by J. L. Wilder
He turned his attention to Izzy, who was still gazing tremulously up at him. “Honey.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I can’t imagine why.”
“You were happy,” she whispered. “Before me, you were happy. I’ve made everything worse.”
“You don’t really believe that.” He tilted her chin up and kissed her. “I was alone before, Izzy. I had never loved anyone in my life before you. No one had ever loved me.”
“That can’t be true.”
He smiled wryly. “I wasn’t always the person you know now. My last pack thought I was a bit of a belligerent drunk, actually.”
“You’re not a belligerent drunk!”
He had to laugh. She sounded so indignant. “I’m glad you don’t think so. I hope our babies won’t think so, either.”
“Do you think we’ll be allowed to keep them?”
“Yes,” he said. “I think I’m going to win those Games, Izzy. I’m going to do it for you, and I’m going to do it for my children.” He kissed her again. “This is happy news. Please don’t look so upset.”
“Really? You’re happy?”
“I’ve never been happier in my life.” And it was true. The idea that he could have something so simple, so beautiful, as a family and children...Wyatt had never believed that his life would include something like this. He had resigned himself to living as an outsider. And this beautiful girl had changed all that.
“We’ll just have to keep it a secret,” he said. “We’ll have to make sure none of the others find out until after the Games. And then we can just say you and I mated afterward, when everything was aboveboard. No one will ever need to know that you were pregnant before the Games began. That part can stay our secret.” He stroked her jawline with his thumb. “Our secret, forever.”
“But if you don’t win—”
“I will win.”
“How can you be so sure?”
He smiled. “You doubt me, all of a sudden? You’ve had such faith in me up until now.”
“But the stakes are higher now.” She rested a hand on her belly. She was so slim now, but it wouldn’t be long, he knew, before she began to grow. The pregnancy wouldn’t remain hidden for long.
He couldn’t wait.
“We can’t be seen around each other too much,” he said. “Especially with Gunner on the lookout. You’d better go back inside. But don’t worry about a thing, okay? Just relax. Stay close to the people you trust—”
“I don’t trust anyone.”
“The people you’re closest to trusting, then. Before long, it’ll all be over.”
She nodded, squeezed his hand, and went inside.
Wyatt packed his tools away methodically and headed inside to run more laps, full of new energy. He was going to be a father.
He had to win.
Chapter Fourteen
IZZY
“Sit here, Izzy,” Val called, waving her over. “We saved the best place for you. Front and center.”
Izzy was surprised. Everyone always tolerated her presence, of course—they were required to—but no one other than Wyatt had ever invited her to join them in anything. Yet now Heather and Val were waving her toward a blanket they’d spread out on the grass in the clearing. There were snacks spread out on the blanket too—a bowl of fruit, crackers and cheese and meats, and some homemade chocolate chip cookies. She made her way over and hesitantly knelt on the edge of the blanket.
“No, here.” Val waved her toward the center. “You have to be able to see what’s going on. They’re deciding on your future husband.”
Husband. It was the first time anyone had used that word instead of the word mate. Izzy had spent the past several weeks envisioning what it would be like to be the sexual property of another person, but now, for the first time, it occurred to her to wonder what it would be like to be someone’s wife. To spend her whole life with him, grow old with him, come to know each other so well that they were like two halves of the same whole. I could have that with Wyatt, she thought. If he wins.
Or he could lose, and she could be forced to go through that life with someone else altogether. Everything depended on what happened over the next two days of competition.
Heather was putting together three turkey sandwiches. She finished and passed one over to Izzy, who accepted it with some reluctance. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong here, that she would be required to sing for her supper at some point.
“Have a soda,” Val said, handing Izzy a can. “This is so exciting, don’t you think?”
Not really. “It’s okay,” she said.
“Who do you think is going to win?”
“It’s got to be Gunner,” Heather said. “I saw him deadlift five hundred pounds the other day. No way any of the others can do that.”
