by Paige Tyler
“You said Liam has been recruiting every omega he can find,” Becker pointed out. “Why wouldn’t he take me in?”
“Because you don’t look like an omega.”
“What does an omega look like?”
Jayna frowned. “They’re big, strong, and aggressive. And more often than not, they’re cocky and arrogant too.”
“So far you’re describing my entire pack and me to a tee.”
She thought about that. “Maybe so, but it still won’t work.”
“Why not?”
“Because omegas aren’t so hot.”
Well, damn. Becker grinned as a blush colored her cheeks. “Are you saying I’m too hot to be an omega?”
“No!” she said quickly.
“No, I’m not too hot to be an omega? Or no, I’m not hot at all?”
He couldn’t help teasing her despite how serious the situation was. It was too much fun watching her get flustered.
She ignored his question. “Omegas have control issues—everybody knows that. But nobody is going to believe you’ve ever had a problem staying in control of yourself.”
Becker probably should have left that one alone, but he couldn’t. It was just too good to pass up. “I’ve never had a woman complain about my lack of self-control, but I really don’t see what that has to do with getting people to believe I’m an omega.”
Jayna looked confused for a moment; then she blushed even deeper than she had before. “Stop it, Eric! I’m serious. Why would you even consider walking into that place of your own free will? It’s insanity.”
His smile melted away. “Why would I go in there? Because it’s the only way I can think of to keep you safe. You’ve made it clear you won’t leave without your pack mates, and they aren’t ready to walk away from your so-called alpha. I don’t have a choice. If you won’t come out, I have to go in.”
Jayna regarded him thoughtfully. He hoped she wouldn’t ask him again why he was doing this. Because he really didn’t think it would be a good idea for him to tell her that he thought she was The One for him.
“Okay,” she finally said. “I appreciate what you’re doing, but I still think you’re insane. Just don’t expect Liam to welcome you with open arms. I don’t care if you do call yourself an omega—one look at you, and he’s going to view you as a threat to his leadership of the pack. You scream dominant male. He’s going to want you gone—fast.”
Okay, he’d concede that was definitely a flaw in the plan he and Cooper had come up with, but maybe not a fatal flaw. He frowned as something struck him.
“I thought you said Liam was paying off a debt to the Albanians,” Becker said. “Why would they listen to anything he had to say?”
She wrapped her hands around the cardboard cup as if warming them and didn’t answer right away. “I think Liam lied about that. I don’t know if he approached the Albanians or they found us, but I have a feeling he’s working for them of his own free will. And before you ask, no one else in my pack is aware of that, and I don’t want to turn them against Liam unless I’m absolutely sure I’m right. That’s why I didn’t say anything about it to you yesterday.”
Okay. That changed things a little bit.
“Regardless of whether Liam is there of his own free will or not, the Albanians are still calling the shots, right?” Becker asked.
She nodded. “Definitely. Kostandin makes nearly every important decision about the pack and how we’re used, and I’m pretty sure he isn’t all that impressed with Liam.”
Becker grinned. “I think you’ve just figured out how to get me into that loft.”
“I did?” Jayna asked with an absolutely adorable look of confusion.
Who was he kidding? All of her looks were adorable.
“You did.” His grin broadened. “We make sure that you introduce me to Kostandin first. If I impress him, I’m as good as in.”
* * *
Jayna poked her head in the front door of the lobby only long enough to confirm that both Frasheri and Kos were in there before motioning to Eric. This plan of his was crazy, but it was too late to turn back now. Even as she took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves, the big SWAT werewolf came bouncing up the steps like he owned the place, backpack slung casually over one shoulder. How could he be so calm when he was walking into a building full of criminals and omegas who would gladly kill him a hundred times over if they even got a hint he was a cop?
The Albanian guards at the door immediately reached behind their backs for the guns they kept holstered there.
“Don’t be stupid,” Eric said with a growl so deep Jayna felt it vibrate in her chest.
