Page 24 of Pack Owned
Her gaze flickers to mine, searching, and then darts away.
“I overheard you and the others talking about selling me.”
Most of our gigs involved tracking down corporate runaways or finding heirs who tried to escape arranged matings. But every now and then, the big boys sent us after a real prize—like those Omegas bound for Nexus.
“A bounty. We’re paid to bring you and any other Omegas in.” My jaw clenches. I can’t lie to her, not with that raw vulnerability etched on her face. “Liam doesn’t want to sell you off,” I admit, the words gruff. “He thinks... well, never mind what he thinks. The point is, I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you.” Even if it means defying the pack.
“Then why?” she presses, a sliver of panic creeping back into her voice.
“It’s complicated, Kayla,” I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “There are forces at play bigger than us. But trust me, I’m not gonna let anything bad happen to you.”
The statement hangs heavy in the air. Is it a promise I can keep? Doubt gnaws at me, but the fierce protectiveness I feel for her is undeniable.
She falls silent, picking at the edge of the blanket Liam had draped over her.
“No, you and Ryker probably just want me healed up to do a private auction or something and sell me off to some overbearing Alpha who enjoys making Omegas miserable.”
The accusation stings.
“That’s not it,” I growl, the possessiveness in my tone surprising even me. “Look, I don’t know what the future holds, but I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“Nobody’s ever kept me safe before.” Her voice cracks, a tremor of past abuse barely disguised.
My heart clenches. She sits there, so defiant yet so heartbreakingly fragile.
“Kayla,” I say, my voice rough with emotion. “You’re not alone anymore. We’ll figure this out together.”
She looks up at me, her wary glint returning. “Shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep, Alpha,” she says, a hint of defiance back in her voice.
“Maybe I can.” The thought of her with some stranger leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Protecting her... it’s a dangerous path, but for the first time, I wonder if there’s another way. Maybe Liam’s crazy fated mate idea isn’t so crazy after all.
“What is it?”
“Listen, Kayla...” I trail off, unsure where this urge to reassure her comes from. My voice drops to a gravelly whisper. “You’re not just some pawn in our game. You have my word.”
“Your word,” she echoes, lips curling around the apple’s flesh. “That supposed to mean something?”
A pang of guilt hits me. “Look, I know it’s hard to believe after what you’ve been through, but I’m different from the ones who’ve hurt you before. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
She meets my gaze, defiant, unflinching. “We’ll see about that.”
Yeah, we will. As I shoulder my med bag, a silent vow forms deep within me. No matter what Ryker says, no matter how the chips fall, I’ll be damned if I let anything happen to her. Not now. Not when something indefinable and wild has taken root inside me, wrapping around my ribs like ivy.
“Get some sleep, Omega,” I say, my voice softer now. “Tomorrow’s another day.”
“Another day in paradise.” Her smile doesn’t reach her eyes.
“Something like that.”
I turn to leave, the weight of our tangled fates heavy on my shoulders. But it’s not just the burden I feel—it’s the fire, too. A burning need to protect what might just be mine. Maybe Liam’s right. Maybe she is the fated mate we never saw coming.
“Thanks for patching me up,” she says, voice laced with an edge that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. They’re too tired, too hunted.
I nod, knowing I should go and leave her to rest, but my feet root to the floor, betraying me. I’m a fucking Alpha; control is second nature. Yet here I am, bound by invisible chains of concern—no, not just concern. Protectiveness.
What the hell is happening to me? Since when do I side with Liam’s soft-hearted views? Ryker would have my head for even thinking about it. But as I look at her, something fierce claws at my insides. I’m siding with Liam, against better judgment, against years of hardened resolve against criminals and others we’ve brought in on bounties who pleaded with us, tried to bribe us. None of them got to me the way this Omega is without even trying.
I shake my head. The rational side of me knows I should listen to Ryker and turn her in like any other bounty, business as usual. Another part of me, an undeniable part, is sick of self-preservation. As I look at Kayla, so defiant yet vulnerable, something primal and protective claws at my insides.
