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  “Vella’s gone, and it’s not your fault. I know this hunt reminds you of that day. Hell, it’s messing with my head, too. But you can’t let the past in. Not now, not ever. You can’t allow her to distract you anymore.”

  “Distract me…” I huffed. “Yeah, you’re right. Vella was only a distraction.” I was being sarcastic because sarcasm was the only way I could disguise my pain.

  “That’s not what I meant.” He sighed and released me. I shifted in seconds, but he only crossed his arms over his bulky, hairy chest and stared at me. “Promise you won’t come here again. Promise you’ll stop torturing yourself.” He looked up at the collapsing mansion. “We should have this place torn down. Clear it, plant some trees. Then it would be like it was never here, and Vella and you never happened.”

  I turned to him, growling menacingly, my lips pulled back to reveal my fangs.

  He cocked an eyebrow, unimpressed. “Trust me, it’s for the best. And no, this hunt will not end like the hunt four years ago. Sierra is not Vella. She’s not running away from us. She needs us to save her from that demon.”

  I settled down, then leaned on my hind legs and let out three short howls.

  “That’s what I’m talking about.”

  I turned around and ran out of there full speed. Still human and still fully naked, Stone ran after me, jumped over the fallen wall, and shifted in the air. The real chase was just starting.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Officer Stone

  Callum should have stayed back at the prison. He’d insisted that this was too important and that he was the warden and couldn’t expect his guards to deal with the crisis alone, but it was all bullshit. I knew him well enough to tell when he was falling back into his old, unhealthy habits. And one of those was beating himself up over something he couldn’t change, something that had happened a long time ago. He wasn’t like me, and in theory, I understood that. Okay, maybe I didn’t exactly understand it. My brain simply refused to process the idea that people were different, because for sure, they weren’t different in a good way. But I could accept it at some level. Callum Green lived in the past. I, on the other hand, only wanted to deal with the present. He had this sick tendency to drag his mind back years and years ago, and lose himself in memories of his childhood, adolescence, and God knew what else, until he got himself thoroughly depressed over things and people that simply did not exist anymore. The same was with Vella.

  She’d been his sweetheart four years before, when she’d been an inmate at Dark Moon Prison and he’d fallen in love with her. That bitch was a piece of work. Had been because she wasn’t among the living anymore. I had been perfectly able to see right through her, but Callum had been blind. She’d gotten under his skin, turned him into her plaything. Such thoughts about my Alpha superior were uncomfortable, but that didn’t make them any less true. Vella had betrayed his trust. She’d used him, and when she’d gotten what she wanted, she’d discarded him like old trash. If Callum had ever asked me – but he hadn’t, – I’d have told him that she’d deserved her fate. Of course, it sucked that he’d had to be the one to deliver the final blow.

  He was ahead of me, and I could hear the rush of water over rocks. When I reached the shore of the stream, I found him there. He seemed confused, and then I understood why. The tracks stopped there. I sniffed the air and scrunched up my nose when the scent of the black wolf eluded me. It was there, but barely. I exchanged a glance with the other Alpha, and we both nodded. The beast must have jumped to the other side. Or swam. Regardless of how it got there, we were going to have to swim. There was no way we’d be able to jump that far. Just as we were getting ready, a long howl came from somewhere to our right, alerting us that one of the guards had found something. I shrugged and decided to check it out before we made our way to the other shore. I reentered the thick forest, my strong, quick legs carrying me toward the howl that never stopped. I howled back, and then I heard Callum howl behind me. A few more steps, and there it was! Her scent. My Omega’s scent. Instead of rushing there, I stopped dead in my tracks, which caused the warden to bump into me. He growled angrily, and I turned and growled back. I bared my fangs and blocked his way. He looked like he was about to fight me to get to her, but I just stood my ground and stared into his eyes until he got the goddamn message. He was going to stay put, while I was going to retrieve the Omega. He’d been in this position before, and it hadn’t ended well. I knew it, and he knew it. Eventually, the message got through to him, and he retreated with a deep sigh. I nodded in acknowledgement, and at the same time to let him know that I was going to take care of this, and everything was going to be alright. Not like last time.

