The Alpha's Mate: Book 2 E-Book

Bella Lore

• Herausgeber: Lukeman Literary Management
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: The Alpha's Mate
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 275

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

As an Omega, 17-year-old Sarah is used to being at the bottom of the pecking order, even in her new pack and new high school. But her usually-boring life changes when she turns 18. She expects to shift—and nothing happens. Now, as if being an Omega isn't bad enough, Sarah is also human. But Sarah, to her surprise, soon finds her mate: in the pack's handsome and compassionate Alpha. And the lowly Omega finds herself rocketing to the top of her pack's status as the new Luna. Just as it seems that life is finally going her way, Sarah learns of a terrible betrayal that results in tragic death, exile, and upheaval of what should have been her storybook ending… Or does it? In Book 2, Sarah continues her journey, as she is put to the test with just how many life-shattering changes she can take. Will she live as an outcast? Or as the most respected member of her pack?

Leseprobe

T H E   A L P H A’ S   M A T E

(Book 2)

B e l l a   L o r e

Bella Lore

Debut author Bella Lore is the paranormal romance author of the MY TRUE MATE series, comprising four books, and THE ALPHA’S MATE series, comprising four books.

Bella loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit bellaloreauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.

Copyright © 2022 by Bella Lore. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Jacket image Copyright Subbotina Anna, used under license from Shutterstock.com.

BOOKS BY BELLA LORE

MY TRUE MATE

MY TRUE MATE (Book #1)

MY TRUE MATE (Book #2)

MY TRUE MATE (Book #3)

MY TRUE MATE (Book #4)

THE ALPHA’S MATE

THE ALPHA’S MATE (Book #1)

THE ALPHA’S MATE (Book #2)

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

CHAPTER THIRTY

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN

CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE

CHAPTER FORTY

CHAPTER FORTY ONE

CHAPTER FORTY TWO

CHAPTER FORTY THREE

CHAPTER FORTY FOUR

CHAPTER FORTY FIVE

CHAPTER FORTY SIX

CHAPTER FORTY SEVEN

CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT

CHAPTER ONE

I follow Arnold’s scent, slipping around to the side of the pack house to find him standing there, his hands clasped together like he’s nervous about something.

“Arnold!” I cry, running to him to give him a big hug. “I’ve missed you so much. I’m glad you got my message, but I didn’t expect you to actually come!”

“I am happy for you, Sarah, on the occasion of your marriage, but I actually came here for a different reason. Can we go inside and talk?”

“Sure thing,” I say, curious about what he’s going to tell me. “Let me go grab you some snacks.”

I send Arnold inside, then run down to the beach to pick up some grilled shrimp for him. Nash has started a beach volleyball game, and several people shout at me to come join, but I tell them that I need some alone time before rejoining the festivities.

Carrying a plate of food and a glass of champagne, I head back into the pack house, where Arnold is sitting on the sofa in almost the exact same spot where Nash and I sat during the trial that saved his life.

“Thanks again for everything, Arnold,” I say as I hand him the food. “You’ve saved my life more than once. I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for your help.”

“I’m glad I’ve been an effective ally to you, Sarah,” he says, setting the champagne off to the side while tucking into the shrimp. “I only hope I can continue to help you with that.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“Sarah,” Arnold says, looking pointedly at my neck, “did you give the amulet away, like you were planning to?”

“Yes.” I nod. “Nash has it now. It was the only way to save him.”

“Malcolm survived your attack, but he was badly wounded and took a long time to recover. He and Miranda have been nurturing a simmering rage against you, and it’s going to boil over soon. They know that you are no longer protected by the amulet, since their plans began to take stronger shape. I believe they are planning an attack on you and your new pack here in California.”

I rest my head in my hands, feeling tired and frustrated. This is supposed to be a happy day of friendship and celebration, and now I’m hearing news that my old enemies are trying to murder me.

“How do they even know where I am?” I ask.

“Since you left, Malcolm as the Alpha of the Flagstaff pack has joined forces with the Alpha of the Rogers Lake pack, a shifter named Brandon, who I believe you had some dealings with before your departure.”

I give a dry chuckle. “Yeah, if you count him imprisoning me in a basement to be ‘dealings’ with me, then yeah, we’ve had dealings with each other.”

“Well, it turns out that the Rogers Lake pack is incredibly wealthy from their ranching business, so Brandon was able to help Malcolm hire mercenaries to track you down. One of them found you here, and even had an encounter with you in the ocean, I heard.”

