Chapter 24 Angel
Angel
We’re all in town racing to find them, and the presence of the wolf pack is something you can feel in the air. I don’t care; I follow the pull of my pack and the smell of menthol through the streets until I find her truck.
I hear the growls and lunge towards the alley, only to see a giant wolf I don’t know tangling with a smaller wolf with dark fur tipped in silver. She’s gorgeous; I know her instantly.
My omega found her wolf.
I lunge towards the enemy and grab him by the throat, my teeth sinking deep, hot blood flooding my mouth.
He’s big enough that he shakes me off, but the pack falls in.
Riot attacking his flank, Wrath grabs a back leg and snaps the bone, Hazard appears and grabs the other side of his throat, while Khaos walks towards us on stiff legs.
We bring down our prey for the alpha to destroy. It’s a time-honoured show of respect and dedication to the pack as a whole.
I glance to the side and see her standing, her front legs spread wide, head hanging low, panting.
She starts to shake.
I can hold him, her enemy, or I can help her. I can’t do both.
She trembles, and she collapses to the ground, shaking all over. Shock. It can kill. I let go of the wolf. He breaks free of the hold, fighting his way out. Khaos surges past me, driving the feral wolf away.
I shift and kneel, lifting her into my arms, holding her close to my chest. Her fur is soft and thick, her body perfectly proportioned for a shifter. She’s heavy, but I have her.
“Breathe, Omega. You need to breathe.”
“Angel?” Riot says hoarsely.
I ignore him, carrying her quickly out of the alley to the truck.
I climb in the back almost pulling the door off the hinges.
We’re joined by Hazard in wolf form, who scrunches up until he’s almost leaning on me, making the vinyl seats creak.
Riot gets in the passenger seat, while Khaos gets behind the wheel.
There’s not much room with a wolf, but it’s enough. Just.
“Where’s Wrath?”
“He’ll meet us up there.”
“No!” I say sharply. “No one stays behind.”
As if he hears me, Wrath opens the door and climbs in. His face is severe, but I can almost feel the rage pouring off him.
“Get us out of here!” he spits out. “They are coming.”
Khaos puts the truck in drive and gets us turned around. He struggles with the truck, specifically the accelerator, until he gets it, and then, finally, we’re on the road up the mountain.
Khaos stops the truck right in front of the house. “Does anyone want to tell me what the hell happened?”
I’m so careful when I lift her out of the truck. She’s stopped shaking, but she’s got her nose buried in my throat.
“Clearly, Casey found her wolf,” Wrath spits out and slams the truck door.
Hazard gets out and sits down on the porch, putting his head in his hands. “What happened?”
“She tried to save us,” Riot says furiously. “That piece of shit beat her up, and then she still tried to save us.”
Khaos’ head jerks towards us. He really takes her in. She’s beautiful, as big as us, but with thicker fur. The strange colouring is so intriguing.
I snuggle her closer and then sit beside Hazard, who buries his face in her fur. He inhales deeply and lets out a rumbling purr.
She flinches but then relaxes more, soothed by the rattling sound my brother makes.
I stroke her fur, trying to will the safety that we have into her. Trying to show her with long, slow caresses that nothing is going to happen.
“You’re home, and you’re safe,” Wrath says and kneels down before her.
Riot stands back, watching, he looks exhausted.
Khaos paces back and forth, refusing to look at her.
“Khaos,” Riot warns.
“It changes nothing.”
Three words fall like a hammer coming down.
The silence stretches until, finally, Hazard scoops up the newly awakened wolf and walks inside with her.
“She doesn’t need to hear this,” he mumbles.
We wait until we hear the doors close and music comes on.
“It can’t change anything,” Khaos stresses.
“Look at her. She’s not just a wolf but an omega; when do you ever find one of those?” Riot hisses.
“You don’t because they are so rare and so damn dangerous,” Khaos shoots back.
“Tempers, savage drive to destroy what they decide they hate. Unstoppable need to mate. You remember the mating heats? All the rumours? They can go through entire packs until the pack dies. During the heats, they are temperamental, they can and do slaughter any pack that comes to service them.”
“So what?” I grit out, furious at him for reminding us of this crap because that’s not her.
I know it’s not her. Casey is a protector and a caretaker. She would only fight if she had to. But I’m not even convinced she’d fight to protect herself.
“What about our other owners? They seemed fine too until they weren’t,” Khaos says, and I realise with shock that I’ve spoken out loud, and he’s answered me.
“That is out of line,” Wrath says in a malevolent hiss.
“Is it? Didn’t we think they were all okay? Gwendoline? Persephone? Lira, Wynnie? Didn’t they all seem harmless at first? And didn’t the power of the bracelet corrupt them one by one?”
I flinch hard, unwelcome reminders slamming into me. Hands run over my skin, tongues on my body, trying to force me to get hard. Punishing me when I couldn’t. Chains holding me down, mouths on my cock.
I turn and vomit.
Wrath makes an irritated sound. “Khaos,” he warns.
Riot stumbles and drops to his knees, the wounds are healing, but he needs to rest.
The door explodes open, and Hazard marches out, stepping in between Khaos and I, shielding me like he always does.
I reach out, pressing the backs of my knuckles to his ankle.
The tension eases in him, but he doesn’t step back.
Khaos throws us a furious look. “I’m not going to hurt him.”
Hazard still doesn’t move.
“Look, I don’t care what she is. She’s Casey. I’m more concerned about the fact that she was being beaten half to death when I found them.” Riot rakes his fingers through his hair and growls. “Serious injuries. He looked like he was going to kill her.”
Khaos is silent. “The pack here has a really awful reputation. I remember them now. The Foster Pack. I met Jonas when the packs met up a few years ago. He’s about ten years older than us and merciless.
The pack is huge, and they are very traditional.
They still believe in executions. We can buy some time because they won’t know how many of us are up here, but, eventually, they will come to remove us. ”
A low growl rumbles out of me. They can fucking try it.
“While we are contained by the bracelet, we cannot confront them. We would lose.”
Khaos’ laying down of the law has me flinching. But I can see the logic and merit in it. I can see how we’d be sitting ducks.
Doesn’t mean I have to like it.
“We’re in enemy territory with the omega wolf that the pack just found out about?” Hazard asks. “You’re saying that us getting free is still the number one priority?”
“Yes, it has to be.” Khaos turns away, and I want to pretend I can’t feel the disgust and self-loathing through the bond, but it’s loud and clear, he hates this as much as we do.
“How badly are they going to want her?” I ask.
“They are going to be feral for her,” Khaos says quietly.
“So, what do we do? How can we protect her?” Hazard asks.
I don’t need to ask. I know Khaos’ answer. We don’t.
We’re as powerless as we’ve been for four years with thirteen owners. We have no choice.
But Casey…she’s got even less power than we do.