Chapter 06
AGELIUS
While I was lying in the grass trying to decide what to do, a battered old truck came rumbling up the mountain, the roof of its rusty cab appearing between the trees.
There must have been a track hidden on the far side of the compound.
The vehicle rattled its way through the long grass to the collapsed gate and when it came to a halt, someone jumped out of the cab and pulled open the gate.
The truck roared through, without stopping to pick up the other guy, who cursed loudly as he dragged the gate shut and walked over to where the truck had pulled up near the buildings.
After some arguing, the driver and his companion hauled a long, limp object out of the vehicle. It dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. It was wrapped in hessian bags – similar to the grain bag my omega had been using as a bed when I found him in the cave – with a rope tied around it.
The betas – because it was obvious now that’s what they were – gave the object a kick and laughed. The object didn’t react, but from the way it moved when they kicked it, it must have been soft. I wondered what it was.
With another laugh that I didn’t care for, one of the betas picked up the object, slung it over his shoulder, and the men headed across to one of the more dilapidated buildings of the lot with the mysterious object flopping with each step.
I didn’t wait to see what he did with it.
It wasn’t my business, and while he was busy, it gave me the chance to move around without attracting attention.
I was determined to locate my missing omega and bring him home with me if I could convince him to leave. This pack made me uneasy and I had a strong feeling it wasn’t a safe place for an unattached omega.
I slipped through the fence that really wasn’t a barrier at all and crept up to the back of the first building I came to, scenting the air.
I could detect the faintest trace of him in the swirling currents of air laced with the unmistakable dry grass and eucalyptus smells of summer, but he wasn’t in this building.
Cautiously, I moved further around the cluster of buildings.
The scent was still faint, and now it was mixed with a host of other competing omega scents, almost drowning it out.
If I hadn’t become so finely attuned to his particular scent, I probably would have missed it altogether.
It was soft and subtle and hopeful, like the early morning air on a summer’s day.
Where was this mix of scents coming from?
I finally located the source of the jumbled omega scents in the last building along this side.
Tucked away in the trees, it was a long, low, ramshackle building.
My guess was this was the omega-house where unattached omegas lived.
Although now that I thought about it, omega scents were undetectable in any of the other buildings I’d passed.
I frowned, processing this. Either there were no attached omegas here at all or the attached omegas didn’t live with their mates.
Neither situation could be considered normal.
I was sure my mate was in here. His scent was strong. It called to my wolf, who was whining softly, wanting to get to him. But how?
A noise from around the front of the building startled me, interrupting my thoughts. Harsh voices. A raucous laugh. I concentrated on the voices. They sounded like the betas I’d heard earlier tormenting that poor omega when they’d been hanging out the laundry.
“Zarbius won’t know,” said one of the betas, conspiratorially.
“He wouldn’t care anyway.”
“He’d probably join in, hee-hee,” the first beta sniggered. “C’mon, I’m bored. Let’s pick one now and have some fun. Zarbius won’t be back for hours.”
Horror drained the blood from my face as my skin went chill despite the summer heat. My omega was still in there! I reacted on instinct.
Hurrying around the side of the building, I stepped out boldly, puffing my chest and carrying myself in a commanding way that left no doubt about my alpha designation, even before the betas could scent it.
At first the two men were so absorbed in their gleeful anticipation, that they didn’t notice me.
They were both standing in the open doorway of the omega house, drool trickling from their mouths and spiraling its way to the ground in grotesque wet strings.
The falling saliva drew my attention downwards, where one of the men’s pants were tented.
Oh, Goddess, it didn’t take much to guess what they wanted the omega for.
I cleared my throat. Loudly.
The two betas jumped, and turned around, different versions of the same suspicious and hostile expression on their faces. One wiped his filthy mouth on his arm.
“Who the fuck are you?” snarled the other, suspiciously.
