let fear defeat us,” Jerome vowed quietly. “Alpha Li Li was a powerful alpha, and she made us a powerful pack. Her death was unnecessary and a tragic loss, but her spirit lives on in each of us. We will eventually have a new alpha, but that won’t make us love her any less. We will get through this. And those hunterswillpay.”

There were several growls of agreement.

Chapter Two

Jerome

“THERE’S NOT much time left before sunrise,” Jerome continued. “Secure your homes as best you can for now, and anyone who needs medical attention beyond what shifting can handle, see our pack medic. Try to grab a couple hours of sleep, then we’ll gather again later this morning and go from there.”

Several of the betas who had shifted back patted Jerome on the shoulder as they returned to guard duty. He also knew the unranked males in the pack would try to help where they could while the enforcers kept an eye on things.

Once everyone had left, Jerome turned to Henry. “Call the Council of Wolves now. We absolutely do not want to wait on that.”

“Shit.” Henry hurried to where Jerome stood. “Why? Have you seen something?”

This was the reason omegas were so highly prized—each one possessed a unique gift. His was foresight, the ability to anticipate and predict future events or needs.

Which sounded great and all, but it was also a major pain in the ass. His ability came with its own set of challenges because choice could change the future.

Or even better? Sometimes, he’d only get a fragmented vision, like the one he had right before the attack occurred. His gift had brought him both admiration and envy from others, which was just ridiculous.

If he could dig the ability out of his brain, he’d hand it over to whoever the hell wanted it. Because falling into a vision with no warning at any moment wassuchfun, not to mention he looked like a freak when it happened.

According to what he’d been told, his eyes would turn white, and they freakingglowedduring a vision.

In addition, he had no awareness of his surroundings whatsoever, which made him easy prey for any potential attacks. As someone once put it, “the lights were on, but nobody was home.” This accurately described his state during these episodes.

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