  I disappeared between the tall, lush trees, leaving Callum behind. The Wolf Spirit hadn’t destroyed this part of the forest, and that was a relief. Judging by the scent, it seemed that Wisteria was alone and in her human form. I soon found the guard who’d called. He was a medium-sized Beta wolf with reddish fur and light eyes. I shifted, and after he got over the shock of seeing me standing naked before him, he shifted too. In his human form, the Beta was shorter than me, but stocky and strong.

  “Officer Stone, I don’t know what’s going on here…”

  I pinched the bridge of my nose. Of course. Officer Creed had just found Sierra Carmine alone, in the woods, when all this time he’d been convinced that he was chasing a black, rogue wolf. This was a mess.

  “Did you see her?” He nodded. I nodded back. I pursed my lips, furrowed my brows, and crossed my arms over my chest. It was rather hard to exercise my authority when I was not only out of my uniform, but also out of my boxer briefs. “Listen, Creed. This is a delicate situation.” I looked him in the eyes. “Can I trust you?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Has anyone else seen her?”

  “No.”

  “All right. You saw nothing. Not a word to anyone, is that understood?” Then, in a whisper: “I’ll make it worth your while. How many pups do you have?”

  “Five, sir.”

  “Disneyland sound good to you? Do you think it’ll sound good to them?”

  His eyes grew as wide as saucers. I knew that none of the guards working at Dark Moon Prison could afford to take their numerous pups to Disneyland on their pitiful salaries. Fortunately, I had some money stashed away. For emergencies. And this was an emergency.

  “I don’t know what to say, sir.”

  “Say ‘thank you’, Creed.”

  He nodded. “Thank you, Officer Stone.”

  I motioned for him to get out of there, and he did. I looked around to make sure no one had heard our conversation. Normally, I should have let the others know the hunt was over, but it was better to keep them busy for now. Busy enough so I could, maybe, sneak my Wisteria past them and back to the prison. I took a deep breath and steeled myself before going to her. I couldn’t see her from where I was, but I could only guess she’d hidden behind a bush or a tree. Gently, I reached out and pushed some tall, craggy weeds aside to make a path. A whimper came from up ahead, and my heart nearly broke then and there. I pressed my hand to my chest.

  “Jesus, Stone. Get a hold of yourself.” What had this woman done to me?

  Another whimper, and I was tearing the weeds and bushes apart, looking for her.

  “Omega?” I whispered. I still didn’t want to alert the wolves that might have been in the vicinity. “It’s me. Where are you?”

  “In here.” She was full-on crying now. “Inside the… the…” She hiccupped cutely, and I smiled despite myself and the desperate situation we were both in. “Please…”

  Frustrated, I looked around. Her unique scent permeated the air, yet I couldn’t see her. I followed the sound of her voice and found myself before an old tree with a trunk so think that… I rounded it, and found my Wisteria huddled inside it, in a hollow so deep that I wondered how the tree was still erect. I rushed to her and tried to pull her out. She fought me feebly.

  “Don
’t… Why…” She hit me in the chest, and I tried to gently immobilize her twig-like arms. “It’s me. I won’t hurt you.”

  “But you will,” she cried. “I didn’t want to run, I promise. I don’t want to escape… I don’t… You’ll punish me, I know.”

  “Shh…” I finally convinced her to settle down and pulled her into my arms. She was just as naked as I was. Her skin glued to mine felt like Heaven. “I won’t punish you. I know it wasn’t you.”

  “It wasn’t!”

  “Tell me everything, my sweet.”

  That only made her cry harder. I held her close, pressing her blond head against my chest, trying to muffle her whimpers. I couldn’t give her more than a few minutes, not if I wanted to get back to the prison before anyone saw her.

  “I… I… I tried to fight it. I fought it so hard! I told the Spirit that I didn’t want to run away, that all I wanted was to be with you and let the Council decide my fate according to my crimes.”

  “You’re innocent.”

  “I don’t know. It’s… complicated, isn’t it?”

  “When the Wolf Spirit took over, what happened to you? How did you… feel? Were you awake? Conscious?”

