“Where’s Wrath?”
“He’ll meet us up there.”
“No!” I say sharply. “No one stays behind.”
As if he hears me, Wrath opens the door and climbs in. His face is severe, but I can almost feel the rage pouring off him.
“Get us out of here!” he spits out. “They are coming.”
Khaos puts the truck in drive and gets us turned around. He struggles with the truck, specifically the accelerator, until he gets it, and then, finally, we’re on the road up the mountain.
Khaos stops the truck right in front of the house. “Does anyone want to tell me what the hell happened?”
I’m so careful when I lift her out of the truck. She’s stopped shaking, but she’s got her nose buried in my throat.
“Clearly, Casey found her wolf,” Wrath spits out and slams the truck door.
Hazard gets out and sits down on the porch, putting his head in his hands. “What happened?”
“She tried to save us,” Riot says furiously. “That piece of shit beat her up, and then she still tried to save us.”
Khaos’ head jerks towards us. He really takes her in. She’s beautiful, as big as us, but with thicker fur. The strange colouring is so intriguing.
I snuggle her closer and then sit beside Hazard, who buries his face in her fur. He inhales deeply and lets out a rumbling purr.
She flinches but then relaxes more, soothed by the rattling sound my brother makes.
I stroke her fur, trying to will the safety that we have into her. Trying to show her with long, slow caresses that nothing is going to happen.
“You’re home, and you’re safe,” Wrath says and kneels down before her.
Riot stands back, watching, he looks exhausted.
Khaos paces back and forth, refusing to look at her.
“Khaos,” Riot warns.
“It changes nothing.”
Three words fall like a hammer coming down.
The silence stretches until, finally, Hazard scoops up the newly awakened wolf and walks inside with her.
“She doesn’t need to hear this,” he mumbles.
We wait until we hear the doors close and music comes on.
“It can’t change anything,” Khaos stresses.
“Look at her. She’s not just a wolf but an omega; when do you ever find one of those?” Riot hisses.
“You don’t because they are so rare and so damn dangerous,” Khaos shoots back. “Tempers, savage drive to destroy what they decide they hate. Unstoppable need to mate. You remember the mating heats? All the rumours? They can go through entire packs until the pack dies. During the heats, they are temperamental, they can and do slaughter any pack that comes to service them.”
“So what?” I grit out, furious at him for reminding us of this crap because that’s not her.
I know it’s not her. Casey is a protector and a caretaker. She would only fight if she had to. But I’m not even convinced she’d fight to protect herself.
“What about our other owners? They seemed fine too until they weren’t,” Khaos says, and I realise with shock that I’ve spoken out loud, and he’s answered me.
