“I don’t know if she’d go in that direction. She doesn’t know that’s a hiding spot. We retrace our steps carefully and try to find her here,” Bardhyl says, sounding more like he’s reassuring himself.
“Fine, but if we find no sign of her, then we can split up between the north and the direction heading back to the compound. Whether she’s caught or of her own volition, she will go there eventually, right?”
Bardhyl’s response comes in the form of a growl. I sniff the air and don’t sense her. “We just need to find her scent.”
For the most part, she might be anywhere in the woods, but I’m trying to think like Meira. She saved us from the cell in the settlement, which means she won’t steer far and come to track us down.
I glance the way we came, part of me desperate to see her silhouette appear out of the shadows, to know she’s safe, but she never comes. I know it deep in my heart that she didn’t follow us.
“The woods are teeming with undead and Ash Wolves who’ve turned against us,” I say.
“If fortune is upon us, we will find her in the woods.”
“I hope you’re right, my friend.” Trepidation worms through me at the thought that it won’t be that easy.
Meira
“Let me go!” I wrench my hand from the brute, except his grip might as well be an unbreakable stone.
“You will help us,” is all he keeps demanding, walking us quickly back the way I just ran, dragging me alongside him. This Alpha with the palest green eyes makes no effort to slow down.
If luck shone on me, we’d cross paths with the undead, giving me the ideal chance to escape. Worse, we’d bump into the Ash Wolves searching for me. Well, maybe these northern brutes might finish them off for me. Again, offering me plenty of time to run away with Jae.
I glance back over my shoulder to where she speed-walks between the two other Alphas, though neither of them are holding on to her.
“Nikos,” she calls out. “Please. You’re hurting Meira.”
The man hauling me pauses, turning slowly toward us, his grasp on my wrist constricting. “There is no time to waste.” His attention falls to me, his features tightening.
Up close, there are flecks of gold in his eyes, and a fresh scar across an eyebrow still blushing pink. He has thick, long, chestnut hair on the top and back of his head, which is shaved at the sides. It’s easy to see him as a wild man, but I remind myself he hasn’t hurt me yet, which means he can be reasoned with.
“Just tell me what you want?” I ask, holding his attention. “You want my help, then talk.”
The sound of the other two men breathing heavily tells me these Alphas aren’t used to females talking to them in such a way.
Nikos, as Jae called him, smiles. “The Ash Wolves have something of mine and you will help us retrieve it.” There’s no patience in his voice.
“What is it?” I ask immediately.
“That’s none of your business, Omega. You will aid us or I will feed you to my two men.” His head juts up before I can respond. “Jae, if you want us to take you back to Narah, you will shut the fuck up.”
Unease curls in my chest, and I twist to look at Jae, at how white her face has turned. Her shoulders curl forward, like she’s trying to make herself smaller, to vanish, but her gaze never leaves mine. Behind her eyes, there’s a battle between forsaking me to reach her family, or give that up to assist me.
“You give your word you will not hurt my friend? Narah, hired you to find and keep me safe, but I ask you to do the same with Meira,” she finally says.
These men have been contracted by Jae’s sister? Hired to find her? Who exactly is her sister to have goods to trade or power to hire such powerful Alphas?
Nikos thumps a fist to his chest fiercely. “My word is yours. We will not harm the woman if she helps us.”
Jae nods, and Nikos turns to pull me back into his fast walk, but I yank against him. “Wait. So you want me to get you inside the settlement? Is that all?” My skin crawls at the way he stares at me, but I can’t hate Jae for not begging them to release me. We all do anything we can for survival, for our family. I’ve spent enough time with Jae to know she’s true of heart in her intentions, wanting nothing more than to get home and feel safe. We all deserve that, so any anger I feel is for these men who, like the rest, take what they want for greedy reasons.
“Yes,” Jae whispers in response instead as she looks away.
Nikos drags me back into our rushed pace. My head swims back and forth to make sense of everything. What did the Ash Wolves take from these Alphas?
In truth, I don’t know enough about the wolf packs around Shadowlands Sector, even whom Dušan has dealings with. For all I know, these are disgruntled Alphas coming for retribution against him while they are in the vicinity, and they want me to open the front door for them.
Still, even that theory doesn’t sit right with me. Eradicating the top leader of any pack is not an easy feat. Is it a job for just three men? Maybe. Well, I sure as hell will not be handing over my mate to these monsters.
We move faster now, the ground rushing under my feet. Nikos keeps holding my arm, carrying some of my weight so I keep up with his long strides.
Much to my disappointment, there are no Shadow Monsters on our path.
“If you tell me what you’re looking for, it will be easier,” I break the silence. “I’ll know where to sneak you in from. I mean, I assume you want to be snuck in, or why else drag me there like a madman?”
He doesn’t make a sound or even glance my way, but we rush over terrain covered in dead leaves and twigs. Our approach is easily heard by anyone nearby, though it doesn’t seem to faze him.
Behind me, Jae and the other two men remain close. Any attempt to escape won’t get me far. I can tell this by the size of these men alone. Three against one, basically.
“Meira.” He snarls, somehow making my name sound dirty. He leans in closely. “Listen carefully. These men have been starved of a good rut for weeks since our departure.” He grabs me by the chin, hurting me. “Keep pushing me, and I’ll gladly watch them take their turn with you. After that, you will still help me collect what’s mine. The decision is yours.”
I freeze as my panic flares. But I don’t flinch or dare show him how furious he makes me. In my mind, I want to make him suffer, to hurt, to cry with pain. Jerks like him get off on seeing the terrified impact they have on others.
“Please, Meira, just do as they say,” Jae pleads, and I hear the quiver in her voice. Despite these Alphas coming to collect her, they still scare her. That much is obvious.
But I hold Nikos’ stare. He’s trying to get under my skin. “Fine, we’ll do this your way,” I finally say.
He lets me go and snatches my arm. “We always do.”
We’re off again.
I exhale hard. I’m seething on the inside, shaking, but I shouldn’t expect anything different. My whole life I steered away from males for this reason. Most Alphas rarely relent and never see Omegas as anything but their slaves.
His threat haunts me with every step. I lift my head and we move swiftly through the woods, while the whole time, I keep wishing the undead would find us. Then, when they eat these assholes, I’ll not feel a morsel of guilt.