Omega (3 page)

The perfect couple.
That’s what they had
pretended to be earlier on. If there was anyone who knew from experience that
the perfect couple did not exist, it was her. No matter how hard she’d ever tried,
her relationships had never worked out.  Things would always go well until they
had sex. She’d been told that she was overwhelming, that sex with her was too
good.
What the hell did that mean?
Her last boyfriend had called her a
freak, she hadn’t meant to claw at his back. A little bit of nail action during
sex was normal,
wasn’t it
?

She couldn’t deny that there was an attraction between herself and
Cole. Couldn’t shake the feeling that they would be sexually compatible. Not
that she was the kinky type, but she liked that he probably wouldn’t complain
if she used her nails on him a little.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she looked out the window
and noticed that the sun was going down fast. She’d always loved nighttime,
especially during a full moon phase. Not this time. Tonight, looking up at the
ominous round globe, Katy felt more vulnerable than ever.

Both Ash and Cole looked tense. Would they really be able to protect
her from the demon wolves? Cole had promised to keep her safe and she got the
distinct impression that he didn’t give his word lightly.

They drove through a small town in, God only knew where, stopping at
one of those cheap rent-by-the-hour motels and rented a room. It was small and
seedy.

“Wash up and then get some rest, we leave in a couple of hours,” Ash
said as she pointed at the bathroom. It was tiny but at least it looked clean.

After a much needed shower Katy dressed, putting the jeans and
t-shirt back on. She found Cole alone in the small bedroom.

“There was another abduction.”

He was stretched out on the double bed looking the picture of calm
yet beneath the surface she sensed a simmering readiness. This was a man you
didn’t mess with.

“Ash was picked up by one of the Chasers to investigate the
disappearance.”

The walls seemed to close in around them as he spoke.

“Including you and this latest one there have been four so far. The
first two women were found dead.”

She gasped, her legs shook so badly that she sank down onto the edge
of the bed as far away from his long, muscular limbs as she could get.

“None of the victims was sexually assaulted in any way.”

****

They were found torn limb from limb
.

Cole couldn’t bring himself to say the words, she looked too
distressed. It would be all too easy to buy into her innocent act when there
was nothing innocent about her. Like her reaction to him in the changing room
for starters. The way her nostrils had flared and her heart had raced. It had
been a long time since he had lost it so completely over a woman.

What happened a year ago had been a grave mistake. Angelica, unlike
her name, was the farthest thing from an angel as you could get. He’d allowed
himself to be so blinded by lust and what he had thought was love that he’d
chosen to ignore all the signs. Once Angelica had the information she needed,
she and her fellow hellion demons launched an attack on safe houses. The
locations to which he had unknowingly disclosed. Five Demon Chasers and eight
civilians had died that night. His only saving grace was that he had delivered
the death blow to Angelica himself. He was only just starting to build trust and
credibility back at the Demon Control Agency. It could not happen again.
Who
was this woman really?

Her hair was still damp from the shower and she looked more
beautiful without makeup. Cole forced himself to concentrate. “The first two
women weren’t sexually assaulted. What makes you different?”

From the pictures he’d seen of the other ladies, both had been attractive
but neither had exuded her level of sheer sexual energy. The t-shirt she was
wearing did nothing to enhance her lush curves but neither did it do anything
to hide them. Much to his irritation, his memory did the rest. To think he had
almost…they had almost…her scent of arousal had been maddening. If that demon wolf
hadn’t interrupted he would have taken her there and then. After shredding her
jeans he would have buried himself so deeply into her. No foreplay. Zero
hesitation. Katy would have been ready for him. Cole would have fucked her like
an animal against that wall. If that demon wolf had arrived even a few seconds
later, nothing would have stopped him from finishing what had started. It
scared him, he couldn’t let himself lose control again.

“I don’t know what makes me different. Why did he choose me in the
first place?”

Oh yeah, they’d been talking about the abduction.
Had to keep his
mind out of her panties.
“That’s what we need to find out. Like I said,
Bain’s been fooling around with human women lately, getting a little rough.
Complaints have been filed.”

She clutched at her throat and turned pale. The sucker in him felt
like hugging her.

“It might be that it’s escalated from playing with humans to full
out taking one. It could be that Bain has nothing to do with the murders. At
this stage, the Alpha is our number one suspect. If it was him, then he has
others involved.”

“Why do you say that?” she asked.

Those baby blues turned on him, framed by long, dark lashes. Eyes a
man could drown in. It made him more sure than ever that she knew more than
what she was telling him.

