There was a loud sound to his left, and he whipped his head around, his heart thudding. There was someone or something—
A hand wrapped around his head, pressing against his mouth. He froze for a moment, shocked, before he reacted, one hand trying to pull the encroaching hand away, while the other yanked at the arm that wrapped around his chest and lifted him off his feet.
He was turned, away from Jeff and Celine, away from Micah and Andy, and carried through the forest. He fought, kicked, and tried to scream around the hand that silenced him. His struggles had no effect on the Alpha carrying him until a lucky kick backward with his heel hit something soft. The man grunted hoarsely and Jake found himself shoved face first against a tree, the bark scraping against his skin. He tried to turn his head, to yell, when he felt something cold and metal brush against his face.
Turning his head to the side a little, he could see the gun the shifter was holding in one scarred hand.
“You’re going to be quiet. Or I’ll smack you across the head with this and carry you over my shoulder. Try to run and I’ll shoot you in the leg. Non-fatal, especially for a shifter, but very painful. Do you understand me?”
Jake nodded, wide-eyed. “Who are you? Where are you taking me?”
“Who I am is none of your concern. As for where I’m taking you. Home, boy. Back to your family. Where you belong.”
He started to struggle again, and the shifter tapped his temple with the gun. “I don’t plan to chase you through this forest.”
Jake subsided, listening past them. Micah and Andy were still quite a distance away. Jeff was closer. He could hear Celine’s quiet laughter.
He took a deep breath, intent on yelling and alerting them. The Alpha’s hand clamped over his mouth mid-yell, cutting him off. He didn’t get a chance to find out if they’d heard him, the Alpha giving a sharp, ruthless twist to the back of Jake’s neck that sent a wave of pain through him, eclipsing anything else. By the time he came back to awareness, the Alpha was dragging him through the forest at speed, one hand still covering Jake’s mouth, the other across his arms. The gun was tucked away somewhere, Jake guessed.
Who was this man that his family had sent? He didn’t seem like the kind of person even Rick would associate with. Was he some kind of tracker? Could he be reasoned with, or bought off? Not that Jake had any money. He didn’t have much to offer except his Omega status. Could he barter that for his freedom?
They reached the river and a small bridge that crossed it. It was here the Alpha paused. Jake took advantage, breaking free from his grip, and making a bid for freedom, yelling at the top of his voice. The Alpha had him in hand two seconds later, shaking him like a rag doll before forcing him against the wall of the bridge, the rough stone digging into his back.
“You Omega aren’t the brightest. Never follow instructions, never do what you’re told. And you always, always, try to run.”
The gun was back, balanced in the Alpha’s hands. “I’ve had enough of trying to wrestle you. I’ll have a sack of potatoes for the rest of the journey, if it’s all the same to you. And you get a nice concussion into the bargain.” He caressed Jake’s face with the barrel of the gun. “From what I hear, your family don’t care too much about what’s up here.” He tapped Jake’s head twice with the gun. “They’re all about what’s down here.”
His hand pressed hard against Jake’s stomach and he twisted in discomfort. The Alpha’s eyes went wide as his hand felt what wasn’t obvious to see. “Well, now. There’s a pleasant surprise. I think I’ve just doubled my finder's fee, seeing as I found two instead of one. Are you going to behave?”
Jake nodded shakily. His family might not appreciate his working mind, but he did. He’d need it if he was going to get himself out of this.
“My Alpha won’t just let me go.”
The hunter paused, looking him up and down skeptically. “Your family said nothing about an Alpha.”
“Why do they think I ran away? I was in love. With Will. The baby is his. He won’t want to be parted from it, or me.”
The lie fell easily from his lips. And it wasn’t so easy to disprove. He was an Omega, and he was pregnant. It stood to reason he’d have an Alpha.
“Are you lying to me, little Omega? Your sister said they got you in the family way.”
“They tried. It didn’t work.”
“Well, I’m gonna let them sort it out. There’s no Alpha here that I can see and I don’t see any Alpha letting their pregnant mate wander the forest alone. I call bullshit. If an Alpha comes looking, I’ll send them on to your brother-in-law.”
