Rohan smiled. “I think I can manage that.”
Briar
They’d been resting for nearly two weeks and Briar’s exhaustion was only getting worse. He tried to hide it from Rohan as best he could, but it was hard to mask the fact that even sitting up to eat took almost more energy than he could manage. There was no way he could keep running in his condition, no matter how desperate he was to get his child to safety.
At least the other alphas hadn’t found them, but they could only stay in pack territory for so long before it became inevitable that a wolf stumbled across them and then they’d be on the run again. Or worse, they could be ambushed and forced to fight off the packs again.
Rohan was pacing the entrance to the cavern. His tension seemed to coil tighter with each passing day. He spent most of his time either compulsively scouting for approaching danger, or hunting excessive amounts of food. Briar had shown him a few varieties of roots and berries that were safe to eat and Rohan had been bringing them back to the cave in quantities that Briar would never be able to eat, even if not for the nausea rolling through him almost constantly.
He gripped his stomach and rolled onto his side, hoping that would ease some of his sickness. At least he knew that his alpha was so eager to care for him and their child. A smile spread across his face. Rohan was the most dedicated alpha he’d ever known.
“How are you feeling?” He asked, stooping to Briar’s side.
“Fine,” Briar said. “I mean, if feeling like your stomach is trying to climb out of you is fine.”
On top of the nausea, his belly was starting to swell, the muscles aching as they stretched to accommodate his changing body.
Rohan ran his hand over Briar’s stomach, bringing a sigh to the omegas lips. Somehow just feeling his alpha’s touch helped to ease his discomfort. Rohan’s hands slid down Briar’s skin, massaging everywhere they touched, making Briar moan with contentment. He let his head fall back, finally feeling able to get some sleep with the heat of Rohan’s skin easing the cramps in his stomach.
“I’ll go hunting while you sleep,” Rohan said.
Briar chuckled. “You’ve already brought back more food than I could possible eat.”
“Well, I have to do something productive.” Rohan let out a sigh of frustration and an a hand through his hair. “I need to take care of you.”
“But not every second of every day.” Briar laughed again. “You need to take care of yourself too.”
Rohan crossed his arms and grumbled something inaudible under his breath, forcing Briar to laugh even harder. He took Rohan’s hand and interwove their fingers together. It felt good to smile after they’d spent days in increasing anxiety over their future. Even if this happy moment would be short lived, Briar would enjoy it while it lasted. He was never sure when another moment like it would come.
“Well, I should do some scouting at least. And if I find some food, I’ll bring it back and you’d better eat it.”
“Not making any promises.” Briar winced, pressing a hand to his poor stomach.
Rohan let out a playful growl and nipped Briar on the ear. “You’ll do as your alpha says.”
“Always,” Briar murmured, smiling as he watched Rohan’s hulking frame disappear from the firelight of their temporary home.
He couldn’t stop smiling even after Rohan had gone. He rubbed his belly slowly, thinking of how his and Rohan’s love had come together to create the beautiful life inside of him. He wished he could give something back to his alpha to show him how much he meant to him.
He was watching the firelight sparkle off the crystal walls when an idea struck him. He sat up and began plucking some of the longer pieces of grass from his bedding, twisting them together until he’d made two thin cords, each about a foot long. His body ached with exhaustion as he rose, but he was filled with determination. He fumbled in the dim light until he found a loose stone to use as a hammer and began bashing at the crystals with it. Little shocks of pain radiated through his head every time rock struck rock. He didn’t care. He wanted so badly to show Rohan how much he loved him.
Finally, he’d broken off two crystals about the size of his thumb and dragged himself back to his bed. The gems were so beautiful in the firelight, reflecting every color of the rainbow. He took one of the cords he’d twisted and began wrapping it around the base of a crystal, then did the same with the other until he had two gemstone necklaces gleaming in front of him.
He was exhausted by the small effort, head aching, but his heart swelled as he looked at his work. He hoped Rohan would like them. Maybe it was silly, but he wanted to give something to his alpha. It wasn’t enough for him to say I love you. He needed to show it.
When Rohan finally returned, it was with a plucked partridge. Briar just shook his head, resisting the urge to laugh at how much food the alpha seemed to think he needed. He sat down and began cooking it over the fire, but Briar called him over.
“I want to give you something,” he said.
Rohan’s head cocked curiously, but he came over without question. Briar’s heart thudded against his chest as doubts flooded his mind. Was the gift stupid? What would Rohan need a necklace for anyway? The alpha would probably tell him he should have saved his strength for running instead of making trinkets. Briar clutched the necklaces tight behind his back, suddenly reluctant to reveal them.
“What is it?” Rohan asked. “Is everything okay?”
Briar nodded, feeling embarrassed that he’d gotten himself into this situation. He had no choice now but to give the necklace to Rohan.
“I made you something,” he said, heart racing as he opened his palm in front of Rohan.
Rohan’s eyes softened, his lips curving into a smile. He touched the necklace gently, tracing the outline of it in Briar’s hand. “You made this?”
Briar nodded shyly.
“For me?” His voice was incredulous as he took the necklace from Briar and placed it around his neck, tying it tight.
