Alpha Dragon Steals (Babies For Broken Dads #6)

Chapter 1 - Ottis Runs Away

OTTIS RUNS AWAY

Running with the pack used to be Ottis’ favorite thing.

All the pack wolves would gather in their forest to howl at the moon, before taking off at a run. Leaping over ditches, stretching out their limbs, feeling the wind brush their fur like an old friend.

It had filled Ottis with an intoxicating rush.

After he had presented as an omega—the only omega in his dads’ two litters—Ottis had taken special pride in keeping up with his alpha brothers. Alpha wolves were bigger, stronger, faster. Ottis had run with them, pushing his body so no one would call him weak.

Not that his brothers ever did, but it was a matter of pride.

Then the attack happened.

These days, pack runs were something Ottis hated. He now ran with a limp. No matter how hard he tried, his bad leg slowed him down; he could no longer keep up with his brothers at their fastest.

They ran slower to match his speed, but it was humiliating.

In any case, he had tried running with the elderly wolves and pups, but that made his stomach squirm.

He shouldn’t have come back.

“Will you run with us tonight?” His older brother Titan looked at him beseechingly. “It’s been a while since you joined us. We miss you. And we’re worried—”

“Don’t. You promised me you wouldn’t say anything,” Ottis growled.

Eight-month-old Marcie whimpered and burrowed against him, a tiny ball of fur under his hand. Ottis rubbed her back guiltily.

Titan made a face. “I just thought it would help you feel better. Get your blood pumping, get a few howls out of you. You’re looking better than you did when you first came back—”

“I don’t want to talk about that.”

That had been a bad part of Ottis’ life. Actually, it still wasn’t over.

Somewhere out there, Sevrian was still tracking him down.

Sooner or later, he would find Ottis on pack territory. The pack would do their best to chase away that vile scum, but in the process, someone would get hurt. Multiple someones.

Ottis needed his pack to be safe, and that meant leaving. Already, he had stuck around for too long.

His pulse raced. “I should go.”

Titan frowned and glanced at Ottis’ chest. “What do you mean?”

“I need to leave the territory again.”

“Is someone after you?” Titan bared his teeth.

Ottis scowled. “Ti, I don’t want you jumping in to defend me. You have an omega and a pup—and another on the way. I don’t want to put you and your family in danger.”

“Fuck.” Titan rubbed his face. “So someone’s after you. Why didn’t you tell us earlier?”

“There’s no one!” But Ottis’ heart skipped, betraying him.

Titan heard it. He narrowed his eyes. “You know we’ll all step in to protect you, right?”

“I don’t want to be protected!” Ottis yelled. Not at the cost of his pack’s lives. “Just leave me alone, please.”

“Can’t,” Titan growled. “Pack watches out for each other.”

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Someone might die from this.

He was one person and a pup; he could move around a lot more freely than an established pack.

Ottis thought quickly. “Give me until tomorrow,” he said, sticking to the truths.

“I won’t join the pack run tonight, but.

.. but you can try to talk to me tomorrow. ”

Just that he wouldn’t be here by this time tomorrow. But Titan could still try.

“Okay,” Titan finally said, looking sympathetic. “I’ll tell the rest tomorrow.”

The rest of their brothers would push harder than Titan; they would stick around Ottis every single minute of the day, to keep him safe.

It would be suffocating.

Titan pulled Ottis into a loose hug, smelling like bread, omega, pup, and milk. “Rest. You’ll need your energy to face those assholes tomorrow.”

“Ugh,” Ottis said.

Titan laughed, waved, and disappeared out of Ottis’ cabin.

Ottis trailed his fingertips through Marcie’s fur.

His heart pounded. The moment Titan told their brothers, he would never get another second of peace.

It had been the same when Sevrian destroyed his leg.

Back then, he’d had at least two brothers in his space all the time, checking his temperature, piling plates of food on his nightstand even though he was full.

Hell, they had tried to follow him into the bathroom, blindfolded to preserve his modesty.

Ottis had come so close to fighting them off. In the end, he had left the pack so they couldn’t follow him around anymore.

But back then, he didn’t have a pup to protect.

“What should I do?” he murmured. Marcie squirmed onto her back and tried to bite his fingers; she batted at him with her little paws and wagged her tail.

She was incredible. He loved her with all his heart. But it was dangerous out there; Ottis knew she would be safer if he left her with the pack.

But Marcie would also cry for him when he never returned. He couldn’t do that to her.

He drew a deep breath. “I’ll be as safe as I can. I have some things to help.”

He hugged the omegas of his pack. Then he slipped into the pack house and approached his omega dad. “Can I talk to you for a second? In private.”

Dad eyed him and headed for the soundproofed office. When the door turned, Dad turned to meet his eye. The sight of his dad always shocked Ottis a little; Dad was older now than when Ottis had left the pack some years ago. But his eyes were still kind, his stance patient. “What’s wrong, pup?”

“I’m going to do something stupid,” Ottis said. “Please ask the pack not to rescue me.”

“Hmm. Are you going to tell me what this stupid thing is?”

Ottis fidgeted. “Are you going to try and stop me?”

Dad sighed. “I can make an educated guess. Your brothers have been... scrabbling to do something about whoever hurt you.”

“That’s an understatement.”

“It’s not safe out there. Especially with a pup like yours; Marcie does strange things sometimes.”

“I know.” Ottis sagged.

“I could drop you off somewhere. It’s safer than traveling on foot. We’re a ways from the nearest big town, and you know the rumors that have been floating around.”

“Yeah. But I need to do this on my own.”

Dad sighed again. “Fine. You’re aware that your brothers might chase you down anyway?”

Ottis groaned. “Those jerks.”

At that, Dad cracked a tiny smile. “Call me if you need help.”

“I hope I won’t need it, but thank you.” Ottis breathed out and shifted Marcie to one hip, before pulling Dad into a hug. Dad hugged him back tightly, brushing his hands over Ottis’ head and shoulders to scent him. He gave Marcie a good cuddle too.

“Be safe out there.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Then Ottis left the pack house, returning to his cabin to wait for nightfall.

It was only when the pack had gone deep into the woods, that Ottis made his move.

He hid his footsteps under the howling and rustling leaves, following the road that led to the highway. With his limp, in his human shape, it was easier to walk on asphalt than uneven ground.

He needed to save as much of his energy as he could. Even with the scent-concealing ointment that he’d rubbed all over himself, he had a long way to go before he couldn’t be found.

Through it all, he kept his ears pricked for any sounds that didn’t belong to the night.

Sevrian was somewhere out there. Maybe he was nearby, or maybe he wasn’t. It was hard to tell.

He pushed aside his misgivings and focused on the road ahead, sighing a little when he reached the highway.

Highways were unnerving. They were a long stretch of flat asphalt that was easier to walk on, except the cars zooming by made his hair stand on end.

Ottis walked with his back turned to oncoming traffic so they wouldn’t notice Marcie, who had shifted back to a human baby.

Whenever he heard a car approaching, he hurried off the road and into the nearby forest.

“Goo goo ba,” Marcie said sleepily from her chest carrier.

“Sleep, hon,” Ottis whispered back. He listened for cars, then limped back onto the road.

Scarcely had he moved ten paces, when he caught the faint sound of flapping.

Flapping... wings? They were rhythmic, almost slow.

Actually, they were getting closer. And they sounded big.

Fuck!

He began to limp toward the trees, except the wings were closing in fast.

Out of nowhere, a giant fucking dragon dropped onto the highway in front of him, dust clouds puffing around its big, clawed feet.

Ottis screamed.

“Hello,” the golden dragon said. “I’m going to steal you for my hoard.”