by River Ramsey
“Not in a parka in twenty-degree weather,” he scoffs, lobbing something at me. “Catch.”
I fumble, barely managing to keep the small, frigid object from slipping out of my grasp and falling back into the snow. I brush the flecks of white off the surface and stare down at the pocketwatch in confusion. There are initials carved in the worn gold exterior. “What is this?”
“It belonged to the kid’s dad,” he answered. “Said he lost it when he ran during the invasion, and I said I’d help him find it.”
“Oh.” It’s all I can muster. My anger deflates immediately, leaving only humiliation. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he says tonelessly, walking past me.
“James, wait!” I call after him, struggling to keep up since the snow comes up a lot higher on me than it does on him.
He stops and watches me in expectant, bored silence.
“I really am sorry,” I say, panting. “I’m just a little overprotective. Aspen’s an orphan, and I’m the closest thing he has to… well, anything.”
“I’ve noticed.”
I hesitate. He doesn’t make conversation easy, that’s for sure. His intense gaze never leaves me and I feel like I’m going to wilt under the force of it. “Can we talk? If you have a moment.”
“About what?”
“About the arrangement,” I say awkwardly. “I’m assuming the commander talked to you.”
“She did.”
He’s really going to make me do all the heavy lifting here, isn’t he? “So… what do you think about all of it?”
“About you choosing between us?” he asks.
“Well, yes. Among other things.”
He shrugs. “It’s not conventional, but it is what it is.”
“You don’t seem as bothered by this as the others.”
For the first time since I’ve known him, James cracks a smile, but something about it is even more bitter and icy than his piercing stare. “I’m a hybrid. Eternus or Marok, it’s all the same difference to me.”
I wince. “Guess I can kind of understand that.”
While I’ve always felt isolated as an omega, I was sheltered and put on a pedestal. James is just feared, and after my reaction today, I know he’s justified in seeing me the same as all the others.
“So,” he says, seeming interested in our conversation for the first time. “Who’s it going to be?”
“Excuse me?”
“Which one of them are you going to choose?” he clarifies. “I assumed it would be that pretty boy you always used to hang around with, but Mace is the obvious choice.”
I’m surprised at how closely he echoes my own thoughts and I can’t help but feel violated. Either he’s a mind reader or the man I was sure didn’t even know I existed pays more attention to me than I thought. “I haven’t decided yet. The courtship hasn’t even begun.”
He snorts. “I know how these things work, and courtship is a joke.”
“If that’s how you really feel, then why are you still in the running?” I demand.
He takes a step forward and I instinctively step back. He stops, disappointment in his gaze. “You’re not the only one who wants security. Adam made this pack hell for everyone he deemed an outsider, and the next guy could be even worse.”
His words come as a shock, but I can’t help but feel that they’re sincere. This is the most I’ve ever heard him talk in one sitting, and I realize only now that he’s never actually said a word to me. “So you don’t just want the power?”
“Oh, I do,” he corrects me. “More to the point, I don’t want anyone else to have it. That includes your boyfriend.”
“Christopher isn’t my boyfriend,” I mutter. With the way things are going lately, I’m not even sure if he’s my friend anymore. “And believe it or not, I don’t know who I’m going to choose. There’s a lot at stake, and it’s not as simple as just picking the alpha I’d prefer.”
He watches me without saying a word. There’s something that changes in his expression, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. “Guess you’ve got more going on in there than I assumed.”
I frown. “Well, screw you, too.”
He chuckles, and I almost can’t believe my ears. “No offense, but you play the whole docile omega role pretty well. Until I scented you at the ceremony, I thought there was a chance you were just a lifelike robot.”
I know I should be offended, but I can’t help but laugh a little. “You’re not the only one who’s doing what he can to survive.”
“I guess not.” He studies me again, but this time, I feel like he’s actually seeing me, rather than just another random omega. “I know we’ve known each other forever, but I don’t think we’ve ever actually met.”
“No,” I agree, surprised when he offers his hand. I’m even more surprised that I take it. “I don’t think we have.”
“James,” he says dryly.
I can’t help but smile. “Yeah, I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Likewise.” He isn’t smiling again, but his eyes seem to be. He calls Christopher a pretty boy, but once you get past that intimidating glare he’s always wearing, he’s pretty gorgeous himself. And a lot less brutal than I was expecting.
“Lady Danica!”
I turn to see who’s calling me and recognize him as one of the commander’s guards. I frown as he approaches, his weapon at his side. Guess I’m not allowed a moment’s peace.
“What is it?” I ask warily. I can feel James tense up with hatred. He may not like the old guards any more than the new ones, but I’m reminded of why everyone is afraid of him as soon as I see that look come into his eyes.
“You shouldn’t be out here alone,” the guard says, looking venomously at James.
The other alpha smirks, stepping up beside me. “What, are you implying that this contest for her affections isn’t as equal as you’d like to project?” he asks pointedly. “Don’t tell me the commander already has a victor in mind.”
I’m shocked that James is willing to speak so brazenly to a man who could kill him with the push of a button, but judging from the fear scent coming from the guard, even though James is the one wearing the collar, he’s still in control.
