Forsaken Omega
Chapter 7

Rain's plea gave Kieran a momentary pause. Did she understand what she was offering him? He searched her eyes and decided he wouldn't ask her again.

She had endured so much. A lesser wolf would've been traumatized by the hellish experience Rain had gone through, but she stayed strong. A true survivor. A confident woman, a she-wolf who knew exactly what and who she wanted, stared back at Kieran. He placed aside strands of her hair and pressed a k!ss to the side of her neck. She gripped his shoulders as he unsheathed his fangs. Without warning, he plunged them into the side of Rain's neck.

Kieran knew the initial bite would hurt, but it was better to get it over and done with. She cried out, but his brave omega didn't pull away. He pierced through skin and finally hit bone.

He could sense Rain's inner wolf rising up to meet his own. The two wolves fused, becoming one. Mating Rain would merge their life forces together, would make her forever his. Kieran pulled his teeth back and told her. "Your turn."

Rain nodded, then left a smaller bite mark on his left shoulder. The mate bonds between them pulsed to light. They appeared like silver threads, binding their souls forever, and he felt complete.

All his life, he'd searched for a mate to complete him. It disturbed him when he couldn't find a spark, a connection with any of the females in his own pack. Read more at FindNovel.net Kieran finally understood that fate led him to the Silverbite Pack Lands for a reason. It was to find Rain. "Any regrets?" he asked her afterward.

He pulled her to bed with him and dispensed with his pants and underwear. Rain slid into his sheets, and he joined her. She snuggled against him, and he wrapped his legs and arms around her slender frame. They were a perfect fit. No surprise there.
"None," Rain replied, and he buried his face into the side of her neck, where he'd placed his mate mark. "When you were gone, I missed you every waking moment."

"I felt the same way," he admitted. "I knew I should be focused on convincing that wolf pack our alliance would be mutually beneficial, but my thoughts kept drifting back to you."

Rain seemed satisfied by that admission. She touched the skin over his heart. "I'm sorry it took so long for me to acknowledge the truth. That we're fated mates," she said.

"You don't owe me an apology. Any wolf in your position would be distrustful of a strange alpha she just met." He thought he would need to be more patient. To devise a plan that would help him earn Rain's trust a little faster.

"You saved me when no one else bothered to give me a second glance. You saw my worth. To everyone else in my pack, I was just the traitor's daughter." She took a deep breath. "But I'm not only doing this because I'm grateful. Spending more time with you made me realize I was so wrong about you."

Kieran breathed in her wondrous scent. They lay in bed, all tangled up in each other. Kieran savored the brief moment of peace because later tonight, there would be a bloodbath.

By leaving for the mountains, Kieran knew he risked Markus convincing other wolves to join his side, but Kieran still had the support of the majority of his pack members.

"Kieran," Rain finally said, breaking the silence. She rested her head against his chest. "I'm scared for you. Scarlett said you know about Markus's challenge."

"There's nothing to worry about, little wolf." He tipped Rain's chin with two fingers, meeting her eyes. "I always win."

"But didn't you grow up with Markus?" She blushed. "I heard the others talking. They said you two were childhood friends."

"It is true we trained as soldiers for the pack together, but the same goes for my other enforcers," he admitted. "But Markus has always hated the fact I became lead alpha after my father died." "Can't you just refuse the challenge?" Rain asked. "I don't trust Markus one bit."

"No, that would make me appear weak among my pack members. In our pack, we abide by the pack laws erected by our ancestors. Every wolf has the right to challenge their lead alpha. I've never lost a challenge." Kieran paused. "You will not like this news, Rain, but Scarlett and I suspect Markus has been in contact with Felix."

Rain widened her eyes. "What makes you think that?"

"I have spies in the pack. Loyal pack mates who look out for my interests when I need to leave pack lands to conduct business with other packs," he said. "One of them reported following Markus three nights ago. Markus and Felix met up in a diner in a nearby town. He couldn't hear their conversation, but he saw them shaking hands, as if they'd struck a deal."

"Why would Markus contact Felix and betray his own pack?" Rain asked.

"They both share the same interest. They want me gone," Kieran said. "Tonight, I plan to reveal to everyone else that Markus has been secretly meeting with Felix. I'm not sure how yet, but they have the right to know they cannot trust Markus." "This all sounds dangerous, Kieran," she whispered.

"I know you're terrified for me, but it is also the perfect opportunity to remind everyone why I'm fit to lead the pack and not a traitor like Markus," Kieran said. He kissed the top of her head. "For now, let us rest. I predict Markus would only challenge me during dinner time."

"Why dinner?" Rain asked him, then blinked. She answered her own question. "Because everyone would be present. He wants to make a spectacle out of this."

His mate was a quick thinker. That was one of the things Kieran liked about her.

"Kieran, earlier, you asked Grace about her loyalties. You've known all this while that something like this would happen didn't you? That by saving me-"

Kieran interrupted her with a k!ss. "Markus has harbored resentment toward me for a long time, Rain. Saving you only provided him with an opportunity to finally act on his wishes," he said. "So don't blame yourself." Rain finally nodded. "Okay, I trust you. Just be careful about tonight. Okay?"

