Wolf Rising

by Paige Tyler

  Carter’s gaze went to the TV again. “The urge to give in and let the omega wolf inside me come out is always there. I’ve been working on control for a long time, so as far as completely losing it, that hasn’t happened in a while. But I’m like a heroin addict. I’m one slipup from starting all over.”

  Damn. Brooks couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to have a constant battle going on with his inner wolf. Knowing Selena might be going through that while he sat there in the ops truck made his own wolf want to howl.

  “Is that why I’ve never seen your eyes flash blue?” Well, bluer than Carter’s eyes naturally were, Brooks silently amended. “Because you’ve never completely lost it around me?”

  Carter nodded. “Pretty much. Most of the time, a male omega’s eyes glow gold like any other male werewolf’s. When they slip over the edge because they’re angry, afraid, or even extremely sexually excited, they glow blue instead. The bluer they glow, the further gone they are.”

  Brooks remembered how scared Selena had been that morning and how her eyes had glowed bright blue. It only made him feel worse about letting her run away. She must have been so damn terrified.

  “Do you think it’s possible for an omega to become an alpha the same way Jayna went from being a beta to an alpha when her pack needed her to be one?” Brooks asked.

  Carter shrugged. “I’ve never seen it, but I guess it’s possible. Lots of weird crap has been happening lately, so who’s to say what we see next? It’s not like this werewolf thing comes with a user’s manual, you know?”

  For some reason, the possibility that Selena might get better gave Brooks a feeling of hope. But then he immediately felt like shit for letting his mind even go in that direction. Selena didn’t need to get better. She was perfect and amazing just the way she was.

  But as perfect and amazing as she was, there was no escaping the fact that Selena was facing the same constant uphill battle Carter did. She’d have to fight to stay in control, always terrified she’d lose it and hurt someone. While she seemed so gentle and angelic, the claw marks on Brooks’s back were evidence of how dangerous she could be when her omega side took over.

  Brooks bit back a growl. Selena had already dealt with so much crap in her life. On top of her parents taking off when she was a kid, her brother had been murdered. Throw in the day-to-day burden of watching one kid in her class after another lose their futures to the gangs, and it was more than any person should ever have to face. Now, in addition to dealing with claws and fangs, Selena had to deal with uncontrolled rage, all because she was an omega werewolf. It all seemed so unfair.

  “I still don’t get why Selena became an omega,” Brooks mused. “She risked her life to save a whole classroom full of students. Why isn’t she an alpha? For that matter, why aren’t you? You turned because you saved people from a burning vehicle.”

  Carter didn’t say anything for a long time. Instead, he gazed off into the distance like he was reliving something from his past. After a moment, he looked at Brooks. “Was Selena angry when she stood up to that gangbanger in the classroom?”

  Brooks didn’t even have to think about it. “I know she was. She hates the gangs and anything to do with them. After what they did to her family and the kids in her class, can you blame her?” That’s when it hit him. “Shit. That’s it, isn’t it? She’s an omega because she was so filled with hate and anger when she turned.”

  His pack mate nodded.

  “Is that why you’re an omega?” Brooks asked.

  “Yeah,” Carter said.

  There was a story there, Brooks was sure about that, but now wasn’t the time or place to get into it.

  He sat back in the swivel chair, rubbing his hand along the neat beard edged along his jawline and trying to get his head around what all of this meant.

  “Selena’s going to lose control more often and with less provocation,” Carter continued. “This morning, it was because she thought she’d hurt you. In a week, it might be someone cutting her off in traffic or bumping her in a crowd. In a month, it could be someone looking at her the wrong way. If she’s lucky, the claws and fangs you saw this morning are as far as she’ll be able to shift. I don’t know about that for sure, since I’ve never seen a female omega. But still, the chances of her exposing what she is to someone—or killing them—is high, and it’ll get worse the longer she’s on her own.”