“He can’t be in two places at once. If he’s tracking us, he couldn’t
have taken the girl. There’s more to this. I’ll find the truth.”

Her hand went back up to her throat where she rubbed at her skin in
a show of nerves. “Do you think he would have killed me after…after…”

His blood raced to ignition point at the thought of another man
touching her, let alone harming her. “I don’t know.”
What was wrong with him
?
Part of him wanted to interrogate her until he found the answers he sought
whilst another wanted to fuck her until she screamed his name. Yeah sure, she
was a beautiful woman, but the intense desire he felt made no sense. None of
this made any sense. He stood up making for the cramped sofa in the corner
“Sleep. Nothing has changed. We’re leaving in three hours. We’ll eat before we
go.”

“What about you?”

Yeah right.
Cole wasn’t willing to risk
her running away while he was lights out so he said,
“I don’t sleep
much, even on a good day.”

“How long have you been a Chaser?”

He had to suppress a smile, “Don’t you ever just do what you’re
told?”

“Only my entire life. Are you going to answer the question?”

“It was a birthright, my whole family are Chasers.”

“Born into it then?”

“Something like that. You said you’re an Auditor. You don’t look
like a pencil pusher.”

****

A not so subtle change of subject. Funny, she’d been at her desk
just a few hours ago yet right now it felt like a lifetime. “Someone has to do
it right? Tell me a bit more about the demons and you guys, the Chasers?”

He hesitated, “Like the demon wolves, there are many different types
of demon species, all living right under our noses. A fragile understanding
exists and there are very definite rules. Chasers are, in essence, the police,
the judge, the jury and the executioners all rolled into one.”

“That doesn’t seem fair.”

“Babe, demon wolves are tame in comparison to some of the species out
there. It would turn into a free for all if it weren’t for us holding it
together. Hey, it’s a crappy job but”—Cole took a deep breath his mouth
quirking into a gorgeous smile—“someone’s got to do it…right?” He leaned
forward leaning his elbows onto muscular thighs and played with the large silver
ring on his right middle finger. “Frankenstein’s monster, vampires, trolls,
hell every mythological creature you’ve ever heard of and some you never want
to know about, all exist.” He paused allowing the horror of what he was saying
sink in and she couldn’t help but shiver. “Your worst nightmare could be living
right next door to you. Katy, you’d better hope and pray that us Chasers keep
on doing what we do best.”

“I wouldn’t mind if you started with Bain and his whole wolf pack.
Vile disgusting creatures.”

Cole stood, his muscles bunched and his eyes turned hard. “Not all demon
wolves are bad. Enough talk. We roll in two hours. Get some shut eye.”

The bathroom door banged shut and she heard the first telltale
sounds of the shower splattering to life. Katy turned to face the other way,
curling herself into a ball. Her head still held the remnants of a dull ache
and the hair on the top of her skull would probably never grow after the abuse
it had received, but other than that she was okay. At least for the time being.

****

Growling, snarling and crashing.

Katy sprang awake. An enormous, dark form hurtled across the front
of her bed. She fumbled for the side lamp, her fingers shaking so much it took
an eternity for her to find the switch and to turn the light on. The dark form
was Cole and another man with close cropped hair. It was Cole that was
snarling, his lips curled away from his teeth. His narrowed eyes were glowing
unnaturally bright. Like someone had flicked a switch inside his skull. She
clamped her hand over her mouth to stop herself from screaming. If they hadn’t
been battling it out in front of the door, she would have tried to run.
Instead, she sat as quietly and as calmly as possible hoping she would remain
unnoticed. The men had their hands clutched around one another in a wrestler’s
grip. That was when she noticed that the stranger’s nails were clawed into long
daggers at the end of thick gnarled fingers. Cole’s muscles on his chest and
arms bunched as he shoved the other…man…wolf, bringing his face into view for
the first time. His jaw was elongated, his teeth were gleaming fangs. No longer
human but still so close to being one it made him even more sinister.

Katy screamed, the sound breaking through her clasped fingers. Both men
paused turning their intense gazes on her. The other man’s features pulled back
into mostly human form. His eyes still glowed golden like burned amber.

“The Chosen one,” he spoke softly, his voice deep and gravelly.

She stared from Cole to the man and back again wanting to run, but
unable to move.

“Speak or die,” Cole turned back to the unknown demon wolf as he
spoke, his voice was more of a menacing growl than words.

“Is this how you treat the wolf that saved your ass?”

“I’m listening,” his tone
eased however neither man relaxed their grip on the other. She noted that Cole
was only marginally bigger than the demon wolf.