"I will," he promised.

A knock on the door woke Kieran up. He growled, silenced by the sight of Rain, all tangled up next to him. Her beautiful hair lay spread out across his dark-blue sheets and pillow.

Despite the unsavory task he had to deal with tonight, his wolf had never before felt so calm or at peace. Rain completed him in ways he didn't fully understand yet. The knock came again, insistent and loud. This time, it woke Rain.

Rain opened her eyes and saw him. She didn't seem surprised. A s*xy smile curved her lips. Kieran's cock immediately woke up, but there was time for s*x later on. He took her hands, then leaned in for a kiss. "I want to stay here in bed with you all night, but duty calls."

She tightened her fingers over his. Now that a mate bond connected them, he could sense her emotions. Her terror of losing him right after meeting him overcame everything else. Kieran took deep breaths and reined in his own feelings. Tonight, he couldn't afford to be seen as weak. "I will not die so easily," he reminded her.

Rain nodded, but he didn't miss the defeated, miserable look in her eyes. She didn't want him to fight, but then again, she hadn't seen him at his full strength yet. She would soon.

Kieran rose from the bed and got dressed. He didn't bother with a shirt. Pants would do, seeing as he expected to shift later on. Rain put her clothes back on and eyed him. "You're going to dinner like that?" she asked, sounding exasperated. She bit her bottom l!p when he touched her cheek.

"What's bothering you?" Kieran asked her.

"Everyone will see my bite mark," she said.

"Let them see," Kieran said. "There's no reason to hide the fact we're mated."

"Won't you be cold?" Rain asked, and he laughed.

"Don't worry, Rain. I have very thick skin," he said.

"I'll just have to growl at any omegas who lay their eyes at you," she grumbled. Kieran decided he liked seeing her like this.

He finally walked up to the door and opened it. Scarlett stood there. His sister looked irritated, but she straightened herself as a group of pack mates walked by her.

"It's time," she told him. She raised one eyebrow as he exited the room, holding Rain's hand. "You're going like that?"

"I asked him the same question," Rain muttered.

"Well, it will be fine," Scarlett said dismissively.

Kieran already discussed his plans before with Scarlett, who he trusted the most. Even if the other enforcers would end up siding with Markus, family would stand by him. "Rain," he told his new mate, "Scarlett will be with you during the challenge. Don't stray from her sight." "A bodyguard?" Rain asked.

"Don't sound so disappointed. I'd like to know my sister-in-law better," Scarlett said, flashing Rain her teeth.

Kieran snarled at her to back off, and Scarlett did. He'd been pleased his sister had taken a liking to Rain because few of his pack mates disapproved of her, but he wasn't worried. That would change with time. Right now, all they saw when they looked at Rain was an outsider.

"Shall we?" he asked Rain, offering her his arm. She took it.

Heads turned and pack mates started to murmur when Kieran walked into the hall with Rain. Kieran was connected to all his wolves by the pack bond. They felt the moment Kieran's life-force joined with Rain's.

It must have felt like a long walk to Rain, but they eventually, managed to arrive at Kieran's usual table. True to her word, she hissed and growled at any unmated female omega who tried to paw at Kieran. Feisty mate, Kieran thought with amusement.

Damien and Gray nodded at him. Including his sister, Kieran still had three of his enforcers by his side. It was better than he hoped because he assumed Gray's loyalties would go either way. Still, a fractured pack didn't bode well for Kieran. He needed the pack to be united, not broken.

His good mood soon disappeared as Markus entered the hall with Annabelle by his side. Markus strode to the table, his expression of rage poorly masked. He didn't sit.

"Kieran, I cannot believe you mated this outsider without the pack's consent!" Markus pitched his voice loud enough that it echoed through the entire hall.

Kieran idly toyed with his butter knife. It was no hunting blade, but anything could become a formidable weapon in his hands. "I am the lead alpha of this pack, Markus. I have the right to choose my own mate," he finally said, keeping his voice steady. Truth was, Kieran's wolf wanted to rip out of his skin, but his pack mates would not take it kindly if Kieran ripped out Markus's throat. Certain pack laws needed to be followed.

"Your decisions have been questionable lately, so has your leadership."

Gasps came from their watching pack members, even murmurs of agreement. Markus held his gaze. "I challenge you for the position of lead alpha."

"Markus, consider your words carefully," Damien said sharply.

"I didn't make this decision lightly. This pack needs a new king," Markus said.
"And you think you're fit for that role? You, who consider Rain unsuitable when you have been consorting with her former alpha?" Kieran asked.

Shock rippled across Markus's face, but only for a moment. Surprise registered on Annabelle's face, which told him she didn't know about all of Markus's activities.

"You have proof of your false accusations? Maybe you've become too comfortable being lead alpha. Are you afraid of answering my challenge?" Markus demanded.

"It looks like there's no changing your mind," Kieran said. "I accept your challenge. Midnight. At the pack's challenge circle."

"I will have it no other way," Markus said. Then he turned his back and walked out of the hall.