Page 42 of Omega's Reign

I bounce my feet, my nerves growing more intense the closer we get to the parking lot. It’s where we found the vehicle and watched the guy head to the Omega Sanctuary from here.

“Do you think he’s being watched?” I rub my lips together, wetting them. I wish I had a glass of water to busy my mouth, the dryness of my throat croaking my words.

“It doesn’t matter if he is. We’re going to fight the rest of those fuckers,” Wesley says, speaking up without looking at me. He rests his hands on the dashboard, sitting in the passenger seat beside Jordan.

And he’s right. Even if the guy has backup, it’s not going to stop us. We have the advantage. This is our territory, and I have studied every inch of it on the maps. My guys explored it by foot and by car. We have access to all of the security feeds. We have allies among the people. If it came down to it, the betas would more likely help us than help the criminals. They’ve spent far too much of their life under the reign of monsters. Even though I might be one too, I’m the monster who destroys for a good reason, so we can rebuild.

“Looks like he’s heading right back to the car. I doubt he has backup at this point. The Righteous Waters Pack isn’t that big, and they wouldn’t risk losing more members than necessary, knowing who owns this territory. As much as I wish they were, they’re not stupid,” Beckett says, holding the button for his comm device to allow Isaiah to also hear his thoughts.

Slowing down, Jordan pulls up to the sidewalk instead of entering the parking lot. There aren’t many cars here today, considering it’s a weekday and many packs work. If they have children, they wouldn’t be out until the weekend when everyone could be together to protect them. This isn’t the territory where people are comfortable being alone. It’s why this one beta sticks out.

“You can return to us, Isaiah. I have a visual. We need to be ready for when he takes off. We’re going to follow him back to his home base.” Beckett opens the back door and steps out, shielding his eyes as he stares at the parking lot.

I catch sight of the hooded guy strolling toward where his beat-up car rests in the shade of a tree. The man pulls down his hood and glances around, but he doesn’t really focus. Mostly just looking for bystanders, I guess. It’s obvious that he’s not a professional and was commanded to do this by Hector. He’s probably disposable as well, considering he doesn’t look like he brings much to the pack. At least, that’s what an alpha like Hector would think about a beta.

The man finally slides behind the wheel, and something in the backseat catches my attention. I jump at the sight of a figure popping up from behind.

“Shit. Isaiah, someone’s in the backseat. Go! We can’t let someone kill him!” Beckett shouts, rushing from the vehicle without hesitation.

It’s enough to distract the man, and he swings his attention in our direction. And that’s when I realize I recognize the figure in the backseat. It’s Andrew. He’s alive. He was probably tracking this guy since we were separated, because my phone is still in the car.

My heart leaps with excitement.

I rush from the backseat and grab Andrew’s attention, his eyes darting to me. The beta takes advantage of the distraction and swings out, the glint of a knife glittering in the beam of sunlight peeking through the shade.

I gasp and cover my mouth, watching as the tip slides across Andrew’s cheek.

“No!” I scream.

The man swings his arm again.

Andrew disappears from view.

20

Pack Fights

Holly

Boots clomp on the pavement behind me as Jordan matches my pace. Wesley runs ahead with Beckett. The back door flings open, and Andrew rolls out, landing on his back. Isaiah reaches the vehicle first and grabs the man, hauling him out of the driver’s side before he can take off. I push myself to move faster and drop to the ground beside Andrew.

Blood pours down his face from the cut, and I run my hands over him, searching his body for another stab wound. There’s only a tear in the front of his shirt, and I exhale in relief and press my palms to the spot, feeling the quick thumps of his heart beating.

“You’re safe,” Andrew says, surprising me by swinging his arms around me, pulling me on top of him. “I thought I had failed you when I tracked you to this guy.”

“I tossed my phone in the car because I didn’t want to lose him. We need to find where the Righteous Waters Pack is hiding.” I bury my face in the crook of his neck, listening to a scuffle behind us as Isaiah and Beckett subdue the beta. He’s lucky he’s not the guy I had an encounter with before, because I would murder him immediately. But I had injured him. I had shot him in the thigh, there’s no way he could be out walking around right now.

“Do you know how proud and infuriated I am at you? I was so fucking scared, but I’m so glad you thought to do that. I didn’t go back to the palace, because there was no way I was going to return without you.” Andrew kisses my temple, the sensation igniting something hot inside me.

It’s now that I realize how quiet the world is.

I peek up and catch sight of Beckett, Wesley, Isaiah, and Jordan staring at me with the beta restrained on the ground, something gagging his mouth to keep him from talking.

I wish we weren’t out here. I wish the asshole wasn’t on the ground a few feet away from me. A moment like this should be kept private. It should be something for my pack to process and enjoy without worrying about the rest of the world outside of us.

“Get used to it, Andrew. She’s going to drive you wild,” Beckett says, striding forward without missing a beat. We have already had this discussion about Andrew and how he felt we needed him. And now after feeling as if I was going to lose him, I know exactly how much I need him too. I want the time to get to know him properly. I want my pack to bond in a way I had never imagined. Because it was always supposed to be just us, and I had no idea that we were truly missing just one thing. Andrew.

“I look forward to it.” Andrew holds his hand out, and Beckett helps him up, while Andrew continues to hold me in his arms.

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