  Brooks let out a low growl, refusing to even think about any of those possibilities. “Selena won’t be on her own. She’ll have me.”

  His pack mate studied him, a look of sadness in his eyes Brooks had never seen before. It made him wonder when Carter had become so solemn. Oh yeah, maybe a couple of hours ago, when Gage had decided it was time for his big secret to come out.

  “Do you love Selena?” Carter asked.

  “Yes. More than I ever thought possible.”

  Brooks said the words without hesitation, for the first time putting what he felt for Selena into words. He’d known there was a connection with her from the moment he’d seen her, and he’d been more than ready to accept she was The One for him. But this was the first time he’d allowed himself to truly consider what all that meant. He only wished he’d told Selena how he felt before this morning. Considering they’d only been on two dates, it probably would have been way too fast, but maybe it would have kept everything from going so bad.

  “I’m not talking about her being The One for you,” Carter said. “That’s obvious. What I want to know is whether you’re ready to do anything necessary to help Selena, even if that means watching her walk away.”

  The question caught him off guard. “Walk away? What the hell are you talking about?” The words came out sharper than he intended, his fangs extending slightly. “I’m not letting her walk anywhere without me. I want to help her control this thing.”

  “I know that.” Carter’s mouth curved up in a small, mirthless smile. “Look, learning how to stay calm enough to control their claws and fangs is a long-term project for an omega. I worked on it by myself for almost two years before Gage found me. It’s still hit and miss, even after all this time. The best thing you can do for Selena is be there for her when she needs you. Introducing her to the Pack might help, too.”

  Brooks scowled. “Might help?”

  “You’re going to have to take this at her pace,” Carter said. “Some omegas, like me—and the ones that have moved into the area since the hunters showed up—can live in a pack environment. But others never get to that point. As a rule, omegas are loners. If you try to put a wall up around Selena for her own protection, you might chase her off.”

  Brooks opened his mouth to say he wouldn’t let that happen to the woman he loved, but Carter interrupted him. “Ray’s coming. I’ll let you two talk.”

  Carter was out the door before Brooks could stop him. Ray stepped in a moment later. He grinned when he caught sight of Brooks.

  “You know you didn’t have to hang around, right?” Ray grabbed the chair Carter had vacated. “It’s not like we’re going to need any doors kicked in at this point.”

  Brooks couldn’t help but smile at the little groan of pleasure Ray let out now that he was off his feet. The guy acted like he was eighty even though he was the fittest cop in his midfifties in the department. “I know. But I wanted to be here in case you found something worthwhile.”

  Ray snorted. “Hope you haven’t been holding your breath then, because we haven’t found much of anything.”

  “Nothing?”

  “Nothing of substance. We confirmed the other two victims were members of the Hillside Riders. Put that together with the fact that Aaron is a member of the Locos, and it confirms the new gang boss was behind this. It’s the only thing that explains members from different gangs being in one place.”

  “You think this new boss is still clearing out gang members who refuse to follow him?�
� Brooks asked.

  Ray crossed his arms over his chest with a shrug. “Maybe. José and the others from narcotics are leaning that way. Most of my people think the boss caught Aaron and those other two skimming some of the spiked energy drinks for themselves, either to drink or sell to make some money on the side, and made an example of them.”

  “But you don’t buy either of those explanations?” Brooks prodded, knowing his old friend well. “You think there’s another reason for the murders?”

  Ray nodded. “That beating put on Aaron and the other guys wasn’t someone sending a message. That was personal. Those men did something to piss off the boss, and he came after them himself. I don’t think it was something as minor as swiping a box of drugged-up energy drink.”

  “Like what?”

  “No clue,” Ray admitted. “But if we figure out what the reason was, it will point us straight at the man we’re after.”

  “Any chance the techs can get prints off the tools the killers used to beat those men to death?” Brooks asked.

  “They’re trying. But it could be weeks, even months, before we find a match. If they find any prints at all.”

