“Then why stay?”
“Because this is my home and—”
“Because you’re a fool.” He waves away a few younger pack members lingering in the clearing, then motions the large, reddish brown wolf forward. Luke.
My cousin shifts back without being asked and stands beside his father, uncertainty furrowing his brow. A couple of seconds later, two more men move to stand with Randall. One of them is John, the man who took my dad’s place as second after the failed challenge, and the other is Malachi, the pack cleric.
“Omegas are sacred,” says the cleric. “They are meant to be helpmates and guides to their Alphas, mothers to the pack. But a male omega serves no purpose except to lead Alphas from the path of righteousness. They cannot bear children. They are nothing but an unholy mistake of nature.”
I guess that means Randall and company are in the ‘omegas are an abomination’ camp.
I swallow and glance up to meet his eyes for a second before moving my gaze back to the ground. “I can’t help what I am.”
“No, you can’t,” says Randall almost conversationally. “But I will not let you lead this pack astray.” He jerks his chin toward Luke. “Hold him.”
“What? Why?” My cousin looks so horribly confused in this moment that I almost pity him. Sure, the kid has never been particularly nice to me—he is his father’s son—but I doubt he’s ever put any serious thought into killing someone.
“Just do it,” snaps Randall.
I want to spare Luke this—he’s so damnyoung—and tell Randall that I don’t need to be held in place, that I won’t run…
But I read some stories of what has happened to male omegas in the past and I don’t know if those are promises I can keep once it starts.
Luke moves forward, eyeing his dad as he does, then grabs me by the upper arm with one hand. One of the other men snorts because that’s definitely not what Randal meant. It doesn’t really matter though once the first fist flies at my face, the shifter strength behind it breaking my nose and shattering my cheekbone. From there, it’s nothing but a blur of agony and whimpered screams, flesh bruising and bones breaking much faster than my shifter healing can keep up with.
There are 206 bones in the human body and they must break every one of them once and some, the larger ones like the femur and the ulna, they break at least twice. I’m probably unconscious for some of it, but I can’t tell because my entire world has become nothing but pain. At some point, they finally stop. All of them are panting from exertion or adrenaline, even Luke, who I’m fairly certain didn’t take part beyond holding me up.
They must be taking a break—for themselves, not me—and they’ll probably allow me to heal for a bit before starting again. It’s the same thing Randall did to my dad after the challenge yesterday. Beating. Take a break. Beating. Take a break… so on and so on until there was nothing left to heal. Weirdly enough, that gives me something to aim for before I die.
My dad always called me weak and useless. Even taking a beating isn’t new to me, but if I can survive more rounds of this than my dad? Well, then at least I beathimat something.
People say our wolves are the animal side of us, wild and ferocious. But I don’t think actual wolves would ever do something like this to a packmate. Humans? I’m pretty sure they do shit like this daily.
I let my mind drift as far away from my pain-wracked body as I can, following the wind with my thoughts as it drifts through the trees.
I’m alone now. I’m not sure how much time has passed, but I’ve healed enough that blood no longer bubbles from between my lips with each breath and the agony has lessened somewhat. Footsteps sound at the edge of the clearing and grow closer until a pair of boots blocks my view of the woods. There’s a thud and something falls to the ground beside my head.
“Dad’s back at the house and he’s already plastered. I don’t know if he’ll make it back out here tonight or not, but…” Luke crouches down until he’s kinda sorta at eye level with me. “I know we aren’t exactly friends, but this…” He trails off, shaking his head, and I can see a sheen of moisture over his eyes.Kid better toughen up or this pack is going to eat him alive.“I got together as much food and stuff as I could without rousing suspicion. He’s occupied for now, but you need to get out of here.”
I can only blink and mumble out a thanks as best I can with my mangled jaw.
“Take care of yourself, Keir.” He reaches a hand out, as if to pat my shoulder, then must think better of touching the battered joint and pulls his hand back.
I watch him as he walks away and returns to the only home I’ve ever known, the place I can never go again.
Dawn is creeping along the edges of the sky before I can pull myself together enough to shift into my wolf. I grab the bag Luke left for me in my mouth and run as quickly as my still healing legs can manage.
I don’t look back.
One
Keir
4YearsLater…
I’m in Hell and this is definitely not where I belong. No really, I’m in the lower level of Heaven & Hell, a gay club in downtown Chicago, which is absolutelynotwhere I’m supposed to be working tonight.
“Jerry, look at me,” I say to the bartender as I gesture at my outfit of strappy sandals, silver hotpants, white wings, and glitter. Lots and lots of glitter. I couldn’t look more out of place if I tried. “I’m supposed to be working the floor upstairs.”
