Forsaken Omega
Chapter 2

"Trust me on this, Kieran. You don't want that one," Felix said in a dismissive tone that Kieran didn't like one bit.

He was used to getting what he wanted and right now, he wanted the sassy dark-haired female glaring at him. The defiance in her eyes made him rock-hard. Kieran could already picture taking her in a bed of leaves while she begged him to put his mouth and cock to work. "Why? What's wrong with this one? Is she damaged goods or something?" Kieran asked.

That got a laugh out of Felix and some of the other watching alphas and betas. Kieran's two enforcers, Scarlett and Damien, kept their game faces on. Rain's entire body stiffened. It hadn't been his intention to humiliate her. In his pack, females, female omegas especially, were cherished. Treated like queens. Too bad Kieran had to put on a convincing act.

He decided to play Felix's game because it was the only way to deal with the cunning wolf. Kieran preferred dealing with simple brutes. At least they were honest.

Felix thought himself clever, that he could outmaneuver Kieran like he manipulated everyone else in his pack. Soon enough, Felix would learn Kieran played by his own rules.

Kieran pretended he needed this sorry alliance as much as Felix did. Truth was, his pack could stand on their own. He only came here for one reason. Assess the Silverbite Pack's assets and determine if they were a potential threat to the Crimson Maw. The fact his visit came with a beautiful and unexpected surprise, well, that was icing on the cake.

"Not damaged, but she'll go for your throat the moment your back is turned," Felix was saying. "Her father betrayed me. The bitch ought to be more thankful I allowed her to live."

Rain clenched her fists by her side. Felix already did this song and dance earlier, so Kieran didn't understand why he repeated it. Was it to humiliate the omega she-wolf even further?

Even covered in grime and dirt, Rain reminded him of a ferocious primal spirit.

"We're wasting time here," muttered Scarlett.

"You're right. We'll head to the omegas' quarters. Kieran can take his pick there," Felix said.

"I can't believe this. You're offering one of our omegas to a complete stranger to seal an alliance?" Rain demanded. While Kieran admired her guts, she should've chosen to remain silent at that moment.

Felix turned on her, growling. Waves of aggressive energy poured off the other alpha. Protective instincts rose to the surface. Kieran had to rein in his own pissed-off wolf from going after Felix.

This was bad. Felix and his pack outnumbered Kieran and his two enforcers badly. If things went south, Kieran, Scarlett, and Damien would never get out of here alive.

Kieran laughed. "Looks like she's all bark and no bite. Let's see those omegas you've been bragging about."

Felix took deep breaths, then turned his attention away from Rain. "This way." Felix looked over his shoulder. Kieran didn't miss the hatred in Felix's eyes. "I'll deal with you later, traitor's daughter."

Felix led him to the omegas' quarters of his pack. He ordered the young, unmated, and impressionable omegas to stand, single-file. Kieran looked over each one carefully, or at the very least, pretended to show genuine interest.

Kieran had already made up his mind. He wanted Rain, no one else. None of these meek little lambs pretending to be wolves could meet his gaze. They seemed more terrified of him than Felix.

"I'll need some time," Kieran told Felix. "I'm debating between Sasha and Miriam."

One of the two women he'd mentioned gasped. Felix told her to shut up. Kieran could feel his twin, Scarlett, tensing behind him. He knew exactly what she felt. These omegas Felix kept in one room felt like caged animals being raised for slaughter.

The omegas in his own pack weren't segregated from everyone else. Some packs used omegas as bargaining chips, but Kieran operated his pack differently.

"Good choices," Felix said, nodding with approval. "I would've picked them myself, but right now, I have a current favorite."

"Well, then. This tour was fun and all, but I'm sure you have plenty to do before the feast tonight," Kieran said. "Meanwhile, we'll rest in our rooms."

Felix nodded and ordered a nearby beta to escort them back to their guest quarters. Once Kieran was alone with Scarlett and Damien, he turned to them. "Well, what do you both think?"

"I've seen Felix's favorite," Scarlett said. "She could barely string two sentences together. It's clear he'll discard her once he uses her up. Brother, you cannot possibly think the Silverbite Pack will make for good allies."

"I agree with Scarlett," Damien said. "I don't like the look of alphas and betas under Felix's command. I know their kind. They'll do whatever they like as long as Felix turns a blind eye to their activities."

"Good. We're all in agreement," Kieran said, sitting on the only couch in the room. He ran a finger over the faded pink stain on the bright blue fabric. His nose told him what it was. Blood. Kieran plucked the apple from the fruit basket sitting on the coffee table in front of it, then studied it.

"Brother-" Scarlett warned, but Kieran already took a bite.

He spat the piece out and smiled as he held up the fruit. "Look. Perfect on the outside but rotten within. Just like this pack." He tossed the fruit into the waste basket across the room. It sailed through the air, and he whooped when he didn't miss. Scarlett and Damien looked at him like he was insane.

"If you never intended to take an omega from Felix, then you're not considering an alliance with the Silverbite Pack," Scarlett said. "What are we still doing here?" Damien asked.