  Ray was right. Even though Dallas had its own lab, matching fingerprints was a painful process. Not necessarily because it was technically difficult but simply because there was such a backlog of cases for the lab to work on, not just for this county, but also for the surrounding counties that used the local institute to process their evidence. The truth of the matter was that three dead gangbangers likely killed by other gangbangers didn’t rate very high on the department’s priority list.

  “How’d you guys swing getting a TV signal routed to your ops truck?” Ray asked suddenly, drawing Brooks’s attention back to Curtis’s press conference. “I’d have thought the budget cuts would keep you from doing something like that.”

  Brooks chuckled. “Becker did it. Which means it’s extremely techie, probably shady, and possibly illegal. We’ve learned not to ask too many questions.”

  Ray nodded, apparently understanding. “Have you been listening to what our esteemed chief of police has been saying this time?”

  Brooks shook his head. “I avoid listening to Curtis whenever I can.”

  “That’s generally a wise outlook, but in this case, I thought you might have heard him announce who the next sergeant for the gang unit might be. I’m hoping it’s one of my people, but with the way he likes to play politics, there’s no telling who it will be.”

  Brooks did a double take. “You’re out already?”

  Ray’s smile was sad. “I told you it would happen. Curtis made it official this morning. He’s replacing me. He told me I could either retire or move to a desk job in range services or the evidence property warehouse.”

  Talk about being put out to pasture. Ray was a good cop. He didn’t belong in the evidence room. “What are you going to do?”

  “Put in my retirement packet. I’ll be out in a few weeks. I’m hoping I can close this case first, but that might be tough. Whoever this new gang boss is, he’s smart. If I don’t get him, it will be up to whoever takes my place.”

  “Damn,” Brooks muttered. “I’m sorry about this.”

  Ray shook his head. “Don’t be. It’s time. But enough about me. Tell me about that girl I saw you with last night. Selena, right? I didn’t have a chance to talk to you much, but I got the feeling she’s someone very special. Any chance I’m going to see some little baby SWAT cops running around anytime soon?”

  The idea of having children with Selena made him smile. “I don’t know. I’d like that, but it’s complicated.”

  Ray laughed. “I have no idea what’s going on between you two, but I doubt it’s as complicated as you’re making it out to be. It never is. Like Curtis replacing me. There are a hundred different ways I could react to the situation, but there’s only one way that’ll get me what I want, so that’s what I have to do. Same for you. All you have to do is figure out what’s important to you and what you really want, then do what you have to do to get it.”

  Brooks didn’t say anything. Ray could always make the most complex problem simple. Even when it involved love and out-of-control werewolves.

  Chapter 16

  “I know I don’t have any right to ask you for a favor, Jayden,” Selena whispered into her phone, pushing herself deeper into the shadows of the alley, hoping nobody across the street could hear her. “But I really need your help. You’re the only person I can turn to.”

  “I’ll be there in five minutes,” he said.

  No argument. No complaint about the fact that she hadn’t responded to any of his earlier texts or phone messages. Instead, he’d said the exact words she needed to hear. The gentle, confident tone was almost enough to calm her racing heart all on its own. Thank God, she’d had the courage to call him.

  “I’ll always be there for you,” he added. “Just keep out of sight until I get there, okay?”

  “I will,” she said. “But please hurry. Marguerite just sent me another text. She thinks Ruben might have taken some kind of drug in addition to all the alcohol he’s been drinking. She said he’s not acting like himself.”

  “I’m already out the door,” Jayden said. “Just…promise you’ll wait for me…okay?”

  Selena looked across the darkened parking lot at the raucous crowd of partygoers moving in and out of the three-floor apartment building, knowing there was no way in hell she was going in there by herself…not in her current condition.

  “I’ll wait. I promise.”

