Page 54 of Rome's Mate: Hunted Omegas

Amelia paced in theirbedroom. Malcolm’s words had played in her head for the last week like an oncoming train waiting to take her out.

“I don’t want the hunter close to our pack.” Rome had been reassuring her that everything was okay, and she believed him. Except there was a feeling in her chest that said if a hunter found the pack, all she loved and lived for would be destroyed. The way her mother died was confirmation that she couldn’t allow a hunter next to the pack. They could send someone in as a friend, only to wait for the next omega to be born.

What could one pregnant omega wolf do? She wasn’t sure, but something had to be done to protect all she was beginning to love. To protect the mate who would give his life for hers. When he said that he was immortal, it had given her peace to know he would always be here. Now she thought of it differently. Immortality didn’t always mean you couldn’t die. Watching him get hurt when he fought the wolves that came for her had opened her eyes.

Rome thought he couldn’t die, but she wouldn’t bet ten dollars on Dark Night keeping her word. She’d watched the face of his brothers when they examined the wound in his side. It healed, but much slower than any of them thought.

No, the hunter couldn’t be allowed to find the pack. Which left one other solution. She was going to have to find the hunter.

“No.” Rome was sitting in a chair watching his mate pace. He could feel her emotions as she worked through her problem with logic that defied reason, or so he thought.

“What else can we do?” She didn’t go through her reasoning with him or tell him what conclusion she’d drawn. They were close enough now to know what the other person was thinking. They’d also been talking about what needed to be done over the last week.

“Amelia…” He didn’t know what to say. A large part of him agreed with her. The last thing they needed or wanted was the hunter to find their pack. It wouldn’t be safe. “I don’t want to lose you or our pup.”

She stopped pacing and went to sit on his lap. This was everything she wanted and didn’t know how to ask for.

“I don’t plan to be lost, but mate, there is more at stake than just my life and the pup’s. If we don’t meet this head on, not only are we going to suffer, but so many more will feel our failure.”

She couldn’t get the picture of the small child she’d helped earlier out of her head. Defeating this hunter was going to be bigger than she thought. “I don’t get it, I can’t explain it, but something is changing in our world.”

“I know love.” She snuggled into Rome’s arms and waited. “Tomorrow, we leave, early.”

“You know something?”

“I’ve had several of my brothers looking for the hunter, and they believe they have found him. You’re right, he’s making his way to our pack. I want to intercept him.”

“It has to be the two of us and no one else.” Rome wanted to argue, but he knew his mate was right. They couldn’t bring a contingency with them.

“You’re pregnant.”

“We have to make sure that he never gets a chance to let anyone know.” Now came the hard part. Could she leave without saying goodbye, just in case? The thought of never seeing Malcolm again or Theron, and Saul. What about Sheela and Todd, or Mark and Janice? Their baby girl wouldn’t miss them, but the rest would, and so would the pack.

“What do we do?”

“We do what I’ve always done. Leave as a conquering hero who will come back. We let the pack know when we will be leaving, and they will do the rest.” She nodded before closing her eyes, trusting her mate and pack to do what was best.

“You’re leaving.” Malcolm was standing outside their door the next morning. His dark skin was flushed with health, bringing tears to Amelia’s eyes. His hair hung long against his back in silky waves. Those honey brown eyes were trained on her.

“I am.”

“I want to come. You’ll need me.”

Her heart almost overflowed with love for this teenager who’d been chased out of his home with a shotgun and then treated like less with the first pack willing to take him in. Now he wanted to risk his life to help save hers.

“I can’t allow you to do that. Don’t you know your life is as important as mine, maybe more? You’re a seer. Some kind of seer or oracle. I’m not sure which yet, but you’ll be needed to help guide the pack forward no matter what happens when we face the hunter.”

Malcolm hugged her. “I need to be there. Either I go with you, or I follow, but I will be there.”

“Let him come.” Rome was standing in the doorway watching them. His son was only fifteen, and he would never risk his life, but already he could tell the difference between the teen and what Luna placed in his life, in his soul. One day he would come into his power, now it was just hit-and-miss. Malcolm was standing firm on the notion that he needed to be there, and Rome wasn’t going to treat him like a child when he wasn’t.

“Rome!” She didn’t want anything to happen to him if she didn’t survive.

“Who said our world is changing? Malcolm is a prime example of how it is changing.” He drew her into his arms. “We can’t say one thing and then do another. If we trusted him earlier, we need to trust him now.”

Her mate was right, but she didn’t want to admit it. “This is a fight, and I’ll be fighting for my life and that of my pup, as well as Rome’s and yours if you’re there.”

“I know, that’s why I have to be there.” He went into his room and came out with a backpack. “I’m ready.”

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