The hunter reached into his pocket and pulled out a knotted piece of material. Untying it, he shoved the middle into Jake’s mouth and tied the ends behind his head. “I don’t like my bounty to chatter.”
Then he yanked him away from the bridge by his shoulders and spun him around. “Walk.”
Jake did, his shoulders slumped, his mind unable to think of a way out of his situation. His friends would miss him soon enough, but he could be long gone by then. As they reached the midpoint of the bridge, there was noise behind them. The bounty hunter turned with a curse, letting Jake go. The next second, the hunter knocked into him, sending him sprawling across the bridge and rolling down to the other side, a sharp pain slicing through his ankle.
Winded, he stayed down, listening to the growl of a wolf and the yells of the hunter. There was a shot from the gun, then a loud crack.
Jake rolled over towards the bridge, coming face to face with a large wolf. He froze but the wolf merely nudged and licked at his face with a soft whine, his dark eyes meeting Jake's. Pulling the gag from his mouth, he spoke. “Will?”
The wolf’s nose nudged him again before turning back to the bounty hunter on the bridge. Above the hunter’s prone form, another man was standing. Jake recognized Dave instantly and tried to scramble to his feet.
“Stay down, Jake,” a voice called from beside him and he turned to see Will was back in human form. “How badly are you hurt?”
“I’m not hurt,” he answered automatically before clocking the scrapes across his arms and legs. “Just a few scratches from where I fell.”
“That’s more than a scratch,” Will said and he looked down to see blood oozing from a gash to his leg. Will untied the gag from around his neck and tied it tightly around the wound instead.
“How are you here, how did you know?”
“Chris,” Will said. “He called me this morning with a warning. Your family contracted a bounty hunter to find and return you. Looks like we got here just in time.”
“Is he…” Jake started to ask.
“Alive, but unconscious,” Dave replied. “I’m guessing his vehicle’s not too far from here. I’ll dump it, and him, across the territory line. Make him aware he’s not welcome.”
“Take Jeff with you,” Will said. “I’ll get the rest of them home.”
He knelt next to Jake, slipping hands underneath him and lifting him to his feet.
“I can walk,” Jake protested weakly.
“Not on that leg. I’ve got you.”
He didn’t voice a second protest, letting the Alpha carry him with one arm under his knees and the other just under his shoulders. Wrapping an arm loosely around Will’s neck, he took comfort in the Alpha’s strong, warm presence.
Chapter Fifteen
When they reached the car, Celine, Micah, and Andy in tow, Will set him into the front passenger seat before throwing his clothes back on. Jake was a little sad to see the muscular body being covered up. It had been a good distraction from the pain in his leg. He might even have told Will that if they hadn’t had an audience.
The others were keen to know what had happened. Will kept it succinct. Bounty hunters sent by his family.
“Bastards,” Celine said. “Those guys are dangerous. He could just as easily have killed you with that gun.”
“Who did he shoot?” Jake asked, recalling the shot he heard.
&nb
sp; “The bridge. He knocked his head when he went down so his aim was off. Second knock was a knockout.”
“You’re losing your touch,” Micah joked. “When you rescued me from those four gang members, you took them all out first go.”
Jake felt his own body tense at the words. Will had rescued Micah? Did he make a habit of saving Omega in distress?
Will sent him a concerned glance as country road gave way to city.
“They were kids who thought they were big, hard shifters. That guy was a big, hard shifter. Hence the difference,” Will joked.
Jake let the conversation wash over him as they drove, too busy reframing all his interactions with Will. Had he been reading more into them than was there? Was it really just the protective instincts of a genuinely honorable Alpha to save an Omega in his path? The thought made him inexplicably sad. Will had already made it clear he didn’t have an interest in becoming involved with another Omega, so Jake had nothing to feel sorry for himself over. All today would do was hurry his departure from the city to the ‘somewhere safe’ Will and Dave were arranging for him.
Jake was very quiet on the journey home. Probably a combination of shock and the adrenaline wearing off. When they pulled in, he rounded the car and opened the passenger door.