She glanced at him and was shocked to see him glaring at the two Albanians with eyes the deepest golden yellow she’d ever seen and fangs so long she wasn’t sure how they fit in his mouth. Even as she watched, his jawline broadened slightly, like it was trying to make room for more teeth.
Jayna blinked. Okay, that was freaking scary—but kind of cool too. Purely in a werewolf kind of way, of course.
The two guards took a step back, hearts hammering in their chests. Eric strode past them as if they didn’t even exist and swept into the lobby. She took a deep breath, doing her best to project the same calm attitude as she led him across the lobby. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Megan and Moe stop halfway down the steps, their mouths hanging open. The two omegas sprawled on the couch playing video games looked equally shocked. So did the Albanians playing pool. She’d made no secret of the fact that she didn’t like omegas, so everyone probably wondered what she was doing with one. Then again, maybe they were all staring because Eric was so damn big.
She ignored all of them, instead focusing on Frasheri and Kos, who were standing near the big planning table on the far side of the room. The two men eyed her and Eric suspiciously.
Luckily, Liam wasn’t around.
Kos gave her a cold look. “Who is your new friend, Jayna?”
“This is Eric Bauer,” she said, using the fake surname the SWAT werewolf had given her. “He approached me at the coffee shop, wanting to know if you’d be interested in hiring someone like him.”
“Someone like him?” Frasheri prompted.
She turned to the older man. Tall with salt-and-pepper hair and a perpetual tan, Frasheri looked younger than his sixty years. “Eric is an omega. Liam said you’ve been looking to hire more of them.”
“Yes, we are.” Frasheri studied her for a moment before turning his gaze on Eric. “I’m a distrustful man by nature, Mr. Bauer, but also curious. Tell me, how did you learn that some of your kind worked for us? Or where to find us, for that matter?”
Jayna darted Eric a quick look, hoping no one noticed the way her pulse spiked.
But Eric shrugged, acting as if he hadn’t picked up on the menace in Frasheri’s tone at all. “Word of what’s been going on in Dallas has been getting around. When I heard rumors you were using enforcers who have been tearing the local thugs and gangbangers to shreds, literally, it wasn’t difficult to put two and two together. Finding you once I got here wasn’t hard either. All I had to do was go to the one part of town everyone was telling me to stay away from.”
Kostandin’s eyes narrowed. “What makes you think we’d be interested in having you work for us?”
Eric’s mouth twitched, and Jayna was once again struck by how calm he was. She wished she could say the same about herself.
“I know the kind of stuff they do for you.” Eric motioned with his head toward the omegas on the other side of the room. “It’s nothing I have a problem with, and I can do it better than anyone you already have working for you.”
The corners of Frasheri’s wide mouth turned up, and it looked like he was about to say something, but just then Liam stormed into the lobby, Brandon at his side. They both looked like they’d smelled something rotten.
Crap.
“Who is this and what the hell is he doing here?”
Liam brushed past the Albanians and o
megas to take a confrontational position in front of Eric, his eyes flashing and the tips of his canines showing. He was probably trying to be intimidating, but after seeing Eric’s version of scary, Liam didn’t carry it off as well. It didn’t help that he was a good five inches shorter than Eric and forty pounds lighter.
She was about to answer Liam, but Frasheri spoke first.
“This is Eric Bauer. Jayna met him and thought he would be a good fit for the pack.”
Jayna had just enough time to wince before Liam turned to glare at her. Oh yeah, he was pissed.
Liam frowned at Frasheri. “And you’re willing to hire him, just like that?”
“I haven’t decided yet,” Frasheri admitted. “Jayna obviously saw something she liked if she brought him back here. And I can always use more werewolves in my employ.”
Liam glanced at Eric, eyes narrowing as if trying to figure out exactly what it was Jayna saw in him. Eric regarded Liam without any outward expression.
“If we’re going up against those SWAT werewolves, we’re going to need omegas who know what the hell they’re doing in a fight,” Liam told Frasheri. “How do we know this guy can handle himself? Just because he’s big doesn’t mean anything—except that he’s probably slow and stupid.”
