59. CALLUM
Chapter fifty-nine
CALLUM
I heard the command ripple through the air, and Katie’s angry hiss. I jog through the dig site, careful to keep my steps quiet as I dart from shadow to shadow. Not that the big Alpha notices.
He’s fixated on my Omega, who’s frozen on the ground, her left leg propped in front of her, one hand clutching at her knee.
That’s a problem.
The Alpha is bleeding, his left forearm covered in a thick sheen of blood. I can already smell the clots forming to heal his wound. And if all he said when he was taunting her is correct, he’s got some pretty powerful Alpha instincts if he metabolized even a single shot of Twin Moon whisky that quickly.
I inhale, taking in as much data as I can. Katie is scared, and there’s a sour note throughout her scent. Pain . But he hasn’t bitten her, and she’s not bleeding.
We’re also alone, the three of us in this cave mouth. So he truly doesn’t have backup. That’s good.
I shake my head. When I get my Omega out of this mess, I am going to have a good long talk about what is and isn’t acceptable. Does she just not know that it’s unsafe for Omegas to go out alone? Or just not care?
Roark gets up, walking slowly toward Katie. I use the moment to creep closer. I check my holster again; the taser is on, and I switch the safety off.
“You are going to make me work for it, aren’t you?” Roark says, pausing to look down at Katie. I know her scent, know the spiced sweetness, and how the burnt edges of fear have melted into an extra spicy zest of anger.
She’s no longer frozen, only letting him think so.
My brilliant Omega!
I move through the shadows on silent feet, padding closer and unholster my taser. If he’s touching her, she’ll feel the pain too. I don’t want that, not with her already injured. But I’m still too far away.
So I crouch, watching.
He grabs for her, but Katie twists, jabbing her arm up in a palm strike that smashes into his upper lip. She grunts, rolling to one side and cradling her hand. Roark reels back and I shoot the taser. The hooks land in his back and he collapses, twitching on the ground.
“I should rip your throat out for touching my Omega,” I growl. I kick him hard in the ribs until I hear at least one crack. That will keep him from getting up anytime soon. “You don't deserve an Omega, or a pack. I will see you in jail for assault.”
Katie tries to scoot back, farther into the dim light of the cave. I reholster my gun. Then turn to her slowly. Her anger mingles now with renewed fear. Fear of me . My chest tightens.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” I say softly. “Katie, it's Callum. Your Alpha. I’m here.”
Katie whimpers. My strong Omega who was not going to back down from an Alpha even when he had her half frozen with a bark. But she whimpers again as I approach, clutching her hand to her chest. Fear and some other strong emotion cloud her scent.
Before I reach her she scrambles to her feet and tries to run. I can’t help myself. My instincts overwhelm me and I chase her, only a few steps–her legs are weak and trembling. I snatch her up, wrapping myself around her until I cover her completely. Her smaller frame shakes in my grasp, but I don’t let her go. I’ll never let her go.
“It’s me, Katie. It’s Callum.” I press her back tightly against my chest until she can feel my thumping pulse.
Her panting breaths calm, her pulse slowly ratcheting down. My body molds to her, and I couldn’t have dropped her even if I’d wanted to.
“Callum,” she moans my name, the heady mix of her fear and arousal washing over me. Chase. Claim. Mine.
I swallow down my Alpha instincts.
“Callum,” she says again, squirming in my arms, but I hold her fast.
“No, Katie, I have to hold you. You ran from me and if I let you go, I’ll just chase you again.”
She tries to turn to say something to me over her shoulder, but I shake my head, carefully bringing us to the ground. I take the weight off her damaged knee, and move her body until her ass is pressed against my hips. She sucks in a breath, wiggling just enough that I know she feels every inch of my cock pressed against her.
“Be calm, Omega, '' I coo into her ear, nuzzling the top of her head and covering her in my scent. I need to mask the stench of the other Alpha on her. I need her to only smell me, to only have my mark on her skin.
“I’m sorry,” she says, her voice a tight gasp. “I wasn’t trying to run, I just… I needed to know if there really was a way home or not. But I should have waited. Should have trusted you all to come with me. I’m sorry.”
Her words are strained, her body still wracked by occasional tremors. But she doesn't move off my lap. Instead, in tiny, tiny increments, she relaxes into my hold.
“Wherever you go, Katie Wilder, I will chase you. Across the city, or across the stars. The universe brought you between worlds to be my Omega, and I will be damned before I ever let you go.”
I kiss the top of her head. It would be so easy to take her now, to bend her forward on her hands and knees and fuck her until she submits, until I can bite her tender flesh and own her, body and soul.
But I want her to welcome me, to want my dominance, not to fear it.
So I hold her, letting our bodies rock together in tiny shifts of weight, back and forth, the friction just enough to tease, just enough to distract from the occasional twitches of the Alpha in the shadows.
Her pulse calms down, and her tense shoulders slowly relax, letting me carry more of her weight.
“Callum,” she whispers, then pauses, grunting as she shifts her weight. I pull her into my lap, touching her head beneath my jaw. Her adrenaline is still high.
“Please, listen to me, Cal. I wasn't running. Whatever you believe in this moment, know that I wasn’t running away from you.”
Katie trembles, whether from pain or some strong emotion, I’m not sure. But I gather her to my chest, wrapping her up so completely that I can hardly tell where I end and she begins.
“You scared everyone,” I murmur into her hair.
“I’m sorry.” She wiggles just enough to look at me. Her brown eyes are puffy and red-rimmed. “I made a mistake.” She swallows.
What did it cost my proud, stubborn Omega to say that?
I nod. If I open my mouth, I’m not sure what would spill out. My heart hurts, the betrayal still too fresh. The apology is like a balm—but not enough to fully heal the wound.
She moves again, wincing as she pulls away from me.
My shirt is covered in a smear of blood.
Panic rises up.
“Where are you bleeding?” I search her all over and find the thin gash on her palm.
“Fuck,” I growl, picking her up and sprinting toward my car. I should have checked first. Fuck, every minute we’ve wasted is a minute that could steal her from me.
“It’s just a cut. I’ll be fine. I really have had a lot worse,” she tries to soothe, clearly bewildered.
I shake my head. She doesn't understand. “The Alpha broke your skin. If enough saliva got in, it could trigger a bond.”
Fuck.
Katie trembles in my grasp again, her voice stuttering over questions that I don’t quite catch. The blood rushes in my ears. I might lose my Omega when I just caught her.
“I’m taking you to the Conservatory. We have to get you injected with one of the serum blockers.”
Because if we don’t, I really will have to kill that Alpha to prevent his bond from taking hold of my Omega.
TO BE CONTINUED IN brAVE NEW OMEGA PART 2…
Can't Get Enough?
Pre-Order brAVE NEW OMEGA, PART TWO today!
BLURB
How do you build a future, when the past is set on destroying you?
Katie Wilder is stuck in a world of Alpha, Betas, and Omegas. Her attempt to find a way home failed spectacularly, and now she must face her blood matched Pack. Maybe she could give this whole Omega of the pack thing a try.
Except her Pack’s poisonous past is back, and this time she’s out to hurt Callum, Loren, and Max any way she can. With Katie’s heat on the way, and her Alpha’s hanging on by a thread, will Katie fight to stay by their side, or let the past destroy their future?
brAVE NEW OMEGA, Part Two is a why choose duet about a girl from earth landing in an Omegaverse world where humans live in packs . They are not shifters, though there is a touch of magic sprinkled throughout. No choosing, no cheating and a guaranteed HEA! This book is the second in a duet within the Wilder Sisters Omegaverse, a series of duets that are best read in order, but can be enjoyed completely on their own.