Omega (6 page)

The older man growled and his incisors lengthened as his lips curled back. “Boy, have you forgotten who I am!”

Guards stopped, staring at them. His sons’ laughter could no longer be heard. He glanced around to find his sons standing together gawking at him, their mouths slightly open. “Colin?”  Reana’s melodious voice floated down to him from the landing at the top of the stairs.

He would not be distracted. “I know exactly what you are you son of a bitch!” He held his father’s gaze and opened his mouth.

Ian shook off his hand. “Think about what you’re going to say and exactly what you will lose. I am your Alpha.” His words were jumbled and the seams of his suit jacket pulled as he bulked up.

Colin’s claws cut through the wool material of his dad’s clothing as he grazed his hand down Ian’s arm. His own wolf snapped at the chains he kept it secured in. Hair sprouted along his cheeks as his nose lengthened into a muzzle. He tightened the manacles, putting a chokehold on his animal. Shifting was not an option until he could utter the challenge. He took a few calming breaths. “Alpha Ian Blaidd, I challenge your position. A fight to the death on the next full moon, four days from now.” He dropped his hand and whispered. “You will die.”

There was a swift intake of breath; the sentries looked at each other before turning to peer at him. One of them backed away before he took off running. No doubt the young guard was going in search of Matos. Publically done, there was no way his father could decline and save face. Boris hugged his brothers and gently pulled them away from the scene unfolding.

Reana had moved down a few steps, she gripped the bannister in a white-knuckled grip. He couldn’t read her features. She’d schooled them into a cool mask of indifference. It didn’t matter the two people he should love were the ones he hated the most, and Boris was doing as he was told, protecting his brothers.

“You don’t mean that.” The timbre of Reana’s voice trembled. “Take back your challenge, Colin, now.”

“Not on your life. I meant every word.” He refused to stare at her any longer and returned his gaze to his father. “Great White Wolf my ass.”

Ian’s normally unflappable persona was cracking. His skin had taken on a ruddy hue along his cheekbones. The scent of iron wafted up to Colin’s nose. He glanced down. Ian had formed tight fists at his side; his claws cut into his palm and drops of blood splattered on the floor near the polished toes of his shoes.

“I am Alpha!” The words exploded through his father’s lips.

“You are a dead wolf walking!” Colin exhaled. “And I will be the one to put you down. Four days, old man, get your affairs in order.” He twisted on his heel and stomped toward Reana. “You and I, wife, we have a lot to talk about.”

She backed up, and panic filled her eyes. Her gaze darted between him and Ian. He waited a few moments, and when his father did nothing he continued on.

He sprinted up the stairs two at a time and grabbed her by the arm, rushing her backward. Her arm twisted in his grasp as she tumbled and he yanked her up. The heel of her slippers caught in the carpet and the shoes slipped off her feet.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She clawed at his fingers.

Colin stalked to their bedroom with Reana in tow. He used his foot to slam the door behind them, hefted her up, and tossed her on the bed. Her sleek housedress flounced around her ankles. She scurried to the center of the bed and pulled her legs under her. Strands of her black hair fell forward into her face. Her wolf cautiously watched him; he could see the beast staring back at him through her vivid green eyes.

“All I want to know is are Rhys and Myka mine?” He stood at the foot of the bed and crossed his arms.

Confusion etched her features as her brows drew together. She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she pushed her hair out of her face, rose to her knees, and met his gaze with an equally frigid one. “You think I don’t know about that black bitch. She doesn’t have an animal and yet you sniff at her ass like you’re the bitch in heat.”

“Changing the subject doesn’t answer the question.” He gave her his back and marched to the closet. After swinging the  the doors open, he yanked their suitcase from the top shelf and tore her clothes of the hangers.

“W-what are you doing?” she stuttered. “Wait! Of course they are yours. Who else could our boys belong to?

“I’ve decided it doesn’t matter; no matter what kind of bitch their mother is…the boys are mine. I want a divorce.” He kicked the lid to the case open and dropped the items in it. “I don’t care where you go but you are getting the hell out of here tonight.”

“No! No, no, no,” she screeched as she shot off the bed. Stiletto-sharp nails raked through his shirt and grazed his skin.

