Fuck, well no point in lying I guess. “Lovers’ quarrel,” I say with a shrug.
The Alpha raises an eyebrow. “That’s some argument.”
We really aren’t coming across well here at all. Callum and I are big, intimidating looking guys. Older and bulkier than these alphas. Dave is pretty scary looking too, even though he is a beta. And here we are with Callum drooling over one of their omegas and me declaring that I made my lover run away from me. Unless it is not obvious that I’m the one disagreeing with their lover. It’s a thin hope to hold onto but I don’t want these strangers knowing my failings.
“Your mate?” The Alpha asks me, immediately discerning that it is in fact me who has driven someone away. Do I really look like such an asshole?
“Not yet!” I snap.
Shit. Dig a hole Jake. Now you really sound like a jerk.
Unsurprisingly, the Alpha looks decidedly unimpressed. He crosses his arms over his chest and his eyes glint darkly.
“An omega you want to mate has run away from you and you want my permission to hunt them down on my lands?”
Under different circumstances I would like this Alpha. He clearly has morals and good principles. But right now it’s flipping frustrating. A growl escapes my throat and the Alpha growls back, his eyes flashing with fury and barely contained rage. I’ve stepped back without intending to. Why is he so pissed off?
Callum puts a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry Alpha Brightsky, we are not explaining ourselves very well.”
Callum is functioning again, thank fuck for that. My five minutes of taking charge did not go well at all. I’m clearly far better suited to being second-in-command. Or the muscle. Or basically anything that is not diplomacy.
“Fitz hasn’t run away because Jake wants to mate him, quite the opposite. Fitz is upset because Jake broke up with him.”
Shit. Is that what I did? I feel sick and sweaty. I told Fitz I wasn’t going to have sex with him anymore, of course that’s a break up. Whether it had been a relationship or a casual thing, or whatever the hell we had been doing. I had clearly said I was ending it.
Alpha Brightsky’s gaze flicks between me and Callum. He doesn’t look very convinced. He is going to say no, I can feel it in my bones. Then what the fuck are we going to do? I need to find Fitz, I need to. More than I need oxygen. Another thought flashes through my mind. The moon is going to be full again soon. I don’t know for sure if Fitz will be okay. Can he shift on purpose without me? I should have checked. So many things I should have done.
Now I’m standing here vibrating with anxiety, entirely at the mercy of an unfamiliar pack. One we have just pissed off.
Callum takes a deep breath. “Fitz is no ordinary omega. Jake found him nearly two moons ago with hunters. Fitz was raised by them and may still have misplaced loyalty.”
Alpha Brightsky’s eyes widen. Callum’s implication is clear, Fitz needs to be found before he reaches hunters and returns with them. I hate it. Fitz dropped his knife and spent the night sobbing in my arms. He no longer believes that we are the monsters. He has accepted the truth. But if it gets us onto Brightsky land, the little white lie is worth it.
“So which is he? Your runaway dumped lover or dangerous escaped prisoner?” asks the lighter haired Brightsky alpha.
My guts churn. This is rapidly turning into a nightmare. I guess lying wasn’t the way to go after all. Except, I have to accept that it wasn’t exactly a full on lie. If Fitz is confused and hurt right now, he might be driven back to familiarity. Where everything made sense. It feels like a betrayal to think that of him, but I need to be realistic.
Callum is looking at me, but I don’t know what to say. My mind scrabbles for a solution before giving up. Maybe honesty is the best policy? Frankly, at this stage it’s not like we have a lot left to lose.
I shrug helplessly. “Both? Somewhere between the two? He started off as one and is rapidly becoming the other.”
That’s a terrible explanation. But the Brightskys are giving me thoughtful, considering looks. Maybe my honesty shone through and has reassured them.
A long drawn out silence makes me squirm. I can’t stand this. I hate everything about it. I’m helpless and useless. The temptation to blast the Brightskys with magic is getting stronger and stronger. A pack war? Bring it on.
“We will look for him together. If we find him, the omegas will talk to him alone before we decide if we are handing him over to you.”
A wave of dizziness washes over me. I’ve never been so relieved in all my life. I could hug Alpha Brightsky right now.
“Thank you, Alpha Brightsky,” says Callum solemnly.
We step onto Brightsky land and resume the hunt. Fitz’s trail is easy to pick up. He is not trying to hide it at all. He was banking on the pack boundary stopping us.
I pick up the pace. His scent is fresher. He slowed right down. I even find a spot where he stopped for a rest. I’m gaining ground. Excitement trembles through me.
Then I see him. Just up ahead. Sitting halfway up a tree, amongst branches too thin to hold anyone heavier than him. It’s a good tactic and worth repeating. My gaze assesses him anxiously. He is unharmed and the sight of him makes my heart thud.
We surround the tree and Fitz peers down at us with his dazzling green eyes. Looking far more like a cat than a wolf.
