Page 3 of Wanted By the Wolves

Okay, safe is a stretch.

My den is as safe as it can be for an omega alone in a forest full of ferals. I would still rather risk it with the moon-mad than here with the alphas of the North Pass. There are too many of them to be safe, and my omega scent could turn them feral.

By the time I reach the apothecary tent, the moon is high in the sky. My body is tense, and my hands are still shaking. Being in civilization feels strange. Everything is too much. I’m not used to the loudness, the deep voices, or the overwhelming scents of food and pheromones.

My eyes burn with the need to sleep after my days of travel, and everything inside me wants the enclosed space of my nest. I take a deep breath and give myself a mental pinch to snap out of it.

Just go in and grab the herbs. Simple. Easy.

The chime above the tent flap jangles as I walk into the brightly colored shop. The cheerful bell startles me, and I almost dive out the way I came. I force myself to move forward, ignoring my racing heart, and head straight for the crates lining the walls. No one is here but the grey-haired, grizzled alpha grinding herbs behind a partition.

With so many crates stuffed full, it takes me a moment to find what I'm after. Most of my grandmother’s tea ingredients can be found in our native forest, but a few must be grown in a garden. I take extra herb sachets, hoping to store enough that I won’t have to return for another year.

My voice is a giveaway, even when I mimic the deep sounds of an alpha, so I stay silent as I set the herbs on the counter. I leave more than enough cash for the shopkeeper.

Thank you, passed-out alpha.

The healer looks me over, his silver eyes shrewd and assessing. “Interesting combination.” He wipes his hands on an apron, stepping closer. “Care to explain what you need these for?”

We both know these are herbs wolves use to suppress heat, but that isn’t all they’re used for. As long as I don’t speak, he can’t confirm the suspicion I see in his eyes.

Without answering, I swipe the packets and take off. I lose myself in the street crowd. Looking back over my shoulder, I sigh in relief. The old man isn’t following.

I shake off my fear and turn to run, but my first step smacks me headfirst into a member of the guard.The alpha is a wall of muscle, his pine scent so sharp it burns.

“Watch where you’re going,” he grumbles. One of his big paws clasps my shoulder, trying to steady me.

I feel the moment he gets a whiff of my scent. His body goes rigid as he lets off a low growl, and I know it’s over. He lunges for me, fangs already dropped and eyes glazed.

“Omega,” he snarls.

Chapter 2

Nova

The pungent scent of ammonia forces my eyes to open. My head is pounding, and every muscle aches. I blink, and the world is off kilter, with a slight spinning that makes everything seem too fast.Before I can get my bearings, someone pinches my chin and draws my eyes upward. I wince, and the fuzzy shadows and light are replaced by an alpha crowding over me.

What the fuck? Or maybewherethe fuck?

I blink again, but the alpha’s large shadow remains unclear amid the specks dancing in my vision.

“You’re quite the little troublemaker,” the alpha says, his voice laced with something dark and hungry. “And the gods have seen fit to give you to me.”

The cruel and possessive violence in the cadence of his voice rattles my bones. It's all alpha power, pressing his will against mine. He bounces to his feet from his crouch, looking behind me and raising his arms to cheers.

I swallow my fear, blinking through the dizziness, and look around the room. This is some kind of meeting room, wooden and open. The packed-in wolves are barely contained, all eyeson me—their prey. The room pulses with pheromones, the thick, spicy musk edged with lust.

Memories filter in—the tent square, my need for the herbs, running into the guardsman, and trying to fight for my freedom. There was a rushing crowd of alphas, then darkness.

The guardsman must have fought his way out of the tents and brought me here… but where is here?

The alpha's commanding voice forces my attention back to him. He’s big, but so are most alphas. Something in his stance, though, betrays his savagery. That thinly veiled threat makes my gut clench and fear race up my spine.

Wherever here is, it isn’t good.

He speaks to the crowd, but his eyes are on me. “Brothers, this is the sign that we’re following the right path. The gods have blessed me, given me a mate, and given us all an omega queen for our new kingdom. We have risen from the Outskirts and taken back the throne. Under the full moon, we will make a new future for wolves, just as our ancestors did before we were lost. The omega will be mine by bite but all of ours by right. Let us take her together."

Growls and cheers explode around the packed room, the alphas stomping their feet in a thunderous roar of approval.

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