“Van can’t,” Val agreed, giggling.
“Your brother couldn’t even lift a baby.”
“That’s not because he’s weak. He’s afraid of babies. He thinks he’ll drop them.”
Izzy’s hand moved toward her stomach. She had to consciously remind herself to return it to the ground. She couldn’t allow the others to pick up on the fact that she was pregnant. Even subtle hints would be dangerous. “I didn’t know Van was your brother,” she said to cover the awkwardness of the moment.
Val nodded. “He’s two years older than I am. And there’s no way he’s going to win today. I’m not even sure why he entered.”
“He did it because everyone’s doing it,” Heather murmured.
“Still. He’s in love with you, Heather. He doesn’t even want to win.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
“Don’t be silly. He’s crazy about you.”
“Yeah,” Heather said. “I thought that too, until I saw his name on the signup sheet. Why even compete in these Games if you don’t want the omega? There’s no other reason.”
Izzy’s stomach twisted. Heather’s boyfriend is competing. This explained so much. She understood, suddenly, why Heather had always been so hostile toward her. It must have hurt terribly to realize that the guy you loved was competing for the right to mate with someone else. If it had been Wyatt, she thought, if I’d seen him going after another girl, I would have hated her too.
But what could she say? She didn’t want Van. There was nothing wrong with him—he had been more polite to her than most of the other men, and she wasn’t afraid to be near him—but he wasn’t Wyatt. But what good would saying that to Heather do? Heather would just be angry that Izzy didn’t think Van was good enough for her.
What a mess. They should let me choose, she thought miserably. What harm would it do? Admittedly, a few weeks ago she would have had a hard time choosing any of them to mate with. But now it would be as easy as breathing. She wanted Wyatt badly. They belonged together.
“Van just entered for a chance to show off,” Val said. “You know that, Heather. You’ve known him all his life, and so have I. If the rest of the guys are doing something, Van will do it too, no matter what it is. He doesn’t want to sit on the sidelines. That’s all it is. It doesn’t change the way he feels about you.”
“Some of the men said the same thing to me,” Izzy spoke up.
They both turned and looked at her, surprise written on their faces. It was as if they hadn’t expected that she would dare to speak.
It took her a minute to find her voice again, to go on. “A few of them told me,” she said. “They told me they didn’t plan on winning, but they’d be damned if they missed a chance to test themselves against the rest of the pack.” This wasn’t exactly true, but there was a grain of truth buried in it. It was the story Wyatt had told the others, she knew, to explain why he was entering the Games. “I’ll bet that’s what Van is doing, Heather.”
“That’s totally it,” Val agreed. “He’s loved you forever. He’s not going to just forget about that because we have an omega now.”
Heather picked at her sandwich.
&nb
sp; “Look at Lena and Robert,” Izzy went on, feeling bolder. “The alpha has the right to claim the omega, right? But Robert hasn’t tried to do that. He’s stayed true to the woman he loves. Having an omega doesn’t mean everyone forgets about their real feelings.” She hoped.
“Maybe you’re right,” Heather said grudgingly, and to Izzy’s surprise she actually smiled a little. It was the first smile Heather had ever directed at her.
Robert strode into the center of the clearing and raised his hands for silence. All around the perimeter, the women of the pack went quiet.
“Welcome to the Hell’s Wolves’ first ever Omega Games!” he cried, and applause went around the circle. He waited for quiet before continuing. “Over the next two days, our competitors will participate in a series of events and be ranked on their performance. Whoever has attained the most points by the end of the games will be awarded the rights to our Omega.
Applause again. This time, Izzy noticed, Heather and Val did not cheer. They looked at her instead, as if they were realizing something about her for the first time, as if they understood that she was a person and that there was something deeply wrong about all this.
“Let’s bring out our competitors!” Robert announced.
