The ache in my gut had started around then too, and I could hear my pulse as it whooshed through my ears. Most of the kids at the Sanctum were too little to be affected by the pheromones, but the teenagers weren’t. While they weren’t in frenzy, their emotions were heightened and aggressive. Cooper had to use his Alpha voice to send them to their rooms, because otherwise there’d be fights all night.
“Where the hell are Corvin and Beck?” Cooper grumbled. “We could use some fucking help down here before I hogtie some of these little shits and throw them in their closets.”
“What did Merrick say?” Merrick and his Packmate Murphy were Legion Force, and if there was shit going down, they’d know.
“He said that all the female Betas had spontaneously turned into Omegas, and all went into heat at once. He said it happened to Bonnie first.” He shook his head. “Goddess save them all if we go into a frenzy. I messaged the Alpha General and told him we’d take care of the Sanctum so he could take care of the town, and Bonnie.”
Anyone with eyes could see that the Alpha General wanted Bonnie more than he wanted his next breath, and I was glad for my friend. She deserved it. She deserved to be worshiped, because she’d spent her whole life being as selfless as a goddamn saint.
“Well, that would be easier if Corvin and Beckett would answer their phones and come by.” I hesitated. “You don’t think they’re frenzied, do you?”
Cooper stepped toward me, pulling me tight into his arms. “No, Omega. They love you, and they are in control of their Beasts. They are probably out cracking skulls and keeping everyone in line. Corvin has definitely been waiting for an appropriate time to punch some people.”
He was right, but the scent of the Omegas was getting to me too. I was going to go through the yearning, which was like the male Omega version of a heat, and that was always crap. Almost like, I don’t know, when you’re working yourself up to a giant sneeze, and then can’t.
But as much as I loved Cooper’s reassurances, we couldn’t know how we’d react until faced with an Omega in heat, begging for someone to give her relief. It was our biological imperative to make her feel better.
I heard low voices outside, and the rumbling growl of an Alpha. My Alpha. Cooper stiffened, and I strained to hear what was happening in the front yard. The scent of Omega increased outside the Sanctum, and I wondered if that meant that Bonnie was awake.
I walked to the door, and pulled it open. Standing in the doorway, naked, was Corvin. Behind him was Beckett, his face closed down into something unreadable, the falling night casting even more shadow over his broodingly dark features.
In Corvin’s arms was an unconscious woman. No, scratch that, an unconscious Omega female.
“What the hell has happened?” I hissed, searching the woman’s face. But she wasn’t familiar at all. I knew everyone in Maxton, but not this woman. This Omega.
“What have you done?” Cooper’s sharp bark echoed my thoughts.
“Nothing,” Corvin growled, the sound more Beast than man. “And I don’t like what you’re insinuating.”
I growled back. “Coop isn’t the one who’s just turned up naked with an unconscious Omega, Corvin Fletcher.” I looked out into the darkness behind him. I could hear the shouting, and sense the insanity in the air. “Get in the house. Goddammit. Why would you bring an Omega to a house filled with kids?”
“She’s stirring, and we’re still too far away from the Packhouse,” Beckett answered. “Plus, it didn’t feel right without you two.”
“What doesn’t feel right?” Cooper demanded, and I hushed him.
“Take her up to the top bedroom. She’s in heat, and she’ll want something smaller and cozier.” I always did. The top floor was unused at the moment, and mostly we kept it for emergencies. My body buzzed just being in her presence, and I gritted my teeth. We were not mindless animals. “Then you can tell me who this is and what the fuck is going on. And be quiet; the little ones are finally all asleep.”
Corvin bowed his head softly, and as he walked past me, he leaned forward and kissed my temple. I watched his naked ass climb the stairs. It was a great ass. Fuck it.
I looked at Beckett, and he had the good grace to look a little ashamed. “It’s not what you’re thinking. Let us explain.”
Cooper grumbled and strode off after Corvin, but I watched Beckett’s face, cataloging the earnestness of his expression and the shadow of guilt around his eyes.
“Lock up. I want this place more secure than Fort Knox.”
I turned and headed up the stairs, stopping at the linen closet and grabbing all the extra blankets and pillows I could find. She’d need somewhere soft, as her skin would begin to feel too tight and her whole body would soon feel like it was on fire.
I walked into the still dark bedroom, noticing that Cooper had found Corvin some pants. The girl who was lying in the middle of the bed like Sleeping Beauty was gorgeous. Wild brown hair, full pink lips, and a face that was wholly unfamiliar. Her skin was almost inhumanly pale, like a ghost.
“Who is she?”
Corvin looked over his shoulder, dragging his eyes away from her. I didn’t blame him though; with her hair fanned out like that, she looked enchanting. “Her name is Kitten. Well, at least that was the name we gave her.”
They gave her? I didn’t understand.
Cooper cleared his throat. “We should let her sleep.”
Corvin hesitated. “I’d rather she didn’t wake up alone, somewhere unfamiliar.”
