Page 163 of Omega for the Pack

My mother wasn’t screaming anymore but sobbing quietly over a bundle of blankets in her arms. My fathers haddevastated looks on their faces, staring blankly at my mother. Saku was kissing her hair, one hand over the blanket.

Scared, I walked over to my mother. No one stopped me.

“No, Lyra,” said Mom, trying to stop me with her hand, but I had already seen what had happened. The baby was lying perfectly still, its eyes closed.

“Is it a boy or girl?” I asked, not sure what the fuss was about.

“A boy,” said Saku. Then he pulled the blanket over to cover the baby’s face from me. “He didn’t make it.”

“What do you mean?” I asked as tears streamed down my face.

We prepared for the baby for months. I was supposed to have a little sibling to play with. Then, my stomach twisted, and I felt sick.

The months that followed were the hardest for me.

I grasped the headstone, remembering the pain I felt every day. Over the years, the pain lessened, but I never forgot that night. Wiping the tears from my eyes, I kissed the headstone and rubbed off the sand from the engraving as the sound of birds screeched in the distance.

Sniffling, I stood up and turned.

Standing in front of the wall of trees was Vanessa. She had tears in her eyes. Had she been watching me this entire time? She quietly walked over to stand next to me and placed her hand on the headstone.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” she said.

I was confused.

I didn’t know how to feel right then about her. She was so weird.

“Thanks, it’s okay. It’s been years,” I said, not sure how to reply to her. She stole my dads from my mom. She was standing there, pregnant, as if gloating over our loss. But I saw realsincerity in the depths of her eyes at this moment. She wore a red gown with sequins that flared from her hips. Her narrow shoulders and slim neck were a stark contrast to her swollen belly.

She faced the grave, tracing the headstone.

“But the pain sticks with you. No matter what you do,” she said, her voice shaking.

Suddenly, I felt a hand clamp over my mouth.

I let out a muffled yell and tried to kick whoever was holding me from behind. The hand was like a grip of steel, holding me tight.

“Thank you, Vanessa,” said a familiar voice.

It was Voss.

Terror shot through my body, and I struggled to escape his grip. He had thrown me to the Shadow Wolf for the omega sacrifice, and I was about to become werewolf chow again.

Vanessa turned, her eyes filled with tears at whatever demons she was battling inside.

“Let her go, Voss,” she said quietly. “I’ve changed my mind.”

Did she set me up?

“You can’t change your mind now,” growled Voss. “If I let her go, she’ll go back and tell everyone. Then they’ll have our heads for sure. You wanted her out of the way, and now you’ve got it.”

Wait, were they conspiring to have me captured? This didn’t make sense to me at all.

“Voss, we can be together, but just leave her alone,” said Vanessa.

Voss laughed. “This brat will snitch. We’ll be together soon after the Royal Pack is gone. First, the princess and then the rest of her family, one by one—just like we agreed, right?”

“I guess,” said Vanessa, looking unsure.

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