“And an omega?” she murmured when he didn’t continue. “What has to happen for that outcome?”
He turned his head to look at her, his gaze coming to rest on those beautiful dark eyes, worried that his next words would destroy something that didn’t even exist yet.
“Omegas are the result of going into that horrible, traumatic event with the worst of intentions,” he said softly. “Alphas are created from acts of heroism, betas from morally neutral acts, and omegas from acts of revenge, greed, anger, or hatred. I acted out of revenge. I went into a situation intending to kill some people for what they had done to someone I cared about. It wasn’t about saving anyone. It was about making them pay, pure and simple. And it ended up with me turning into the most out-of-control omega in the world.”
Caleb held his breath, waiting for Brielle to slide off the desk in her desire to put space between the two of them. But instead, she simply nodded and ate a few more potato chips.
“Well? You going to tell me the story or what?” she asked after a few moments of silence, leaning over to nudge his shoulder with hers. “You can’t leave me hanging, not after a confession like that. And, by the way, I doubt you’re the most out-of-control omega werewolf in the world. I’m guessing you’re not even the most out-of-control omega werewolf in Moscow.”
Those were the exact words Caleb needed to hear right then. He had no idea why, especially since that latter part she’d said was almost certainly nonsense, but the fact that Brielle wasn’t horrified made it seem like a weight was being lifted from his shoulders, and he couldn’t help chuckling.
“What do you want to know?” he finally asked.
“Everything,” she said simply, offering him the last of the dill pickle chips with a soft expression that nearly did him in.
“Toby Spencer was my best friend growing up,” he said after finishing the last handful of chips. “Hell, to be honest, he was my only friend. I didn’t have much of a family, so I spent more time at Toby’s place than my own. We were a matching pair of idiots, always skipping classes together, getting into trouble and fights, getting arrested. I probably would have dropped out of school if not for him, but he talked me into going, even though I couldn’t see the use for it.”
Her lips curved in a small smile. “He sounds like a good friend.”
Caleb sighed, lost in the memories. “He was the best. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to keep me from being stupid. When we were in high school, we got involved with some bad people. At first, we just stole merchandise. You know, computers, stereos, car parts. Nothing too serious. All they wanted us to do was the grunt work at that point. We picked up stuff, delivered it, and handled the money. But over time, as we got involved in the drugs and gambling side of the organization, they began to want more from us. We started carrying guns, and the work started to get more violent. Toby wanted us to get out, but I wouldn’t listen. I liked the money, and to a certain degree, I guess I liked that I’d found something I was good at.”
“What happened?” Brielle asked quietly, her expression sympathetic, and he couldn’t help but remember that she’d looked much the same when she’d talked about her brother. He guessed there were a lot of similarities between their lives.
Caleb took a deep breath. “The guy we worked for—I’m not even sure I ever knew his name—decided he didn’t like Toby’s attitude.” This was the first time he’d ever told anyone about this part of the story. “The asshole stood up in the middle of a drug deal and shot him. Just like that. Like Toby’s life didn’t matter at all.”
“What did you do?” Brielle whispered.
“I killed the son of a bitch.” Caleb felt tears in his eyes and quickly blinked them away before she could see. “I didn’t think. I didn’t wait to consider if there was a better way to deal with the situation. I simply walked right up to him and put a bullet through his forehead. Then I turned and started shooting at everyone else who worked for him. I was so frigging angry; I wanted to kill them all. I didn’t care what happened to me.”
Brielle smiled again. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but it seems like you haven’t changed all that much since then. You’re still shooting first and thinking later.”
More weight slid off his shoulders at her teasing and he let out a soft laugh. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I nearly died that night and ended up doing five years in prison. But in a lot of ways, I suppose I’m still the same person I was back then. I just have fangs and claws now.”
He picked up the package of Russian oatmeal cookies and opened it, then held it out to Brielle. He felt a lot more relaxed now, after unloading his history on her and realizing she wasn’t totally disgusted.
“Okay, you got involved with bad people, shot a few of them, and went to jail.” She took a cookie in her slender fingers and nibbled on it. “How did you get from there to STAT?”
Caleb laughed as he grabbed a few cookies. “It was a long and winding road, involving a series of increasingly poor life choices and a run-in with the Dallas SWAT team that just so happens to be made up entirely of alpha werewolves. I was looking at an extended stay in a fine Texas facility when McKay paid me a visit. The guy in charge of the SWAT team I mentioned sent him my way, thinking I might be the kind of person he was looking for to start up this new kind of STAT field team that was a mix of regular people and supernaturals, fighting the good fight and all that jazz.”
“I don’t really know you that well, but I have to say that doesn’t really seem like the best way to recruit you,” Brielle murmured.
“Actually, it would say you know me better than you realize.” He popped a cookie into his mouth and chewed slowly. “The whole fighting the good fight approach was a waste of time, and for an omega, the team concept wasn’t exactly a winner, either.”
“So what ultimately closed the deal for you?” She reached over to nab another oatmeal cookie. “Was it the big gun they gave you?”
He snorted. “McKay promised to wipe away my criminal record in return for staying with the STAT team for three years. The fact that I get to carry a .45 is just extra.”
She let out a soft laugh. “What has it been like being on the team?”
“Honestly?” Caleb grinned. “It’s been way better than I imagined. In the beginning, I didn’t think something like this would work. I mean, after Toby, there’d never been anyone on my side. Becoming an omega werewolf—aka the ultimate outsider—only made it worse. But with this team, sometimes I feel like I’m one of them. Like I’m really part of the pack. Or at least as close to being part of a pack as someone like me is ever going to get.”
He expected her to nod and eat another cookie or maybe comment on how she was happy for him. Instead, he got a pair of arms thrown around his neck and a mouthful of hair as she tucked her face in his shoulder and squeezed the stuffing out of him. Being trapped in her embrace, buried under the overwhelming scent of honeysuckles, was heaven.