“I was also following Bain. I knew he was planning to take the
woman.” He gestured, with his head, in her direction.

 Cole growled a vicious warning. There was no way a human could make
a sound like that which meant that Cole was one of them…
a demon wolf
. He
had to be. Katy felt betrayed. Just when she’d begun to trust him. Yet, he
wasn’t like Bain. Cole was not human yet she failed to summon the same disgust
she felt for the creature that had tried to abduct her. They were on the same
side. His actions proved that he was protecting her and that maybe he cared.
Did
he, really care or was he acting out of duty?
It shouldn’t matter, but it
did.

“Relax, I’m here to help.” The man…
wolf
kept his voice even.
He had one of the deepest voices Katy had ever heard.

“What does he want with her?” Cole asked.

“Like I said, she was chosen by Bain to be his mate, his Alpha, the
‘Chosen’ one.”

“That can’t be,” Cole released the other man who by now had
completely changed back into his human form.

His eyes were now as dark as melted chocolate.

“That would mean…,” Cole stopped mid-sentence turning questioning
eyes on her.

“Katy is an Omega like us,” the stranger’s deep rumble caused goose
bumps to rise on her arms.

What the hell was an Omega?
She
remembered Bain referring to Cole and Ash as an Omega and a human. Ash had said
that she was a human. In hind sight, Cole had said nothing which meant that…
No.
It couldn’t be
.

“What is an Omega?” her voice sounded shrill.

As soon as she asked the question, she wished she hadn’t. She was
too afraid of what the answer might be. Cole went down on his haunches in front
of her. Even with all that had passed between them, she flinched, and instantly
regretted it. His face clouded and his jaw tensed as he moved back out of her
personal space.

“Sorry to have to break this to you, but you’re half demon wolf.
That would mean that one of your parents was full human and the other a demon wolf.
Omegas are the lowest ranking wolves. The elderly, the disabled and a wolf like
me”—Cole placed his hands on his chest—“all half breed mongrels are considered
Omegas. Half bloods can’t erupt unless there’s a full moon, we’re considered
weak because of it. Why didn’t you tell me you knew Bain?”

“I told you I don’t know him. I’ve never…at least I’m pretty sure
I’ve never…met him.”
What was his problem?
She was the one that had
cause for anger. “Why didn’t you tell me you’re a demon wolf?”

“I didn’t trust you and it seems with good cause”—Cole smiled but
his eyes remained cold—“just in case you forgot babe you’re one of us too and I
find it hard to believe you never knew. How does someone go their whole life
without realizing something is very wrong with them?”

“This is all news to me. My parents are normal I…,” but that wasn’t entirely
true.

“I struggle to believe that,” Cole’s eyes were glowing.

“Enough already. She’s telling the truth. She’s wearing a silver
chain, has worn something silver since the day she was born,” the other demon wolf
growled.

Her hand moved up to the pendant at her neck. A gift from her
father.

The unknown demon wolf took a step towards Cole. “You should, of all
wolves, know how that works.”

Cole’s hands clenched back into fists. “You helped us out back in
the alley but I still don’t know who the hell you are?”

The other man smiled, “Gray,” he put his hand out.

Cole smiled back, “You’re Bain’s runt half-brother. I don’t think
I’ve ever been with so many Omegas in one room. I heard you were finally kicked
out of the pack.” He clasped Gray’s hand as he said his piece.

“Yeah, being half human is unacceptable as you would know. Bain
sought the girl out in a club a few weeks back,” Gray nodded in Katy’s
direction. “He drew her aside and marked her.”

“Why would he choose an Omega? It’s always one of the high ranking
Beta females that take the honors.” Cole turned to Katy, “Betas are the strong,
healthy wolves in the pack. It’s only the higher ranking Beta females who would
be considered as potential mates for a single Alpha. High ranking Beta males
are the wolves that challenge the Alpha for pack leader. Omegas are never ‘Chosen’.”

“That’s where you’re wrong Cole. It happens more often than you
think. Omegas, particularly from founding family blood, are sometimes
introduced to bring fresh bloodlines into the packs. Especially since the
‘Chosen’ Omega will turn into a full demon during a mating with an Alpha.”

“Vibes.”—both men looked her way as she said the name of the club—“He
asked me if I wanted a drink and when I turned him down, he insisted, grabbing
my wrist. How did I forget this?” Katy looked down at her arm, the one that had
held the bruises for days after. “Instead of taking me to the bar he pushed me
into a quieter corner and told me that I was lucky because he was going to give
me a gift. I was so afraid. It was the same as earlier today, no one even
noticed.”