He twisted catching her hand and shook her. “It is over.”

“You can’t replace me,” she spat. “I am your mate!”

“You are a bad decision after a long night of drinking. Who would miss you? Goddess know I wouldn’t and I doubt the boys would have an issue remembering what you look like after a few days.” He shoved her down and continued removing her things from the hangers. Her things slipped from his hand into the open case and he reached down to grab a few pairs of shoes.

Reana shot up. Her nose spread and her jaw jutted out as she shifted. He straightened and clutched her by the throat. Colin yanked her up against him. The soft contours of her body molded against the hard lines of his. Her nipples tented the bodice of the thin nightgown and he shook his head. “Take the car. You can have the bank account I left with your name on it. I have canceled all the credit cards and instructed Volkshire’s lawyers as well as the council that you are no longer a part of our pack once our divorce is final. Do you understand me?”

“You can’t leave me without pack support.” Spittle dribbled out the corner of her mouth as she sought to get the words out. Her breath came out in shallow pants.

“I thought I was being generous.” He shrugged and released her neck. She dropped at his feet, sprawled across the suitcase. “You’re still pretty, sort of. I mean, a little surgery around the eyes might go a long way. You could easily find another sucker to take care of you.”

“I’m taking my sons.” She pushed up clutching his thigh.

He unleashed his wolf and snapped his jaws as teeth filled his mouth. Colin got in her face. “Think about speaking to my boys before you leave or ever contacting them and I assure you it will take more than a little plastic surgery to put you back together. Get dressed!” He pulled free of her hold and stepped away, disgusted. At some time in their marriage she forfeited her beast for human trappings. The clothes, the money, she developed a deep sense of materialism and when she changed so did her scent. It was hard enough to look at her but her odor turned his stomach.

She gathered her clothes and closed the case, standing. “This isn’t over.” Her words held a hard edge. She prowled to the chest and wrenched drawers open, pulling out clothes.

“It is for me. Take all that you can carry. I’ll have some staff burn the rest.” He stomped to the door and yanked it open.

“Ian won’t let you get rid of me so easily,” she muttered. Veins stood stark against the tanned skin of her temple and throat. “I will be back—”

“For an animal, you don’t hear very well. My father will be dead and you no longer exist.” He slammed the door behind him.

Chapter Six

Hot air blew from the vent above her. It wasn’t cold enough to have the heat on so high. Robbie wiped the sweat off her top lip and smiled down at Marree. She sat at Robbie’s feet trying to give a baby doll a bottle. Seri was crouched in the corner, and every time she attempted to approach the child, Seri would bare her teeth. Her blond hair hung in damp clumps down her back. Surprisingly, Marree seemed to enjoy the heat, becoming more animated and quite talkative. If only she could understand what the little girl was chattering about.

Robbie rose and Seri growled. Marree’s head darted between the two people and she got to her feet holding her doll by the ankle and toddled over to Seri. She dropped down next to her sister and thrust the doll in Seri’s direction. Seri took the doll and finally smiled patting the baby doll’s heart and pointing to her then Marree. It was strange watching the nonverbal interaction and Robbie noted Seri would only let Marree get close. Spinning in a circle, she searched the room for the thermostat and spotted it on the wall adjacent to Tom’s office.

Curiosity got the better of her. She’d never been in Tom’s office and for some reason he always found an excuse for her not to enter his space. He would often suggest they meet in her lab or the medical suites.  His lab had been turned into a makeshift day care and he’d moved his working experiments to the space next to the volunteers’ housing unit. She ambled past her colleague’s door and stopped in front of the round regulator. After adjusting the number down cool air began to blow. Now was as good a time as any to see what he was hiding behind the closed blinds and locked doors.

She glanced around. The children played quietly in the corner and the guard that had been standing in the hallway was no longer visible. Slowly, she reached behind her and felt the wall as she moved toward Tom’s office door. She wrapped her fingers around the knob and twisted it. The door didn’t open. She huffed and released the handle. So much for luck; there had to be a way in. She chewed on the inside of her cheek and turned around to study the door. The blinds were cracked in the glass insert and she could see papers strewn across his desk. She tried again and her moist palm twisted around the metal handle. Frustrated, she shook the knob and the window rattled in its frame. Quickly, she looked around to make sure no one heard her.