“He tried to kidnap my best friend’s baby,” I say. “I chased him off, though.”

“The next attack on your pack won’t be as easy to defend against, I’m afraid,” Arnold tells me sadly. “They plan to come as a group, and their numbers are much larger since combining forces with the Rogers Lake pack.”

I look out the window at all my loved ones playing volleyball and hanging out on the beach. They all came together to celebrate me and my wedding - how could I put them in danger by staying?

“I have to leave,” I say, my heart breaking. “I can’t stay here and draw the Flagstaff pack down on them.”

“You can’t leave,” Arnold pleads, looking worried. “I’ve been here a few days, watching you, and it’s clear to me that you’re an excellent Luna to this pack. They need you, Sarah - don’t abandon them.”

“What kind of a Luna would I be if I let them be attacked by vicious, vengeful warriors who only want to harm me?”

“You can fend them off,” Arnold says. “That’s why I came here to warn you. They keep asking me to help them design magical weapons, but I’ve been refusing. I know you’re special, Sarah - I’ve seen your wolf form, and I know about your first shift and everything. You can defend your pack, especially now that you know Malcolm and Miranda are coming for you.”

“Everyone keeps telling me that I’m special,” I mumble, “but really, I just seem to cause problems everywhere I go. Caleb died because of his love for me, my parents died because of the pack’s anger toward me...maybe I should leave.”

“Sarah, I promise you, this pack is better off with you as their Luna than without. Have I ever been wrong before?”

I look at Arnold, at his kind eyes and wrinkled face, and I have to admit that he’s right. “Okay,” I say, “I’ll stay. But I’ll tell Nash about this threat, and we’ll come up with a way to keep everyone safe.”

“I’m proud of you,” Arnold says. “I’ve watched you go from a shy little Omega to a strong and well respected Luna, and I know there’s so much more greatness in store for you. I only hope I can continue to witness it.”

“Why don’t you stay here?” I ask. “You can’t be happy with Malcolm as your Alpha, and the San Diego pack would love to have someone as wise and experienced as you.”

Arnold sighs. “I can’t, Sarah. The Flagstaff pack is my home, and I have helped steer them through turbulent times before. I can’t just abandon them because there are some hotheaded kids in charge right now. Besides, if I left, I worry that Brandon would have even more influence over Malcolm than he does right now. I should continue to serve as an advisor.”

“Brandon is bad news,” I agree. “Caleb always made sure to keep the Flagstaff pack well distanced from those guys in Rogers Lake, and it’s obvious to me why.”

“I will do my best to continue steering Malcolm toward the responsible thing,” Arnold says. “That is all I can promise.”

“Thank you,” I say, standing up to give Arnold a hug. “Do you want to stay a while? I think we’re going to have fireworks on the beach once the sun goes down.”

Arnold shakes his head. “Malcolm doesn’t know I’m here, so I shouldn’t stay too long. Congratulations again on your marriage, and best of luck with your new cub.”

He hugs me tightly, then disappears out the front door. I wonder if I will ever see him again.

CHAPTER TWO

When I tell Nash later about Arnold’s message of warning, he agrees with me that it’s concerning, but also that we shouldn’t leave the pack behind. We start training for battle with Greyson and his friends, increase security around our pack house and our San Diego territory, and do our best to keep an eye on any incoming threats.

A few months go by, and all seems peaceful. I start to wonder whether Arnold was able to convince Malcolm not to come attack us. My belly grows bigger, and I know I’ll be giving birth any day now. Amanda and Juliana like to fuss over me, giving me advice about babies and chattering excitedly about potential names and how to ensure that my baby will become best friends with little Samuel.

Speaking of Juliana’s baby, Samuel has started to walk, and he toddles around the pack house and the beach, making everyone smile at his bravery and his cute chubby cheeks.

One afternoon, we’re out on the beach snacking on ice cream and watching Samuel run around chasing seagulls when all of a sudden the little boy comes running back toward Juliana. He leaps into his mother’s arms, screaming and crying.

At first, we think perhaps something in the sand hurt him, but when we check his bare feet for cuts or stings, they’re perfectly fine. Still, he won’t stop shrieking, and he sounds absolutely terrified.

The last time he sounded like this was the day that the strange shifter tried to abduct him. He cried for hours after that, and not even Juliana could soothe him.

