19. Corvin
The alarms blared overhead for the third time today. I looked at Ezra and Apollo, eyebrows furrowing. “Is it just me, or have these fires been picking up?”
“They have,” Ezra confirmed, his voice solemn. “I think it’s time to talk to the chief.”
He was right. This was exhausting already and it felt like just the beginning. If Cameron was behind the influx of calls and small fires, then he was more calculated and careful than we ever could have imagined.
“Later,” Apollo said, clapping his hands and rushing towards the lockers to get his gear on.
“Let’s go, this one’s big!” Chief called out, urging everyone to get into the trucks as fast as we could.
I fell into a familiar pattern, calm taking over my mind and adrenaline blazing through me as we scrambled into the trucks and rushed across town.
We could see the smoke and flames before we arrived at the farmhouse. Chief wasn’t kidding, this was turning bad, and fast.
The farmer was spitting mad when we pulled in. His fields were full of animals that were anxious and making every noise possible.
“I barely managed to get them out in time,” he growled. “There’s nothing in there that could even start a fire. Who the fuck did this?”
“We’ll get to the bottom of it,” I promised as we got to work fighting the growing flames, which didn’t go easy with the old, weathered wood and all the hay lining the stalls.
The heat of the fire was intense, but between two engines and our well-trained team, we managed to get it under control before it could spread to the fields.
By the time we were finished, the entire barn was soggy and he didn’t look mad anymore, just defeated. His animals couldn’t rest in there tonight.
“We’ll see if we can gather some people and resources to come help you out,” I promised him before we headed back to the station. He nodded in thanks, but was already moving toward what remained of his barn. There was nothing to salvage now, this was a big blow.
We had one hell of a report to write up, and unfortunately, it wasn’t the first of its kind. I meant to talk to the chief already, but it had been days of these calls.
Just as our engines were pulling back into the station, one was leaving. Chief was standing at the head of the garage, staring after it with a hard look on his face.
“What the hell is going on in this town? We’ve barely worked these engines, and now all of a sudden every one of them is in use.”
“I might have an idea,” I sighed. “Can we chat?”
He raised his eyebrows but nodded his head towards his office. There was one thing about Chief; he was never dismissive.
“Well, what is it?” he demanded as soon as his door closed.
I didn’t even have Ezra or Apollo for backup. It was just me and the chief, and suddenly, that seemed heavier than I expected.
“Well, you obviously know we found an omega,” I started.
“What the fuck does that have to do with this?” he demanded. The fact that he was cursing at all was telling of how stressful the situation was.
“It has everything to do with this,” I said, voice just as hard. “We noticed some burn scars, but we didn’t know her well enough to demand answers. It’s not just an accident, chief. Her ex tried to burn her alive, and he’s back.”
“He tried to burn her alive?! Then how the hell did he get out of prison.”
“That’s something I’d love to know. I’ve got a name at least.”
He swiveled in his chair towards his computer, hands poised above the keyboard.
“The fact I’m just now hearing this is something we can address later. Right now, I need that name,” he said, voice sharp enough that I winced.
I never asked Bea for permission to share this, but this was one of those situations that it no longer mattered. He was harming our whole town and innocent people, meaning that the chief needed to be in the loop.
“Cameron Tucker, mid-thirties.”
His fingers flew over the keyboard.
“This him?” he asked, gesturing to the screen.
I walked around behind the desk, crossing my arms as I stared into the dead eyes of the man I recognize from the video she showed me. There wasn’t a hint of any emotion in them, it was unsettling.
“That’s him,” I confirmed.
“You don’t have to read this,” he warned me as he pulled open the article. “I’m not going to risk my best men going out there and acting irrationally.”
“I’ll keep it together,” I reassured him. There was no way in hell I was stepping away from the screen. My eyes were already scanning over the article outlining the depth of the pain he caused my omega.
“This went beyond her,” he said. “They tried to pin more onto him, but he always seemed to be covering his tracks.”
“Sounds like what we’re dealing with,” I said. That didn’t fill me with confidence. Though, this time there was an entire town invested as the victim. Bea wasn’t alone and isolated from her family.
He scrolled down and my stomach dropped. This was the detailed description of what he did.
“He locked her in that building he burned down in hopes of killing her.” My voice was shaking with rage, and Chief—honestly—didn’t look much better.
“This boy barely served any fucking time for his crimes,” he finally concluded as he finished the article and looked back at me in shock.
“That’s why she ran,” I said with a sigh, “and I guess he’s found her. Or at least he found the closest city. I don’t know how he managed to show up at the game we were at, especially since we don’t live there. It was a last minute decision.”
“I don’t believe in coincidences,” the chief said. “I don’t think you do, either.”
“This is definitely not a coincidence,” I agreed. “From now on, I think I need one of my men at the shop with her at all times. I can’t leave her unguarded. Not with things escalating so quickly.”
“I understand, son. But if I know anything about omegas, it’s that you can’t push too much, too fast.”
I hated that he was right. Bea was independent. She always had been, and as much as she was scared right now, I knew her patience would wear thin.
This was already complicated, and I feared it was only going to get worse before they found him.
The only thing that calmed my thoughts was that her friends generally had at least one of their pack members around.
“Get me the report for today,” he said, a bit more gently this time.
“We’ll bring in the police and get everything documented.
We need to keep our eyes open and share that picture around as a person of interest. Hell, share it with the local businesses.