Scarlett blew out a breath when Kieran looked at her thoughtfully. "It's that omega, isn't it? The trai tor's daughter, you like her."

"I want her," Kieran corrected. "And despite how she acts, I think she feels the same way about me."

Scarlett and Damien traded wary looks. Kieran grew up with both of them, so they understood his moods and methods. Neither tried to dissuade him from his intentions or plans. Not that Kieran had one. Not yet.

"Is she truly worth it?" Scarlett asked him once Damien excused himself to use the bathroom.

"She will be," Kieran said, smiling.

Rain paced in her tiny bedroom and rubbed furiously at her arms, leaving tiny pink scratches. A scream of frustration threatened to leave her throat, but she held it back. The walls were thin in the pack house. Then again, it wasn't like the rooms next to hers were occupied.

Every member of the pack was probably outside, waiting for the pack run to begin. Rain edged toward the window. The full moon hung high in the night sky, fat and bloated. Her skin felt tight, like it was stretched too much over her bones.

Her inner wolf wanted to rip out of her skin and join the others in the moonlit run. Too bad she had to remain here in her room, like a locked-up prisoner as per Felix's orders.

She even had to eat her dinner here. Felix banned her from joining the rest of the pack and their guests at the hall. Maybe that was a good thing. She shivered, remembering Kieran's feral gaze and the ill-contained l**t there.

What frightened her even more was the way her inner wolf reacted, how it liked the attention of that particular alpha far too much. A knock on the door interrupted her musings. "Come in," she said unthinkingly.

Gina's thin face peered at her from behind the door. "Rain. Felix says you can join the run tonight," she said.

While she was once the most beautiful and sought-after omega in the pack, Felix had reduced Gina to a skeletal, bruised mess. The once-sleek black hair Gina had been so proud of now hung in frayed strands around her pale face.

Gina and Rain never got along growing up. Gina and her clique of proud omegas made Rain's childhood hell, but Rain couldn't help but be sorry for her right now. She was glad Felix's hatred of her outweighed his lust. Otherwise, she would be the one in Gina's place. "Why has he changed his mind?" Rain asked, furrowing her brow.

Before she could ponder Felix's sudden generosity, Gina tried ushering her out of the room. Gina looked frazzled, scared even.

"Please, Rain. He'll kill me if you don't come out of your room." Gina's whisper made her move forward.

As they moved through the maze of corridors on the second floor, Rain's brain finally worked. This couldn't mean anything good. Felix wasn't inviting her to the run out of the generosity of his heart. Instinct told her to back out of this, whatever this was, right now. Gina and Rain descended the rickety steps to the first floor. Finally, they exited the quiet hall Rain spent hours cleaning earlier, and they emerged into the grounds. Night air kissed her face, her skin. She closed her eyes for a few moments, enjoying the breeze and the familiar scents of the forest.

Her father had been an enforcer in his youth, but he took some time off, showing Rain the woods, teaching her how to hunt. It had been a long time since she shed her human skin and let loose. Gina dug her nails into her skin, drawing blood. Rain cried out. She opened her eyes. "What the hell, Gina?" she demanded.

Gina leaned in close enough until it appeared they were almost kissing. Rain was about to tell her she didn't swing that way, but Gina's words stopped her cold.

"It's a trap, Rain. Felix wants you gone. He'll send Colin and Dale after you, so run. Run as fast as your paws can carry you." Tears filled Gina's eyes as she pulled away. Before Rain could question her, Gina pulled away and retreated further into the house. Rain stared at the dark crown of ash trees up ahead of her. She expected terror to fill the pit of her belly. Gina's words put fear into her, true, but there was something else. The thrill of the hunt, except this time, Rain was the prey.

If there was one thing Rain was good at, it was running. She stripped out of her clothes quickly, then reached for her wolf. Dark fur covered her arms and shoulders. Bones popped and organs shifted.

Her inner wolf must have sensed her urgency because she changed faster than she ever had. A tail and muzzle emerged. Once Rain's four paws hit the earth, she sprinted into the woods. The moon and the net of silver stars above her lit the way. She couldn't see or smell any of her pack mates. At least not yet. As lead alpha, Felix led the run. He probably herded the rest of the pack as far away as possible so his cronies could do his dirty work for him. Where were they?

If Gina hadn't given Rain that warning, would Rain blindly enter the forest, unaware she was being lured into a trap?

Rain heard it then, a howl up ahead of her, followed by another. Colin and Dale. Rain turned tail and switched directions. She pushed herself faster, harder, until the muscles in her legs began to scream. Once or twice, she swore she could feel Colin or Dale's teeth on her tail.

"You were born an omega, and that immediately puts you at a disadvantage against faster and stronger betas and alphas,"Rain remembered her father telling her. "But you can do something for yourself. I'll teach you to run, Rain. Run so you won't tire easily. Run as if your life depended on it."

So, she pushed herself to her limits. She sprinted until her body gave out on her and prayed Lady Luck would be on her side tonight.