How could any pack Alpha have thought living in splendor was okay while his people didn't seem to have the most basic of their needs met? Here, where every window glowed with well-lit rooms, I realized what else had been missing back in town. If Jared had brought the pack here like I’d asked, it made sense if none of the houses had lights on. But the shops? No, not even one of the stores had so much as a blinking sign either.
Was the pack so poor or frugal the stores no longer bothered with security lights, or was what I suspected the real truth? Surely, the alpha mansion wasn't the only place with electricity around here.
Growling under my breath, I stopped in front of the gate and tried my old gate code on the keypad. Surprisingly, it actually worked, and the gate slid open. With an angry kick, I got my bike moving again and revved my engine, taking off like a shot up the driveway.
I parked and turned off the engine, removing my helmet and cursing my uncle's name as I got a better look at the perfectly maintained property. Here, there was a nice green lawn, and the paint job was as fresh as the day the old place was built. I was still grumbling under my breath and wishing it were possible to bring Alpha Horace back to life so I could choke it out of him again when the front door swung open.
An older but nonetheless completely familiar-looking face smiled back at me, and I found myself grinning and waving like a damn fool. "Jared! Goddess, but it is good to see you." I got off the bike and stashed my gloves and helmet before running up the stairs to greet him with a hug. We clasped each other tight, and for a brief moment, being home felt good again.
Jared didn't allow me more than a minute. Before I finished processing how much taller and thicker he was in the shoulders, he was already pulling away and motioning for me to follow. One look at his pinched expression reminded me of the reason I broke every speed limit to get here. The pack and what it needed would have to wait. Right now, Elisha's life depended on me.
When Jared covered his mouth with a rough sob, my heart fell into my stomach. I staggered back a step, holding my palms up in denial. "No. Tell me I'm not too late?" Before I could ask another question, a strangled cry from overhead gave me my answer—the omega lived.
Taking a breath, I willed my anxious wolf into submission. The sucker paced and clawed at my skin, demanding to take over, the one thing I couldn't allow. With this much at stake, my human side needed to be in control.
Sorry, wolfie. Stand down. I've got this one.
Jared winced and tilted his head toward the stairs. "Again, I'm sorry to put you in this position. And for my display of emotion. It’s just that… Isaac, our epsilon healer… I believe I mentioned him when we last spoke? He had a vision during the winter solstice, saying our pack would find salvation and renewal this year. His words came back to me while I was waiting for you to get here. Seeing you now, I know his vision signaled your return. I just hate the burden I've placed on your shoulders with what I'm asking of you."
Knowing even as I spoke how I meant every word, I straightened my shoulders and stood tall. "You didn't put this on me, Jared. This pack was always my birthright, and it's past time I accepted it. Do I want to claim Elisha in this state? No. Hell no. But he didn't ask for this any more than I did. I won't allow him to die because my uncle was a piece of shit.” I started to say more, wanting to linger rather than face the task ahead of me.
Another loud, mournful cry had my wolf pacing again. Glancing at Jared with a clipped nod, I muttered, “Wish me luck," and strode away before he could respond. Heading straight to the stairs, I took them two at a time, sudden haste pushing me every step of the way.
My wolf and I both felt the same pull, demanding we get to the master bedroom as quickly as possible. I didn’t understand it, but it was as if my own life depended on saving this omega’s.
Move. Get there faster.
Every second felt like an eternity. Each cry sounding through the bedroom door felt like a steel blade piercing my heart. And yet I stopped short of opening it when I got there, pausing with one hand on the doorknob and one palm on the solid wood separating me from whatever I would find on the other side.
As badly as I needed to reach Elisha, I also needed this final moment to prepare myself. Consent from an omega in heat was dubious at best. But from one who was delirious and at death's door? Any yes he gave would be meaningless. Did I have it in me to do it anyway? Could I really fuck this stranger to save his life? And even worse... could I stomach giving him the claiming bite and forging his life to my own?
It was too much responsibility. And if I were to die tomorrow, he would be right back in this position.
Shut up, idiot. Quit trying to talk yourself out of what you know you're already planning to do. You wouldn't be here if you weren't going to claim this omega as your mate. Quit waffling and alpha up. Elisha's life is depending on you.
Whether it was my persuasive self-talk or the bloodcurdling scream I heard next, I couldn't say. But the terrifying shriek had me shoving the door open. One step into the room and I nearly hit my knees, staggering at a wave of omega pheromones and an enticing fragrance smelling of home… and a curious mix of jasmine and sagebrush.
Was it possible?
No… and yet there it was.
The powerful aroma could only be one thing—the scent of my true mate.
All my life I had searched for the place I truly belonged. This pack hadn't ever felt like my home, and neither had any place I’d spent more than a night in since I’d left here. Nothing had ever been a perfect fit. I’d come close enough with my fellow West Coast Wolves, but something had always been missing.
Not something… someone. Home wasn’t a place. Home was here, with this stranger whose life depended on me getting my shit together and saving him while I could.
Move, dammit.
As I slowly inched closer, I had the presence of mind to kick the door shut, cataloging the destroyed bed. Gouges marked the mattress as if it had been clawed. Tiny feathers were all over, as if the ceiling had opened and snowed teeny tiny bits of fluff.
The fucking shit covered everything, including the whimpering omega curled in a tiny ball. I couldn’t see his face behind his curtain of hair. With the snowfall of down, it was hard to see much of him at all.
A few feathers floated freely, drifting up and hovering before falling, only to shoot back up every time Elisha trembled. Others clung to his body like dried-up spitballs, stuck to his sweaty skin. The sheets were a twisted mess, as if Elisha had been kicking and shoving them away. Or tried to make an escape rope? Yeah, no.
My eyes went back to the feathers.
Something about them bothered my wolf. What were those things? Goose down or some shit. Who cared? Not me. All I knew was they needed to be gone. Something about them was… bad. Wolfie snarled, demanding we get our mate away from them. But first, I wanted… no, needed, to get a better look at my soon-to-be mate.
I drew closer to the bed, intending to pull the sweaty hair back covering his cheeks and forehead, but my hand stopped midair when I got a better look at his body. An acrid stench of sickness mixed with the coppery smell of dried blood had been hiding beneath his sweet scents of jasmine and sagebrush.
His body was covered with a rash. It didn’t seem contagious or anything, but the clusters of red bumps didn't look comfortable. Blowing a strong breath out, I sent enough feathers flying to reveal more of his body and exactly how angry his skin looked.