This has already turned into a whole town-wide thing. ”
“Speaking of town things, the last fire was at that farmer’s field on the edge of town. His barn is completely ruined, there’s no saving it, but that means his livestock have nowhere to get out of the elements. I said we’d put out the word and see if anyone can help out.”
“That sounds like the perfect job for your team,” he said. “Let the rookies handle the fires. You stay close to town in case we need you. To start, go talk to my buddy Jim over at the hardware store. I bet he can help you out with some materials.”
He broke down the details before sending me on my way. I was relieved to finally explain what was happening, to know that it wasn’t just us looking out for a girl, but this town as well.
“Thanks, Chief,” I said before heading for my desk and knocking out the report. With my mind focused, it didn’t take long before I was seeking out my packmates.
“How’d it go?” Ezra asked the moment I found them.
They were both scrubbing down the kitchen. I grabbed the plate that was left from lunch for me and tucked in while I explained everything, finally finishing with us helping out that farmer.
“Oh, good,” Apollo said. “I hated the idea of leaving him high and dry.”
“I hate leaving her alone,” Ezra admitted.
“That’s why we love Willow Lake so much,” I said. “The chief’s right. The farm isn’t too far from the town center, which gives us time to keep an eye on her without us hovering.”
“She would kick our asses for hovering,” Ezra let out a sigh. “We already checked in and Ash is hanging out for the afternoon.”
“Perfect. Let’s pack it up. We have plans. I just need to stop at the printer, first.”
They gathered their things while I quickly washed my plate and snagged the pictures off the printer.
We took one of the fire department's pick-up trucks so we’d have room for the materials. It wasn’t flashy, but at least it was reliable.
“We’re heading for the hardware store, first. Jim is already expecting us.”
Jim stood out front when we pulled in, waving us over to a pile of waiting lumber and materials.
“I already talked to the chief,” he said. A few locals were in here and rallied up some money for materials. It will get you started, but we’ll work on getting more while you work,” he said.
“Thanks, we appreciate it,” I said, shaking his hand before handing over the paper. “This is the guy we’re keeping an eye out for. If you see him, contact the police or the chief.”
He glanced down at the image, his eyes widening. “Wait! I recognize him.”
“Really?” I asked, stunned. I hadn’t expected any hits so soon.
“What did he buy?” Ezra demanded. I had to give him a look, telling him without words to cool it. The last thing we needed was this guy to get offended and clam up.
“Let me pull the invoice. It might have his name on it,” he said, ignoring Ezra and rushing through the door.
We wordlessly followed him over to the counter inside. He glared at his computer as he sorted through his files.
“Got it,” he said, before hitting a key. The printer whirred to life and he snagged it, eyes barely scanning over it before he went pale.
That wasn’t good.
“I remember the order now.” Even his voice was subdued now. “He grabbed a few gas cans, some rope, and some of those long matches. Said he was doing some work on some properties on the edge of town, had a bunch of brush to handle.”
“He even used his real name,” Apollo said, shaking his head. “Should make it easier, right?”
“I’m not sure,” I said, feeling sick. “He’s the type of guy to leave breadcrumbs, and this feels a little too convenient. He probably didn’t even use his real name for whatever property he’s renting out there. Nobody would sell to him knowing his past.”
“This is a small town, boys. If he didn’t use an agency, there’d be plenty who’d take cash out here.”
It wasn’t said in a mean way. He was simply being realistic.
“Okay, change of plans,” I said. “We load this up and we head over to the police station on the way.”
We loaded up the wood and tools fairly quickly. Jim knew we were in a hurry and pitched in to help.
I dialed the chief's number as soon as we were in the cab. “Chief, we have something.”
“What is it?” he demanded on a growl.
I gave him the full update. “Let me handle it from here. You go straight to the farm.”
It felt like a distraction. He was likely still afraid we’d lose our minds.
Maybe he was right, and this was the best place for us. Losing ourselves in physical labor was a whole lot better than hunting this man down and being forced away from our omega as we served prison sentences.
As it turned out, physical labor was exactly what we needed. We spent the day replacing soggy boards and updating all the broken pieces. More of it was salvageable than we initially thought.
My muscles were aching and my mind was more settled than it was when we arrived.
“Pose for our omega, boys,” Apollo said as he turned around and held up his phone in selfie mode.
At this point we were all covered in sweat, shirts off, likely a few streaks of dirt here and there.
I gave a lazy smile while Apollo posed, showing off his biceps, and Ezra gave his usual beaming smile. He snapped a picture on his phone and sent it to our girl.
It took all of three seconds before all three of our phones were letting off notifications. I pulled mine out, glancing down at the text messages.
Bea
Damn. That’s a whole lot of muscles, I’ll need to go take a cold shower.
Apollo
I thought showering together was our thing. Don’t leave me out, Goddess.
Ezra
It’s been a day. I’m looking forward to being home with you.
Bea
Same. I don’t think I’ve sat for longer than five minutes total, today.
Me
Sounds like a takeout and movie on the dock kind of night.
Bea
My favorite. See you soon. Feel free to send me all the hot and sweaty selfies.
“I love that our omega is never afraid to thirst after us,” Apollo said as he tucked his phone away. He looked more relaxed now. We all did.
Then a photo came through. She was leaning over the desk at work, her breasts on full display and pushed up by the position. Even without showing a ton of skin she had all three of us groaning in appreciation.
Even with the chaos and everything we learned, it was nice to find moments like this. Ones where we could feel normal and appreciate our omega like she deserved.
The best part was that in a few short hours we’d all be together, having dinner and hearing about our girls’ days.