“Yes. Now, Caja.” There’s no time for me to be gentle or to explain. She just needs to do what I ask and let me lead.
I squat to cut another strand, freeing the bag I packed back on the jet. It’s full of firearms, grenades, flares, and a few essentials. All of the escape pods should have been stocked with similar items, but there wasn’t time to check each one individually. I could only point to the escape pod’s automation system, then shut them inside.
And pray they all landed safely.
My gut twists at the idea of all those other Omegas being lost among these islands. I basically just transported them from one hell to another.
Caja called me a good Alpha while in the air.
She has no idea how wrong she is about that. I just lost eight Omegas.Eight. That’s not the mark of a good Alpha.
I should have been paying better attention, realized something was going on, and helped Hel before her power imploded.
Granted, I have no idea what I should have been looking for. She was an Ulv wolf. I didn’t even know they possessed the ability to control the weather.
Shit. I scrub my face again, then shake my head. There isn’t time to dwell on this. I may not have been able to save all the Omegas, but I do have one I can protect. And I’m going to do everything in my power to ensure she survives here.
I spin toward her and still as I find her jet-black wolf sitting on the beach, gazing up at me obediently.
She’s so fucking pretty. All I want to do is go down on my haunches and nuzzle her soft-looking snout.
Instead, all I say is, “You’re beautiful.” Because I can’tnotsay anything. She’sstunning.
But rather than touch her like I want, I busy myself by bending down, scooping up her clothes, and stuffing them in my pack.
She shakes out her coat in response, then blinks up at me expectantly.
“We’re going to run now,” I tell her. “I want you to follow me and do exactly what I say when I say it, okay?”
She cants her head, and I translate that as a confirmation.
“Good girl,” I praise her, then secure the bag on my back. “Let’s go.”
Caja trots along beside me while I scan the coastline, my senses on high alert.
Venom Island used to be known as Jamaica, but the once resort-dotted beach has been reclaimed by the wild greenery around it. Like many other areas of the world, it boasts a dystopian flair, telling the tale of what life used to be in this world and what life on this planet has become.
I walk carefully and alertly, listening and searching for threats. I purposely chose Venom Island because it houses the creatures I know—fellow X-Clan Alphas. Much better than the neighboring Outcast Island, a volcanic landscape filled with vampires.
A shudder works through me at the thought.
I really hope Guðrún didn’t end up there, but she was in one of the last pods. An error in judgment on my part, but I wasn’t paying attention to the order in which everyone escaped. I just wanted to get them all off the jet before it crashed.
There was no way I could have landed it safely. That jet was going down with or without us in it, and I chose the second option.
Caja and I continue down the beach, the moon bright overhead. It’s maybe three or four in the morning. I check my watch and confirm that it’s just after three.
And I note that the symbol showing we’re disconnected from the world is still flashing at the top of my screen.
You know it’s bad when satellite tech doesn’t work in your location,I think darkly.
Pushing the thought away, I focus on a thick cluster of trees ahead. It’s bordering one of the old resort properties, the underbrush thicker than the others. It looks like the beach thins beyond, turning into rocky coastline that starts to curl into a cove.
I pause when we reach it, noting the rapidly increasing elevation. Most of the cove is shrouded in cliffs, not beach, the terrain hillier than I expected for being so close to the water.
But that gives me an idea. The closer we are to water, the easier it’ll be to mask Caja’s scent. It’s why I’ve been hugging the coastline—in case Caja needs to dive in and wash off her alluring perfume.
“Stay here for a minute,” I say, darting into the trees to see if there’s a good path to the rocky coastline. What we need is a cave. Preferably one that’s hard to access and only has a single entry point—a point I can easily guard.