Could he be sensing the same type of threat? I look up and down the beach, but the only person I see approaching is Regan.

Although I doubt Regan would do anything to hurt the baby, I still don’t want her anywhere near Nash or my friends, so I get up and run over to meet her. This way, I can keep her far away from the pack house and our picnic spot, while seeing what she’s doing here.

“Hi, Regan,” I say, crossing my arms and standing in front of her, blocking her path. “What brings you here?”

“What’s wrong with him?” Regan asks, pointing to the squalling baby.

“He’s fine,” I snap. “Babies just cry sometimes.”

“I don’t know,” Regan says, looking skeptical. “I never thought Juliana was a very good mom. I certainly hope you’re not planning to take her advice on parenting.” She eyes my round belly with a mix of envy and disgust.

“I know you didn’t come here to criticize my potential choices as a mother,” I say. “So why are you back at the pack house?”

Regan shrugs. “I lived here my whole life. I’m still technically a member of the pack. Can’t I come around to visit sometimes?”

“Who are you visiting, then?” I ask, knowing that after the stunt she pulled last time, no one currently living in the pack house will be all that excited to see her.

“What, do I need someone to vouch for me so I can come hang out?” Reagan sounds annoyed now. “This private beach belongs to the San Diego pack, and I’m in the pack, so I have every right to be here.”

Silence hangs between us as I decide what to say next. She is correct - I can’t ban her from the area unless I’m willing to banish her from the pack, which is far too extreme a measure to take in response to petty ex girlfriend drama.

Still, I don’t know why Samuel had such a strong reaction to her presence. I lean closer, trying to see what I can sense. There’s a scent on her, of another shifter, and it seems oddly familiar, but I just can’t place it.

“Well?” Regan says, glaring at me. “Can’t I come hang out on the beach?”

“Fine,” I say, “but you need to stay away from Nash.”

“Or what?” Regan asks.

“Or I’ll politely ask you to leave,” I say firmly.

“You seem very concerned about me talking to Nash,” Regan taunts. “Why is that? Are you afraid I’ll steal him away?”

“No,” I say, tucking my hair behind my ear with a clear gesture so Regan can see the ring glittering on my finger. “I don’t think I have anything to worry about when it comes to my husband leaving me for someone else, especially not you. But as the Luna of this pack, it’s my job to protect the Alpha from unnecessary distractions, and last time you were here, he was quite upset by what you said.”

Regan narrows her eyes at me. “You might be having his baby, but you will never know him like I know him. Nash loves me, he always has, and one day he’ll get tired of your controlling grip on him, and come running back to me.”

“If keeping you away from him is the same thing as controlling him,” I say, “then I’m pretty sure he very much enjoys my control. He doesn’t want you, Regan. It’s best for everyone if you move on.”

Regan sniffs, tossing her head back like that’s the stupidest thing she’s ever heard. “The only one who will be moving on is you, Sarah, when he realizes what a mistake you were and sends you away from here.”

The conversation is starting to feel a bit circular, and I’m tired of arguing with Regan about something that’s so obviously not true. Plus, everyone else has already gone inside with Samuel, so there’s no reason for me to try and keep her far out on the beach, away from them.

“Whatever, Regan, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see who Nash ends up with.” I start to walk away, but Regan grabs my arm, apparently having decided that we need to continue with this pointless talk.

“You’ll be sorry,” she hisses, but she’s not looking at me anymore - her gaze is over my shoulder, toward the pack house. I turn around and see, with horror, a tight formation of shifters, led by Malcolm and Brandon, descending on the San Diego pack house.

CHAPTER THREE

At first, I can hardly process what I’m seeing. A battalion of shifters, some in human form and others in wolf form, are surrounding our pack house, baying for blood. For an instant, I’m frozen to the spot, taking in the horrific sight. Then, I hear cries of alarm and shouts for help, and I spring into action.

Completely forgetting about Regan and her nonsense, I race toward the house, shifting as I go. I see Nash, his golden brown fur flying and his sharp teeth snarling, as he fights against the first assault, defending the house.

I see Miranda, her dark hair tied up in a no-nonsense military style bun, and attack her. She’s all rage and no strategy, flailing and fighting me, and soon I’ve tossed her far from me, seeing her land on her back in a cloud of sand. Even though I’m pregnant, I still feel as strong and fast as ever, and I push my way through the onslaught, biting and clawing as I search for Malcolm and the Rogers Lake Alpha. If I can take out their leaders, I hope, I can force them into a retreat.

