I stayed close as he led me into the hut. There was another shifter sitting inside who was less powerful, and his animal had a distinct cat feel. Still a beta, but a weaker beta lion. “Ms. Anders,” he said, jumping to his feet. “I’m Harry. It’s nice to meet you.”
Harry looked even younger than me, his face still round with the flush of youth. He was cute, with curly red hair and hazel eyes. “Nice to meet you too, Harry. Thanks for keeping an eye on this place for the pack. It certainly makes me feel safer to know you guys are out here.”
Harry blushed, and Beta Jones patted me on the shoulder firmly, until I glanced down with my eyes widening.
Did this guy have a death wish?
My touch had been a mistake, but this was an extended and firm assault on my shoulder. The alphas were going to flip out when they scented him on me.
I took as big a step back as I could in the small hut, breaking his hold. It occurred to me that I was out here with two strangers and had unintentionally put myself into a dangerous position. I didn’t even have my phone to let the alphas know where I was.
“I’d love to grab the books and head back to the house,” I said, attempting to keep my voice steady. “The alphas are waiting for me.”
There was no reason for them to know that I hadn’t told anyone. Even if logically speaking, had an alpha known about this, one of them would be with me.
“Right, they’re over here.” Jones wandered toward the main desk and leaned down to grab a large hessian bag with black handles. It looked heavy as he hauled it up onto the table, and I was mostly relieved to know it existed and this wasn’t all some ruse to lure me from the safety of the pack house.
“One of us can carry this back with you,” he said, eyeing the bag. “It’s quite heavy.”
Bad idea! Abort.I shook my head. “Oh, no. I’m stronger than I look. I’ll manage just fine. Thanks though.”
He wore a dubious expression, his eyes narrowed on my rather uninspiring biceps as he handed the bag across. The solid weight settled in my hand, but it wasn’t unmanageable. At least not if I took breaks hauling it back. Glancing inside, I saw at least a dozen thick books which would take me two lifetimes to read, but I couldn’t fault Chelsea for effort.
“This is great, thank y—”
A loud crash shook the booth, and I almost dropped the heavy bag on my foot when I found myself pinned against the wall by Jones.
He pulled a gun out and stood between me and the door.
“Beta Harry, get out there and investigate,” Jones snapped, his stronger dominance leaving Harry no choice but to jump to his bidding.
The younger shifter hesitated briefly, eyeing the way I was pinned. “You shouldn’t touch her again, sir. She belongs to Pack Reeves, and we were thoroughly warned by Alpha Hunter.”
Jones’ voice was harsh. “They’ll understand in these circumstances.”
Harry’s eyes met mine, and I wanted to beg him not to leave me alone with Jones. My creep radar was going nuts, as I tried to figure out what situation I’d wandered into.
Begging wouldn’t help though; Harry couldn’t disobey a command from a more dominant shifter, not without a fight. I wouldn’t get this poor kid killed because I’d screwed up.
“She doesn’t like you being that close,” he finally said as he raced out the door.
Jones didn’t move, so I shoved against him. “He’s right. You’re too close. Back up.”
The only response I got was a growl as his scent grew muskier, indicating his wolf was in control. He leaned closer to my throat, breathing deeply, and I was in full-on panic mode now. “What’s an unmated omega doing wandering around on her own anyway?”
Goddess be damned!This was bad. I might not know exactly what was happening, but Jones acted like a wolf who’d lost control of his beast. Omegas could do this to other wolves, completely unintentionally of course, which didn’t change the end results.
“They’re going to kill you,” I growled back at him. “You know that, right?”
He snarled, and he was so close that it echoed in my ears. “Not if they never find you. There’s a lot of packs looking for you, Emmeline, and they’re all willing to payvery wellfor your time and company. I heard you wanted to escape the alphas. I’m offering you a chance right now.”
I forced my terror down and breathed slowly, calming my mind as I ran my gaze over the office in search of a weapon. On the desk I noticed the phone, which had to connect to the pack house. I swept over it quickly not wanting to draw attention to the device.
“I’m not trading one prison for another that might be worse,” I told him, trying to keep him distracted and talking. “This isn’t about helping me. It’s about selling me to the highest bidder.”
He didn’t even bother to deny it. I had no idea how he had this planned, but he must have been ready and waiting for an opportunity to grab me, and I’d played right into his fucking hands.
Refusing to fall into my fate without a fight, I jerked my leg up and kneed him straight in the balls. When he dropped, I landed another kick to his head, before I dove for the phone. In the same instant I yanked up the receiver and hit the button that saidReeves Pack.
