Page 111 of Hunted Omega: Part Two

Or something worse?

My heart pounds in my chest as I press myself against the wall, every muscle tense. I take a deep breath, centering myself the way Zane taught me. I flex my fingers, remembering the self-defense moves Malachi drilled into me, and think of Quinn’s clever strategies and Dash’s unwavering optimism.

Let them come. I’ve faced my demons before, and this time, I have fangs of my own.

The lock clicks, and the door begins to open…

Noah thought he caged a docile pet, but he’s about to face a wolf.

The door swings open, flooding the room with harsh light. I squint, my eyes struggling to adjust. In that moment, I know one thing with absolute certainty. The game has changed, and Noah doesn’t even know he’s playing by my rules now.

Every cell in my body hums with defiance.

Noah has no idea what he’s awakened.

48

ZANE

Two hours.She got out two hours early and never called or even sent a text.

Stubborn, stubborn omega.

I pace the length of our pack’s command center, my boots silent on the worn carpet. The scents of leather and sandalwood—my own agitated pheromones—fill the air, mixing with the acrid tang of fear and determination from the others. The room buzzes with frantic energy as pack members huddle over computers, maps, and phones. The harsh glow of screens illuminates tense faces, casting eerie shadows on the walls.

Aria’s absence is a physical ache, a gaping hole in our bond that screams for action. I can almost taste the metallic tang of fear and anger on my tongue, my mouth dry with worry. The memory of her smile and the warmth of her skin against mine haunts me. What if I never feel that again? The thought sends a jolt of panic through me, and I force it down, focusing on the task at hand.

“Quinn’s contacts. What do they have?” I growl, tension in every word. My fingers flex involuntarily, itching to tear into something—or someone.

Malachi looks up from the map he’s studying, his brow furrowed but his voice steady. “No solid leads yet, but Quinn’s leaving no stone unturned. We’ll find her, Zane.”

I bite back a snarl, my alpha instincts demanding I tear the city apart until I find our omega. The urge to shift thrums beneath my skin, making my muscles twitch and ache, but that isn’t how this works. We need to be smart and precise. Still, it’s hard to hold back when every second feels like a lifetime. What if we’re already too late?

“It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack,” Quinn mutters, his fingers flying over his keyboard. Beside him on the desk is the little charm bracelet. “But I have algorithms running that would make Google jealous. If there’s a digital breadcrumb, I’ll find it.”

“Maybe we should check all the creepy abandoned places in the city,” Dash chimes in, his attempt at levity not quite masking the worry in his eyes. “You know, narrow down Noah’s list of potential evil lairs.”

Despite the situation, I feel the corner of my mouth twitch. Leave it to Dash to find humor even now. It’s one of the things that makes our pack strong, this ability to lighten even the darkest moments.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, the vibration startling in the tense atmosphere. It’s an unknown number. My heart leaps into my throat as I open the message, the bright screen momentarily blinding in the dimly lit room.

Unknown: Where dreams and nightmares dance, the lost one waits. Time is a luxury you don’t have.

My mind races, hope and fear warring within me. This has to be from Aria. It has to be. The alternative—that Noah is toying with us—is too painful to consider.

Aria, if you can feel this, know we’re tearing through the city to get to you.

“Whoa, Zane, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Dash’s voice cuts through my thoughts, his eyebrows raised in concern.

I show them the message, watching as confusion and a glimmer of hope flash across their faces. The air in the room seems to thicken, the scent of anticipation mingling with our collective worry.

“It has to be from Aria,” Quinn says, already pulling up new windows on his screen. “But what does it mean? It’s like a riddle served with a side of cryptic.”

I close my eyes, trying to think like her. The world fades away, leaving only the pulsing of blood in my ears and the lingering scent of Aria on my skin from the last time I held her. Aria’s clever. She wouldn’t risk sending something Noah could easily intercept. This is a clue meant for us—something only we would understand.

“Dreams and nightmares,” I mutter, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. “Dancing… Waiting…”

Malachi’s eyes widen as if a light bulb goes off. “The old amusement park.”

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