I lift my snout into the air, sniffing for Malcolm’s scent, but there’s too much chaos and confusion to make out any individual shifter. Not only is the air filled with blood and fear, there’s also another smell, something almost floral, that feels thick in my nostrils, almost as if it’s choking me.

Spinning around in search of the source of the smell, I see Malcolm, in human form, standing off to the side of the fray. One of his arms looks like it barely works, and it’s tied to his chest with a wrapping of some sort. This must be the injury I did to him with the silver bullet, leaving him permanently unable to use the limb I shot him in.

But what grabs my attention isn’t Malcolm’s useless arm - it’s what he’s holding in his other arm. It looks like a long whip made of braided cord, with some kind of shimmering purple material woven through it. He cracks it in the air and a huge whiff of that floral scent hits me again. It must be coming from the weapon he’s using.

Then, I watch in horror as Malcolm, gripping the handle of the whip, sends the long violet dotted cord into the crowd. It touches Juliana on the shoulder as she’s running away, trying to protect the baby in her arms. As it hits her skin, she falls to her knees, then collapses on the sand, her eyes closed. I scream to Amanda, pointing at the unconscious Juliana, and she leaps toward our friend’s prone body, grabbing baby Samuel up and running into the house with him.

Samuel is safe, but he’s probably the only one. Malcolm continues to advance, using the whip with precise strokes to hit other members of the San Diego pack. First Greyson, lashed across the neck, falls down. Then, as other Flagstaff shifters distract us with a rush from our left flank, Malcolm moves in, spinning the whip and taking out more of my comrades.

Amanda comes running back out, having delivered Samuel safely inside, committed to helping us defend our pack. As she does, her eyes are wide with realization. “Wolfsbane,” she cries, waving her arms to get my attention in the wild fray. “They have a wolfsbane weapon!”

Suddenly, the purple streaks in Malcolm’s weapon, and the strange flowery smell in the air, all make sense. Somehow, they’ve managed to create and wield a wolfsbane weapon. I’ve never come into contact with wolfsbane before, but I know it’s incredibly dangerous to shifters, and has toxins with powerful magic.

“Avoid the whip,” I shout, hoping my pack can hear my instructions. “Don’t let it touch you!”

But it’s no use. The Flagstaff and Rogers Lake pack have a strong strategy, and they push us toward the side of the pack house, backing us against the tall whitewashed walls. We fight hard, and I take down my fair share of enemies, but it’s nearly impossible to stay out of the path of Malcolm’s poisoned weapon.

Nash catches my eye, nodding, letting me know he has a plan. I see him rush toward Brandon, the Alpha of the Flagstaff pack, jumping on him and sinking his teeth into Brandon’s throat. They thrash about, each fighting as hard as they can, but then, as I watch helplessly, Malcolm approaches them from behind and lays the whip hard across Nash’s back. My beloved, my mate, my Alpha, falls into an unmoving heap as Brandon slinks out from under his limp body, his face bloodied.

“No!” I cry, rushing toward Nash, but then Miranda is in my way, her eyes full of hatred, and we tussle on the sand as I hear the squeals and screams of my packmates all around me. Right now, I want nothing more than to kill Miranda, then go to Nash and see if he’s alive.

He can’t be dead. He can’t be. I love him. I’m having his child. I’ve already lost one mate and Alpha. I don’t know what this wolfsbane whip does, but if Malcolm has murdered Nash, I’ll never rest until I make him suffer as much as I have.

These thoughts, of vengeance and grief and confusion, push me to find an inner strength despite the fact that my belly feels heavy and I’ve been wounded more than once in the battle. I throw Miranda off me again, then turn to see Malcolm racing toward me, the whip spinning above his head.

I duck out of its way once, twice, then a third time, darting around and enjoying the look of frustrated anger on Malcolm’s face. But then I see Amanda out of the corner of my eye, looking distressed, holding one arm and dripping in her own blood. The plight of one of my best friends and fellow pack members is enough to distract me, and I feel the wolfsbane whip coming down across my skin.

The world starts to go fuzzy and black. I fight against the feeling, stumbling a few paces toward Amanda, but soon I’m on the ground, feeling my limbs go numb and heavy on the hot, blood spattered sand.

The last thing I see is Brandon standing over me, lifting me up, a malicious grin on his face.

