Page 19 of Captive Omega
“That changes nothing. Any wolf would have done the same thing.”
“Probably, yes,” Rufus agreed. “But you still betrayed me and the pack. And I will come for you. I will take your mate from you.”
“That Omega never deserved Rufus, and she doesn’t deserve you,” my mother added. Her eyes flashed in a vicious threat. “I made a mistake when I allowed her to approach either of you. But it’s still something I can stop. I can still tear her apart. And I’ll take great pleasure in doing so.”
The threat infuriated me so much I lunged at my mother. But when our bodies collided, I passed straight through her.
She laughed, and suddenly, Rufus was there, and his hand was around my throat. “You’re a coward, Rowan. You were never brave enough to become the Alpha of the Firewolf Pack, and that’s why you’ll never beat me.”
I wanted to tell him I’d beat him once. I would do it again. But my vocal cords refused to listen. I couldn’t breathe. “You’re a failure,” my brother insisted, “and you won’t be able to keep her safe.”
“The whole pack will breed her like the whore she is,” my mother said smugly, “and after that, we’ll drown her in the lake.”
“You won’t touch her!” I shouted. “I won’t allow it!”
“You won’t have a choice, Rowan,” my brother whispered. “Rowan… Rowan…”
His voice echoed over and over in the darkness, a mockery of the moments we’d shared in the pack. His face vanished, dissipating into the shadows. But I could still hear him saying my name, over and over. “Rowan… Rowan…”
I hated it, hated the fact that it sounded like a threat, a reminder of how powerless I was. And then, I didn’t hate it anymore, because the voice changed, turning softer, sweeter, and so beautiful and familiar. “Rowan, please. Snap out of it.”
My mate was reaching out to me, calling me, the bond between us shining a beautiful silver light, reminding me of her lovely hair. I reached back, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up, opening my eyes in the dark cave. Luna was bent over me, scanning my face in visible concern. “Rowan? Oh, thank the chaos…”
I stared up at my mate, blinking owlishly. “Luna?” I croaked out. A memory of my confrontation with my brother and my mother flashed through my head and I cursed. “Shit, are you okay?”
“Am I okay?” she repeated in disbelief. “That’s my line! You’re burning up. And no, it’s not because of the chaos.”
I frowned, trying to figure out what she meant. It took me longer than it should have. My body was pulsing with a strange, distant pain. My leg was throbbing and my head felt like someone had taken a silver pickaxe to it.
I didn’t understand. I’d been perfectly fine earlier, when we’d mated. “What’s going on?”
Luna reached for my cheek and brushed her fingers over my skin. I wanted to lean into her touch, but much to my surprise, the slight caress made a spike of pain course through me. I flinched, and so did she. “It’s poison,” she said. “Something my pack made. I could smell it last night, but I thought it was just because you used the gun too.”
I thought back at the fight between me and Luna’s pack members. A bullet had grazed my cheek. I could remember it now. I hadn’t paid it much heed, since my body should have healed that kind of damage. But for whatever reason, that hadn’t happened.
“I think it’s because of your leg injury,” Luna said, sensing my confusion. “The poison itself might not have hurt you if you hadn’t already been wounded.”
That made sense—far too much for my liking. It also didn’t really change our situation. We were still on the run, and I couldn’t afford to lie here and wait until my body flushed out the poison on its own. “I’ll be fine. We should keep going.”
“But Rowan… You’re hurt.”
“Nothing can stop me from protecting you. Besides, everyone will be too distracted by the chaos to worry about us.”
I wasn’t as convinced of that as I was trying to seem. The Badlands packs were dangerous. Under normal circumstances, I could have avoided them with ease, but considering my condition, that might no longer be the case. I couldn’t be overconfident about this and jeopardize Luna with my arrogance. We had to find another refuge, somewhere we could stay a little while longer, until I felt better.
Fortunately, I’d been in the Badlands before, and while I didn’t have a rogue’s experience with the canyon, I knew enough to keep us safe for a few days. “Trust me, all right? This isn’t the first time I’ve been in the Badlands. I won’t let you down.”
“I do trust you, Rowan. I’m just worried, that’s all. I don’t want you to hurt yourself because of me.”
“A little thing like this won’t kill me,” I replied with a laugh.
I regretted my dismissive comment mere seconds later, when she shot me a hurt look. “Listen, Rowan, I know you’ve fought my pack members before, and you’re familiar with the poisons they make. You know how deadly they can be. This whole thing… It gives me a bad feeling. I don’t want you to take it lightly.”
I nodded, making a mental note to be more respectful of her feelings. She was right to be concerned, and we’d just found one another. Our bond was in its incipience, but through our connection, I could still feel the sharp echoes of her fear.
“I’m not. I promise. I’ll never leave you. I’ve been looking for you for so long. I refuse to lose you, now that I’ve found you.”
That, Luna believed, and her lips twisted into a small smile. I was tempted to pull her into my arms again, to make love to her once more. But we’d already stayed too long in the cave. We really had to find another place where we could stay while I dealt with my injury.
