Page 3 of The Predator's Wolf Mate

My hyena claimed Jack was his fated mate. His omega. Our everything.

But my word was my bond, and I never broke a bond. I was nothing without sticking to the promises I made, even when everything in the world was against it.

Pop-Tart huffed out a laugh. “Okay. I’m going to guard there when I can, and the others will rotate.”

“They have omegas here, and babies. We shouldn’t take Hammer, Tyrus, and Mav away from their mates. It’s not right.”

“Then what do you propose?” Pop-Tart asked, pouring his own cup of the hot coffee.

“I’ll stay there and stand guard until we get someone permanent.” I couldn’t even look him in the eyes. Pop-Tart was underestimated around here. Hammer used him as an assistant more than anything, but the male was sharp-witted and observant. He could do my job well if given the chance.

“Who’s going to do stakeouts?”

I shrugged. “Tyrus said we haven’t gotten leads in a while. Not good ones, at least. The fuckers are covering their asses better lately.”

“There’s a spare room we had planned for an office you can stay in. That okay?”

I nodded, trying to seem nonchalant about again being so close to Jack. “Yeah. That works.”

“Done.”

Chapter Three

Jack

Move-in day was finally here, and I hadn’t considered how chaotic it was going to be. The omegas in the shelter didn’t have much, so moving personal belongings wasn’t too difficult. However, transporting all the people required a bus and that was…something.

I had to chuckle at what the humans were going to think. If anyone saw us pulling in with a bus full of omegas and children, they’d assume we were a cult. That seemed to be the common assumption people made when they saw shifter packs and compounds. If humans didn’t understand something, they put a label on it, rarely a good one.

“You okay?” Pop-Tart handed me another cup of coffee.

“Just, um, nervous.”

“Nervous about the new place, or...”

“I guess nervous about me and if I’m ready. I’m going to be in charge, like I have this... I don’t know how to be a leader. I was a prisoner, and then I was here, and what if I’m not good enough at all this? What if I make their lives worse?”

“The fact that you’re asking if you’re not good enough means you are, 1,000 percent. It’s the people who jump in knowing that they are ready who have problems.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. Drink your coffee. You’re gonna need a lot of energy.” That I knew was true. It was going to be a hella-long day.

I could hear all the people getting ready for the bus, their excitement swelling as the morning wore on.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be loud, but I’m driving the van full of things.”

“You are?” I hadn’t realized he was coming, but I was glad for it. I had originally planned to drive it, but there was no room for a car seat and I was one of the few certified to drive the bus.

“I’m driving the bus, which is kind of a scary thought.” I only got my license because we didn’t have enough people who could drive the bus. I hadn’t considered that I’d be driving it while it was full of people. A silent bus was one thing, but one filled with distraction. To say I was nervous would be an understatement.

“You got the license, which means you passed the test, which means it’s not scary at all.”

“Why do you have to make sense?” I grumbled. He pointed at my cup of coffee. “Fine.” I drank it down and joined the others.

We were just about ready to go. In less than an hour, I’d be driving away from one life and directly into another.

Bryant had been hanging out with King all morning. He was going to miss the alpha, I was too. I loved how he and my son had become good buds. He was family. All of the guys were. I tried not to think too hard on it, my eyes already tearing up.

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