His packmate nodded.
“Is that why you’re an omega?” Brooks asked.
“Yeah,” Carter said.
There was a story there, Brooks was sure about that, but now wasn’t the time or place to get into it.
He sat back in the swivel chair, rubbing his hand along the neat beard edged along his jawline and trying to get his head around what all of this meant.
“Selena’s going to lose control more often and with less provocation,” Carter continued. “This morning, it was because she thought she’d hurt you. In a week, it might be someone cutting her off in traffic or bumping her in a crowd. In a month, it could be someone looking at her the wrong way. If she’s lucky, the claws and fangs you saw this morning are as far as she’ll be able to shift. I don’t know about that for sure, since I’ve never seen a female omega. But still, the chances of her exposing what she is to someone—or killing them—is high, and it’ll get worse the longer she’s on her own.”
Brooks let out a low growl, refusing to even think about any of those possibilities. “Selena won’t be on her own. She’ll have me.”
His packmate studied him, a look of sadness in his eyes Brooks had never seen before. It made him wonder when Carter had become so solemn. Oh yeah, maybe a couple of hours ago, when Gage had decided it was time for his big secret to come out.
“Do you love Selena?” Carter asked.
“Yes. More than I ever thought possible.”
Brooks said the words without hesitation, for the first time putting what he felt for Selena into words. He’d known there was a connection with her from the moment he’d seen her, and he’d been more than ready to accept she wasThe Onefor him. But this was the first time he’d allowed himself to truly consider what all that meant. He only wished he’d told Selena how he felt before this morning. Considering they’d only been on two dates, it probably would have been way too fast, but maybe it would have kept everything from going so bad.
“I’m not talking about her beingThe Onefor you,” Carter said. “That’s obvious. What I want to know is whether you’re ready to do anything necessary to help Selena, even if that means watching her walk away.”
The question caught him off guard. “Walk away? What the hell are you talking about?” The words came out sharper than he intended, his fangs extending slightly. “I’m not letting her walk anywhere without me. I want to help her control this thing.”
“I know that.” Carter’s mouth curved up in a small, mirthless smile. “Look, learning how to stay calm enough to control their claws and fangs is a long-term project for an omega. I worked on it by myself for almost two years before Gage found me. It’s still hit and miss, even after all this time. The best thing you can do for Selena is be there for her when she needs you. Introducing her to the Pack might help, too.”
Brooks scowled. “Might help?”
“You’re going to have to take this at her pace,” Carter said. “Some omegas, like me—and the ones that have moved into the area since the hunters showed up—can live in a pack environment. But others never get to that point. As a rule, omegas are loners. If you try to put a wall up around Selena for her own protection, you might chase her off.”
Brooks opened his mouth to say he wouldn’t let that happen to the woman he loved, but Carter interrupted him. “Ray’s coming. I’ll let you two talk.”
Carter was out the door before Brooks could stop him. Ray stepped in a moment later. He grinned when he caught sight of Brooks.
“You know you didn’t have to hang around, right?” Ray grabbed the chair Carter had vacated. “It’s not like we’re going to need any doors kicked in at this point.”
Brooks couldn’t help but smile at the little groan of pleasure Ray let out now that he was off his feet. The guy acted like he was eighty even though he was the fittest cop in his midfifties in the department. “I know. But I wanted to be here in case you found something worthwhile.”
Ray snorted. “Hope you haven’t been holding your breath then, because we haven’t found much of anything.”
“Nothing?”
“Nothing of substance. We confirmed the other two victims were members of the Hillside Riders. Put that together with the fact that Aaron is a member of the Locos, and it confirms the new gang boss was behind this. It’s the only thing that explains members from different gangs being in one place.”
“You think this new boss is still clearing out gang members who refuse to follow him?” Brooks asked.
Ray crossed his arms over his chest with a shrug. “Maybe. José and the others from narcotics are leaning that way. Most of my people think the boss caught Aaron and those other two skimming some of the spiked energy drinks for themselves, either to drink or sell to make some money on the side, and made an example of them.”
“But you don’t buy either of those explanations?” Brooks prodded, knowing his old friend well. “You think there’s another reason for the murders?”
Ray nodded. “That beating put on Aaron and the other guys wasn’t someone sending a message. That was personal. Those men did something to piss off the boss, and he came after them himself. I don’t think it was something as minor as swiping a box of drugged-up energy drink.”
“Like what?”
“No clue,” Ray admitted. “But if we figure out what the reason was, it will point us straight at the man we’re after.”
“Any chance the techs can get prints off the tools the killers used to beat those men to death?” Brooks asked.