  She shook her head, sniffing loudly. “N-no. The Wolf Spirit… it can subdue me. Body and mind. I only got through to it because it allowed me, because it gave me a voice. I think I was only awake and aware for a few minutes at a time. When it didn’t want to hear my thoughts, it just… put me to sleep. A sleep with no dreams, no connection to the outside world, a sleep that felt like a void, like a deep, endless state I knew I’d never be able to wake up from on my own.”

  “But you did wake up. You’re you again.”

  “N-no. It let me. It let me shift back, it let me hide and wait for you.” She looked up at me, her beautiful purple eyes swimming with tears. I touched her hair and realized it was damp. “It took me across the stream. I swam back.”

  “You did good.”

  “Alaric, I’m scared.” Her chin trembled, and I just wanted to kiss all her tears away. “The Spirit said we’re bound together, and it will never leave me. I’m its host and… it wants to protect me. From you.”

  “From me?”

  “No, from you, from Father Rivera, and the warden. It said you’re not good for me, even if you are… my soulmates.”

  The shock must have shown on my face. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I just stared at her, unable to form one coherent sentence. I guessed, deep down, I’d known. I’d never wanted a mate, but now… Now I couldn’t stay away from her. All I could think about, day and night, was her. Wisteria. Wisteria. Wisteria. It was hard for me to admit that the tiny, blond, gorgeous Omega in my arms was now the only reason for me to be alive. I leaned in. I wanted to capture her lips in the gentlest, sweetest kiss we’d ever shared, but she pulled away, her purple eyes growing wide with worry. She was looking over my shoulder, and her whole body had suddenly become tense.

  “Alaric,” she whispered.

  I turned around and saw Officer Bough standing a few feet away from us. She was in her uniform, her weapons secured to her belt. Because she was the only female guard working today, she’d asked Callum to allow her to chase the escaped inmate as she was, and Callum had agreed. Everyone knew Officer Bough didn’t want to shift in public because she was ashamed of her body. What she didn’t know was that no one cared. This wasn’t a beauty contest.

  I stood up, and Wisteria crawled back into the hollow of the tree. What a terrible mistake! My cock was hard, and precum had gathered at the slit. Being so close to the Omega easily did that to me. I was mortified, and now I had to hide it. The female guard’s eyes flicked down my body, taking in my wide chest, my abs, and the dark trail leading to my erection in less than a second. She forced herself to look back up, and cleared her throat, embarrassed. Her plump cheeks flushed red.

  “Officer Stone…” she started.

  I cut her off. “Officer Bough, you saw nothing. You will turn around, head back to the prison, and sit tight.”

  “I don’t understand…”

  “You don’t have to.”

  “I can’t possibly…”

  “Officer Bough, do you like your job?” My voice took on a threatening tone.

  “Y-yes, sir.”

  Sir. Well, that was progress.

  “Good. If you like it, I assume you’ll want to keep it.”

  She clenched her jaw and nodded. I nodded, too, and she finally turned on her heels and disappeared in the forest. I let out a sigh of relief, although I wasn’t sure relief was what I was supposed to feel. I’d just dodged a bullet. Maybe. Hopefully.

  Wisteria crawled out of her hiding hole. “Oh my God, you just threatened her job.”

  “What was I supposed to do?” I helped her up. I placed one hand under her knees, and she wrapped her arms around my neck.

  “Do you think she’ll say anything?”

  “She’d better not.”

  “I don’t know if threatening her job convinced her…”

  “Well, I can’t send her to Disneyland, can I? She doesn’t have any pups.”

  Wisteria blinked at me, utterly confused. I just shook my head and focused on navigating the forest without running into anyone. Her weight in my arms… It felt right.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Wisteria

