Page 48 of Bullied Forced Omega
Goosebumps break out over my skin, and I’m grinning, savoring the heightened energy in the air around me.
The pack bursts through the tree line and into the open meadow. They howl and yelp in excitement, nipping at each other playfully. Jux is in the front, calmer and steadier than the rest. He leaps onto a high tree stump and sits there, watching his hunting pack circle and gather with his chest puffed forward and his eyes filled with pride.
When everyone is in the clearing, he jumps down, trotting to his discarded clothes. He remains crouched down, hidden behind the line of tree stumps, as he pulls his pants up and then stands, shirtless. He walks toward the rest of us, looking like he was sculpted by the hand of Selene herself. Every part of him is pure perfection, and my hormones are beginning to rage again.
He raises his hand and shouts. “Tonight we feast, our omegas have made us proud!”
The pack screams, howls, and shouts their praise.
Two jeeps come skidding into the meadow, causing everyone to spin toward them in alarm.What is going on?
From the first one, Jeremy and Marcus spill out. From the second, Lexus. They all look furious as they storm toward Jace.
“What is the meaning of this?” Marcus snarls, spitting his words in anger.
“We are celebrating the hunt,” Jace replies calmly, staring down at the man with no expression on his face.
“A hunt? A real hunt? You took theOmegason a hunt in the forest?” he snaps, horrified.
“Is there a problem, Marcus?” Jace asks coolly and collected, but his voice is vibrating with authority.
“Of course, there is a problem. You know the hunting territories are shared by two other packs. What if someone saw you?” he blurts out.
“I don’t understand the issue?” Jace replies.
The entire pack is watching in tense silence.
“You don’t….” Marcus scoffs, turning toward the other two elders, “he says he doesn’tunderstandthe issue,” he huffs in disbelief, throwing his hands in the air.
“Marcus, let's calm down a moment and discuss this like….” Lexus says, raising his hands.
“Are you also upset about this hunt?” Jace asks Lexus and Jeremy, interrupting everyone.
“Yes, they’re upset about it!” Marcus snarls.
“I believe they can speak for themselves,” Jace says.
“They are Omegas, Jace. They are not hunters,” Jeremy says calmly.
“They have been training to hunt. They’ve been doing well. Why wouldn’t they put their new skill to good use?” he asks.
“Because…”
Marcus interrupts Jeremy, pushing forward, “Because the other packs might see them!”
Is he kidding right now? Are they seriously angry about that? Why? It doesn’t make sense.
The hackles are standing on the back of my neck. Mika instinctively wants to leap in front of Marcus and snarl at him for disrespecting her Alpha.
I’m holding my breath, waiting for Jace to slam his body into Marcus and pin him to the ground for disrespecting him in front of the entire pack. Marcusisbeing incredibly disrespectful to his Alpha. I watch Jeremy and Lexus, who clearly also disagree with what has happened, but they aren’t confronting Jace with anger.
Instead of reacting with violence, Jace cocks his head to the side and, in a deep, commanding voice that has Marcus swallowing hard, he says, “Let's discuss this in a private meeting. I will come by the pack house in thirty minutes.”
Jeremy and Lexus quickly agree, very aware of the entire pack’s eyes on them and the publicity of this disagreement.
Marcus isn’t as observant. “There isn’t anything to discuss; this should never have happened, period!”
“Marcus,” Jeremy snaps, grabbing the man’s arm and pulling him back.