“Just make sure she’s back before dark,” he growls, casting an irritated glance toward the woods. “It’s not safe.”
With that, the guard leaves us and I find myself relaxing, even though I’d never imagined I would be able to around James.
“Better get the princess back to her tower,” he says dryly. There’s something strange in his gaze. Something that makes me wish we could linger just a bit longer. Instead, I follow him back, reassured by the knowledge that at least now I have one option that isn’t half as terrible as I imagined.
Chapter 8
Things are finally starting to feel like normal again, and considering that the commander’s men are still everywhere, I’m not sure if that’s a good thing. The Eternus wolves keep me busy with meetings and classes that are supposed to teach me their oh-so-civilized ways, but I know it’s just to keep me occupied. Why I’m a threat to them is another story.
For people who supposedly want me to give the choice of my mate the consideration it deserves, they’ve made a point of keeping me sheltered ever since that guard found me talking to James in the woods. It’s even more confirmation that he’s right. They see him as a threat.
Maybe Mace has already worked his mind control on the Eternus wolves, too. It’s becoming increasingly obvious that there’s a certain way they want this all to go.
Somehow, I need to find a way to meet with Christopher alone. Every time I’ve tried, I quickly realized I was being followed. Some liberation this has turned out to be.
I head into the market square to pick up some produce for this evening’s dinner at the makeshift refuge for those orphaned or widowed. Taking care of the others has given me something to focus on, at least. For the time being, Eternus is keeping my future within th
e pack a secret, but I know that’s just another part of their control games.
“You!” a boy cries from across the lawn. He barely looks ten, if that, yet he’s running after an Eternus soldier like he intends on taking him down. “You killed my dad!”
I watch in horror as the boy charges the armed guard like he actually has a chance. The young ones aren’t collared, but that doesn’t make him any safer.
Before the boy can even reach the guard, his massive boot comes up and plants hard in the young shifter’s chest. The boy is sent flying backward, hitting the earth with a thud. I wince at the sound of ribs cracking and rage spreads through my veins like a wildfire.
“Rude little mongrel,” the guard snarls, reaching for his gun as he looms over the kid, who’s still glaring defiantly and ready to stand to meet his death.
“No!” I cry, throwing myself between them, my arms spread wide. I stare the guard down and his expression turns to shock. Not only am I an omega who’s forgotten her place, but a tentative ally of the commander who’s about to forego any privileges she’s won. “Don’t touch him.”
Before the guard can respond, I see someone moving toward us at breakneck speed. It only takes me a second to recognize the burly man as Rowan. “Hey,” he snarls, grabbing the guard’s shoulder to push him away from me. “You keep your hands off her, Eternus trash.”
The guard quickly switches his gun for the controller that could end Rowan’s life in a second and I groan. Does he have any common sense?
“Go ahead,” Rowan growls, taking a menacing step toward the guard, as if to answer my question. “Push it.”
Before the guard can call his bluff, I snatch the gun from his holster and bring the hammer back, taking aim at his head. “Drop it,” I hiss, hoping that I look more convincing with the weapon than I feel. The guard’s face turns white and he lets the controller fall to the ground as he holds up his hands. Either he believes I’ll shoot, or my ineptitude is twice as frightening.
“What’s going on here?” another soldier bellows, stalking toward us with the commander close behind him. I lower the gun slightly, but I keep it trained on the guard in front of me.
The commander takes one glance at the scene before her and her gaze is trained on me. “Lady Danica! What on Earth is this?”
“Your esteemed guard assaulted a child in the middle of the market, that’s what,” I answer, too furious to think about how terrified I am. The boy has darted back to hide behind one of the betas near the stalls.
The commander’s indignation disappears for a moment and she turns to the offending guard. “Lieutenant, is that true?”
“The brat attacked me!” he protests.
The look on her face makes it clear she finds that excuse as paltry as I do. “Get back to the barracks,” she snaps. “I’ll deal with you later.”
He salutes her and departs, but not before giving me and Rowan a death glare.
“As for you,” the commander barks. “Put that gun down.”
Reluctantly, I lower the weapon and another guard takes it from me as two more surround Rowan, trying to restrain him.
“Hey!” he bellows, shoving them off. I can tell another fight is going to break out if I don’t do something fast.
“You’re going into custody until we get this sorted out. It’s obvious you can’t be trusted even with limited freedom,” says the commander.
“Wait!” I cry. The whole market is watching me. Most of the pack. I know the commander is probably going to lock me away in a tower after this, so now’s my chance. Maybe the only chance to save Rowan’s life, too.
“I have an announcement to make,” I begin. Despite the dangerous look the commander is giving me, I summon my courage and continue. “As the highest-born member of the Marok Pack, I have been chosen to lead.”
The entire square is silent. Even Rowan is looking at me like I’ve lost my mind. Maybe I have. I just know that there’s a good chance the commander will find a replacement plan if I don’t make her decision known now and hold onto whatever power I can grasp at.
“By Eternus law, that makes me the pack leader, and I am permitted to choose a mate,” I explain, looking to Rowan. “Rowan is one of the four contenders, along with Christopher, James and Mace.” The last name sticks in my throat.