“Possibly,” Kostandin said. “But it’s easy enough to find that out.” He motioned with his hand. “Move the chairs and tables aside.”
Jayna’s heart thumped as she figured out why the Albanian would want a space cleared in the middle of the lobby. He wanted Eric to prove he could fight. Right here, right now.
That shouldn’t have worried her. Eric was trained for this kind of stuff. And even if he wasn’t, why should she care? It wasn’t like he was a member of her pack. But if that was the case, why was she so freaked at the thought of him getting so much as a scratch? She was practically on the verge of hyperventilating.
Her heart wasn’t the only one going into overdrive. Liam’s was beating pretty hard too. Was it in anticipation or something else? She couldn’t tell by the expression on his face, which seemed more annoyed than anything as he looked at Frasheri.
“You don’t expect me to fight this idiot do you?” Liam demanded. “I’m an alpha. He’s not. What good would it do to see me tear him apart?”
Kos regarded Liam for a long, drawn-out moment before lifting a brow. “Of course not. As you say, what would be gained by having you fight this mere omega?”
“Right,” Liam agreed.
Clearly, her pack leader hadn’t realized the significance of the question mark at the end of Kostandin’s statement. Jayna had the feeling Kos would enjoy seeing Liam fight Eric. To tell the truth, Jayna wouldn’t have minded seeing it herself.
“Perhaps you could select someone more appropriate for Eric to fight,” Frasheri suggested. “Someone who wouldn’t tear him apart, as you say.”
Liam seemed to miss the subtle undertone of Frasheri’s words, much as he’d done with Kostandin’s. He turned and looked at Brandon. “Would you mind showing this outsider how a pack werewolf handles himself?”
So now Brandon was part of their pack? The thought made Jayna ill. She wasn’t shocked by Liam’s selection though. If he had a pet among the omegas, it was Brandon. And the lead omega was definitely one of the few werewolves in the room who would be a physical match for Eric.
But then Liam did something that shocked her. He turned to another one of the big omegas who’d been playing pool when she and Eric walked in and motioned him forward. “You too, Caleb.” He glanced at Frasheri and Kos. “You want to see how the new omega handles himself, let’s see.”
Jayna was so focused on Eric tossing his backpack and leather jacket on the floor to face the omegas that she barely noticed Megan and Moe had come to stand beside her.
Brandon and Caleb snarled and launched themselves at Eric without warning, fangs extended and claws out. Jayna expected Eric to get out of the way or leap at one of the werewolves—something. But he only stood there with a slight smile on his face. He hadn’t even shifted to protect himself. It was like he was frozen.
Jayna didn’t realize she’d moved until Megan grabbed her arm. Not that she could have done much to help Eric anyway.
Smelling an easy victory, Brandon went in low at Eric’s right side, while Caleb attacked from his left.
She cringed. This is going to be bloody.
But at the last second, Eric darted to the side and punched Brandon in the chest. The blow stopped the omega’s forward momentum cold, knocking him ten feet back across the lobby.
In the same motion, Eric turned and snatched Caleb out of the air. The omega’s claws dug into Eric’s chest and shoulder before the SWAT cop tossed him across the room, crushing several chairs and a sofa in the process.
Eric spun around to focus on Brandon. Jayna was shocked see that the cop hadn’t shifted yet. If it wasn’t for the four tracks of blood marring his shirt, she would have thought he was just playing around.
Brandon growled but went at him more cautiously this time. Eric blocked most of the openhanded swipes Brandon threw but didn’t go on the offensive himself. Jayna frowned. Why wasn’t Eric attacking?
But just then, Brandon overextended himself with one of his swipes, leaving his ribs completely exposed for just a fraction of a second. Eric’s fist came up in an upper cut, connecting solidly with Brandon’s ribs. There was a thud and a crack, and when Eric tossed Brandon aside this time, the big omega didn’t get back up.
