The Omega Hybrid

by J. L. Wilder

  Blue—beta. Echo knew that meant he'd be just under Stone, one of his right-hand men.

  The man seemed satisfied with the answer. He wiped his blood onto his pants and took his place with the rest of the men.

  Next guy stepped up and did the same. When he cast his blood into the fire, however, it turned a hot-looking white for a brief moment. This meant he'd be a delta, which Echo understood to be one of the grunts of the pack. Not as glamorous as alpha, or even beta, but necessary.

  The rest of the men did the same, the flame alternating between blue and white.

  Once they were done, and every man in the pack knew his place, it was time for the women.

  They did the same, cutting their hands and throwing the blood into the fire, the flames alternating between blue and white. Stone watched in silence, eager to find out which of the girls would be the omega to his alpha.

  June went, her blood causing the flames to turn white. Then Marlene—blue. Charity—blue.

  Echo's stomach tightened with each girl that went without turning the flames red.

  No, she thought. It can't be me. It just can't.

  But with each girl that went, the odds grew and grew.

  Then, it was just her.

  Stone took the knife from the woman who'd just gone and sauntered over to Echo, his eyes locked onto hers.

  "Well, well," he said. "Looks like I've got my new omega."

  "Still...still need to do the test," said Echo.

  "Doesn't matter," he said. "It's all but official."

  He held the knife out to her, handle first.

  "But just for the sake of tradition," he said. "Let's see that fire burn red."

  Echo stared at the knife, the flames flickering in the silver steel of the blade. Nothing else to do—she took in and made her way over to the fire.

  It was hot—hotter than she was expecting. She stood in front of the fire, the flames shooting up into the night sky.

  Please, she thought. Please don't make it red.

  With a final, deep breath, she wrapped her right hand and around the blade and slowly moved it down the length. The pain was immediate, like she'd been bitten. Once the cut had been made, she threw her blood into the fire.

  Red. As red as blood.

  Cheers sounded from the pack, and Echo's stomach sank like a stone. She stared at the fire as it turned back to its normal colors, the blade falling from her hand and sticking into the dirt.

  Echo had barely a moment to taken in what had happened before she felt a heavy hand fall onto her shoulder. The hand turned her around where she stood, she saw that every pair of eyes in the clan was on her.

  "My new fucking omega!" shouted Stone. "She's mine!"

  More cheers, but Echo saw nothing but hate in the eyes of the other women.

  "Now," said Stone. "Get your asses back to HQ—it's time to fucking party!"

  CHAPTER 3

  ECHO

  Back at the Hearteaters HQ, partying was the last thing on Echo's mind.

  And judging by the way Stone looked at her, the last thing on his too.

  The clan had started another fire at the pit in the middle of the buildings, the flames raging and rowdy rock music blasting. Beer and whiskey flowed, and with each passing minute the clan grew drunker and drunker.

  But not Echo. Holding her barely touched beer in her hands, all she wanted was to leave, to run away. Life as Stone's omega was about the most horrible fate she could imagine, and even the risks of being caught if she were to take off seemed small in comparison to the alternative.

  Stone glanced over at her from among the pack, hunger in his eyes that she could spot from where she stood. And more than that, he was clearly drunk.

  "There she is," said Stone once he was close. "Come here, baby."

  Without waiting for her to say a word, Stone wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, bringing his lips to hers. Stone kissed her hard, his tongue cramming into her mouth and filling her senses with the smells and taste of cigarettes and whiskey.

  She wanted to retch.

  "Goddamn," he said. "You taste as good as you look.”

  One of his hands shot out to hers and grabbed onto it. Stone led her over to his cabin, the largest among all the rest. Moments later they were inside, Stone flicking on the lights.

  "Fucking finally," he said. "We're alone. Just you and me, sweet thing."

  "Wait," said Echo. "Don't you need to talk to the pack?"

  "Huh?" he asked as he stumbled towards the kitchen to grab another bottle of whiskey. "What're you talking about?"

  "You know," she said. "Once the new alpha's official, he has to let the clan know about what he's got planned for the future. Right?"

  Stone stopped once he had a fresh bottle of whiskey in his hands.

  "Fuck," he said. "You're right."

  "I mean, everyone's got their new roles. And now they need to know what to do."

  He sank his teeth into the bottle top and yanked it out. With a wet spit, he launched it out of his mouth and onto the floor.

  "Yeah," he said. "Tradition's tradition, I guess."

  He took a long swig, booze spilling down his chin before he wiped it away with the back of his hand.

  "I'll get to it," he said. "But right now, the only thing on my mind is you."

  He stepped towards Echo, his legs unsteady. She prayed that he'd fall over onto the couch and pass out like she'd seen him do so many times before.

  "Who'd have thought that the little stray bear we found all those years ago would be my new omega?" he asked, shaking his head.

  "It's crazy," said Echo, realizing she had the chance to keep him talking instead of doing...anything else. "How long has it been?"

  "Shit," said Stone as he plopped onto the couch. "I remember the day you and your mother showed up. You were just a kid, and I was barely a teenager—in shifter years, that is. And right away I knew there was something special about you."