“Choose a mate?” someone cries from the crowd.
“To hell with Eternus law!” another woman shouts, brave enough to make her face known. “You’re an omega. Know your place!”
I square my shoulders, ignoring the look the commander is giving me. I’m trying to protect these people and all they want to do is heckle. “Like it or not, the Alpha Lord is dead,” I say, raising my voice and summoning all my confidence, which doesn’t feel sufficient for the job. “If you want your children to be protected, you will accept the mate I choose as your new Alpha Lord. At that point, I promise you that we will ensure that the Eternus forces uphold their word to leave our land.”
The crowd murmurs in confusion and the commander is simmering. I can tell she’s ready to explode, but she holds it together.
“Isn’t that right, commander?” I ask pointedly, daring her to go back on her word now that I’ve outed our agreement.
“That’s right,” she says through gritted teeth. “Once a new Alpha Lord is chosen and sworn to uphold Eternus law, the Marok pack will be assimilated. There will be no reason to continue occupation.”
“Then you’d better take me out of the running right now, because I ain’t swearin’ shit to Eternus,” Rowan snarls.
“That can be arranged,” the commander says slowly.
“Rowan!” I hiss. “Please. Not now.”
Now he’s glaring at me. “Who asked you to come to my defense?”
“Who asked you to come to mine?” I shoot back.
Before he can respond, we both notice the chant rising up from the crowd. Alpha Lord Rowan. Alpha Lord Rowan. It’s clear they’ve all made their decision about what mine should be. My stomach is tied up in knots as I begin to realize that I’ve solved one crisis only to start another.
“Are you happy now?” the commander asks smugly.
I gulp. Not by a long shot.
Chapter 9
Back at the shelter, in my own little bubble of pretend, I make dinner for Aspen and try to think about anything but Eternus or my prospective mates. The boy is choosing to look human right now, which is rare enough, and even rarer for him to sit and eat his vegetables without complaining. I ruffle his hair before I take the seat across from him.
It’s just the two of us at the table in the far corner of the room, but I can tell what the women at the table near the door are whispering about. They make no attempt to hide it as they look over at me.
I don’t know what I was expecting. Sure, the commander was keeping my appointment a secret for her own selfish reasons, but now I realize it happened to be a protection for me, too. The crowd made it clear that they all expect me to choose Rowan and give his family the continued reign they expected. I can’t say I blame them for wanting consistency, especially after Rowan was bold enough to stand up to that guard, but if I do choose him, I’m sure the pack would revolt in a matter of months.
Rowan is exactly the kind of alpha who would place honor over survivability, and considering he has every reason to want his father avenged, I can’t trust his judgment. But I can’t make it clear that I’ve already ruled him out or I’ll have a different kind of revolt on my hands.
“Everyone is staring at you, Dani,” Aspen remarks without looking up from his cereal.
I smile. The kid’s perceptive. “I know. Things will get back to normal eventually.”
He gives me a dubious look. “Some kids said you’re the boss of us now.”
A laugh dies out in my throat. “That’s… not really the truth.”
He drops his spoon in his bowl and stares down at the table. I can tell he’s thinking about something that’s troubling him, and when he finally meets my eyes,
my heart breaks at the expression in them. “You’re not going to have time for me, are you?”
I stare at him in shock. I knew something was bothering him, but I never guessed it was this. “Hey,” I say, taking his hand to pull him onto the bench beside me. I drape an arm over his shoulder and squeeze him tight. “Listen to me, kiddo. No matter what, I’m never too busy for you. You got that?”
He perks up a little, but I can tell he’s still afraid. And why wouldn’t he be? His parents are gone and everyone else in the pack treats him like an afterthought. A burden to be shuffled around from one person to the next.
I make a vow to myself that no matter what happens, I’m going to keep him safe. I have to protect all of them, even if the rest of the pack hates me for it. The stakes are too high to let Eternus run us into the ground, or for the old ways to return.
We finally have a chance at being better, and I have to do whatever it takes to make sure we are.
While I’m still reassuring Aspen, I see a group approaching us that wasn’t in the room a minute ago. There are two males with them, both betas, which is forbidden in the shelter. No adult males are allowed here, and for good reason. I stand, immediately defensive when I see their posture.
“There she is,” one of the men says smugly, looking me up and down. “The little bitch who thinks she’s going to tell the rest of us how to live.”
“Funny how a few weeks ago she was shaking like a leaf,” one of the older women with them scoffs. She’s never liked me, or Aspen. My defense of him from her often violent tirades made sure of that.
“You’re mistaken,” I say, trying to sound as calm as I can, pushing Aspen further behind me. “I’m not interested in telling anyone what to do. I’m just trying to make sure that Eternus gets out of here as soon as possible.”
“Yeah, right,” the other male scoffs. I recognize him as Travis, a shifter who used to guard the gates. He steps up to me, easily twice my size, and I can tell he’s thinking about things that would make me want to vomit. “She probably screwed that lady commander. I hear the Eternus dogs go both ways.”
