by Hawke Oakley
2
Ken
“C’mon, man, don’t be such a sour grape!”
I rolled my eyes at Jericho, who was playfully elbowing me in the side. He’d begged me to come along with him into the forest, along with our friends Tyson and Flint. We had invited David as well, but he’d only grunted and said he was busy. To tell the truth, I was busy myself with all the spring coughs and colds coming into my clinic. But Jericho whined and said he missed going out with the guys since becoming a father. He was my friend, so I relented.
“Who says that? Where do you even get all these weird phrases from?” I asked.
“Mason says it’s because I watch too much human TV,” Jericho said with a grin.
I scowled, but continued following him through the woods. Even though Scarlet Ridge hadn’t attempted to cross our borders for months - nearly a year, actually - we still kept the traps laid, just in case. Plus, it didn’t hurt to patrol the outskirts of the territory borders. That was how Jericho and Mason met, after all. It was still ridiculous to me that he’d met his fated mate in an animal trap, of all things, but I supposed truth was stranger than fiction.
“Speaking of Mason, how is he?” I asked. “And the pups? They’re due for a check-up soon, you know.”
“Slow your roll,” Jericho said, waving me off. “They’re all fine, I promise. But I’ll bring in the kids, if you insist. Although I’m pretty sure Piper’s gonna be an alpha - she’ll tear you a new one if you ask her to sit still for even a second.”
I sighed. I loved pups as much as anyone else, but once they started getting old enough to fuss and never sit still, it made my job as a doctor much more difficult.
“How about Mikey?” I asked.
“He’s a pretty mellow little guy. I’m not sure what he’s gonna turn out to be. But if you’re asking if he’ll sit still for an exam, I can’t guarantee that either,” he said with a grin.
“Ken, you should've seen that coming. They are Jericho’s pups, after all,” Flint said with a playfully raised brow.
“Hey!” Jericho protested.
“And Casey?” I asked, remembering that I hadn’t seen Flint’s pup in a while either.
Flint nodded. “She’s well, but she misses going on hunts with us. She keeps asking about her uncles.” He wagged a scolding finger. “So you better all make time for more hunts in the future to avoid upsetting my baby.”
Jericho nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Definitely!” Tyson added with a smile.
They all looked at me expectantly, but I could only sigh. “I know, I know. I’m sorry. I know I’ve been busy lately.”
“And you don’t even have a mate and pups!” Jericho said.
“Taking care of the pack and my patients is basically the same thing,” I countered.
“Come on, man.” Jericho slung an arm around my shoulder. “You need a break once in a while.”
“That’s why I’m here, isn’t it?” I mumbled.
Tyson suddenly stopped and furrowed his brow. “Hang on a second. Do you guys smell that?”
We all paused and took a moment to sniff the air. Even with the lessened senses of our human forms, the thick scent made us gasp.
“Blood,” Flint growled.
“A lot of it,” Jericho added with a grimace.
Wordlessly, we rushed towards the source of the scent. It had a musky, almost animal-like tinge, but it wasn’t animal blood, I was sure of that. It could only be shifter blood. It was coming from down the slope, near the base of the mountain. I leapt over a stream and focused all my energy into finding whoever it belonged to.
Then, I saw it - the body, face-down in a pile of leaves and dirt. Even with my weaker human form nose, I could tell the person was still alive. I rushed over and knelt down, gently easing the body upwards.
Immediately, I gasped.
It was a young man, barely in his twenties, but his face was so scratched up and bloody that I nearly recoiled. Dried blood crusted down his temple from a large cut just underneath his hairline. His blond hair was dirty and bloodied. The entirety of his chest was covered in slashes that looked like they came from a large animal. Fang marks on his shoulder were still bloody, and looked fresh, like they hadn’t even had time to close up yet.
The remains of a shirt were scattered on the ground beneath him, torn to pieces. The only piece of clothing in decent condition were his jeans, but even they were cut up and bloody.
The young man was a wreck.
I was so busy focusing on his wounds that I barely heard my friends gasping and crying out as they reached my side.
“What happened to him?” Tyson asked, horrified.
“Who is he? Does anyone recognize him? Is he one of ours?” Flint growled.
Jericho shook his head in sympathy for the young man. “I don’t think so. I’ve never seen his face before, but… Maybe without all the blood on it…”
Just then, the young man groaned. It was a rough, weak sound - I’d heard stronger noises from dying animals.
“Can you speak?” I asked desperately, although I was sure I already knew the answer.
He just whimpered in response.
“Just listen then,” I instructed him. “My name is Ken, and I’m a doctor. These are my friends. We are Indigo Mountain shifters. We’re going to take you back to our pack and help you. Make some kind of noise if you’re okay with this.”
Blinking past the dry blood, he cracked his eyes open. They were a deep, intelligent brown. He grunted slightly.
“Okay,” I said. “I’m going to lift you and carry you. This might hurt a bit, so prepare yourself.”
He made a tiny noise again. As carefully as possible, I scooped him up into my arms. He groaned and clenched his eyes together. I grimaced, thinking about all the wounds he must have that I hadn’t even seen yet, and how much pain he must be in. I didn’t even know this man, but my heart ached with sympathy for him.
“We’re going to get you to safety soon,” I reassured him. “Just hang on.”
He didn’t say anything. A few minutes later, I noticed his body was a bit more limp in my arms and his head lolled to the side. He was still breathing, but he must have passed out from the pain. I gritted my teeth and moved faster.
It felt like ages before we finally returned to town. We went straight to my home, which was a two-story building. My clinic was on the ground floor, and the second floor was my personal apartment.
As I laid him on the table and began preparing my tools, my friends stood around, speaking with equal parts anger and compassion.
“Who could’ve done this?” Flint growled. “And he’s so young, too!”
“Must be Scarlet Ridge,” Jericho snapped. “Only they could’ve done something this despicable.”
“But, you guys, we don’t even know where this guy is from,” Tyson added. “Maybe he’s from Scarlet Ridge, too.”
Jericho and Flint’s eyes widened. Both their mates were escapees from Scarlet Ridge pack, and they both instantly had the same idea as they snapped their attention to the man on the table.
“Do you think he’s an omega?” Flint asked quietly.
“I dont know,” I admitted. “He smelled too much like blood and fear for me to notice.”
I decided to check now. I quickly undressed and put my clothes aside (out of all my friends, I was the most proper when it came to not ripping my clothes while shifting), quickly shifted, and gave the patient a deep sniff. I shifted back and dressed myself. “Yes,” I confirmed. “He’s an omega.”
The other alphas exchanged glances.
“Do you think he’s another refugee?” Jericho asked.
“He must be,” Flint growled before adding, “Those bastards. It’s getting worse every single time.”
Nobody mentioned it out loud, but we all thought about Mason - Jericho’s mate - and the oppression he’d suffered at Scarlet Ridge, including wearing a shock collar that prevented his escape from the pack.
; “That reminds me,” I murmured. “The patient isn’t wearing one of those collars.”
“Maybe they got rid of them after Mason disappeared?” Tyson suggested.
“I don’t think so,” Flint said, shaking his head. “I think it's more likely that this one got rid of the collar somehow.”
“Maybe that has something to do with why he’s so beat up,” Jericho said with a sigh.
“Possibly,” I said. I turned to them. “No offense, you guys, but I’d like to have some privacy with him while I get him patched up. Doctor patient confidentiality, and all that.”
“You got it,” Jericho said.
“Thanks,” I said. “I’ll see you all later.”
The others nodded and they filed out of the room, leaving me alone with our mysterious omega. With a frown, I returned to his side and began a thorough exam.
He was in much worse shape than I originally thought. Aside from the external injuries, he was deeply bruised in many places, which concerned me - if he had internal injuries, I would need to deal with them immediately. But thankfully, nothing seemed to be broken, and he was a young, quick-healing shifter. With some help, he’d hopefully be able to get through this without any major problems.
I disinfected, stitched, and did as much as I could in one sitting. By the end of it, I was sweating and tired, but the omega was cleaned and patched up. The only thing I couldn’t help, I realized sadly, was the scarring. Most of the slashes, cuts, and bites he'd had were deep - and unfortunately, he would probably have those scars for the rest of his life.
I sat back in my chair with a deep sigh and just looked at him. I’d rinsed the blood out of his hair with a washcloth, and it now shone the color of rich wheat, with a soft texture that felt pleasant in my fingers. He had a gentle but firm expression, even in his sleep. I could tell he was a strong omega. He must have been, to decide to escape from that evil pack. I just hoped his freedom was worth the mess they’d made of his body.
Anger rose up inside of me. I hated that Scarlet Ridge could do this to anyone, much less an omega from their own pack. I was not a violent person by nature, but this infuriated me so much I could’ve torn the throat of whoever did this to him. My fists clenched, and I forced myself to calm down. I couldn’t help heal anyone if I was too busy being angry.
“Whoever you are, we’ll get to the bottom of this,” I said softly to his sleeping form. “I swear it. I won’t let whoever did this to you get away with it.”
The omega was silent and asleep. I watched the gentle rise and fall of his bruised chest - the only thing that indicated he was even alive. I’d seen hundreds if not thousands of patients in my time as a doctor, but this was without a doubt the worst case I’d ever seen. I would fix him. I had to.
3
Wesley
A pounding pain throbbed in my skull. I groaned as the sensation hit me and clenched my eyes shut. I was aware of a pale fluorescent light coming from somewhere above my head and it was making my headache worse, but when I tried to move my arm to block it, I found my limbs heavy and almost numb.
All I could do was lay there, dazed and confused, wondering where I was and what was going on.
Then I heard voices. Despite the overwhelming brightness, I forced myself to open my eyes. With some difficulty, I blinked until I was used to the lights. Aside from that, I had no clue to indicate my surroundings. The ceiling was white and blank, and there was almost no scent in the air at all. A prickle of discomfort ran over my skin.
Fluorescent lights and no scent… Where am I?
The voices came closer, and then I heard a door open. Despite the full-body ache, I turned my head and saw people filling into the room. My heart beat faster. Were these the alphas that beat me?
