Page 56 of Desperate Omega

“Last night, Thorus and I found the remains of the burned barn where Delphine and her alphas attacked you. A gang of Farlanders had been there after you left. A big gang, who we’ve been trying to track down for some time now. They killed our pack brother a year ago, and we’ve been hunting them ever since.”

My eyes go wide at this news. I did not realize Brik and Thorus had lost a pack brother so recently. I reach out and touch his arm in sympathy. He places his hand on top of mine and smiles sadly.

He goes on.

“We’d been following the Farlanders’ scent trail, but at the ruins of the barn, the trail split. Half of the Farlanders followed you and Markus to that graveyard where we found you.”

“I bet I know which way the rest of them went,” I say. “They followed Delphine and her alphas, right?”

Brik nods. “That’s where Thorus has gone. He is tracking down the rest of the Farlander gang.”

“What?”

I jump to my feet and rush to the wall where my spear is leaning, but Markus catches me by the arm and turns me around.

“Let me go!” I cry. “We have to go help Thorus! There’s no way he can fight all those Farlanders by himself! They’ll kill him!”

Brik comes up beside me and rubs my back soothingly.

“He’s not going to fight them, Syra. He’s just going to spy on them.”

That makes me feel better, but only a little.

“It’s still dangerous,” I say.

“Thorus is no fool, Syra. He is one of the smartest and most resourceful alphas in the Zone. He will be fine, and he will be returning here soon, I promise.”

I want to tell Brik he shouldn’t make promises that someone else has to keep, but I have a feeling he is right. The same part of me that can sense Thorus’s distance can also sense that he is alive and well, at least for the time being.

Is it the mate bond that is letting me know that? Could the bond really happen so quickly? Thorus hasn’t marked me yet, but—

“Come on,” Markus says, gently guiding me back toward the fire. “You should finish eating.”

“I’m full,” I tell him.

This time, it’s the truth. I only ate a little of the meat, but I drank a lot of water, and I’m feeling pretty sated.

I don’t feel like returning to my nest either. I’m too worried about Thorus.

The other two alphas sense my uncertainty.

“Is there anything else you need?” Markus asks.

I look down at my bare body. At this point, I’m no longer ashamed about being naked in front of the alphas. They’ve already seen and touched every inch of me, inside and out. There is nothing left for me to hide from them. However, I am a little embarrassed about the filthy state my body is in. Even though I bathed just a few hours ago, my skin is already grimy with sweat and other things.

“I’d like to wash myself,” I say.

Without a word, Brik takes me by the arm and starts to guide me toward the dark passage leading to the spring. An instant later, Markus jumps in front of us, blocking our path.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Isn’t it obvious,” Brik answers. “I’m taking Syra to the spring to bathe her.”

Apparently he missed the part where I said I wanted to wash myself.

He starts to push past Markus, but Markus presses a hand against his chest to stop him.

“You got to bathe her last time,” he says. “It’s my turn.”