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I burst through the door into the garage. Gordo was on his knees, his tablet lying on the ground, the screen cracked. He held his hand against his right ear, his stump against the other, and his face was twisted painfully. His tattoos were bright and moving, the roses underneath the raven twisting their barbed vines as the bird bowed its head.
Rico kneeled next to him, hand on his back, asking what was going on, what happened, are you okay, are you okay, Gordo?
Chris and Tanner’s eyes were orange. I saw the hint of fangs in Tanner’s mouth.
Ox stood near one of the open bay doors, eyes red and violet, hands clenched into fists as his chest rose and fell rapidly. He breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth as he got himself back under control.
“What is it?” I demanded. “What happened?”
“The wards,” Gordo muttered. “Something hit the wards.” He groaned as he dropped his arms, nodding at Rico, who helped him to his feet. He moved until he stood next to Ox, staring out into the street.
“North end,” Ox said.
“Yeah,” Gordo said, stretching his neck side to side until it popped. “It hurts, Ox. Whatever it is, it hurts.”
“How many?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think we’re under attack.” He grimaced again. “But something’s not right.”
“Another Omega?”
Gordo hesitated before shaking his head. “No. It’s more. I don’t know how else to explain it.”
“Do we need to sound the alarm?” Rico asked. “Warn the town?”
Ox looked to Gordo, who shook his head. “Not yet. We can let Dominique know just in case. She’ll be able to turn it on if needed. The people know what to do then. I don’t want to cause a panic.”
“Chris,” Ox said without turning around. “Tanner. Call the others. They’ll have felt it. Have them meet us near the motel. Tell them to hurry. We need to move. Now.”
“Don’t worry about calling Mark,” Gordo muttered as he rubbed his forehead. “He already knows. He felt it when it hit me. He’ll know where I am.”
“On it, boss,” Tanner said, already tapping on his phone before holding to his ear. He began to pace, gnawing on his thumbnail.
“Shit,” Chris said with a sigh, pulling out his own phone. “I hope it’s nothing that wants to kill us. I really hate it when that happens.”
>
Ox tried to tell me that I should stay behind, just in case.
It was Rico who shut him up, surprisingly, telling him that we couldn’t leave anyone behind, that if we were going to be pack, we needed to act like one. That meant all of us.
Ox stared at him for a moment.
Rico didn’t look away.
Ox nodded slowly. “You’re right. Thank you, Rico.” He glanced at me. “You up for this?”
I needed for him to believe in me. I said, “Yes, Alpha. I can do this.”
He sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. “I know you can, Robbie.” He looked tired as he dropped his hand back down to his side. “Just… stay close. Either to me or Kelly. And if it looks as if this is a trap, I want you to run.”
I took a step back. “What? I’m not going to run—”
“They can use you against us,” Ox said, and my stomach twisted painfully. “And I can’t let that happen. Not again.”
I looked down at the ground. He had a point, but it hurt more than I expected it to. He was the Alpha. He had to think of the safety of his entire pack.
He put a finger under my chin, tilting my head back so I would look directly at him. He towered over me, and I bared my neck. His eyes flared as he trailed his finger along the line of my jaw and the skin of my throat. “I need to keep you safe,” he said. “I don’t know if we’d survive if we lost you again. I won’t let anyone take you, but if I tell you to run, you run. Do you hear me?” And underneath, hidden in the swirling storm amassing itself inside me, I heard his voice, faint but strong.