I hadn’t really thought beyond this point. I hadn’t planned to make myself known here, but I couldn’t stand by and let them molest a vulnerable omega… particularly as that omega could end up being my omega.
I thought quickly.
Did I try and stake a claim on the omega now?
Tell them they had somehow ended up with my omega in their pack?
I wasn’t sure they would just let him go with me, especially once they saw he didn’t have a mating mark.
I was confident I could fight two betas, but the noise would attract the others I’d seen arrive in the truck, and four would be too many.
There might even be others in some of the other buildings.
I also didn’t know if the omega would consent to come with me. He had left me in the cave, after all.
“Where’s your Alpha?” I demanded, not deigning to answer the guy’s question. He was out of line talking like that to an alpha, any alpha.
“Not here, right now. Why d’ya wanna know?”
“I have something to discuss with him,” I replied, my tone indicating I certainly wouldn’t stoop to discussing it with them.
The bulkier of the two betas crossed his arms over his chest and stared at me.
“I’m in charge when he ain’t here,” he growled. “What d’ya want?”
I looked him up and down, doing my best to show my utter disdain.
“You’re what… a beta?” I sneered. “No, thanks. I’ll wait until your Alpha gets back. When will he return?”
The man scowled at me, eyes flashing with fury. I kept my posture relaxed and confident, as though I absolutely expected his co-operation. I waited. When I didn’t back down from his glare, a flicker of uncertainty showed in his eyes. He cast a quick look sideways at his companion.
Right. He needed to save face.
I shrugged, and said in a more conciliatory voice, “It’s alpha business. He’ll want me to wait around.”
“Zarbius won’t be back until tomorrow,” he said, grudgingly.
I blinked, astonished. This was his pack?
I quickly schooled my face into a bland expression, aware of the slight tick above my right eye.
I didn’t know a lot about the Alpha, but I’d heard his name mentioned in connection with Talius’ second mate, Isca, enough to guess he might have been his first mate.
Isca and I were friends, both having joined the pack around the same time, but we never spoke about our past lives.
Some things were too painful to reflect on, and sometimes all you could really do was look ahead.
However, for all we didn’t talk about it, rumors still circulated through the pack.
What I’d heard about Zarbius’ treatment of Isca was…
appalling. It made me even more determined to get my omega out of here.
“I’ll wait,” I said. “Got a spare bed?”
He looked like he was going to refuse, so I gambled, “I don’t think Zarbius would appreciate a lack of hospitality.
” It was shifter custom to offer hospitality to visitors passing through, and though I didn’t want to say it outright, I was hoping he’d decide I was probably a friend or associate of his Alpha.
Maybe he thought that or maybe he just didn’t want to risk a fight with an unknown alpha - and a large one, at that – because after thinking it over, he said, “Sure. Zarbius’ has some cabins where he accommodates his friends. You can stay there.”
He glanced regretfully at the door to the omega-house, realizing his plans for the afternoon had changed. He looked at his companion and shrugged.
“It’s time for the omegas to start making dinner anyhow.
Get them moving on that, and I’ll sort something out for this guy.
Come on.” The last was said to me and he turned away and headed towards a smaller building on the other side of the compound without watching to see if I followed.
I huffed at his little power play, but let it go.
The building he led me to was unimpressive, a neglected cabin set behind the main circle of buildings.
Although it wasn’t in great condition, it was still better than the rest of the place.
The cabin was divided into two separate sections, with a porch at each end.
The beta led me to the nearer side, and pushed the door open for me to enter.
Inside was a single room, with two large beds on opposite sides of the room, and a small walled off cubicle in the corner through the open door of which a toilet and sink were visible.
In the middle of the back wall was a door, which presumably lead into a similar setup on the other side.
“Dinner will be brought to your room,” the beta told me, implying that I should stay there. I nodded acknowledgement – glad to stay out of the way - and then asked “Got any spare clothes? I had to shift to get here and since I’m going to have to stay…”