CHAPTER FOUR

NASH

I wake with a pounding headache. My stomach is roiling, and I feel like I might explode. I roll over to find myself on my bed in the pack house, dusky twilight spilling through the curtains.

I am alone.

“Sarah?” I call out, but no one responds. I shake my head, trying to clear it. The last thing I remember is her old pack attacking us, just like her friend Arnold warned us they would.

As the Alpha, it’s my responsibility to check on my pack in the aftermath. Despite how sick I feel, I haul myself out of bed, grabbing my robe and wrapping it around myself as I pad downstairs.

Everyone is in the living room, in various states of sleepiness and injury. Juliana and Amanda are tending to the most injured, wrapping bandages around bloodied arms and passing out ice packs from the basement freezer.

“Where’s Sarah?” I ask, looking around for my Luna. “Is she okay?”

“She’s not here,” Juliana says, her tone apologetic and gentle. “We don’t know where she is.”

“I do,” Regan says. She’s standing over by one of the couches, looking remarkably unharmed. “I saw where she went.”

“Is she okay?” I feel desperate to find out what happened to her.

Regan shrugs. “Probably. I saw her running off with those other guys, the ones who attacked us. They had, like, multiple Alphas. She was with them.”

“You mean they took her?”

Regan shakes her head. “No, she just walked off with them, of her own free will. She looked pretty happy to go.”

“That’s not possible.” I know Regan has lied before, and I refuse to believe her now.

“She is the one who let them onto our territory,” Regan says. “I saw her doing it, when we were down on the beach. I wondered why she was being so nice to our enemies, but figured she was trying to organize some sort of peace treaty.”

I don’t know anything about a peace treaty. If Sarah was planning that, she would have talked about it with me. There’s no way she would go behind my back and let Malcolm and Brandon anywhere near the pack house without a clear plan.

“I don’t believe you,” I say. “We’ll tend to the wounded here, and survey the damage, and then we’ll all go look for Sarah. She’s somewhere, and she might be hurt.”

Regan opens her mouth to say something, but Juliana interrupts her to give me a rundown of how bad things are. Fortunately, no one has been killed - it seems like the magical whip Malcolm was using just put us to sleep rather than causing much harm.

Still, plenty of us have been slashed, bitten, or otherwise hurt. I make my way around the pack house, visiting those who are still in their own beds, bringing words of support and congratulations for holding off the assault. None of the attackers got into the house, and all the damage seems to be outside, on the porch and around the side walls.

It’s nothing we can’t fix. But that’s not my priority right now. Every room I go into, every pack member I speak to, I look for Sarah. I think maybe she went somewhere to hide and protect the baby, or perhaps she’s hurt somewhere and can’t move. Or, maybe she woke up before me and started checking in on her pack just like a good Luna would.

But there’s no sign of her anywhere. I go outside, combing the beach for her, finding nothing. I do pick up her scent, covered as it is by that awful flowery smell of Malcolm’s magical weapon, and it seems like Regan was right about one thing - she does appear to have left the area, heading in the direction of the ocean.

Where could she be? Feeling like my head is going to shatter into a thousand pieces, followed immediately by my heart, I wander back into the pack house. Juliana has a meat stew going, filling the air with a hearty scent that does a good job forcing back the sickly smell of Malcolm’s whip, and I sit down at the table to eat some.

“Still no sign of Sarah?” Juliana asks gently as she sets a bowl down in front of me.

I shake my head. “I picked up her scent out on the beach, so it is possible that she left. I just don’t know why.”

“Maybe it was her maternal instinct,” Juliana says, sitting down next to me with Samuel bouncing on her lap. “She was fighting like an incredible warrior, but she is very pregnant, and she may have decided she needed to get away from the action to protect the baby.”

“That’s what I thought,” I say, “but I can’t find her anywhere. If she went to avoid the fighting, why hasn’t she come back by now?”

“I already told you,” Regan says, plopping herself down at the table with her own bowl of stew. “I saw what happened. I don’t know why you won’t believe me.”

I glare at her. “You don’t exactly have a history of being honest with me,” I say.

“This is too important to lie about,” Regan insists. “This isn’t just about our silly childhood fling. It’s about the safety of our pack. It’s about our Luna being a traitor, which puts us all in danger.”

“Sarah isn’t a traitor,” I snap.

