Page 58 of Hunting Their Omega

Wynn’s hands slid down to my ankles, but he didn’t let go. “I wondered when you were going to ask. We all did.” He glancedover my shoulder, his eyes wary. “Hidden Creek has only recently earned back their sanction.”

What? My mind raced with all the deplorable, hideous things that could get a pack disciplined in such a way. “Why did they lose it?” I asked carefully.

Alaric’s thumb traced the length of my arm, his hold tighter than it had been moments before, almost as if he were afraid I’d pull away.

“My father was the Alpha before me, and he wasn’t an honorable man.” Wynn’s eyes were distant. “He abused many people and ran the pack with cruelty. During his leadership, Hidden Creek was a brutal place—especially for the Omegas won during the Hunt.”

Wynn clenched his jaw. He was blocking his emotions from our bond, but his shame was evident in the hunch of his shoulders and the way he refused to meet my eye.

He carries the weight of the pack. He is expected to carry their sins as well, my wolf said.

Alaric continued, his voice as vacant as Wynn’s eyes. “Omegas were locked away, kept within the confines of their unit’s home. Some were kept in single rooms, and others were . . . shared among loyal pack members who had yet to participate in the Hunt. The Council suspected something had happened within the borders of our territory, but there was no proof until twenty years ago.”

Their mothers and aunts. Maybe even sisters, I realized in horror.

“What happened twenty years ago?”

“The Council received an anonymous video. It showed what was happening with the Omegas,” Wynn said.

“It was you,” I whispered.

“I didn’t act alone. Most of the wolves serving as my current Enforcers were part of my team. We were trying to save our mothers.”

I looked between the two men, confused. “Didn’t you?”

“No.” Wynn’s voice was hollow. “We made things worse. My father retaliated, and the Omegas were lost.”

***

I typically found solace in quiet morning moments, but after my bath with Alaric and Wynn, all I could think about was the future they had attempted to build. Hidden Creek walked a bloody path.

Every member of the pack lost something, I realized. Mothers, sisters, aunts . . . all gone in one act of malice and rage.

What kind of Alpha ordered an execution to get rid of evidence?

One who doesn’t deserve the title, my wolf said solemnly.

I headed to the kitchen. My mates were training, and they would need something to eat when they returned—especially after sharing their past with me. I wanted to show them that nothing had changed between us. Their painful history didn’t erase thegood they’d done for their pack—the good they were still trying to do.

I was stacking pancakes onto plates when Wynn walked in with Bishop and Alaric on his heels. Some of the heaviness had left their brow, and I smiled brightly, pushing happiness down our bond.

“Did you have a nice session?” I asked, inspecting the new bruises on their faces.

“Wynn kicked our asses this morning, so if that’s what you mean by nice, then yes, it was nice,” Bishop said, cupping the back of my neck and kissing me.

Alaric pressed his lips to my hair and took a seat at the table.

I glanced at Wynn, and he gave me a playful shrug. “Someone has to make sure they’re not getting rusty.”

I rolled my eyes but followed them to the table. We fell into easy conversation, laughing and joking as if our earlier discussion had never occurred. I was taking a much-needed sip of coffee, thinking about my mural at the nursery, when Bishop got up from his seat and walked to the linen closet.

The others stopped eating as Bishop returned with a massive box wrapped in shiny blue paper and topped with a silver bow.

“What’s that?” I asked, looking between the three men.

“Why don’t you open it and find out?” Alaric teased.

I scrunched my nose, pleased but embarrassed. I didn’t get many gifts, and a strange fuzzy feeling built within my skin as I slowly walked toward the package. Tracing the paper with myfingertips, I chewed on my lip, deciding the best way to unwrap it.

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