“I made one for myself, too.” Briar revealed the second necklace, fastening it around his own neck.
“You’re so remarkable,” he murmured, touching his fingers to the crystal hanging against Briar’s chest, sending shivers over his skin.
“You… you like it?”
“I love it.” Rohan kissed him. “I love you.”
“I know you do.” Briar stroked his cheek against Rohan’s.
***
After Rohan forced him to eat some of the partridge, Briar fell asleep in his alpha’s protective arms, naked except for the necklace hanging around his neck. It felt so good to wake up with his bare skin pressed against Rohan’s. He couldn’t wait to get to safety so this could become their peaceful life.
He sat up slowly, relieved to find that some of his exhaustion had faded—for now, at least. He felt better than he had in days. H looked over to Rohan and murmured, “I think we should get moving today, while I have some strength.”
Rohan seemed relieved at the suggestion, his muscles softening as he let go of some of the tension that had been building in him for days. “I’ll get some food for the journey.”
He rose with new energy in his movements. Briar hadn’t realized just how much stress his alpha had been keeping to himself. Rohan was strong in so many ways. Briar stroked the crystal around his neck, smiling.
When Rohan had gone, Briar made work of packing up everything that would be useful to them, folding the woven blanket back into a bag that he could carry at his side as they ran. Strangely, he felt as though he would miss their cozy little cave. In the short time they’d been together, all their happiest moments had taken place here.
Briar thought back through the days he’d spent with Rohan. Had it really been so short? He felt as though he’d known the alpha his whole life. Though, he supposed that with their soul bond, they had known one another their whole lives. Deep inside, he’d always held a piece of Rohan in his heart.
When he’d finally packed up, Rohan s
till hadn’t returned. Briar stalked to the cave entrance, shifting into his wolf so that he could pick up his mate’s scent better. He caught wind of Rohan almost immediately, but then he scented something else, fainter, but it was there.
Another alpha.
His heart pounded against his chest. He set off in the direction of Rohan’s scent, panic clawing at his mind. Did Rohan scent the other alpha too? Surely he must, but if he did, why hadn’t he come running back? Dread pooled in Briar’s gut and he felt his sickness returning. He pushed his legs faster, picking up the even more of the other alpha’s scent as he got closer to Rohan.
No!
And then a howl went up. Briar stopped in his tracks. Soon, another howl echoed back. It came from miles away, but it wouldn’t be long before they were surrounded. Fear overwhelmed him, but he stuffed it down. This was no time to let his emotions take over.
He kept running toward his mate, muscles burning with exertion. They would escape again, he told himself. They’d run from the packs before. They would just have to keep running.
The smell of blood in the air hit him before he even saw the fight. His breath caught in his throat. Rohan was tumbling in the dirt with another alpha, fangs bared, snapping and snarling. His mate took one look at him and growled, ‘Run!’
In that moment’s distraction, the other wolf managed to pin Rohan on his back and bite down on his soft belly. Briar watched in horror, pulse pounding in his ears, but then his alpha’s command came back to him. Run. He wanted to stay. He wanted to help Rohan fight. But he wasn’t an alpha, and he had their child to protect.
Briar turned, making to bolt into the trees, but something collided hard with his side, knocking him to the dirt and making him cry out with pain and fear for his pup. The cruel yellow eyes of an alpha met his just before the wolf pounced on him again. He cried out, but the wolf only grinned.
“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. Yet.” The hulking alpha’s teeth pressed against Briar’s throat, not biting hard enough to break skin, but enough that Briar knew he couldn’t move without those fangs coming down on him.
His eyes dashed to meet Rohan’s a few feet away. In that moment, their shared fear for their unborn child was overwhelming. Howling exploded through the forest, pressing in closer. Rohan threw off the wolf he’d been fighting and bolted for Briar, only to have another wolf crash into his side.
Rohan scrambled away, fighting off the other wolf as he made for Briar, but another wolf leapt from the trees, snarling and growling.
He couldn’t rely on his alpha to save him, Briar had to fight back against the wolf pinning his throat. Somehow. He bucked his back legs against the wolf’s stomach, kicking him hard in his tender gut. The wolf growled, but only tightened his grip on Briar’s throat, pinching his windpipe painfully. He kicked again, harder. And again, ignoring the pain of the alpha’s fangs digging into his skin. He knew the wolves wouldn’t really kill him. He was too valuable alive.
One more hard kick and the wolf on top of him lost his hold. Briar let out a victorious snarl, but a harsh laugh sounded beside him and a human voice said, “This oughta get him to stop squirming.”
Pain exploded through his head as something blunt came down on his temple. He whimpered, trying to wriggle away before they bashed his head again, but he couldn’t move with the wolf on top of him. Stars burst in his vision as another hard blow landed against his skull. Tears stung his eyes. He looked back to his alpha, still fighting off shifters, panting and bloody.
Their eyes met as the world began to swim before Briar.
The last scene he saw before everything went black was his alpha being forced to the ground by three other wolves. He felt himself being dragged through the dirt, but he couldn’t move to stop it. He feebly kicked out, only to have another explosion of pain ring through his head.
