Page 28 of The Omega's Alpha
“Yes?”
“There’s a call from Green Moon. There’s been a fire…” The young shifter’s voice trailed off and Quin’s hackles stood on end. There was no way that was good news.
“What happened?”
“I have their Alpha on the line. I can transfer him to you.”
“Do that.” Quin sat up and turned on the lamp. Holland sat up too and finger-combed his hair back out of his face. His eyes were wide and fixed on Quin with tense anticipation and still he was beautiful.
The line crackled and snapped, and then Gonzalo, the Alpha of Green Moon came on. “Mercy Hills?” The sounds of confusion and panic faded into the background, as if he’d walked away from whatever had happened.
“Green Moon, you had a fire?”
“Not a fire. A disaster. It was like hell opened up on us. We don’t know much, except that it started near the gate.”
“We can send people to help with repairs.” Their houses, this first batch anyway, were mostly done. They could spare the workers.
“It’s not repairs, Quin. It’s a complete rebuild. The whole place went up.”
Quin felt the blood drain out of his cheeks and the ragged edges of his psyche threw up images of Mercy Hills burning around him. Of Holland trapped. The pups. Oh, Lysoon, the pups! “What do you need?” He went to the dresser and grabbed the first things his hands came to. Behind him, he heard the mattress creak as Holland climbed out of bed and then the squeak as he opened the closet.
“Thank you, Quin. I know we gave your brother a hard time—”
“We’re pack. Still. Always. And it didn’t hurt him in the long run.”
There was a pause on the line, and then Gonzalo said, “I wondered. It seemed a bit too easy. But your brother was always a damn smart, sneaky shifter. Good for him.” Then, in a more business-like tone, he continued, “Thank you, Alpha Mercy Hills. We need medicine, and temporary shelter while we decide how to deal with this. And labor. To clean up and rebuild. And, if you have some people who are willing, someone to help with the bodies.”
Bodies.“How many?”
“A lot. We’ve lost everything. It tore through the place like pups through a squirrel. I’d say at least a quarter of the pack didn’t make it out before the fire caught up with them. We’re still doing a head count.”
“Shit,” Quin whispered. “Whatever you need, Gonzalo. I’m going to start waking people up. Have you called any of the other Alphas?”
“Jackson-Jellystone, Honisloonz. Salma Wood is next. I’m working my way from closest to farthest.”
“I’ll have Abel set something up so we can coordinate getting help to you. And I’ll have a truck on the road as soon as the gates open.” Or as soon as he could convince the humans that a whole pile of shifters converging on one site wasn’t a disaster in the making. “We’ll see if we can sort out a bus. We can make space here for people to stay, until you have houses again.”
“Thank you, Quin.” Gonzalo’s voice broke in the middle, and Quin’s name shook like poplar leaves before a storm. “I swear, we’ll pay it back.”
“We can talk about it later. I can get you at this number?”
“Yes.” The background voices grew louder, one in particular, a woman wailing in agony. For a moment, Quin was back in the desert, the hot sun cooking the blood streaking his uniform, then he wrenched himself back to the present to hear Gonazalo saying, “—to go. I’ll call when I know more, or have someone else call.”
“Do that. I’ll start right now.” They hung up, and Quin took a moment to breathe and push back the haunted memories trying to work their way back into his brain. He’d have to call Abel and Mac. Maybe Duke could organize a bus to bring the victims here.Fuck, the paperwork!He added Garrick to the list, then mentally moved him to the top. He’d need the time for the humans to confirm everything before he’d be able to get the permits. If they’d even let them have them.
“What happened?” Holland asked quietly. He took Quin’s phone from him, trading it for a neatly folded stack of clothing.
“You didn’t listen in?”
“Not my business, unless you tell me.” Holland watched solemnly as Quin dressed. “It’s bad, though, isn’t it?”
“Fire. He thinks they lost a quarter of the pack, and all the buildings.”
Holland’s hand tightened around the phone and he sucked in a short, horrified breath. “What can I do?”
Quin held his hand out for the phone. “Can you get Abel and Mac up? I’m going to call Garrick and then I have to get the Supplies crew out to see what we have that we can spare.” He shoved his hand through his hair and headed for his office, Garrick’s phone already ringing in his ear and Holland hot on his heels.
He didn’t know if it was good luck or bad that Garrick was in the city staying with that lawyer friend of his that gave Quin an off feeling. Like he wanted to keep Garrick for himself, which made Quin nervous. The pack couldn’t afford to lose their lawyer—sure, they had Cas now, but Cas was ataxlawyer, not a civil one. And any time a human got overly interested in a shifter, it never ended well for the shifter. He’d have to have a talk with Garrick, but later.
