Page 1 of Omega's Salvation
1
SILAS
A wild grin spreads across my face as I edge toward the clearing, the sacred space between the Nightshades and the Redstone packs still covered with a thin layer of snow. The crimson rivers from my favorite night are no longer present but I still remember the pain and anguish that rang through the clearing, warming my cold dead heart.
Watching that pack fall apart as we ran through them is a memory I gleefully play over and over in my head. It’s one of the few things that went right that night.
The serum runs fiercely through me, my wolf form several times larger than it used to be. Few others can weather the drug the same way I can, giving me a boost of power that is unmatched across the remaining shifter packs.
“Alpha, I don’t understand why we’re here.” My loyal Beta accompanied me without question. I will reward him handsomely and bond him the moment he returns. Unfortunately, his blind submission will be the cause of his pain. He gently rests a hand on my head, drawing my attention to his touch before I twist around to snap at his side.
The Beta screams, struggling to pull away from my bite but to no avail. He may never understand my plan but he will be the catalyst.
It won’t be long before my birthright is returned to me—my pack and that pretty Luna at my side. Until then, I will give them a small present, something to distract them from my plans. Those soft-hearted souls won’t be able to resist.
“Alpha, please,” he whispers but his pleas fall on deaf ears. I need this to work. There is no more room for failure. Unlocking my jaws, Darius falls in an ungraceful heap to the ground, snow crunching beneath his body. My favorite crimson stream begins to trickle from his side, the moonlight absorbing the dark color. The Beta scoots back, his hands pressing against the wound to prolong his consciousness.
I’m not done with him just yet, though. Last time, I left them a pretty white wolf in my Luna’s bed, my brother grieving over a decoy. A rare white Beta wolf died for a good cause that night. And now Darius will take her place as my brother and those other Alphas nurture him back to health, only to be fooled by his intentions.
They have grown soft and it will be their demise. This time next month, that Luna will be mine with my bite on her shoulder as she bows at my feet. Those beautiful brown eyes widen when I lock my jaws around his side again, delivering another bite deep enough to incapacitate him. Darius stops moving, the coppery taste of his blood coating my tongue. One day he will also be mine.
Today is not that day.
“Make her trust you and then bring her to me,” I say, using the mindlink present in the pack of the Forbidden.
I throw my head back, letting out a thunderous howl that matches my shifted form from weeks of using that serum. Power and magic flow through my veins, the sky shaking as my howl echoes through the clearing.
Hopefully, that is enough to draw them to the present I have left them.
Or it will be Darius’ last breath and I’ll have to find another Beta.
That would be a shame.
2
MAVERICK
The house is silent as it has been for the past week since I all but moved into Mateo’s guest room. They all say I belong in this pack but the only thing truly keeping me here is Nepheline. The fierce Omega wolf that has somehow stuck her claws in me and isn’t letting go. She finds her way into my bed most nights when her thoughts get too loud. Discussions about leading the pack, fighting super wolves, and taking down the Alpha that killed her family are only the tip of the iceberg.
We haven’t figured out what to do with Calista, Kylan, or any of the other rogue wolves in this pack that would have followed Silas into the darkness. One thing is for sure—each and every one of them will be replaced on the council. This might be the first pack without elders but the tradeoff is wolves we can trust. I can’t even imagine the shit we’ll be facing once we step out of this pretty little cocoon the pack Alpha house provides. As strong as Nepheline is, an Omega isn’t made to endure all of that and still lead an entire pack. I hope she leans on her Alphas.
Secretly, I hope that includes me too.
I sit up from my bed, restless and unsure of what our future brings. When working as a bounty hunter, I knew what to expect. Find the bad guy. Bring him in. Get paid. Or kill him. Send in a picture. Get paid. Now? I can’t be sure that my next step won’t incite a civil war within the pack or have Nepheline decide that I don’t belong here. My past has made it hard to trust and even harder to believe there is a happy ending for me.
Running my hand through my hair, my gaze falls to the window, a sliver of moonlight shining through and onto my floor. It reminds me of the silver wolf I’ve been seeing in my dreams. I don’t know what it means or if it’s just my thoughts running rampant again from unease. Something is coming but what that is, I have no idea.
A door down the hall squeaks open and I wait for the routine of Nepheline slipping into my room as she asks to lie beside me. Several seconds go by, light footsteps rushing past my door and into the bathroom. I frown when the shower turns on, creeping toward the bathroom door to see what Nepheline is up to. I don’t expect to see the beautiful Omega standing completely naked and staring into the mirror. Her eyes are bloodshot, her shoulders much lower than I’m used to seeing.
“Kitten, what are you doing?” I ask as I push open the door. Nepheline squeals and then slaps her hands over her mouth before turning to me. A smile cracks over my lips at her wide-eyed expression, a freshly fucked look overshadowing her sleepy expression. She doesn’t respond, though, worrying me. I can’t tell if the stress from being named the pack’s Luna is the problem or something else. “Hey, talk to me.”
Nepheline chews on her bottom lip, brows furrowing at my soft command. Then she just walks into my chest and sags against it. I wrap my arms around her, leaning my cheek against the top of her head while soaking up her scent. “I’m worried about you, Nepheline.”
“Don’t be.”
She knows me better than that. I rarely ever leave her alone when her mind is reeling. I’ve been around long enough to know that allowing thoughts to fester is never a good thing. Slowly, I reach between us to lift her chin so that our eyes meet. Deep green eyes stare up at me full of the fierceness and snark I remember when we first met. “You don’t get to hide anymore, kitten. If you thought your Alphas didn’t notice, you’re wrong. Asani and Mateo are bonded to you and the other two might as well be. They wanted to give you a little space, to work out what was in your head but it’s been a week. Talk to me.”
Nepheline strings her arms around my waist, silent for several moments. Her face scrunches up as she tries to find the right words. “It’s like I’m trying to remember something and then there’s this voice in my head and it’s so damn familiar. I just can’t figure out what it is. Who it is.”