Jayna had a ridiculous urge to run over to Eric and hug him. But before she could follow through with that crazy idea, an insane roar echoed in the room. She whipped her head around just in time to see Caleb charging Eric. The omega’s claws and fangs were fully extended now, his eyes practically glowing. Oh crap. Caleb had completely lost it. A couple cracked ribs wouldn’t be enough to end this now.
Jayna wasn’t the only one who moved to help this time. Every other werewolf did too. Not that it would do much good. Caleb was already on Eric.
She might have shouted something. It was hard to tell over the snarls and the other people yelling. But Eric and Caleb ignored everyone around them, intent on the struggle that was likely to end with one of them dead.
Caleb didn’t even try to take a swing at Eric. The omega was so far gone, he just opened his jaws wide and went in for the kill. Eric’s hand shot out, catching Caleb by the throat and flipping the ravaging omega backward, slamming him down violently against the tile floor. Then Eric leaned forward and cut loose with a growl of his own that was so powerful Jayna and every other werewolf in the room stopped in their tracks.
Eric had shifted completely, farther than she’d ever seen a werewolf go before. Besides the long fangs and claws, Eric’s shoulders and arms had bunched and spasmed, like they were trying to twist into a completely different shape. Jayna could have sworn his nose and jaw had actually pushed out some. But that was obviously impossible.
As stunned as he was, Caleb struggled to free himself until Eric leaned even closer and put his face right into the omega’s, then growled so loudly people two blocks down must have heard it.
Caleb immediately stopped struggling. His fangs and claws disappeared, his hands coming up in surrender. Jayna had never seen anything like it. Eric had forced Caleb into submission with nothing more than a growl—although those impressive canines of his might have had something to do with it. Eric could have easily torn out Caleb’s throat if he’d wanted to.
But Eric didn’t lunge forward. Instead, he shifted back to his normal appearance and reached down to pull Caleb to his feet. Then he thumped the dazed omega on the shoulder as if saying, “Good fight, dude.”
On the far side of the room, Brandon was only now climbing to his feet. He threw Eric a venomous glare as he curled one arm protectively in front of his broken ribs. Eric would have to watch his back around that jerk.
A few of the omegas and some of the Albanians gathered around Eric, smacking him on the back and laughing, but
they moved aside as Kostandin approached. The Albanian underboss regarded Eric with his sharklike eyes, then slowly reached behind his back. Jayna immediately tensed, sure he was going to pull out a gun, but instead, he came out with a big, long knife. She didn’t know whether to be relieved or not. She’d seen Kos use that knife on a few of his victims. He especially liked cutting off fingers with it.
Kos tapped the tip of the knife against Eric’s chest. The SWAT werewolf didn’t react to the threatening gesture other than to lift his chin a little higher.
“For all your werewolf strength and speed, a knife through the heart will kill you as quickly as it would any man,” Kos said.
Eric smiled, showing the tips of his fangs. “Maybe. But for you to get that knife in my heart, you’d have to be really close. Makes it tougher to knife a man knowing that if you miss, he’s going to rip out your throat.”
Kostandin stared at Eric for a moment, his eyes betraying zero emotion. He didn’t seem to be any more intimidated by Eric than the werewolf was of him. Considering what Eric had just done, that only confirmed the Albanian was a psychopath.
“I like you,” Kos said with a laugh. He slipped the knife into the sheath behind his back, glancing at a fellow Albanian as he walked away. “Find him a room.”
Jayna let out the breath she’d been holding. Eric had done it. He’d gotten into the pack.
The need to make sure he really was okay after that fight was suddenly overwhelming, but before she could take a step, Liam caught her arm.
“Stay away from the new omega,” he warned, then glanced at Megan and Moe. “All of you. I don’t trust him.”
Jayna opened her mouth to tell him she didn’t need his permission to hang out with Eric or anyone else, but Liam was already heading upstairs to check on Brandon. She turned to Megan and Moe.
“Come on. I’ll introduce you to Eric.”
Megan exchanged looks with Moe, but they both followed her over to where Eric was talking with Frasheri. The Albanian was studying Eric’s fake driver’s license.
