Page 39 of Omega's Reign

He hollers and jerks away, blindly grabbing for the gear shift. He’s going to drive away, and there’s no way I can follow him on foot. Doing the only thing I can think of, I smack him in the face again, giving myself the moment I need to toss my cell phone into the car. He won’t give me his pack’s location, but I will find it. I will put them in their places. This is enough to lock them up without question. This is enough to enact a death sentence and wipe them off my territory.

I scuffle back, managing to keep my balance as I hit the curb and spin toward the wall of the building. The man doesn’t bother trying to get me and stomps the throttle, sending the car forward.

I don’t wait to see if anyone else comes for me and dash toward the main street. I just need to find a beta that I can borrow a phone from. It shouldn’t be that hard. This is my territory after all. My people know who I am. If they want to be rewarded, they will help me. This is the type of area where it’s easy to buy loyalty if I can’t earn it.

Pounding my feet to the ground, I run faster and faster, putting as much space between me and the alley where I left Andrew with Hector. He said he would find me, but I don’t know how since I tossed my phone. The best way is to just get to safety first.

A car horn blares, startling me, and I don’t see the pile of trash. I trip and skid across the pavement, my arm burning with road rash.

“Oh, my God!” a feminine voice yells from somewhere to my right. “Holly!”

I try to crabwalk backward and hit my head against something hard. My eyes shadow with my vision. “Leave me alone!”

“Holly, it’s okay. It’s me.” Lilac’s familiar voice wraps over me as Beckett and Jordan’s sister comes into my view. “Isaiah! It’s Holly.”

The pain in my body worsens, and I close my eyes. Isaiah’s scent engulfs me, stealing away my fight.

The world turns dark.

“Holly! Wake up. I know you want to sleep, but I need you to stay awake.” Isaiah’s voice is like a wave of relief crashing over me. How is he here?

Tears burn my eyes as my emotions get the best of me. My head pounds with each of my slow breaths, and I tilt my face slightly toward the sound of his voice.

“Hector,” I manage to say, squeezing the tears from my eyes, the heat of them caressing my cheeks. “He’s here. He’s attacked us. He’s somehow tracking me.”

“Tell me what happened. I need to know everything. How far did you run? Just keep talking to me.” Isaiah shifts me in his arms, keeping his attention solely on me. The world moves around us as someone drives a vehicle, and I suspect it might be Lilac. The hint of her scent trickles through the air, blending with Isaiah’s.

“How are you here?” I ask instead of answering his questions, my heart still thrashing from my fear.

“We had a lead about Hector being in our territory. I thought Beckett told you before the meeting. Andrew—”

“Andrew!” I cry, the mention of his name flooding my memory back to me. “Fuck. He could be in trouble. We had to separate. We need to go back.”

“You’re hurt,” Isaiah says, remaining expressionless. “You need medical attention.”

“Turn around. That’s an order!” I yell, sitting up straighter, ignoring the pain radiating through me.

Lilac slows the vehicle and turns around, heading back in the direction they found me. I try to focus on the road, wishing I had paid more attention to what was behind me than the world in front of me as I tried to get far away.

“We were in an alley,” I say, leaning forward in the seat, trying to get a good view out of the windshield despite the hazy sun in my eyes.

“Do you remember anything else? The color of the buildings? Was it a dead end?” Isaiah lifts my hair, searching through the strands until he touches an aching spot on the back of my head.

I wince and recoil. “No. There was a vehicle on one side and Hector came in through the other. Andrew made me get out and he went after Hector.”

“But you were hurt,” Isaiah says, checking me over inch by inch. “You have some bruises that aren’t from falling.”

I slowly bob my head, but I don’t look at him. He’s already worried enough as it is. “I’m fine. You should see how hurt the other two guys are.” I force myself to laugh at how cliché my comment sounds.

Isaiah remains stern-faced. “They are dead men.”

“I guarantee one is for sure,” I reply, swallowing the ick of killing a man once again.

Groaning under his breath, Isaiah slides his arm behind me and pulls me to him, hugging me tighter. He brushes his lips against my cheek, inhaling a soft breath. He’s torn between pride and relief and anger. If he were an alpha, his scent would grow stronger in the air.

“I’m okay, though. My brothers taught me well. I’m not incapable of protecting myself.” I tilt my head and caress my lips to his. “They wouldn’t have thrown me into this position had they thought I wasn’t a good fit.”

“But you shouldn’t have to always be fighting for everything. No one should be able to get even a finger on you, Holly. I don’t know what we’re doing wrong. I knew we should have gone with you. Beckett is stressed. He can’t get out of his own head. He wants to do everything himself so you don’t have to.” Isaiah rests his hand on my knee. “It’s just so hard.”

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