When Henry let me out the back door, they were there. “Have a good night, Katie. You’ll be safe with the sheriff and his pack.” He gave me a wink and a thumbs-up, making me glad it was dim in the alley so my flaming cheeks were not as obvious.
“Night, Henry.” I started to sayit’s not what you think, but with how badly I wished it were, I let him think what he wanted to. At least one of us could believe me a real omega.
We rode home together to where Vaughn had dinner waiting. He was a slow-cooker champ, and the roast and vegetables he served along with a batch of quick biscuits he threw together while the rest of us washed up were tender, the gravy flavorful and all of it delicious. But none of us ate much, the tension thick and humming between them, and guilt dulling my appetite.
After Marco showed up, I had to admit my time here was short. Even if he rode on ahead, he’d eventually have to return this way, and if he came into the diner again, he would very likely see me. Or he could ask around about a new redheaded omega. He might see the truck through Darryl’s open door. He’d find me if I stayed here, and these alphas would be in his crosshairs. Marco’s brutality was well-known, my refusal of him and fleeing guaranteed to keep him enraged. I couldn’t put the alphas who had been so kind to me in danger.
They would try to save me and end up hurt or worse. No, I’d wait until they were asleep and then quietly leave. Go cross-country in my fur to make it harder for anyone to follow me. Maybe I could work out how to carry at least one set of clothes in my mouth, in a grocery bag or something. If I stayed a wolf and avoided towns for a few weeks, it could work.
Trying to eat, I kept my eyes fixed on my plate, afraid they’d guess what I intended. I’d leave the little bit of money I had saved up to repay them for their hospitality, and Darryl could do that lien thing and keep the truck.
No loss to anyone.
Why had I ever been born? Incapable of fulfilling my purpose as an omega, I’d disappointed everyone who I ever encountered.
As I wallowed in self-pity, Holt’s phone buzzed. Nothing new there. The sheriff was always in high demand, but after he read the screen, he looked up. Caught my downturned gaze and held it.
Oh no.
Before he spoke, confirming that he knew what a pathetic excuse for an omega I was, I was on my feet and running for the kitchen door. I jerked it open and raced onto the porch, clothing shredding around me as my wolf took over and carried me away. I’d have nothing to wear when and if I ever stopped fleeing, but that mattered less than facing the shocked expressions they’d all wear when they knew my secrets.
They’d be safe from Marco and anyone from my old pack too.
It was for the best.
Then, why was my heart shattering in pieces on the ground under my paws?
Chapter Sixteen
Vaughn
“What in the hell is happening?” I asked, already pulling off my shirt as the three of us fast-walked toward the back door. My wolf felt the power of her shift, and there was only one thing to do.
Our omega was scared. The sharp, acidic scent of fear filled the air. My wolf tore out of my human body. The most painful shift I’d ever experienced.
All three of us shifted at the same time. Our omega wolf was faster than us but we knew the land better.
Her fear propelled her even faster.
What in the hell was she afraid of? We hadn’t done anything to make her scared, had we? Though there was something fierce about the way Holt looked at her after reading the text he’d received.
We gave chase, splitting up so that she didn’t get lost or hurt. No matter what was going on, running from us or her problems solved nothing.
We were a pack, even if she hadn’t accepted us, and we hadn’t made a commitment to court her. She was ours. Period. Even if she never took us on as a pack.
Once you met the person made for you, no one else stood a chance.
At the top of a grassy hill, we surrounded her, finally catching up. She was the fourth point on the square and the only way to get away from us was down the hill.
Don’t do it. Female, don’t do it,I pleaded even though she wouldn’t be able to hear us until we were bonded completely and she bore our marks.
She did it. Katie’s wolf turned and, instead of making her way down the hill at a slow pace, she tripped in her haste and rolled down the hill. All three of us followed and somehow, in our desperation for her not to get hurt, tumbled after her. The sky became the ground, and grass and dirt got in my mouth. We ended up at the bottom, breathless and disoriented.
And shifted back to human.
Katie stood. Behind her was the river. We surrounded her. Her shoulders slumped, and she looked at her feet. “Worth a shot,” she murmured.
None of us laughed.