  She heard the sound of a truck door slam closed over the phone as Jayden hung up. She leaned against the brick wall of her hiding place, fighting for control as her body continued to react to the wild energy pouring out of the building on the other side of the street. Merely being here had her claws and fangs extending and retracting in uncontrollable spasms. That should have been enough to make her turn around and go back to Becca’s apartment. But the idea of abandoning Ruben to whatever kind of trouble he was in was more than Selena was willing to live with. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She was going into that apartment building to rescue her student—as soon as Jayden arrived to make sure she didn’t go nuts and tear someone apart.

  Selena’s claws and fangs hadn’t slipped out on their own since yesterday, and she’d almost begun to think maybe she might have this thing under control. It had been enough to convince Becca it was okay for her to head out for the evening to spend some time with Scott.

  “Don’t worry about me,” Selena had insisted. “I’ll just hang out here and watch Netflix.”

  That truly had been her intention. Then Marguerite had sent a text, saying Ruben was in trouble. It had been tricky getting all the details through texts, but somehow the girl had found him at a Locos party, getting drunker by the minute. Selena had panicked, not sure what she should do. Putting herself in a situation like the one Marguerite described was asking for trouble, but in the end, she didn’t have a choice. She thought she’d be okay, that she’d be able to handle it.

  She’d been wrong. Within seconds of reaching the apartment complex Marguerite had given her the address for, Selena’s claws and fangs had slipped out. Even worse, she’d found herself already heading for the entrance of the building before she’d consciously decided going in was the plan. It was like she had no control over her own body anymore. That was when she’d accepted she couldn’t do this on her own and had called Jayden.

  Calling him had been one of the toughest things she’d ever done, but now that she had, it was like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She was still terrified she’d hurt him again, but knowing he was on the way was enough to help her calm down. Still holding onto her phone, she slid down the wall of the building and sat there waiting for him.

  Selena heard Jayden approaching from farther down the alley long before she sme
lled him. Not surprising, since she’d already accepted that her werewolf ears were better than her werewolf nose. Crazy what you come to accept when you don’t really have a say in the matter. Still, his scent was both mouthwatering and comforting as he dropped to a knee a few feet away from her. Staying out of her reach until he knew what kind of shape she was in was smart, she supposed.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m good,” she said, surprised at how calm her voice sounded. Ignoring the urge to throw herself into his arms, she got to her feet. “I haven’t heard anything from Marguerite in nearly ten minutes, so we need to get in there.”

  She started for the entrance of the alley, only to find Jayden blocking her path. She pushed down the growl that immediately rumbled up in her throat, forcing herself to calm down. He wasn’t trying to stop her from going. He simply wanted to talk to her first.

  She eyed him up and down, noticing he hadn’t worn his uniform. That was good, since a cop’s uniform wouldn’t go over well in a gang hangout. But Jayden didn’t need a uniform and police gear to look the part for what they were about to do. With all those muscles bulging and flexing under that T-shirt, he looked intimidating enough to convince most people to stay out of his way.

  Selena suddenly realized she probably shouldn’t have been able to see him so clearly in the darkness, but she was grateful she could. His ruggedly handsome face, so full of concern, was enough to almost make her cry. It was exactly the same way he’d looked right before she’d shoved him across his apartment and stolen his truck.

  “I know you’re worried about Ruben,” he said softly, stepping close enough to touch her but refraining. His gaze traveling over her body was almost like being grazed by his touch, and she found herself leaning forward, his presence and scent calming her as much as his touch would have. “But are you sure you’re okay to go in there? Say the word, and I’ll do it myself.”

  She swallowed hard. “This time last week, I wouldn’t have thought twice about charging in there and dragging Ruben out.” She wanted like crazy to reach out and hold Jayden. But she’d lost that privilege when she’d attacked him. “After what happened yesterday, I’ll admit I’m scared. I want Ruben out of there, but I don’t want to hurt anyone. Ruben doesn’t know you, though. If you try to bring him out, it’ll probably get physical. In that kind of place, that could be really bad.”