  I was once again in solitary confinement. I wasn’t hurt by their choice, nor disappointed. I was relieved. I understood why I had to be kept here, away from the other inmates. They wouldn’t be safe with me there. Roz, my cellmate, wouldn’t be safe. For now, the beast had retreated in the depths of my body and my consciousness, but it could come out at any time. Besides, I’d come to like this cell. Officer Stone had brought me pillows, bedsheets, and blankets, and the moment he walked out and locked the door, I started to meticulously build a nest. The simple task of choosing what to use and in what order, how to lay down the sheets and blankets to achieve the most comfort, put me at ease. The dull ache in my muscles subsided, and soon, my mind went blank. It was as if all my worries and anxieties had been left outside the cell, at the door. I felt safe here. I knew no one would bother me, and only my three Alpha mates would come to see me when they wanted, or when they found time for me. And it was natural for things to happen this way. Even if I were out there, in the wild, living with my own pack in the woods, the ritual would be the same – I’d tend to simple, everyday tasks as I waited for my soulmate to claim me at night. Well, I wasn’t in the wild, and I had three soulmates, not one, but the principle stood. It made sense, too. The tradition was in my blood, and I didn’t even think about it. All I had to do was be there for them, build a nest for us, and they would take care of all my needs. They’d done it before – brought me food, water, pleasure. I knew I could rely on them one hundred percent. Officer Stone had told me that, unfortunately, he couldn’t let me roam unattended, and I’d have to wait for one of them to escort me to use the bathroom and shower. I didn’t mind it. I was used to it. He also said that after all that had been revealed today, he considered me innocent. For now, the only thing he could do for me was to conveniently forget to place the collar back around my neck.

  The nest was complete. Officer Stone had also brought me some clothes – a simple, cotton T-shirt, and long, cotton pants. I didn’t put them on, my skin feeling too hot. I felt more comfortable naked. I crawled inside the nest, my nipples hardening at the touch of the soft sheets. I realized I was wet between my legs. Beads of sweat had gathered at my temples, and I wiped them with the back of my hand. My body was overly sensitive, craving touch, becoming aroused at the slightest caress of my fingers along it as I explored it without thinking. How hadn’t I noticed? The strong desire to build a nest, the care and attention to detail as I’d arranged it just right… I was in heat. My natural heat, which was very different from what Officer Stone had induced with a shot. This time, it felt good and normal, like this was what my body was suppo
sed to do. It might have been why I felt so at peace as I lay in my nest, waiting for one of my Alphas to come and claim me. I should have been stressing over what had happened in the forest, over what I’d learned under hypnosis that very morning, but instead, I felt like I was detached from the material world. My mother had told me once that when Omegas were in heat, they only focused on the present. They found no reason to linger on the past, nor wonder about the future. The needs of their body anchored them in the present, when all that mattered was to procure the seed of their Alpha and hold it inside them until it caught.

  I turned on my back and stared at the ceiling. The cell was shrouded in darkness, as usual. There were no windows here. I knew, instinctively, that the sun must have set by now. How long had it been since Officer Stone had left? I didn’t know. When in heat, time passed differently for me. I missed him, I realized. Closing my eyes, I traced my hands over my neck, my clavicle, my breasts. I bit my lower lip, imagining Alaric was touching me, exploring my body inch by inch. When he’d come to rescue me in the forest, he’d been naked, and now that I was safe and sound, tucked away, I remembered the way his hard cock had pressed into my belly as he’d cradled me in his arms. We’d both been naked, and yet, he hadn’t tried anything. Taking me to safety had been his number one priority, which meant one thing and one thing only – he cared about me. The signs of my heat must have been evident then. He must have smelled it on my skin, but he’d still abstained from claiming me in the middle of nature, while everyone was looking for the black wolf. I rolled my nipples between my fingers as I whispered his name.

  Alaric.

  But Alaric didn’t come. The sound of steps down the corridor alerted me that someone was approaching my cell, and I sniffed the air hungrily, my anticipation growing. Warden Green’s unique scent filled my nostrils, and I moaned as I moved my hands lower, parting my soaked folds with two fingers and finding my clit with the other hand. I pressed lightly at first, then as I heard my Alpha stick the key into the lock, I started rubbing myself faster. Was he even my Alpha if he hadn’t claimed me yet? Would he claim me now? Knowing him, he was probably going to resist me again, or at the very least try. I rubbed myself harder, thinking I should at least get one tiny release before he came in there and rejected me gently, as he always did. He pushed the door open and entered the cell. I opened my eyes and stared right at him. He froze in place, his mouth slightly ajar. As our eyes locked, I came all over my fingers, a small cry escaping my lips. The strong scent of my juices filled the air, and I saw his nostrils flare to take it in.