Page 62 of Bullied Forced Omega
Miles chuckles, smiling so wide that dimples form on his cheeks, and for a second, he looks like a kid. That confused little boy who lost his parents and did his best to navigate the world without them.
Suddenly, he strides across my small kitchen and pulls me into a hug.
“I will, Mira. I definitely will do all of those things,” he says, his head buried against my hair as he holds me tight.
My heart swells with happiness. I planned to do something sweet for Jace tonight, to help him heal old wounds with his father. I never knew I’d be receiving the same gift.
Chapter 18 - Jace
“Rogues?” I grumble, my hackles already rippling over my spine. Jux’s senses heighten at the mere mention of them, even though we’re sitting in the pack house in a meeting and nowhere near danger.
There are several other Alphas in attendance around my table. The mood is somber. We were all in Black Ops training together. We’ve seen what Rogues are capable of. We’ve dealt with the bad side of them. But we also saw another side, where some of them were just lost wolves, losing themselves slowly and slipping into madness. But even that madness is dangerous, and regardless of how I wish I could do something to help the Rogues who wanted help, my pack is my priority. My pack and the smaller packs around mine look to me for protection and guidance.
“We have to flush them out,” Jacob says, tapping his fingers against the wooden table.
“We have to fucking destroy them,” Hendrik growls, heated as usual. “Why are we sitting here doing nothing?” he snarls.
“Hendrik, sit down. You know full well that we need a plan before we rush blindly into the forest. It’s a massive piece of land,” Axel scoffs, shaking his head. I wish Hendrik would take a page from Axel’s book and learn how to be silently dangerous instead of outright aggressive.
I’d choose Axel to be on my team any day over the hot-headed temper that Maddy carries around with him.
“Alright,” I say, standing up and pacing as I think. “The sooner we deal with this, the better, but yes, we need a plan. I suggest that we Alphas, our Betas, and the strongest fourmembers of each of your security forces join the hunt. The rest will stay with our packs to protect them while we are gone. We can’t take the chance of leaving the packs unguarded; we have to consider all risks.”
“Bullshit. If we take all of our men and attack the Rogues with everything we’ve got, there won’t be any risk to our packs,” Hendrik snaps.
Axel clenches his jaw impatiently. None of us says anything, ignoring Hendrik and his continued willingness to calm the fuck down.
“Do we agree?” I ask, “Or does someone want to add to the plan?”
Jacob stops tapping on the table and leans back in his chair. “What time do you want to run?”
“We know the training. We were all there. Alphas and Betas. Our security personnel will follow our commands. I assume you’ve all been teaching them the basics of what we learned? I reckon we should leave after dusk. Our wolves are stronger in the moonlight,” I say.
“So are theirs,” Jacob says.
“But we know the forest better than they do,” Parker says, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table. “Especially in the dark.”
“Rogues are packless and will always be weaker than a wolf led by an Alpha. Their version of a leader isn’t the same. They’re all fighting for control, to be the top dog. Even if there are many of them, they won’t be organized or functional. Not like us,” Axel explains.
“I know, I know, but we don’t even knowhowmany there are,” Jacob sighs.
“What do you want to do then?” I ask Jacob calmly. “All suggestions are welcome at my table.” Hendrik scoffs at this remark but says nothing.
“No, I’m just thinking out loud. We do it your way. It’s the best way. I know it is. I just hate that they’re so close to our borders,” Jacob says, pushing his shoulders back and sitting up straight again. “We meet at dusk, here.”
“Parker?” I say.
“Agreed.”
“Agreed,” Hendrik adds bitterly when I look at him.
“Agreed,” Axel nods.
***
We spend the afternoon preparing and reviewing the training with our security teams. It’s after dusk, and there are three teams in the meadow at the tree line that leads into the forest near my compound. The sun is sinking behind the horizon, and already the sky is losing its orange tint. The moon is a sharp sliver above us.
We are all in wolf form. We are agitated, hyped, and eager to run. Jux is frothing to get into the forest, to feel the thrill of the hunt as it pulses through his veins. He loves this. He always has. But for the first time ever, there is another thought in his mind. Mira. Mika. Our mate.
