Page 28 of Night Sector
I would have picked the items up earlier for them if I could have, but I hadn’t wanted to risk interrupting Kieran’s mating instincts. However, now that he’d officially bitten Quinn, he’d hopefully be calm enough to let me drop the items off outside their door.
That said, I wouldn’t be sticking around for long. Mated or not, he’d still probably try to kill me if I got too close.
“Um,” a soft voice mumbled from beside me, drawing my attention to a petite, light-haired Omega with big blue eyes.
Rather than continue speaking, she set her tray down on the table and took a chair beside me.
My nose twitched, my wolf taking in her unique scent.
Z-Clan Omega,I realized with a start.How… rare.
Most of her kind were extinct, thanks to the carelessness and general brutality of their pack leaders. The Z-Clan Alphas treated their Omegas like chew toys, not treasures.
“Your spirit is… complicated,” she murmured after several silent beats. “I’m struggling to read your intentions. But your nature is to protect, not to harm.”
Ah, that explains why this little Arctic wolf is still alive, I thought. Z-Clan shifters were notoriously intuitive, their abilities to read auras a renowned trait. And it seemed this one had learned how to harness that ability for survival purposes.
I took a sip of my coffee while I considered how to reply to her. But I eventually decided the truth would suffice. “I don’t wish to harm anyone here,” I confided. “This is a safe space.”
She dipped her elfin chin a little, her expression shifting into one of confidence. “Yes. I believe you.”
Hmm, if only Kyra was so easily convinced,I mused.
I swore I heard a mental snort in reply, but when I reached into Kyra’s mind, I found her busy showering and immediately retreated. That wasnotwhat I needed to think about right now in a room full of Omegas.
“Many of the others think they could take you down if you decided to attack, but I keep telling them that you won’t hurt us,” the Arctic wolf informed me. “Although, I suspect that if you did, there wouldn’t be much we could do to stop you.”
“That’s true. You wouldn’t be able to stop me,” I agreed.Not easily, anyway.“But I’ll share a secret with you.”
Her blue eyes gleamed as she leaned forward a little, eagerness written all over her innocent features.
“Those with superior strength are supposed to nurture and protect those who need it. Weaker Alphas don’t understand that. But I’m not weak. Neither is Alpha Kieran. We understand our duty to the Sanctuary. We understand our duty toyou.” I kept my voice soft, hoping she would understand what I was trying to tell her—your Alphas failed you, but that doesn’t mean I will be like them.
She considered me for a long moment, then dipped her chin once more. “You’re telling the truth.”
“I am.” The two words weren’t necessary, her intuitive ability clearly allowing her to decipher truth from fiction. But I felt the need to confirm her assessment, mostly for those eavesdropping around us.
Or perhaps for the Omega listening to my thoughts right now,I added for Kyra’s benefit.
She didn’t reply or acknowledge me, maintaining the status quo from the last several days.
The Arctic wolf smiled. “I think I’ll like you just fine,” she decided aloud before popping a piece of fruit into her mouth. “You should help with our training.”
My eyebrow slid upward. “Training?”
She nodded, but it was another voice that said, “Defensive training.” A tray landed on the table as another Omega took over the seat on my opposite side.
This one appeared to be an X-Clan shifter.
“Kyra’s been teaching us how to defend ourselves against Alphas,” the new Omega explained. “She’s a good teacher, but she’s small. We need a real Alpha to practice with.”
“I doubt he’ll be up for that,” a third Omega commented as she joined the table. This one appeared to be a vampire. “And Kyra might not like him learning our secrets.”
“But he’s here to protect us,” the Arctic wolf argued. “Teaching us how to fight is a good way to help.”
There is no fighting when it comes to an Alpha and an Omega, I thought, frowning at their conversation. “The best way to defend yourselves is with a weapon,” I said out loud. Omegas would never physically win in hand-to-hand combat with an Alpha.
“Yes, we have swords and knives,” the Arctic wolf told me.
