by J. L. Wilder
“No,” Tom agreed. “She wouldn’t. And we shouldn’t forget about her, you know. She’s still out there doing her part for the Games. We know she’s at the top of her class. I bet she’ll come back with something great.”
Dean nodded. He knew Haley was accomplished at weaving. She, at least, was well suited to the event she had been given.
“You and I are just going to have to do the best we can,” Tom went on. “If we’re meant to win the Games, we’ll win the Games.”
A bell sounded.
“One minute to go,” Dean breathed. “If he doesn’t make it back...”
Alphas began pouring out of the woods. Some had strung the fish they had caught on their belts. Others had fewer and were holding them in their hands. Dean saw Zach emerge with a fat trout held between his teeth and a ring of fish all the way around his hips.
“Where the hell is Jasper?” he muttered.
And then he appeared, sprinting from the tree line toward the field of play. He had stripped off his shirt and held it bundled in his arms.
“He didn’t shift, did he?” Tom asked, frowning. “Why did he take his shirt off?”
“Does he have any fish at all?” Dean asked.
The answer to both questions soon became clear. Jasper returned to the lineup of alphas, set his shirt on the ground, and unbundled it.
It was laden with minnows.
“Holy shit,” Dean breathed. “He must have dunked it in the water like a net and just hauled them up. How many do you think he’s got there?”
“Do you think that’s going to count?” Tom asked.
“They’re fish,” Dean said. “Nobody said anything about size.”
Zach was glowering at Jasper, and for a moment, Dean was afraid that he might step forward and say something about the fact that the Wood brothers were planning to game the system. But he didn’t move. The judges counted up his nine fish, wrote the number on a scoreboard, and moved along.
“How many?” the judge asked Jasper.
“Fourteen,” Jasper said.
Dean grabbed Tom’s arm. Fourteen!
The judge bent down and counted. “Fourteen,” he agreed and put the number up on the board.
Dean pushed Tom. “You’d better go get ready,” he said. “The next event will be starting in a few minutes, and you two have to switch places before it does.”
Tom took a deep breath, and Dean could tell he was steadying his nerves. “All right,” he agreed.
“Don’t worry,” Dean said. “Jasper got us a huge lead. You could fall asleep out there and we’d probably be okay.”
Tom nodded. He got up, slipped out from underneath the bleachers, and jogged off toward the place in the trees where the brothers had arranged to meet between events.
Dean turned his attention back to the judging.
“There’s no way that should count,” Zach was saying angrily. “Everyone else here went fishing for real. Everyone else here brought back a real catch. You’re not seriously about to let this clown have such a substantial lead that it completely breaks the competition for everyone else just because he thought of a clever way to cheat, are you?”
“It’s not a cheat,” Jasper said. “We were sent to bring back fish, and I brought back fish.”
“Fucker, you know that you couldn’t feed a pack on what you’ve got there!” Zach looked as if he might sink his teeth into Jasper right then and there.
“He does have a point,” the judge said. “Perhaps we should award points based on poundage as opposed to quantity of fish.”
“That wouldn’t be right,” said an alpha Dean didn’t know. “I think a lot of us would have gone after different quarry if we’d known that size mattered. I didn’t catch minnows, but I did catch small fish. If you want to make the contest about catching the biggest fish, you have to run it over again.”
Several other alphas chimed in with their agreement.
The judge held up a hand. “All right,” he said. “We’ll count each of the minnows as half a fish, then.” He turned to the scoreboard, took down the number fourteen, and put up a seven. “Is everyone comfortable with this?”
Zach nodded smugly. Jasper looked irritated, but he nodded as well.
At least we’re not out of it, Dean thought. At least we’ve still got a respectable score to work with.
“Fifteen-minute break before the beginning of the next event,” the judge said.
TOM
The first thing that caught Tom’s attention when he stepped out onto the field was the scoreboard.
Wood—7.
His heart dropped. Hadn’t Jasper earned them fourteen points? What had happened? How had so many been lost?
Now Zach was in the lead with nine points, and two other contestants had eight. Tom was in a four-way tie with his score of seven.
Which means I’m going to have to distinguish myself here.
“Event number two,” the MC said, “will be a ten-mile footrace run in animal form.”
Tom’s heart sank further.
This would have been the event for Jasper. Even Dean would probably have been better for it. Tom was the least athletic of his brothers. If only they still had the massive lead he’d believed they had a minute ago! But the lead was gone, and Tom couldn’t afford to fall behind. He was going to have to perform as well as he could in the race.
The alphas were instructed to go into the woods and shift, leaving their clothes somewhere they would be easy to find when the event was over. Tom did so and emerged to take his place on the line with the others.
He found himself wishing that he had never seen Zach in wolf form before. It was only too easy to recognize his rival. He had no idea whether Zach knew who he was or not. He positioned himself as far away from Zach as possible.
Maybe it’s good that Jasper isn’t running this event. He’d probably rip Zach’s throat out if he got a chance.
