"I'm not asking much," Warren said. "Just a single omega forthis." As he spoke, he nudged Stark's unconscious body with the toe of his boot. The royal guard growled together in hatred for the man keeping their captain hostage.
"This again?" Killian snapped. "You're not taking Scout. I'd fight you to the death before that ever happened."
Warren cocked an eyebrow. "Is that so?" He stepped forward, locking his gaze with Killian's. The Whitewood guard tightened their formation but Killian waved a hand for them to stand down. Furious and determined, he strode ahead to meet Warren. The other alpha towered over him, but Killian knew he was just using his bulk to intimidate him — Killian doubted that Warren had been in a real fight for a long time. His body was large and inherently powerful, but he lacked muscle definition, whereas Killian was young, fit, and agile. Killian narrowed his eyes as he tentatively hatched a plan.
Meanwhile, Scout's breath was caught in his throat. He could barely breathe as he watched his mate stand up to the enormous older alpha. Kyle was trembling next to Scout. The stakes had skyrocketed for them both.
"Well?" Warren spat. "What is it you have to say to me, little Prince?"
Killian ignored the insult. He knew he had to choose his words carefully now.
"My mate is pregnant," he stated simply. "Because of that, it would be an unfair trade."
He paused to let the murmurs ripple across both packs. The Whitewood guards, learning about Scout’s pregnancy for the first time, now focusedtheir attention on Scout, fiercely protecting him. The king shuffled into the tightly huddled group as well. He glowered with anger and looked ready to fight off the entire Silvercreek pack in order to protect his grandchild.
"I see," Warren muttered. Something flashed across his eyes — a dangerous flicker that made Killian tense and ready to spring into action. But Warren only continued in the same dark tone as before. "So, you're saying your mate is with child, and that he is worth more than this single guard." He gestured to Stark again. The injured man had begun to stir, and groaned as he tried to lift his head.
"Stark," Kyle whimpered. Scout gripped the other omega's shoulder, half to reassure him and half to make sure he didn't cause an outburst while Killian was trying to defuse the situation.
"Yes," Killian said slowly. "Because of the circumstances, I have a different proposal."
But Warren no longer seemed to be listening. His eyes were glazed over with wild anger, and he was locked onto the center of the royal guards — right where Scout stood.
The clearing fell deadly silent again as everyone waited for Warren to speak. But when he did, the words were low and half-growled — only Killian was close enough to hear them.
"He lied to me."
"What?" Killian growled.
Now Warren was openly shouting. Spittle flew from his mouth as the huge alpha snarled at Scout. "The omega lied to me!"
Before Killian could blink Warren had become a blur of grey and white streaking through the air. The clearing exploded into chaotic noise and confusion. Then a single shriek struck Killian in his core — Scout's voice.
He whipped around. Through the wall of bodies, Killian saw him. A huge pale grey wolf with its jaws to the ground was wrestling with something - someone.
Killian's heart nearly burst. Warren was on top of Scout.
In the blink of an eye, he shifted into wolf form and leapt into the fray. All around him he was vaguely aware of his own pack members shifting and fighting off the group of Silvercreek wolves, who had lunged in to help their alpha. As Killian desperately bounded forward, he saw Amy from the corner of his eye. She was herding the king away from the battle, but Killian's father was spitting fury. He pushed past her and tore across the space between himself and Warren. Killian watched as his father shifted, becoming a great black wolf that resembled his own.
The king slammed into Warren. They were a blur of black and white, the two colors blurring into a whirlwind of fangs and claws. Their snarls tore through the air. They didn't sound like normal wolves — the horrible, guttural noises were gruesome and fierce, louder and sharper than any natural wolf. The two pack alphas shredded each other across the clearing. No one dared interfere with their fight.
Killian ran straight for Scout. He found his mate in wolf form, and crouched over him protectively.
"Are you alright?" Killian asked, his voice dripping with concern.
"Yeah, he just startled me." Scout got to his feet with Killian's help. Kyle was still next to him, looking dazed from the sudden fight.
"What's going on?" Kyle asked. "Why did Warren explode like that?"
"When he held me captive, I told him I wasn't pregnant," Scout said. "I was just telling the truth back then. I didn't know." He shook his head, trying to sort through his own thoughts. "He... said if I was already pregnant, my child would become a slave for Silvercreek."
Killian's stomach twisted. His blood ran hot like fire through his veins.
Scout continued. As he spoke he stared at the ground, like he didn't want to remember. "I guess... I was worth more to him that way. And now he's angry he lost that chance."
"That's horrible!" Kyle cried.
Killian was overcome with rage. His claws dug into the ground, wishing it was Warren's flesh.