“I can manage,” Jake said, seeming listless.
“Not until I get a better look at that leg. You’ve bled through the bandage. Celine, will you grab the first aid kit and bring it to my room?”
“Your room?” She seemed momentarily taken aback.
“A bath will be easier than a shower to get him clean.”
She left without comment and Jake didn’t argue when he reached in and lifted him out. The Omega seemed tenser in his embrace than he had on the walk back to the car. He’d seemed to take comfort in being held before, but now it was like he was trying to keep distance between them.
He set Jake down on his bed and took the first-aid kit from Celine.
“Thanks. Will you go talk to Henry? He’s on security today. Let him know to keep an eye out and put the building on a partial lockdown. Everyone goes in and out through the back exit until we open this afternoon.”
“Consider it done,” she said and, with one last glance at Jake, she left.
“Let’s get a better look at this leg,” he said, unwinding the now red cloth. He was relieved to see it had stopped bleeding.
“I’ll clean it and put a few butterfly stitches on it. That way, it’ll heal a little faster.”
“Thanks,” Jake said, seeming distracted.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that after everything. It wasn’t fair. I should have been more careful.”
Jake didn’t answer and Will couldn’t seem to stop talking.
“I didn’t think we’d get there in time. And when we did, Jeff was standing at the edge of the forest, saying he wasn’t sure where you’d gone. I really thought we’d lost you.”
He couldn’t meet Jake’s eyes, instead focusing on his leg and on cleaning the cut gently. Jake hissed and shifted a little.
“I lied to him. When we got to the bridge, I tried to convince him I had an Alpha, and he was the father of my baby. It didn’t work.”
“It probably delayed him enough to give me time to reach you,” Will said, running a hand along the back of Jake’s leg, feeling how tense his calf muscles were.
“I told him I was yours. It was stupid. And if he tells my family, maybe they’ll come after you, too. I’m really sorry.”
He did glance up then, to see Jake’s eyes were filled with tears.
“I wanted it to be true. You’ve been so good to me, taken care of me. But then I think that might just be the person you are. You care about people, about Omega, and so you protect them. Maybe I read too much into it and it doesn’t mean all that much to you… I don’t mean all that much to you.”
Tears spilled down his cheeks and Will reached for him, cupping his chin, and pressing their foreheads together.
“I wish it was true, too. For both of us.”
When Jake lifted his head, holding Will’s gaze, he felt mesmerized. Jake’s scent had been calling to him from the moment they’d met and to have him here now, needy and distressed, pulled on every Alpha heart string.
But when Jake leaned in and pressed his lips against Will's, he didn’t respond. He couldn’t do this. Couldn’t put himself through this…
Jake pulled back, his eyes down, looking despondent. Cupping his cheek, tipping his head up, Will kissed him back. Softly at first, until Jake yielded, his body going pliant, his lips parting. Will kissed him harder, running a hand through Jake’s hair and slipping his tongue between his teeth. Jake’s kisses were tentative, unpracticed, but that only made it all the sweeter as he let Will guide him. Their tongues met, tasting one another, and Jake surged forward, one hand caressing Will’s stubbled cheek.
Then his hands dropped lower, his fingers reaching for the collar of Will’s shirt and he started to undo button after button.
Will pulled away. “Jake?”
“Please. I want something to remember you by.”
He helped Jake’s frantic hands get each button undone and then Jake was parting the material, pushing it back to reveal Will’s broad chest and muscular shoulders. The Omega ran his hands across the skin almost reverently, stopping at the small tattoo near Will’s heart.
“You’re so gorgeous,” he whispered.
“Look who’s talking, beautiful,” Will replied, reaching for Jake’s shirt. “Do you mind?”
Jake shook his head and helped Will divest him of his shirt, tossing it to the floor. Will trailed two fingers from the base of his neck down to his navel, circling it languidly.
Jake’s hands tentatively explored the muscles of Will’s chest, brushing across his nipples, and smiling at the reaction it provoked.
“I could never have muscles like that.”
“Nope,” Will replied with a smile. “Being an Alpha has to have its perks. Besides, you get plenty of your own.”
