Chapter 8
CHAPTER 8
LIAM
I step outside of the cabin, thunder booming in the distance. Since Ryker’s already chewed my ass out, he should’ve calmed the fuck down by now. If he wasn’t so goddamn stubborn, he’d admit Kayla is our Omega.
Flashes of a cruel Alpha’s fists, the sting of a belt, the shame of being powerless—my old man’s twisted rage surfaces, ghosts I’ve fought to escape. I swallow down the bile, letting the anger fuel me instead.
“All right, we need a plan,” I say as I walk up to Ryker. Figure out how to claim Kayla as our Omega and get Nexus off our back. They’ll just have to strike her name off their damn list.
“How long before you think you can get the information out of her about the other Omegas on the bus? That way, we can track them down and finish this job.”
Ryker still wants to turn her in? Is he insane? One whiff of her scent and it was like a switch flipped inside me. The memory of Kayla’s rain-soaked musk, intoxicating and vulnerable, still haunts me. A primal urgency to claim her courses through my veins.
I snarl, stepping closer until the air between us crackles like a live wire.
“She’s our goddamn Omega, whether you like it or not.”
“Ours?” He throws his head back, bitter laughter slicing the air. “They’ll fire us and never hire us again.”
I can feel it in my bones—the need to protect her, possess her. It’s a call as old as time that doesn’t give a fuck about consequences. I have to buy time, get Ryker to realize what I already know.
“Right now, all bets are off. We can’t pass her off now with bruises.”
Ryker’s jaw clenches tight. “No, we had a deal. She’s already been sold… paid in full.”
“Look, I’m done playing by anyone else’s rules. Let them come. We’ll take ‘em on. For her.”
“Jesus, Liam.” Ryker shakes his head. “You’re a goddamn loose cannon.”
“Better than being a fucking coward,” I retort, knowing full well that Ryker’s anything but.
“Fuck you! You’re a goddamn liability!” Ryker accuses. “Sooner or later, your impulses will get us killed!”
My blood is a live wire, zapped by the ferocity of my need to claim what’s fated as ours.
“We can’t just cancel the order like a fucking pizza!”
“Then we take her back. They’ll gut us trying, but we don’t roll over, Ryker! Not for them! Not for anyone!”
“Shit.” Ryker’s shoulders bunch. “We can’t keep her. If we did, they’d never hire us ever again. Fuck, we’d be washed-up bounty hunters. No one will give us any assignments ever again.”
“Then let’s stop talking shit and do something,” I snarl, every muscle screaming, every nerve on fire.
“There’s nothing to do except deliver the package and hunt for the others so we get our pay.”
Heaving breaths, my blood roars in my ears.
“Fuck,” I rasp, glaring at the sky as if it might throw down some answers. My chest heaves, lungs burning as I try to suck in enough air to douse the fury blazing inside me.
“We done here?” Ryker’s voice grinds out, deep and ragged, as if he’s been sprinting all night. His breathing is heavy, his stance weary yet wary.
Every instinct in me is screaming to claim, fight, protect.
“We need to think this through... strategize.”
“Since when do you strategize, hothead?”
I shoot him a glare as sharp as broken glass.
“Since it’s Kayla’s ass on the line. And I’m pretty sure the Nexus guard who chased Kayla into the woods wasn’t looking out for her best interest. Fucker gave off major asshole vibes.”
His muscles coil, the Alpha in him always on edge, always ready to defend.
A low growl builds in my throat as the primal urge to protect spikes again, my hands balling into fists.
“We need to move, get her to safety before those pricks Nexus, or whoever was in the black truck, catch her scent.”
I’ve heard the whispers about Nexus guards playing dirty—crossing lines that shouldn’t even be blurred—but fuck, believing in shadows ain’t the same as staring down the beast.
I glance toward the cabin, feeling the pull, the need to shield her from the world’s shitstorm.
“Nexus isn’t gonna sit on their hands. They’ll know she’s gone, and they’ll come hunting.”
A muscle jumps in Ryker’s jaw. “We’re only an hour from the crash site. Nexus will start sweeping this area before long. Fuck.” He runs a hand through his dark hair. “Alright, let’s gear up. We’ll take the Jeep into the city and blend into the chaos. You pack our shit. I’ll prep the vehicle. No traces.”
“Glad we’re not going sit here with our thumbs up our asses waiting for them to come.” I head inside, movements precise, no time for second-guessing. Kayla needs me focused, not lost in the past.
“Get ready,” I bark out as I start throwing supplies into a duffel. “We’re leaving. Now.”
“What the fuck is going on?” Dane says, wiping his hands at the kitchen sink.
“Leaving?” Kayla sets the glass down with a clatter, her voice trembling slightly. Her gaze darts between me and Dane, fear etching lines into her young face. “Why… what’s going on?”
“I’ll explain on the way to the city.” I open the fridge and shove bottled waters into the bag. “And set off the pest foggers. We’ve gotta get her scent out of here.”
A distant shout shatters my progress. My head snaps up, every muscle coiled tight. Dane’s posture stiffens beside me.
“Fuck,” I hiss, scanning the treeline through the kitchen window. The shouts grow clearer, jagged pieces of sound cutting through the quiet forest. It’s a hunt; Nexus guards are sweeping the woods, closing in.
“Those bastards are close.” Dane frowns.
“Too damn close,” I grind the words out between clenched teeth. The thought of anyone touching Kayla, claiming her… my fists clench reflexively. Not on my watch.
“Let’s move,” I say, already picturing the route to the camo Jeep, to the city, where we can disappear.
“Where are we going?” Kayla stands.
“Doesn’t fucking matter.” I grab her arm, half-dragging her out of the cabin. “You wanna play Russian roulette with corrupt Nexus guards like the one who chased you to that shed?”
She lifts her chin, her eyes wide with fear, but she keeps pace with me.
I barrel toward the Jeep, pulling Kayla along, Dane on our heels.
“We gotta fucking go, now!” The words rip from my throat as we burst through the woods. The shit’s about to hit the fan. My hands shake with the rush of adrenaline, every sense honed to the danger encroaching on us.
“Jeep. Then city,” I reply, the plan forming quickly and dirty in my mind. Urban camouflage. Disappear in plain sight.
“Got it.” Dane nods, grabbing his guns. He’s a fortress, unshakable, and right now, we need his goddamn stability.
I glance at Kayla. Her lips are pressed into a thin line and her face is pale.
“Kayla, stay close,” I tell her, harsher than I intended, but there’s no time to correct it. To hide the protective surge that threatens to overwhelm me. Fuck vulnerability. Now’s not the time.
We spill out of the cabin as the shouts grow louder. Dane charges ahead of us, protecting our front as his head moves from side to side, scoping for danger.
“Move,” I snarl, pushing Kayla ahead of me, covering her back with my body but also keeping her within my line of sight. If Nexus guards have come, they’ll have to go through me first. And that’s a promise soaked in blood, one I’m more than willing to keep.
We’re a unit, a makeshift pack bound by necessity and something deeper, something feral. Ryker’s at my side, eyes scanning the treeline, ready to unleash hell. Dane’s steps are measured, calculated, guarding our rear.
The forest closes in, branches reaching out like the fingers of our enemies, but we push through. My breaths come in ragged gasps, and I can fucking feel them getting closer. We have to get Kayla out of here.
“Keep going!” Ryker’s voice cuts through the tension, a reminder that hesitation equals death.
We’re running, a blur of motion and desperation. Away from the cabin, away from danger, straight to my Jeep about a hundred yards away.
They’re not taking Kayla. Not today, not ever.