VALAK
Some days I seriously hate my fucking life. Actually, it’s probably most days. For the past few years, life has been railing me. Hard.
Gabriel’s voice over my car stereo is nothing new, but today he’s strangely restrained as he fills in the details of an urgent assist call he’s dealing with. For some reason the minute he starts feeding me the information, it feels like I have nails scratching down my neck, urging me to snap to attention. I swear to god at one point, there’s an itty-bitty voice that joins my brothers, telling me to hold on tight.
“Urgent call in to the Alliance Hotline. Woman, sounds young, in the basement carpark behind The Entertainment Centre. She’s injured, has a dog, and by the sounds of it, the two people still there are also hurt or incapacitated, not sure to what extent yet. Take caution approaching. I’m on the other line with her and will keep comms open.”
Swinging a wide turn on Smithton Boulevard, I mumble a hurried response that I’m driving towards her while waiting for more of an update.
The clack of a keyboard and Gabe’s steady breathing is all I hear. I know to keep quiet while he coordinates everything on his wall of screens and numerous comms units.
“I’ve got another alpha in the area too. Give me a sec.” Gabriel is good at having a hundred conversations at once and coordinating everything with a chaotic calmness he’s exuded since following me out of our mother’s womb.
My brother and I are identical in looks, but not temperament. Which is why he deals behind the scenes. Honestly you say “fight” and Gabe’s right in the thick of things, throwing punches before he can figure out who he’s fighting for. But in high-end tech and organisation, he is the best in the field. The both of us working together was a no-brainer.
Some siblings, even twins, need to have a few degrees of separation, but he and I are not that type. I swear we are still joined in a lot of ways.
“Gabe, you got a name for me?” I interrupt before I should.
“Hold your fucking horses, pretty boy. Trying to pull in a patch. Noah Teo, esteemed plastic surgeon, all around good alpha dude is about to join us.”
Gabe’s right, Noah Teo is one of the good ones. He’s been an active member of the Alpha Alliance since it was formed nearly seven years ago, and he uses his clout in our community and his circle of educated peers to continually push for pack reforms. We’ve spent time together because we’re on the same committees, but aside from that he’s a busy man, and I’m a bastard.
The Alpha Alliance was a necessary outcome, formed by the packs who were disgusted and appalled at the discovery the government were a bunch of lying fucktards, corrupt and neck deep in the bullshit that happened at the Regalo labs. No matter what you called it, The Regalo Project or The Gift, was a mail order bride service funded by government coffers. Except instead of sending brides in the mail, they provided omegas. Not natural born omegas, either. The lead scientist, Dagmar Regalo, had discovered a way of pumping out genetically modified people he’d plucked off the streets in his attempt at stabilising both the alpha and omega populations. In his mind, using the DNA from omegas he’d abducted to make betas into omegas was a necessary advancement in society. The guy was a cunt, that’s for sure. But, even after the sham was uncovered, the government maintained a facade of hiding behind a glaringly transparent web of lies until a large and vocal group of alphas rose up and acted. Sadly, though it also was the line in the sand, and there was a clear divide between packs still today.
“Noah, you with us?” Gabe’s voice cut through my reminiscing over the reason I’m currently speeding through the night.
“You’re coming in loud and clear. Who else is on the call?” Noah asks. His voice is a little detached or maybe it’s more he’s super-efficient in the way he speaks—no wasting time on niceties. Which works for me.
“Valak.”
Noah provides a quick greeting before letting me know that we’re on the same road.
“All good, Val?” Gabe flicks over parts of our call to mute Noah, so our conversation stays between him and me.
“Yeah.”
I cut across the empty roads and make my way straight towards the carpark. Gabe’s talking about options, trying to figure out what we need.
“Let me see first, Gabe,” I suggest.
I can faintly hear him speaking to the woman who called it in, although I can’t hear her answers.
“An omega?”
“Not sure. I’ve got nothing to go on yet—no name, no age, no designation.”
While I wait for him to update us, I arrive at the carpark and make my way through the levels. It’s pretty full and considering Broken Cube are playing down the road, it makes sense. The beta band is crazy popular.
A gunshot rings out in real time, and it takes everything in me not to floor it, but Gabe opens up the comms so Noah and I can hear her explanation. I follow Gabe’s direction to approach her on foot. Noah idles up behind me and the two of us approach cautiously.
One step out of my car and I nearly slide to my ass. I’m hit, an arrow square between the eyes by her scent. Jasmine so sweet and fresh it’s overpowering. And it’s not the artificial bullshit they use in candles either, this is blooming jasmine after a spring shower, lyrical and poetic.
“What the?” Noah eloquently stammers next to me, his cultural voice rough like he’s struggling to breathe too.
The scent rolls off her, it’s so thick filling the level we’re on, completely overriding all the usual scents of the city.
She’s tiny. Like so fucking small and dainty. I could literally pick her up and snap her with one hand. And I hope it’s the oversized hoodie she’s wearing that makes her appear smaller. From here it’s impossible to guess her age, even her hair colour, the hoodie covers up all the identifying details. Her dog is not a puzzle to figure out—it is the most insane beast I have ever seen. And even with it lying injured, you can see and feel the protective streak and power rolling off it.