Jake’s hand dropped to his belly and Will let his hand rest on top of it. “Not just that.”
His free hand cupped Jake’s cheek, running a thumb across it. “You get these beautiful cheekbones, that skin that flushes oh so prettily.”
He slid his hand around to the back of Jake’s neck. “You get this little extra bundle of nerves that when touched just the right way is almost better than sex.”
He trailed his hand diagonally across Jake’s chest. “You have these little pink nubs that are so much more sensitive, you won’t be able to keep quiet when I do this.”
He leaned in and took one into his mouth, suckling softly.
The Omega let out a soft cry, his hand on Will’s shoulder tightening reflexively. Will kept going until Jake was panting before releasing him slowly. Jake’s face was flushed, his lips a deep red, his pupils wide.
“Please, Will. I want you. I want a good memory to hold on to, to chase away the others.”
He cupped the Omega’s cheek again, Jake rubbing against the palm of his hand.
“Are you sure?”
Jake nodded. “It’s not like I can get pregnant. One time, no consequences.”
Will wasn’t so sure of that. There were always consequences, just most times they weren’t so visible as Jake’s growing stomach. Jake kissed him again, as if trying to lose himself in Will, the kiss hot and urgent.
Taking the Omega in hand, Will lay him back on the bed, kneeling up to pull off his pants and underwear. Jake watched him with hooded eyes, unable to tear his gaze away. Will paused, waiting for the Omega to make a move. Jake did, finally, reaching to unsnap his button on his shorts. Will helped pull them down his leg and away from the injury.
And then they were naked, Jake lying back on the bed, his body outstretched while Will knelt between his legs.
“I want you,” Jake said again.
“It’s your first time?” Will asked. Jake nodded, panting a little from all the
exertion.
Will reached over to his bedside table, pulling open a drawer and reaching into it. It took a minute of rooting round to find what he was looking for.
“What is that?” Jake asked, lifting his head, and eyeing the small bottle.
“Just something to make this a little easier, it being your first time and you not in heat.”
Jake smiled again and lay his head back. He watched with undisguised lust as Will poured the thick, clear liquid onto his hand and coated it generously over himself, stroking himself to full hardness. Jake licked his lips and Will grinned. Maybe after, if they’d time…
He coated the fingers of one hand as well, then encouraged an eager Jake to bend his knees and bring them close to his chest. The first finger inside was tight, and he kept his eyes on Jake’s face, watching every tiny reaction. A second finger had Jake’s body contracting around him.
“Just relax and let me in,” Will coaxed. “This will feel so good.”
“It feels good now,” Jake replied, spreading his legs wider. Will slipped in a third finger and the Omega’s eyes rolled back.
Letting his fingers slip free, he wiped his hand on his thigh and inched forward, lifting Jake’s legs, and helping the Omega hold his knees tight against his own body.
“Jake, open your eyes,” Will called, waiting until the Omega was looking right at him. Jake reached a hand for him and Will caught it, holding it tight. He pressed forward, sinking slowly into Jake’s tight heat.
“Just breathe, Jake. In and out,” he urged, resisting the urge to thrust into the delicious tightness of Jake’s body. He wanted Jake to remember every moment of this with awe and pleasure.
“You’re so big,” Jake whispered.
“Another perk of being an Alpha,” Will grunted, as he fully sheathed himself within Jake and stilled to give them both time to adjust.
He rolled his hips slightly, rewarded with a little jerk from Jake as he nudged the edge of the hidden nerve bundle.
“And this is the perk of being an Omega,” he said, pulling out slowly and thrusting in, angling to hit his prostate. Jake gasped loudly, his eyes widening in pleasure as his hand tightened its hold on Will. The Alpha didn’t give him time to come down, beginning a rhythm of thrusts that had the Omega gasping and writhing beneath him. The heat built between them, their bodies warm and sweaty, the dirt of the forest coating both their skins. They didn’t care. They were wolves, this was as natural to them as the air they breathed.
Falling Together (The Omega Haven Book 1) Page 8