A line of men strode into the field. There was Gunner, showing his teeth as usual. Izzy also spotted Van, swaggering just a little and talking to the man standing next to him. It looked as though their guesses about him were true—he was just there to have fun and prove his mettle.
And there, bringing up the rear of the line of men, was Wyatt. He walked with his chin held high and his shoulders back, projecting confidence, but Izzy’s own confidence couldn’t help but be shaken. Seeing him there, next to all the others, it was clearer than ever that he had his work cut out for him. The grey hair around his temples that she usually loved to brush her fingers over made him seem suddenly old and tired. How could he be expected to compete against these younger, stronger men?
They didn’t stand a chance.
“Today’s first competition will be a footrace,” Robert announced, and Izzy’s heart sank. Wyatt was in good shape, and he was quick and nimble, but this was the very thing she’d feared since the announcement of the Games. A footrace was bound to favor the more athletic entrants in the competition. Wyatt would be at an immediate disadvantage.
“The race is to the river and back,” Robert went on. “Competitors must show wet forepaws upon returning to verify that they have been to the water. Our first place finisher will receive six points, second place five, and on down. Anyone finishing outside the top six will be eliminated and will not proceed to the next round of competition.
“Now competitors may head into the woods to shift and return when ready.”
The men disappeared into the trees. Izzy waited, holding her breath.
Then, one by one, wolves began to emerge.
She had never seen Wyatt in wolf form before and hadn’t expected to recognize him, but she knew him immediately. Maybe it was his coloring—the grey around his face was reminiscent of the hair she loved so much—or the way he carried himself. Or maybe it was something deeper. She felt drawn to him, pulled to him, even now.
Robert picked up a stick and dug it into the dirt, drawing a long line through the middle of the clearing. The wolves lined up behind it, each of them hunched low, shoulders tensed, ready to spring forward.
“It’s going to be over fast,” Heather murmured. “To the river and back as wolves? Won’t take them a minute.”
“Ready!” Robert yelled, raising an arm over his head. Izzy’s breath caught in her throat.
“Go!”
They were off, tearing out of the clearing before Robert’s arm had even dropped, and a moment later they were out of sight. They could still be heard, though, their paws tearing through the undergrowth, pounding against the earth. Occasionally, Izzy heard a howl, and it made her heart pound.
Around the clearing, nobody moved or spoke.
He has to be back in the top six, Izzy realized suddenly. If he doesn’t come back first, he’ll lose points, but if he comes back seventh, he’s out completely. It will all be over. It had never occurred to her that their chances might disappear this quickly, that the very first event might be what eliminated Wyatt from contention. What would she do then?
“Here they come!” Val cried, pointing.
Sure enough, the footsteps were getting closer now. Izzy squinted, but they were still out of sight, obscured by the trees, impossible to make out.
Then several wolves burst onto the scene.
It was a scramble to reach the finish line and Izzy couldn’t say who’d crossed in what order, but Robert must have been able to tell, because he immediately began to sort them out, pointing them to new places in the line, indicating where they should stand. Where was Wyatt? She couldn’t see him. Robert knelt before all of them, touching their paws, and Izzy knew he was checking for water. Yet there seemed to be something almost ceremonial about it too, as if the alpha were bowing to their achievement.
Robert raised his hands again. “In first place and awarded six points—Gunner!”
Her heart sank as one of the wolves stepped forward, his teeth still bared in that sickening way that wasn’t quite a smile. Lena, who was standing beside Robert, made a note on a clipboard she was holding, and Izzy had to assume Gunner’s victory had been recorded.
“Second place—Lionel.” Another wolf stepped forward. “Third, Van. Fourth, James, Fifth, Wyatt. And in sixth place and scoring a single point—Paul.”
The winners joined Gunner and Lionel, and everyone else faded back into the woods, defeated.
He’s still in. It was all Izzy could think, the only thing she could focus on. He’s still in the Games. There’s still a chance. She couldn’t deny that the fifth place finish was disappointing. But there were more competitions left. He was only four points behind Gunner. Maybe he would be able to make it up.