This time, instead of a bell, the event began with the sound of a horn.
Tom lunged forward.
He could feel the heat of the other bodies around him. He could feel the pounding of their paws against the dirt as they ran along the route laid out by the event organizers. Some fell behind quickly. Others began to pull ahead.
Tom knew he was somewhere in the middle of the pack.
And he knew it wasn’t going to be enough.
Several yards ahead of him, he could see Zach running, his muzzle tipped up toward the sky as if he were about to howl in delight.
He’s going to win, Tom realized. He’s going to win this race, just like he won the fishing challenge, and then he’ll be so far ahead that there will be no catching him.
And suddenly, he was furious.
Zach thought he was entitled to everything. To this contest. To any omega he wanted.
Tom would never forget the way it had felt to run into the woods and see him with his hands on Haley.
It was as if someone had lit a fire in his gut. He was running faster and harder than he ever had in his life.
He passed the alpha in front of him.
He passed another.
He had no idea how much of the race he had completed. He had no idea how much farther he had left to go. He knew only that Zach Porter was the only one left ahead of him.
And the gap between the two of them was closing.
His lungs were burning. His legs were on the verge of collapse. He wasn’t in nearly good enough shape to run this hard and this long. And yet, he couldn’t stop. He couldn’t give in. Haley was depending on him, and so were his brothers. My pack.
He would give them every ounce of his strength. He would give them everything he had to give.
They rounded a corner, and Tom saw the finish line coming up ahead.
And Zach was still in the lead.
He reached for any reserve of strength that might be in his body. He pushed as hard as he could, desperate to run harder, faster, to reach the finish line before the alpha in front of him—
And then Zach was crossing the line, with Tom mere inches behind him.
Second place. By only a few inches. And Zach takes first once again.
He collapsed in the dirt, hardly able to breathe, and stared up at the scoreboard as their scores were altered to reflect their performance in the race.
Tom had improved his team’s standing. Now, they were tied for second with two other teams.
But Zach’s lead had only increased. And Tom wondered if it would even be possible to catch him anymore.
Chapter Nineteen
HALEY
Haley arranged her baskets on the judging table and stepped back, waiting for the verdict.
She had made five in the end. She had coated the reeds with wax from a tree, and she had presented them filled with various objects to demonstrate their strength. One held water. Another held rocks.
The judge picked up the basket of rocks and gave it a little shake. “This is very sturdy,” he commented. “Well done.”
Margaret, who stood next to Haley in line, looked over at her with a grin. You’re going to win, she mouthed.
Haley shrugged. She had been pleasantly surprised by the scores her alphas had put up yesterday—their team was tied for second place. But that hardly meant they were going to win. Zach was still ahead of them.
She looked to her left. Clarisse had made more baskets than Haley had. But they didn’t look very sturdy. Maybe I’ll beat her in this round.
Clarisse looked pale and upset, and it occurred to Haley to wonder whether Zach had said anything to her about her part in the Games. Did she know she had almost been replaced? Did she know her alpha had wanted to enter with someone else?
Maybe that’s why she went for quantity over quality with the baskets. Maybe she’s feeling desperate.
“Marks will be assigned out of ten for each competitor.” The judge went down the line, handing out the marks. When he reached Clarisse, he picked up one of her baskets, examined it, and announced, “Six.”
“Only six points,” Haley murmured to Margaret. “And she made so many.”
“Yeah, but yours are better,” Margaret said. “Don’t count yourself out early.”
Haley nodded, hoping Margaret was right.
The judge reached her and favored her with a smile. “These are exemplary,” he said. “Nine points.”
From somewhere in the crowd, someone let out a whoop as the score was put up on the board. Haley struggled to suppress a smile. She knew it was one of her alphas.
“That’s going to put you in a tie for first!” Margaret said, completely ignoring the judge as her own work was evaluated and given a score of five points. Terrence’s performances from the first day had left the two of them low in the rankings, and it was clear that there was little chance of Margaret winning, as she had predicted.
“There’s still one more event to go, though,” Haley said. Whatever it was, it would break the tie.
And it would be Dean’s event.
No sooner had the thought come to her than she saw him, striding out onto the field among a line of other alphas. He took his place beside her as the baskets were cleared away, and she saw the pride in his eyes.
“That was incredible,” he told her. “I had no idea you were so talented.”
“It’ll come in handy when our babies come,” she murmured.
He laughed. “Not if we win this competition,” he said. “If we win, I’m buying them proper cradles from a store.”
“We’ll see,” she said, grinning at him, her worries melting away. It was amazing the way just being around one of her alphas could always put her in better spirits.
“Attention, alphas and omegas,” the MC said. “The final challenge of the Games will be a collaborative challenge. The omegas will be instructed to hide somewhere specific here on the Omega University campus. Alphas, your duty will be to track them and to return them here. You may use your animal form or your human form, or a combination of the two, in the completion of this task. The first alpha to return with his omega will receive the highest score.”
Haley looked up at Dean, grinning. “We’ve got this,” she said.