The girls peered up at her from their spot. Each girl wore identical expressions of interest with their heads tilted in the same direction and their little brows drawn together. Robbie dropped her shoulders releasing the tension growing between them and giggled. The children laughed, too.

“What the hell are you doing in here?” Tom spoke from the doorway, his lips puckered like he sucked on a lemon. He peered at her through black eyes too small for his head, which appeared bigger because of the receding hairline that he tried to hide with a badly parted comb-over.

“I came to play with the girls.” She kept her voice calm, while seething inside. Who was he to question where she went or how she conducted her day?

“You can’t be here, these girls are under restrictions, strict protocols were set up for their testing and last time I checked the list your name wasn’t on it.” Tom entered the room and quickly crossed it to stand before her.

“Then you better check again, Dr. Willis. Last I spoke to Colonel Malachai, he’d given me the go ahead to play with them.” Robbie crossed her arms.

“You bitch.” Tom’s throat worked as he swallowed quickly. “You strut in here, sliding up against the men, flouncing your hair and speaking softly. You entice them like a harlot.”

Her mouth twitched. “Get with the times, Dr. Willis. It’s the seventies. If I’m a harlot, then you, old man, could very well be a fucking Nazi. God knows you act like one.” She brushed his shoulder pushing past him. “Seriously, I wonder where Malachai found you.”

Tom clutched her bicep and wrenched her around. His was face a putrid greenish color and his jowls puffed out. “I was talking to you, you will respect me. I don’t know what the colonel sees in you but you will act like a lady in my presence.” He jerked her close. His breath was a mixture of hot garbage and rancid meat and it flowed over her with every word he spoke.

She quelled the nausea climbing up her throat, lifted her hand, and slammed her palm against his cheek. His head snapped back.

He loosened his grip and she shuffled back. “No motherfucker touches me, ever!” Where did that come from, she had never been so bold. She rubbed her belly; was this motherly instinct she had read about, manifesting?

One of the kids clapped, a tiny hollow sound. She glanced over to see the toddlers had taken a seat with their legs stretched out in front of the as if they were watching a show. The girls held hands.

“I am the best chemist in my field and probably a better geneticist than you.” Tom sneered as he stomped toward her. “You have a lot to learn, Ms. Carlyle, about respect and I am just the man to teach you a lesson.” He raised his hand across his body, high above his head.

Robbie formed fists at her side. “Try me, you sorry son of a bitch.” Her voice radiated rage.

He took a menacing step forward, crowding her. She sucked in a deep breath and swung. Colin appeared between them, catching her fist in his palm. He shook his head and released her wrist. He spun around, quick enough she couldn’t keep up with his movements. In those few seconds, he’d partially shifted. Incisors curled over his bottom lip, his eyes took on an eerie glow underneath the florescent lighting. He clutched Tom by the throat and hefted him, the soles of the older scientist’s shoes dragged on the linoleum floor as Colin marched him backward.

Tom hit the wall with a
thud
and plaster cracked around him. Colin wrinkled his nose as he sniffed him and slid him higher up the wall. “Are you scared yet, human? You should be.”

Robbie twisted to the side, searching for the children. They were still where she’d last seen them, avidly watching the scene unfold before them, chattering in a language only they understood. Behind her Tom was sobbing out words, begging for his life. Between Colin’s growls and grunts, material ripping sounded the air. She crouched to hide what was happening and the girls eased to the side, staring past her.

“Leave those experiments alone!” Tom’s scratchy tone was a rough whisper.

She turned in time to see Colin pull him away from the wall only to ram him back against it. Particles of drywall clouded the air. “Talk to her again and I will slit your throat. Fuck it. Why wait?”

Seri growled and began to shiver. Marree scooted to her side and wrapped thin arms around her sister’s tiny shoulders. Robbie grabbed them both and lifted them up as she rose, clutching each girl on her hips. She rushed to the open door and came face to chest with the soldier who was supposedly guarding the room. He leaned on the doorjamb, waving her past, and reached for his side arm.