I bark out a bitter laugh. “Not you, too.”
“You were closest,” he points out. “I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t imagining it.”
“Imagined or not, she’s off-limits.” Another growl rumbles from my throat, though not because I’m angry at Diego. No, the other alpha has been like a brother to me for decades. If his alpha wants to mate the runaway omega, too, who am I to judge? I’m just pissed that we can’t have her.
The terms of our contract are clear: Capture and contain the omega and deliver her safely to the Orions. There’s no clause for sudden scent matches or alpha hormones going into overdrive.
Pity. She was a feisty one, odd for an omega, but my alpha definitely digs her vibe. Diego and I could have some fun with her. While we head back to our vehicle, I let my mind wander to vague fantasies of what we’d do with her when we caught her … if it was only allowed.
Olly breaks through my introspection when we exit the forest. “Gage, did you notice anything odd about this mission?”
I roll my eyes at the beta and rip off my mask. “Besides all of it?”
He gives me a wounded look, his amber eyes almost sad, and I heave a sigh. “Sorry, man. I’m just out of sorts. What part of this isn’t tracking right with you?”
While Olly may be “just” a beta, he’s sharp; he might have picked up on something, some piece of the puzzle that slipped past me. Olly doesn’t seem to have the same, er, drive that Diego and I do, so he’s probably better equipped to analyze the situation from a more objective viewpoint. It doesn’t hurt that he’s our pack physician, either.
Before he can elaborate, the fourth member of our party–Emmett, another alpha–jumps out of the Humvee with a sardonic grin on his angular face. He brushes back his brown locks with his hand and winks at me.
“Empty-handed again, huh, Gage?”
“Better to come back with an empty hand than with my dick in it.” I give him a solid punch on the shoulder. “Which is what I’m guessing you were up to while we did all the work.”
Emmett rubs his shoulder and gives a mock wince of pain. I know I didn’t hit him that hard.
“Ouch! That hurts on two levels, man.”
“Anyway, Olly was speculating on why this omega is such a hard catch.”
“Well, I won’t have any solid answers until we actually catch her, but I’m thinking there’s more to this omega than our benefactors would lead us to believe. What did that other pack say about her again? ‘Proprietary property’?”
“Yeah.” Diego nods in affirmation. “Like she’s some kind ofthing. There’s something really off about that pack.”
Great. Not only did we not catch our mark, but we wound up with fresh questions that probably are better left unanswered. We make our living by keeping our noses out of other packs’ business, and I suspect the more we dive into this mystery, the more trouble we’re going to get ourselves into.
None of this sits well with me, and as I drive us back to the compound, my sour mood tanks even further. If the Orion pack is into some weird, illegal shit, we’d best be served by cutting our losses now and booking it out of here.
Then I remember the look on her face. Defiance and rage, yes, but also fear … and lust. She’d probably never admit it, but she wanted me. I know I’m not imagining it.
Something is up. Something fishy, underhanded. My instinct is to steer clear of any association with this mess, but now that I’ve met the omega firsthand …
“We’re totally investigating this bullshit, aren’t we, Gage?”
My grip on the wheel tightens, and my leather gloves creak audibly.
“We’re going to be discreet. I know that’s a novel concept for you, Emmett, but this calls for more subtlety than our usual ‘guns blazing’ M.O.”
Diego leans forward in his seat, pulling off his mask and letting his dark hair tumble free. “I’m in if you are,jefe.All for one, one for all, right?”
Olly chuckles. “We’re not Musketeers, Diego.”
“Hey, man, the Musketeers were the alphas of their time!” He claps Olly on the back, hard enough to make the beta lurch forward in his seat. “You’re D'artagnan. Gage is Porthos, I’m Aramos, and Em is Athos.”
Emmett twists around to glare at Diego. “Do you even know which Musketeer is which?”
Diego shrugs. “They have swords and guns. What more do I need to know?”
I feel more like a Stooge than a Musketeer right now, but regardless of which historical icons we best represent, we’ve got a new mission now:
