by Hawke Oakley
The words came as a shock to Gunner. His face contorted in rage and confusion and displeasure. Even the alphas accompanying him were startled. The wolf that had its jaws around Wesley’s arm went slack from surprise - I saw my chance.
In a split second, I shifted and lunged. I knocked the alpha back, and Wesley snatched the opportunity to escape. He stumbled, picked himself up, and ran towards our friends. Immediately they circled around him, becoming a wall of fur and fury. I knew he would be safe among them.
But my quick attack left me open for retaliation. The alpha I’d knocked over got back on his feet and snapped at me with slavering jaws. I dodged by leaping backwards, but I ran into a bigger problem. Gunner stood behind me as a wolf once more, spitting and furious. He slammed a paw into my side hard enough to send me sprawling across the ground.
“Ken!” Wesley cried.
He tried to rush towards me, but Tyson stopped him. His wolf cut in front of Wesley and said, “Wesley, you can’t!”
“I don’t care!” Wesley cried, beating his fists into Tyson’s fur. “Let me go!”
The small alpha wolf just shut his eyes, taking the blows sadly.
A heavy weight slammed down the side of my head. Gunner’s huge paw pushed me into the ground. I knew he was too strong; there was no way I could overpower him.
“I should kill you right now for lying to me,” Gunner growled, crushing his claws into my head.
“You won’t get away with any of this,” I said as calmly as possible. “The rest of our pack will never let this go.”
“Your pack doesn’t have to know. Not if I kill each one of you here tonight.”
My friends snarled at his comment. There was no way they would go down without a fight, I knew that. But I didn’t want it to end this way; they had their own families, their own children. I couldn’t let this go on any longer.
“Just take me,” I said. “Please.”
“Ken!” Wesley screamed.
But Gunner just laughed. “I don’t care what happens to you, and history won’t either. Once that omega’s pup is born, it will join my army knowing only me as its father. Nobody will ever remember a Ken Hart.” He leaned down and growled into my ear. “And then when you’re dead, I’ll have your omega all to myself - “
I twisted out of his grip and snapped my teeth into his throat before he could finish his sentence. I gripped as hard as possible, my jaws straining with the effort.
The forest erupted into chaos. Wolves from both packs attacked. All I could hear were snarls and growls and snapping fangs.
Flint and Jericho launched themselves each at nearby Scarlet Ridge alphas, taking them down and going straight for their throats. Mason and Charlie worked together to attack a lone alpha, using their smaller size and agility to dodge his attacks. David - the biggest alpha out of all of us - was fighting two Scarlet Ridge wolves at once. He fought ferociously - he was clearly skilled in combat.
I barely had time to register the fight breaking out when Gunner lunged at me. He was heavy and powerful, but that made him slow. This time I managed to slip out from underneath him, then jump on his back and sink my teeth into the back of his neck. But there was too much fur - I couldn’t get to his flesh.
Gunner shook me off and I landed a few yards away on my feet. He ran towards me like a furious bullet - and I waited to leap at the last moment and jump on top of him again - but instead of attacking me, he leapt right over my head.
In my confusion, I whipped around and saw what he was really going for.
Wesley, at the far end of the forest clearing, with Tyson guarding him.
“No!”
In the chaos, nobody realized what was happening except the four of us.
It happened too quickly to stop, but at the same time, it was like watching it in slow motion.
Gunner leapt, all fangs and claws, reaching for Wesley.
But Tyson snarled in defiance. He pushed Wesley aside and threw himself in the way, leaping in head-on to fight back against the huge alpha.
I was too late to stop it. Gunner used his momentum to slam into Tyson, knocking him into the ground. The small alpha grunted and kicked back against Gunner’s underbelly. Gunner let out a furious snarl that made every wolf in the forest stop. Then, striking like a snake, he sank his teeth into Tyson’s neck and ripped out a chunk of flesh. Blood poured from the wound and Tyson let out a heart-wrenching cry.
For a single moment, the forest was silent. Then the cries of my friends rang out as they rushed towards us, desperately hoping the worst wasn’t true.
I pushed Gunner out of the way, and quickly the rest of my friends created a barrier around us. They were winning the battle; there were less Scarlet Ridge wolves now. But the concern on their faces was intense.
Tyson’s body was mangled and limp. Blood poured from his massive wound. It was clear from the glassy look in his eyes that he was already fading. I stared down at my friend helplessly. Even though I was a doctor, there was nothing I could do. We were going to lose him.
Tyson could no longer speak. All we could do was lay with him until he passed.
Wesley was a wreck. He threw himself into Tyson’s fur, sobbing. Charlie had shifted back to human form from the shock and was wailing. Mason had turned as well. He only stared blankly at his friend’s body, his eyes distant and misty.
“Can’t you do something!?” David snapped at me.
But I knew it was just a desperate cry of grief. We all knew it was too late. I only shook my head, feeling useless.
I laid my hand on Tyson’s chest. His heartbeat had already faded.
“He’s gone,” I said quietly.
David roared. In a fit of rage, he attacked the remaining Scarlet Ridge wolves. Covered in blood, he tore the throats out of the remaining lackeys until only Gunner was left.
Gunner’s expression was shocked; he had underestimated us, but mainly David. The way he glanced at David’s blood-soaked form was hard to read. It seemed almost jealous.
Flint and Jericho joined David, their eyes hard and cold. I pulled myself together and returned to my friends’ sides. Gunner was alone and outnumbered now. Although the loss was too great, this was still a fight we could win.
But Gunner shifted back to human form - like he was certain he could still defeat us somehow, and he didn’t need his wolf form to do it.
“It’s a shame you’re wasting your talents among these soft-hearted fools,” Gunner said, looking David in the eyes. “If you joined my army, you would rapidly rise in the ranks. I could even make you a commander.”
“Go to hell,” David snarled, his voice so full of pure anger and hatred that it chilled me.
“Pity that all of this could have been avoided if you just handed over the omega,” Gunner said coldly. He narrowed his eyes at Wesley, whose face was stained with tears.
“You’re in no place to bargain anymore,” Flint growled. “Get off our land, now.”
But David shouldered Flint aside. “No, no more mercy! I’m going to kill him!”
“Before you try to silence me,” Gunner said. “There’s something you should know.”
David stopped in his tracks.
Gunner’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Your mate is still alive.”
David’s eyes widened. “You’re lying.”
Gunner shook his head. “I’m not. Why don’t you come join my pack and see for yourself?”
David paused, his body frozen by indecision.
“David!” Jericho cried. “You can’t seriously be thinking about going back? And what mate is he talking about?”
“I’ve never heard of such a mate, either,” Flint growled.
My heart raced. I felt sick.
I was the only one who knew.
David had told me a long time ago why he never seemed interested in a mate.
Long ago, during a war with the previous top alpha of Scarlet Ridge, his own mate had been kidnapped. David had presumed he was dead. Now I wasn’
t sure what to believe anymore.
“David,” I said, going to his side. “You don’t know if Gunner is telling the truth or not. It’s too risky. I know you care about your mate, but - “
“What do you know?” David snarled at me. “Your mate is alive and well. You have nothing to worry about. You have no idea what I’ve been through!”
Flint and Jericho exchanged confused glances, but said nothing.
“I’m saying this is most likely a trap,” I said firmly. “No good will come of you going with Gunner. This could just be a big lie to lure you in.”
“Oh, it’s not a lie.” Gunner’s voice made us all turn towards him in shock. He reached into a leather pouch tied to his leg and pulled out a piece of fabric. Slowly, with his hands raised in a non-threatening gesture, he strode towards David and laid it on the ground before backing away again.
David lowered his snout to smell the fabric, then he gasped. He paused, then shifted to human form. “Where is he?” he asked in a low, serious voice. “Take me to him.”
“David, you can’t be serious!” Flint said.
Jericho’s voice was full of concern as he rushed towards his friend. “David, he’s lying to you! Don’t do this!”
“Get out of my way, Jericho,” he growled, shoving him aside.
Jericho stumbled, too shocked to reply or resist. His eyes shone sorrowfully.
None of us knew what to say. David did not look back. We could only watch helplessly as our friend, our trusted packmate, turned his back on us and followed the man who had just murdered our friend.
“Ken…”
I turned to find Wesley behind me, exhausted and depressed. He weakly grasped my hand. “I want to go home.”
I could only let out a sigh. “Me too. Let’s go.”
Before we left, we dug a grave for Tyson. None of us spoke while we worked. There was a patch of tiny blue wildflowers surrounding the site.
“Forget-me-nots,” Wesley murmured, choking up as he spoke.
We lowered our friend’s broken body into the earth. Nobody said anything. It wasn’t the time. We all knew how much Tyson meant to us - to each other. Losing him was like losing a family member. It hurt too much to talk about it.
Jericho, who was one of the most sensitive out of all of us, insisted we dig graves for the fallen Scarlet Ridge wolves.
“They were just following Gunner’s orders,” he said quietly. “They were probably just afraid, too.”
After that was finished, we were all exhausted. Without even a goodbye, we all went our separate ways. Flint and Charlie, Jericho and Mason, and now Wesley and I…
Missing two members of our close-knit hunting party, we went home.
11
Wesley
Months passed since the encounter with Gunner. While we still felt grief towards our losses, we were also excited about the new life coming into the pack. Mason and Charlie were over a lot more often, giving me tips and commiserating with me about my pregnancy woes. With my due date coming up fast, I spent most of my time on the couch or in bed, bossing around my poor mate.
Then, one night, the pain came - fast and brutal.
I let out a scream, then doubled over. Instantly Ken ran to my side from the other room.
“What’s wrong?” Then, the realization hit him. He was panicked as a father, but his training and experience as a doctor kicked in quickly. “Let’s get you down to the clinic.”
Curling up in a ball of agony, I let Ken pick me up and rush me downstairs. There was a special birthing room that I’d only seen in passing until now. I barely had time to appreciate the warm wall color and comfortable arrangements before another shock of pain hit me, causing me to cry out.
“Wesley, are you okay? Can you rate the pain from one to ten?” Ken asked.
“Twenty,” I hissed through gritted teeth.
He frowned. “Okay. I need you to listen to me. The baby is coming now. You need to push. I’ll be here for you the entire time.”
I gripped his hand so tightly it felt like it was going to pop off. With my eyes clenched shut, I did as Ken said and pushed. Omega shifters had been doing this for centuries - I knew I could get through it, too.
But god fucking damnit if it didn’t hurt like hell.
“Good. Good, you’re doing well,” Ken encouraged me.
“I want the other omegas,” I whimpered in frustration.
It’s not that Ken wasn’t enough - I loved him to death, but right now I wanted the reassurance of someone who’d been through the same pain as me.
Ken nodded in understanding and quickly whipped out of his phone, alerting Mason and Charlie of my situation.
I let out a sound halfway between a groan and a scream. My body stretched and felt like it was contorting, like I was trying to expel a demon. Pain seared through me, sharp and throbbing and horrendous.
The door burst open and Mason and Charlie ran in.
“We came as fast as we could,” Mason said breathlessly.
“Oh - look how far along you are already!” Charlie said.
I couldn’t look - I didn’t want to look. I just wanted this baby out of me - now.
“I’m so sorry, honey,” Ken said sympathetically. “I know it hurts. The baby will be here soon, any moment now. Just keep pushing.”
“You’ve got this, Wesley!” Mason encouraged.
“You’re so close!” Charlie added. “When the baby’s here, you won’t even remember this part!”
I found that hard to believe, but I was too busy screaming and groaning in pain to answer him with a snarky remark.
Finally, when it felt like my body was going to explode from the agony, a cry filled the room.
Time stopped. As soon as I heard that voice, my heart swelled. The pain, sweat and tears were forgotten. All I cared about was the tiny crying angel in Ken’s arms.
“He’s here,” Ken said with a huge smile. “Our son.”
Charlie started crying as soon as he saw the baby. Mason was clearly trying not to, but failing.
“I want to see him,” I whined.
“Just a moment. I’ll get him cleaned up and then it’s straight to daddy,” Ken told me gently.
After he was done wiping him off, Ken returned with our son bundled up in a small blue blanket and gingerly handed him to me. I took the precious bundle and stared down at him with tear-filled eyes. He had stopped crying now, and instead was grunting with his tiny fists balled up. My chest felt like it was going to burst with affection. I wanted to hold him closer, but he was so small and fragile, like his skin was made of flower petals.
“Now we’re all crying,” Mason muttered with a smile. Even Ken had tears in his eyes, which he hurriedly wiped away.
“He’s beautiful,” Ken murmured. “He looks so much like you, Wesley.”
“If he looks like me, then I hope he has your brains,” I said.
Ken chuckled. He leaned down and kissed my forehead before wiping the tears from my eyes. “I usually wait to introduce the baby to everyone else, but… Wesley, if you’re not tired, I believe Flint and Jericho are waiting outside.”
I nodded for them to come in. My son was grunting and whimpering in my arms, but other than that he seemed content. Ken opened the door for the other two alphas, who came inside like they were walking on glass. Both their eyes lit up when they saw the baby.
“Oh, isn’t he the most precious thing…” Jericho murmured.
Flint smiled in that gruff way of his. “You have a beautiful, healthy baby.”
“What’s his name?” Jericho asked.
I exchanged glances with my mate. Without speaking, both of us thought the same thing at once. Ken nodded gently at me.
“I… I want to name him Ty,” I said. “After Tyson, who died protecting him.”
Charlie let out a tiny gasp, then smiled widely. Tears still rolled down his cheeks. “That’s a wonderful name.”
Mason nodded. “He would have loved that.”
I glanced down at my beautiful child. He would have a good life, protected and loved. He would never have to suffer the way I did - both me and Ken, and the rest of our pack would make sure of that.
“Alright, everyone out now,” Ken said, shooing our friends out. “Let the new dad have some alone time with his baby.”
He was about to leave as well, before I called, “Wait. Stay here with me.”
Once everyone had gone, Ken came back to my side. I leaned over and kissed his cheek. He blushed.
“I know we went through a lot to get to this point, but… I don’t regret anything,” I said. “Even getting beat up by Gunner’s cronies was worth it if it meant I got to meet you.”
Ken growled. “Don’t say that.”
“It’s true.”
This time, Ken kissed me - probably to get me to shut up and stop talking about that kind of stuff.
“Fine, fine, I get it,” I mumbled with a smirk.
“No more of that talk,” Ken growled. He looked down at Ty. “Instead, we can talk about how cute our baby is.”
“He is cute,” I agreed, finding myself tearing up again. “The cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Ugh… damn omega hormones.”
“It’s not just your omega hormones,” Ken said. His own eyes were wet with tears, too. “My protective alpha instincts are kicking in, too. Which is something I never thought I’d say.”
I chuckled and kissed him again.
“Now all we need is one more baby,” I said. “To match our friends who both have two kids each. You know?”
Ken nearly choked. “Another baby? You mean, like right now?”
“Not at this very moment.” I rolled my eyes. “Boy, for a doctor, sometimes you really are an idiot.”
But he did eventually take me up on that offer.
Charlie was very understanding when, two months later when Ken and I had mostly adjusted to the strain of new parenthood, we asked him to babysit Ty for a while.
The whole night, in fact.
I don’t know if it was the thrill of pregnancy and childbirth or my next heat just kicking in early, but I was going crazy with arousal. In the darkness of our bedroom, all I could see of Ken was the moonlit outline of his skin and his glinting eyes.