Regan shrugs. “Let’s look at the evidence, though. She was down on the beach when they attacked, and she didn’t send up any kind of alert. She is gone, and she hasn’t come back. You found her scent leaving the area. And she does have a historical connection with those guys.”

“The one member of that pack who she loved is dead,” I tell Regan. “She hates Malcolm, and he hates her.”

“How do you know? Just because she told you?”

“Regan,” Juliana says, “it’s probably best if you take your soup out onto the deck.”

“Whatever,” Regan huffs. “Believe me, or don’t.” She grabs her bowl and storms outside.

The more I think about it, the more I start to think Regan might be right. All the evidence fits, and though I don’t want to admit it to myself, with every minute that Sarah doesn’t return, I can feel my heart breaking even more.

CHAPTER FIVE

When I wake up, it feels like my head is going to split open. I lift my head, blinking the sleep from my eyes and trying to get my bearings. My stomach is nauseous and I know it’s not just pregnancy symptoms. It almost feels like the ground is moving underneath me.

I’m exhausted and drained, but I need to get back to Nash. I try to get up, but I hit my head on something hard. It’s dark, and I wait a few minutes for my eyes to adjust. I see bars in my vision, like I’m in some kind of cage.

Horror grips me as I realize that I actually am in a cage. I throw myself against it, but nothing happens. I shift into wolf form, my body cramped in the small cage, and try to wrench my way out. Even though I know I’m very strong when I shift, there seems to be nothing I can do to even scratch or bend the metal.

Tired and frustrated, I shift back to human form, if only to give myself a bit more space in the cage. As I do so, I hear sinister laughter coming from somewhere nearby, and turn toward the source. Brandon, the Alpha of the Rogers Lake pack, is standing beside Malcolm, and they’re both looking down at me, arms crossed, satisfied expressions on their faces.

I can also see that we’re on the deck of a large boat. Surrounding us, all the way to the horizon, is the dark sea. All I can smell are the scents of the Arizona shifters, and I realize they must have been using this boat, anchored out away from the shore, as their headquarters for the assault on my pack house.

“Let me out!” I shout. “You have no right!”

Malcolm just shrugs. His injured arm is still wrapped in a tight bandage close to his chest. “I’m the Alpha of my pack, and I can do whatever it takes to protect and avenge my pack.”

“I wasn’t a threat to you - I just want you to leave me and my family alone!”

“Like you left me alone, to die, with a silver bullet in my shoulder?”

“You were trying to kill me!”

“Yes, well, it seems I didn’t succeed, and now you’ve run off to join some other mangy pack of beach bums.”

“Shut up!” I hurl myself against the bars again, desperate to burst out and attack Malcolm.

“If you want out of that cage so badly, little miss Omega,” Brandon sneers, “we can do that for you - you just need to do a little favor for us.”

I don’t trust these two as far as I can throw them, but I need to know what sort of a deal they’re trying to make with me. “What do you want?”

“It seems you’ve found yourself some potent werewolf magic,” Brandon says. “Between that dusty old amulet, your prissy white coat, and your useless new boyfriend, there’s something you have that I want.”

“Nash is my husband,” I hiss. “Where is he? Is he okay?”

“He’s probably fine,” Malcolm says. “We left him passed out on the beach with the rest of your fishy smelling crew. Seriously, how can you even stand to live like that?”

“Let’s stay on topic,” Brandon insists. “Here’s our offer: you return to Arizona with us, become my mate and Luna, and we’ll forever leave this pathetic California pack alone.”

I actually laugh out loud. “No chance in hell.”

Malcolm steps forward, his posture menacing. “We’re not asking you. We’re telling you. Either you come back to Arizona with us and let us wield whatever weirdo Omega powers you have for our own benefit, or we’ll kill you.”

“So kill me,” I say defiantly. It breaks my heart to leave Nash, and risk my unborn child, but if death is the only alternative to helping the evil Arizona shifter packs grow their powers, so be it.

“Oh, one other thing we forgot to mention,” Brandon says. “Not only will we kill you, but we’ll also kill that guy you’ve been running around with. Nash, I believe, is his name.”

“No,” I whisper, horrified. “You can’t. He’s too strong, and he has a loyal Beta with good guards.”

“Aw, that’s cute,” Malcolm says. “Little Sarah thinks her new boy toy is too cool for us.” 

“The thing is, though,” says Brandon, “it won’t exactly be a fair fight. Remember that weapon we used to so easily take out your whole pack?”