ROUND TWO OF THE GAMES, it transpired, was a test of scent.
“This isn’t even fair,” Val said, settling onto the blanket beside Izzy. The pack had gone back up to the house for lunch, and both Heather and Val had been unusually solicitous, but Izzy hadn’t felt like eating. Now, seeing the wolves line up for their second test, she was glad she hadn’t. She probably would have thrown up.
“It does seem stacked,” Heather agreed. “Gunner’s a natural tracker. He’ll do well in this one.”
Val turned to Izzy. “Who do you want to win?”
She didn’t dare tell the truth. “Lionel’s pretty cute. So’s Paul.”
“Paul would be a good dad,” Val said.
Heather nodded. “Lionel’s the better hunter, though. I bet Paul doesn’t make it through this round.” One more competitor would be eliminated after the hunting competition.
“No, it’ll be Wyatt who goes out,” Val said. “He’s too old. Look, he’s the oldest guy left by a decade.”
“He made it through the last round,” Izzy pointed out. “He beat Paul.”
“Lucky break,” Val insisted. “Anyway, I know you’d rather Paul stay in than the old guy.”
Izzy said nothing.
The contest required each man to bring back a bird or a rabbit as quickly as possible, and this time Robert sounded a horn to start them off. The honking noise was sure to scare off any game in the vicinity, which Izzy thought was probably deliberate. She lay down flat on her back and put her arm over her eyes, unable to watch. Was Wyatt a good tracker? She had no idea. But everyone seemed to feel that Gunner had a gift for it. He would undoubtedly widen his lead in this event.
And indeed, Gunner was the first back. Izzy recognized him now, the tufted stripe of white hair along his back. He had a rabbit in his mouth, dead, and he laid it at Robert’s feet before trotting back to the starting line.
A scuffle in the woods. Moving leaves. Rustling.
Then Wyatt strode out. He was in human form, and he’d pulled his pants back on before
entering the clearing, though he hadn’t done up the fly. The reason for that soon became clear. His hands were cupped together, his arms held outstretched in front of him. He was holding something.
“He’s second back?” Val said wonderingly.
“Something’s up,” Heather said. “Why’s he human?”
Izzy’s heart pounded. If Wyatt was back so soon, that meant he was safe. He would move on to the next round. There was no need to worry.
Wyatt held his hands out to Robert and opened them carefully, just a crack. Robert peered in at whatever Wyatt held, raised his eyebrows, shrugged, and nodded.
Wyatt opened his hands.
A bird stood on his palm. It hopped twice and spread its wings, taking flight.
“I don’t believe it,” Heather said. “He didn’t even kill it. He tracked it and brought it back alive.”
Izzy lay back, watching the bird ascend into the sky.
THE FINAL EVENT OF the day took place after dinner. Everyone filed out into the yard. Izzy began automatically to turn for the clearing, but then she realized that no one was following her. Robert had stopped, and everyone’s eyes were on him.
Most of the competitors in the Games had joined the crowd now, as only five remained. Paul stood with some of the others, laughing good naturedly. Izzy supposed he could be proud of the fact that he’d stayed in one round longer than they had.
With a rumble that sounded like thunder, the five remaining competitors rode out of the garage astride their bikes. Gunner led the way, smirking at everyone around him. He had a strong lead on the others now, with eleven points. Lionel, with eight, came second, Van, with six, followed. Wyatt, who also had six points between the two rounds, emerged fourth.
At least he’s not in last. But Gunner’s lead seemed insurmountable, and no one else would be eliminated tonight.
“We are wolves,” Robert announced when the crowd had quieted. “But we are bikers too. Whoever claims our omega must be equally strong in all aspects that define us. If you’re weak on the road, you can’t be trusted to carry such a valuable member of our pack on your bike.”