No, I realized that couldn’t be right. I remembered it now - they had left me on the border of Scarlet Ridge and Indigo Mountain, to either die or be picked up by the enemy…
I shifted uncomfortably where I lay as the men approached.
“Hang on,” the one in front said, holding up a hand to the others. He had a gentle voice. “He’ll be overwhelmed if we all go in at once. Wait outside, please.”
The other murmured in agreement, and all left the room until it was only the man with the gentle voice and I.
“Hello,” he said, taking a seat in the corner. “How are you feeling?”
Wary, I only stared at him. But then I noticed the white coat around his shoulders. Was he a doctor?
“Can you speak?” he asked again.
I tried using my voice. It was hoarse and scratchy, but it worked. “Yes.”
He smiled. “Good. I’ll introduce myself. I’m Ken Hart, of Indigo Mountain pack.”
So I did manage to infiltrate the enemy pack, after all, I thought. I briefly wondered if this was the same unmated doctor Gunner had told me about, but then realized there was no way I would be that lucky. There must have been multiple doctors in this pack, and I didn’t even know if this man had a mate or not. Right now, I just had to take one step at a time.
“Can you tell me your name?” he asked.
“Wesley Fawkes,” I croaked.
He nodded and then casually wrote something down on a clipboard on the counter. “It’s nice to meet you, Wesley. Do you know how you got here?”
My head throbbed and I really wished this man would stop asking me questions, but I knew I had to play it nice - at least for now. But what should I tell him? Obviously not the truth, but there was only so much I could fabricate. I had to know what he knew, first.
“Did you find me?” I asked weakly.
He nodded. “Yes. Me and my packmates - the ones just waiting outside - found you injured and alone in the woods. You were unconscious, so we carried you back to town. You’re in my clinic now, and I’ve been treating you for the past few days.” He smiled gently. “It’s almost been a week since we found you. I was starting to worry you would never wake up.”
A week? Have I really been passed out for that long?
“Thank you,” I said.
He nodded. “Of course. It’s my job to heal the sick and injured.”
So he found me in the woods, alone… I can make up a story from here.
“Were… any of my packmates there?” I asked cautiously.
Ken frowned. “No. There was no sign of anyone else with you.” He lowered his voice seriously. “Wesley, if you’re from a different pack, you can tell me. It won’t change anything about the way I treat you, I promise.”
He already suspected I was from a different pack, so there was no use in hiding it now. I could use that as fuel for my story. Yes, I could see it falling into place in my mind…
“I… I was chased out,” I began. My voice was genuinely weak from disuse, but I thought it added an authentic quality to my lie. “From Scarlet Ridge pack.”
Ken’s frown deepened. “I suspected something like that was the case. What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”
What happened was that I stupidly signed up for a task I had no idea the gravity of, and now I was stuck with fulfilling it on penalty of death - but of course, there was no way I could tell him that. I decided to tell him a half-truth instead.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Suddenly, the alphas, they just turned on me. I don’t know what I did to upset them. And there were too many of them, and they were too strong, I just couldn’t do anything…”
“It’s okay,” Ken soothed. “You don’t have to continue. I get the gist of it.” He muttered and shook his head. “Those bastards.”
He took the bait, I thought, satisfied with myself. Although in reality, I wasn’t really telling a lie. Maybe that made it easier to tell the story.
“We have a few other omegas originally from Scarlet Ridge living here. You’re not alone,” Ken told me.
A few others? Suddenly I remembered Gunner’s words. Everybody knew about the original omega who escaped - it was easy for him, since it was before Gunner implemented the shock collars. A
fter a few failed attempts to bring him back, he was eventually written off as a casualty. But there had been another escape a few months later that was even more puzzling. The second omega had somehow gotten free of the collar and escaped. Gunner was not pleased.
That’s why it was up to me, now. I had my orders. No one would suspect an omega to destroy Indigo Mountain from the inside out - especially one so injured. The plan was going well so far. I even had this alpha doctor believing every word I said. But I still didn’t know if he was the one Gunner mentioned or not. I’d have to find a way to slip that into a conversation, somehow.
“Would you like to meet them?” Ken asked, breaking my thoughts.
“Huh?”
“The other omegas who escaped. Would you like to meet them?”
I thought about it for a moment. There was a possibility they would recognize me, but on the other hand, I could feed them the same lie I gave Ken even if they did know me. It would also look suspicious if I said no to meeting the others - I should try to blend in with them.
Before I could reply, Ken said, “It’s okay. You don’t have to do it right away. I know you must be exhausted right now.”
I nodded slowly. To tell the truth, I was tired. My story might have been a lie, but my injuries were very real.
“Are you hungry? Thirsty?” he asked.
“A bit hungry,” I admitted.
“That’s a good sign,” Ken said, flashing me a smile. “Don’t worry, there’s no gruel or hospital food here. My apartment’s just upstairs, so I can grab you some real food.”
I made a mental note of that. The fact that he lived upstairs might make my plan easier than I thought, if he was an alpha of any importance. I realized I still didn’t know about his mate status. My mind raced as I tried to think of a way to ask without sounding suspicious, but I couldn’t.
“Is there anything in particular you want?” Ken asked.