  "Yeah?" she asked, wanting to keep him going. "What was that?"

  "There was something different," he said. "Something that I couldn't put my finger on. But that question sure as shit got answered when we all found out that you were a half-breed."

  He let out a snort of a laugh as he shook his head.

  "You should've seen how fucking crazy everyone went. Hell, I was right there with them. Most of the pack wanted to throw your mother right out on her ass for hooking up with a wolf and carrying his kid. And most of the old-timers, back when they were still around, though the idea of a bear-wolf kid was downright demonic."

  "But you didn't, right?"

  Stone shifted in his seat.

  "I...I had to come around. And your mother kept you close—didn't let any of us talk to you alone. Anyway, we found out that bear-wolf hybrids can be pretty fucking powerful. That got most of us thinking you might be useful."

  Then he shook his head.

  "Shame about your mom, though," he said, shaking his head. "Wandering off in the woods and getting herself killed like that. Guess she should've known better than to wander from the pack."

  Stone swayed in his seat for a moment before taking another swig from his bottle.

  "I can't believe she just left me," Echo said. "Without saying a word."

  Stone shrugged.

  "Sucks," he said. "But that's how it happened. She told us about how she got pregnant with you, how she fled her pack and got lost in the woods. Met some wolf who took her in and, well, I guess she took him in too, if you know what I mean."

  Stone let out a bark of a laugh at his own crude joke.

  "Whatever," he said, seemingly eager to change the subject. "She's gone and you're ours."

  He set the bottle down hard on the coffee table in front of him and heaved himself up to his feet. Then he moved over to Echo and put his hands on her hips like he'd done before, the smell of the whiskey on his breath so intense that Echo fought back the urge to retch.

  "More specifically," he said. "
You're mine. All mine."

  Echo squirmed out of his grip and stepped back, Stone's expression turning hard as soon as he did.

  "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked, his hand shooting out and grabbing hold of Echo's wrist.

  He held her hard—so hard that her wrist began to throb with pain.

  "Stone," said Echo. "You're...you're hurting me."

  He pulled her close, yanking her abruptly and causing another wave of pain to pulse out of her shoulder.

  "Do I have your attention?" he asked, his voice a low growl.

  "What?"

  "This is going to be the last time I repeat myself, bitch," he said. "Do I have your attention?"

  Echo was shocked. Stone had her in his grasp, the muscles of his forearms flexing. She knew that if he wanted to, he could break her wrist like a stick.

  "Yes!" she shot out. "You have my attention!"

  "Good," he said, a small smile forming on his lips. "Because I want to make this perfectly fucking clear. The moment you threw that blood into the fire you became mine, got it? And I don't mean in some high-school way of you being mine—I mean that I own you just like I own this fucking house. Got it?"

  Echo was terrified. She could see the hard anger boiling behind Stone's eyes, the rage she'd seen him direct to other members of the pack. But never to her.

  "G-got it," she said, hot tears forming in her eyes.

  "And that means when I give you an order, you obey. I come into the house and say tell you to suck my cock, you drop to your knees, open your mouth, and wait. And when I bring any of the other girls here, you stay up in your room and out of our way."

  Echo didn't know what to say. She was too scared to even think of forming words.

  "Say ‘got it'," he said.

  Echo swallowed hard, her body shaking.

  "Got it," she said.

  He stared her down hard for another long moment before letting go with a shove. Echo stumbled before regaining her balance and grabbing on to her still-throbbing arm.

  "I'm the fucking alpha of this pack," he said. "And I expect unquestioned fucking obedience from my men and my women. And right now, I want you to stay fucking put while I address the men. Because when I come back, I'm going to claim you. And you're going to be mine every night until you've got my cubs in that little half-breed belly of yours."

  He stepped forward, and Echo was terrified that he was going to hit her at any moment.

  "Got it?"

  "Got...got it," she said, her eyes downcast.

  "Good," he said. "Maybe you'll be a useful omega after all."

  He grabbed the bottle of booze from the table and took a swig.

  "First order is you don't leave the house. I see you talking to any of the other men in the clan without my permission and you're not gonna like what happens."

  Echo was stunned, not sure what to say.

  "Next order is you do whatever I say, whenever I say it. From here on out you're my omega—and that means as far as you're concerned you don't have a mind of your own. I give you an order, I expect you to follow without question. And if you give me any fucking backtalk..."

  He raised his hand into the air, shaking his head.

  ‘"...I'll leave that to your imagination," he said.

  "You...you can't," said Echo.

  "I can and I will," he said. "I'm not just the alpha of this clan—consider me the fucking king."

  Then he moved closer and closer to Echo, her body shaking as he approached.

  "And there's one more thing," he said. "In case it wasn't perfectly clear."

  Stone took a swig from his bottle, his eyes locked onto Echo. After his pull, he replaced the cap and tossed the bottle onto the couch behind him. Before Echo could realize what was happening, he swiftly reached around her and grabbed onto her rear with both hands, squeezing it hard and pressing her body against his.

  "This ass?" he said. "It's all mine. And like I said, it's mine whenever I want it. I don't give a shit if you've got a headache, or you're not in the mood, or whatever bullshit excuse you've got. I want to fuck, we're gonna fuck. I want you to suck my cock, you suck my cock. I want you to fuck one of the other girls while I watch, then you'd better start developing a taste for pussy."