But Dean was frowning. “I don’t like this.”
“Why not?”
“They’re going to send you out there alone?” he said. “That isn’t safe.”
“It’s my campus, Dean,” she pointed out. “I know it a hell of a lot better than you do.”
“Okay,” he said. “But Zach has attacked you twice on your campus. Who’s to say he won’t try it again?”
“He won’t,” she said, though she wasn’t at all sure. His concern had made her nervous. What would she do if Zach did come after her? She couldn’t hope to fight him off.
But she didn’t want Dean to be distracted by worry. “He’ll be too busy looking for Clarisse,” she said. “He wants to win this thing just as badly as we do. He’s not going to risk losing the Games just to come after me.”
“If he does,” Dean said, “I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive myself for stopping Jasper from killing him.”
“That was the right move,” Haley said. “I don’t want to see Jasper locked up. Neither do you.”
“No, I don’t,” Dean said.
“Just find me quickly,” Haley said. “The sooner we get back, the sooner this will all be over. Then we can report Zach for what he did, and the four of us can move on with our lives.”
He took her in his arms and kissed her. “Be safe,” he said. “I’ll come for you as fast as I can.”
Haley squeezed his hand. Then she went to the MC and accepted the piece of paper that had her assigned hiding place written on it.
By the bank of the river.
Her heart skipped.
Even if he was a terrible tracker—and she didn’t believe he was—surely this was the first place Dean would try looking for her?
She didn’t dare look at him in case she somehow communicated something and violated a rule. She turned and ran across the campus and toward the river to the place where they had met all those weeks ago.
The minutes seemed to drag. She sat on the rock by the water and stared at the trees. If Zach comes this way first, she told herself, I’ll climb a tree. I’ll get myself up high, where he can’t reach me. I’m lighter than he is. He won’t be able to climb as high as I can, and I’ll be safe from him.
She had no idea whether it would work. But at least it was a plan. At least it was something.
She had no idea how long she had been there when she heard a rustling sound in the trees. Someone was coming.
Haley jumped to her feet, preparing for a scramble up the tree. If it was Zach—
Then he emerged through the brush.
Dean.
He grinned at her. “Hop on,” he said, turning so that she could climb onto his back.
“Seriously?” she asked. “Won’t it be faster if we both run?”
“We’re way ahead,” he said. “Trust me.”
Haley felt happiness swelling like a balloon within her. “How long have I been out here?” she asked.
“Five minutes, if that,” he said. “It was the first place I checked once they told us to go. I figured it would be a miracle if you were actually here, but once I started moving in this direction, your scent was overwhelming. I’d have known it anywhere.”
She climbed onto his back and smelled the leather and campfire scent he always carried. “I think I could track you anywhere too,” she said, leaning around to plant a kiss on his cheek.
They ran back onto the competitive field amidst thunderous applause, and Haley reminded herself that even though she couldn’t see them, her other two alphas were somewhere watching.
“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU’RE pregnant,” Tom said softly, his body curled behind hers, his palm resting on her stomach.
“I can’t believe we’ll never know who the father is,” Haley said.
“I don’t think it matters,” Tom said. “We’re al
l a pack together. We’re all the fathers.”
She nodded. “You’re right.”
“And it’s possible that we really are all the fathers,” Tom said. “Omegas can conceive with more than one mate at a time. Usually, it’s a bad thing when that happens because most omegas aren’t officially mated to more than one person. But for us, it would be kind of amazing.”
Haley nodded. “Is that really real?” she asked. “I’ve never heard of anything like that happening before.”
“They probably don’t give those books to omegas,” Tom said. “But yeah. I read about it in one of my classes.”
“I’m going to believe that’s the case with our babies,” Haley decided. “It’s such a nice thought.”
“You really don’t want to go to the victory party that Jasper and Dean are having?” Tom asked her. “We wouldn’t have won the Games without those amazing baskets you made.”
“I want to be here with you,” she said, arching her back and pressing herself against him. “I want you to fuck me. That’s my celebration.”
He laughed and cupped her breast. “So impatient.”
“I’m not impatient. I waited forever for you three. Now that I have you, I don’t want to spend any more time waiting.”
“You know what?” he said. “I think your breasts are a little bigger already.”
She arched her back so that she filled his hands, overfilled them, and he traced his fingers in gentle circles over the sensitive skin there.
“I want you to fuck me,” she said again. “How many times are you going to make me ask?”
He pressed his lips against the back of her shoulder, and she felt him smile. “You haven’t asked yet,” he pointed out.
“Please,” she said. “Please, Tom. I need you. More than anything. Didn’t I do well today? Didn’t I make you proud?”
“Mmm, you did.” He lifted her leg and rested her ankle atop his own. She could feel his cock pressing against her now, seeking entrance.
“Don’t you want to take care of me?” she asks him. “Don’t you want to give me what I need?”
“You know I do, baby.”
“All I need is you,” she said. “All I need is you inside me, and then I’ll have everything. Please.”