Just as the world disappeared around him, he heard his alpha’s voice as a howl of agonizing loss echoed through the trees.
Part Two—Stolen Omega
Rohan
Rohan was delirious as he dragged his broken body through the trees. Behind him lay the bodies of five wolves, either dead, or close to it. He would have killed a thousand more if he’d had to. The image of his omega’s limp body disappearing into the forest kept replaying in his mind. He hadn’t been able to save him.
He let out another long, aching howl.
Thorns scratched at his already torn skin, but he didn’t stop limping through the thick brush. His head became heavy. Thoughts incoherent. All he could focus on was following Briar’s scent. Though even if he caught up with the wolves, he knew he was in no shape to fight. It didn’t matter. If he couldn’t save his mate and pup, he didn’t deserve to live.
He stumbled over a root, falling face down in the mud. He had to get up. He had to save his mate. But his body wouldn’t move. He choked out a rasped howl. Fate had brought him and Briar together, and he’d let the perfect omega be stolen from him.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered to the darkness. “I’m so sorry.”
***
A rumble of thunder sent pain shooting through his aching head. Everything in Rohan hurt as he opened his eyes, struggling to see through the rain and mist. Briar was gone. How could he have let this happen?
No.
He hadn’t let anything happen yet.
He rose shakily to his feet, feeling the sting of claw and fang marks. If his clever omega had still been with him, he would have prepared some kind of healing salve that would have taken the pain away. Rohan grit his teeth. The pain would keep him going. With every aching step, he thought of his stolen omega. Of what he would do to the wolves who took him.
He pushed himself to run, even though his body could barely manage a fast trot. He had to find his omega’s scent before it was completely washed away by the rain. If he didn’t find Briar within the week, their pup’s health would be at risk. And if he didn’t find him before the next full moon…
He gritted his teeth. He wouldn’t let anything happen to Briar or their child. He’d rescue his mate and kill anyone who got in his way.
A growl rose in his throat. He remembered the night he’d first seen Briar at the auction, how the Bloody Fang had bound him shivering, naked and starving. What made a culture so sick that they had to cause suffering to everyone in their path?
His fatigue faded as anger overwhelmed every other feeling. He pressed his nose to the mud, searching and searching for what had now become the familiar scent of his mate. His heart sank as he found nothing but the earthy smell of rain and mud. He couldn’t imagine never holding Briar in his arms again, never getting to raise their child. He couldn’t imagine failing to protect them.
He knew he was wandering in circles now, unable to find any trace of his mate. A long howl rang out from his throat. He didn’t care who heard it. He couldn’t keep the ache inside his chest.
The beautiful future he’d dreamed of was slipping away. He’d wanted to give so much to his mate and child, but he’d failed to even keep them safe. The night felt so cold and dark as he thought of whose hands might be on Briar now.
The rain stung his wounds, but it only urged him to move faster. How much pain and fear was his omega enduring right now? He came to a dip in the ground and his paws slipped in the deep mud, getting stuck as he slid down. His legs collapsed under him. Pain and exhaustion overwhelmed him as he lay in the mud. He let his eyes close as hopelessness sank into his bones him—and then—that scent.
His eyes snapped open and he was on his feet, sniffing around in the wet earth. Joy and melancholy surged within him when he found the source of the scent. He pawed at the earth, scrambling to dig up the little pouch Briar had woven. It was still full of roots and berries, all squished and filthy, but it was proof that he’d been carried this way.
Rohan pressed his nose to the wet earth, searching desperately for the scent of his mate or the alpha’s who’d kidnapped him. And then he found it, faint, but it was there.
; New strength filled his muscles as he took off. The necklace Briar had given him bounced against his neck as he ran, following the scent of his omega. Maybe if he hurried, he’d be able to catch up to the alphas before they made it back to their territory. It had only looked like two or three wolves who’d carried Briar off. Rohan could fight that many. Probably.
He’d have to.
What other choice was there?
His breath burnt in his chest as he forced himself to go as fast as his legs could carry his battered body, but Briar’s scent was growing colder the longer the day went on. Curse the moon, they were getting away from him. He sped up his pace, even though it made his worn muscles scream in agony.
He thought back to the first time he’d lost himself inside Briar’s perfect body, how his omega had practically commanded him to mate him. As soon as he’d felt their skin connect, he’d sensed their bond. No, he’d felt it before that night. Looking back, he realized he’d felt Briar in his heart his entire life.
He couldn’t go back to living without him.
His paws pounded the ground. Trees blurred past him. The wound in his side stung as it re-opened from the exertion. He didn’t care. He couldn’t stop. Briar’s scent was growing fainter, and Rohan could feel his body giving up on him. He had to keep going. His head spun as pain stabbed in his wounded side. He could rest when his omega was safely in his arms.
Briar
The alphas threw Briar down on the floor of a dark hut, sending new throbs of pain through his skull. He was dizzy from dehydration, but his only fear was for his child.
“Please be okay.” He pressed his hands to his stomach, squeezing his eyes shut. He had to escape and get back to Rohan before their pup started to suffer.
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