  Echo was more fearful than she ever had been in her life. She shook as Stone gripped her, and the look in his eyes suggested that he took pleasure in her fear.

  Finally, he let her go. Echo hurriedly put distance between him and her, and Stone gave her one last look up and down before turning back to the couch and grabbing the bottle of whiskey from where it sat on the cushions.

  "But here's the thing," he said. "You're the alpha's omega. As long as you follow the rules, you'll be living a life of total fucking luxury. I've got big plans for the Hearteaters, and you're gonna be right there by my side when they succeed."

  He pulled off the whiskey cap again and took another swig.

  "All you have to do is do what you're told, gorgeous," he said, raw, sexual hunger in his eyes. "And you'll have it made in the fucking shade."

  Echo was still too scared to speak. She kept her eyes locked onto the ground in front of her.

  "Yo, Stone!" called out a voice of one of the men from outside. "Where the fuck are you?"

  "That's my cue," he said. "Now, just like I said I expect you to stay put and wait for me. Hell, you really want to make your alpha happy, go take a bath, put on something sexy and just wait. Because when I get home, I'm gonna give it to you so good you'll be begging for it again and again."

  He smirked and took another drink before starting towards the door.

  "I'm fucking coming!" he shouted out. "Keep your pants on!"

  Then he was gone, slamming the door behind him. And all Echo could think about was how this prison, this hell, was her new life.

  Forever.

  CHAPTER 4

  ECHO

  Echo sat in silence in her new home, still trying to process what had happened.

  That's it, she thought. No more life of my own. No decisions. I'm a slave. And a sex slave at that.

  The partying went on outside, music blasting and the men carrying on, the occasional "woo!" from one of the girls sounding out. Everyone seemed to Echo to be in good spirits. After all, the men and the woman had been paired off, and the mating would start tonight.

  Everyone in the clan knew their place, including Echo. But she never before had felt so confused and lost and scared.

  But there's nothing I can do, she thought as she made her way into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. The fire paired me and Stone. Not like I can call a customer service line and complain about it.

  Before too long, she realized, Stone would come back home, stinking of booze and ready to claim her. And once that was done, once he took her virginity, she'd be his. After that, it would only be a matter of time before she'd be carrying his children, just like he wanted.

  Once that was done, he'd be almost certainly bored with her, ready to move on to the other women in the pack. Echo knew how much the other men hated the idea of the alpha using their women for his own pleasure, but more than that they knew there was nothing they could do.

  As of tonight, Stone was the dictator of their clan.

  Nothing I can do, she repeated in her head, as if trying to hypnotize herself into accepting it. Nothing I can do.

  She went to the master bathroom and drew a bath in an attempt to relax. But it didn't work. All she could think about was the life that lay ahead of her.

  When she was dried and dressed, a bang sounded from downstairs.

  Stone was back.

  Fear gripped Echo as she listened to Stone stomping around the house, and she could tell by his uneven and heavy footsteps that he was even drunk than before.

  "Where...," he shouted out. "Where the hell's that omega piece of ass of mine?"

  He slurred his words and seemed to Echo like he could barely get them out.

  "Come on, baby!" h
e shouted. "Your alpha's home!"

  Echo sat on the edge of the master bed, listening as Stone slowly made his way up the stairs. He came closer and closer, his boots banging on the steps.

  Finally, he appeared at the door. Just like Echo thought, he was drunk as shit.

  He leaned against the doorframe, his bleary eyes on Echo.

  "There she is," he said, swaying in place. "You ready for me to claim you, sexy?"

  "You're drunk," said Echo. "Maybe you should just get to bed."

  Stone cut the distance between the two of them with surprising speed. But once he was in front of Echo, he started swaying again—this time even worse without the doorframe to support him.

  Then his hand shot out, grabbing Echo's face and pinching her cheeks hard.

  "Don't you tell me what to do," he growled. "Next backtalk from you gets a fucking slap—understand?"

  Echo nodded, and Stone let go.

  "Now," he said, dropping down onto the bed next to her. "You're...you're gonna give your alpha what he wants."

  Echo turned just in time to watch Stone fall sideways onto the nearest pillow. And as soon as his head hit it, his eyes were closed and he was out.

  Snores blared out of his mouth, and Echo sat for a few minutes watching him to make sure he was asleep. But with his legs draped over the bed and his mouth wide open, Stone was out cold.

  "Too much whiskey," she said. "Fucking drunk."

  Echo shot up from the bed, her fear replaced by total disgust. Plopped onto the bed, snoring and drooling, was the alpha she was expected to submit to for the rest of her life. And more than that, to have his kids.

  She stood watching him for a time, making sure that he wasn't about to get up and pounce on her. When Echo realized that he was out like a light, she slowly backed away from him and shut the bedroom door behind her.

  As soon as it was closed, all Echo could think about was going out for some air. Even being cooped up in the house for a few hours had been enough to make her feel stir crazy. After making herself a mug of tea, Echo stepped out onto the wide front porch of her house.