“You forgot because Bain wanted you to. It’s a little trick Alphas
can perform. Wolves have the ability to blend into their surroundings. That’s
why no one noticed him taking you.” Gray nodded telling her to continue.

“He kissed me,” she was trying hard not to cry.

Cole moved towards her, but she couldn’t have anyone near her right
now least of all him. She wasn’t sure of her feelings about any of this.
Especially where Cole was concerned, so she moved away. His jaw tensed.

“I struggled but was no match against him. Then, he bit me on the neck.”
She pulled her hair back showing the spot just behind her ear, knowing that
they would see a fresh pink scar. Small but visible.

“That mark is your problem,” Gray spoke softly.

“So, let me get this straight”—Cole paced the small space, nowhere
near as calm— “Bain is after Katy because he wants to mate with her in order to
make her his Chosen Alpha female. Once that happens he’ll never let her go and
pack rules state that there’s nothing the Agency could do to rescue her even
though she’ll be mated to him against her will.” Cole’s fists bunched and the
muscles along his arms hardened.

“Yeah I’m afraid so. They’re using the pheromones being excreted by
that bite to track you. All male demon wolves are going just a little nuts
right about now.”

Gray put his head into the air and sniffed, a sight she was starting
to get used to.

“Even us half demons aren’t immune…,” Gray took a step towards her
and Cole snarled shoving the other man back, making him chuckle. “I see that
even though you’re wearing that piece of silver on your finger you’re not
immune either.” Gray turned back her way. “Katy you’re also running a
little…shall we say hot. The
silver
will only do so much,” he said the
word like it disgusted him.

“I’m a Chaser, it’s my duty to protect her even from the likes of
you,” pure aggression poured from Cole.

“That ring doesn’t change who you are. Nothing will ever take away
the demon in you. Instead of suppressing it you should embrace it. You’d be a
better Chaser.” Gray shook his head.

Cole seemed to think on this for a few seconds. “Forget the ring.
Every wolf within smelling distance will be looking to mate with her. They
won’t be able to help themselves.”

“Yeah, they’ll all be horny as all hell…but they won’t mate her,” Gray
responded.

This was all too much and again she had the almost overwhelming urge
to rush back to Boston. To pick up with her life and bury her head in the sand,
but she knew that it wouldn’t help. It wouldn’t change the facts. She was half demon
wolf. She’d always been a little different but there had always been a
reasonable explanation.
Or had there?
It all made sense now. The way
cats raised their hackles, spat and hissed at her. She loved her meat rare –
the bloodier the better. The claw marks on her ex-boyfriend’s back. The list
was long. Long enough to have had people call her a freak. To have had every
guy she ever dated dump her as soon as they got to know her a little. Truth
was, if she’d really been paying attention she would’ve noticed, she’d been
running away for too long. It was time to face up to the truth.

“Katy might smell like every wolf’s number one fantasy, but she’s
strictly off limits. Bain has put out the order that he’ll kill anyone Alpha,
Beta, Omega,
anyone
who lays even a single finger on her let alone mates
with her and believe me he’ll stick to it. He’s crazy on a regular day and
since he’s the one who inflicted that bite, he’ll be certifiable at the moment.
The pheromones will be affecting him ten times more than the rest of us.”

“Yeah, it explains things. Question is what do we do about it?” Cole
growled.

“There is only one thing we can do, we need to kill Bain. He won’t
stop until he has her.”

Cole shook his head slowly, “The last thing I want is to become an
Alpha and you Gray, you can’t tell me that you feel like leading the pack that
kicked you out.”

Gray turned to her, “Any wolf that somehow manages to kill Bain will
automatically become the new Alpha of his pack.”

This was turning from bad to worse. “Why wouldn’t your Demon Agency
be able to help me if he raped me and forced me to stay with him?”

Cole looked her straight on, his eyes softened. “Bain marked you. He
plans to mate with you, his seed together with a bite would bind you together.
The bond would be more powerful during a full moon. Think of it as an imaginary
rope that will bind you to him. Once you are bonded there will be nothing we
can do, the Demon Lores are clear, DCA will not be able to interfere once that
happens.”

“What the hell are Demon Lores? That’s ridiculous and unfair. I’ll
be bound to him even if I don’t love him…or…Oh God…will I somehow be
manipulated into loving him?” The thought appalled her more than being raped by
that monster.

 “Demon Lores are the rules I was talking to you about. There are
general Lores and species specific Lores. It gets complicated. He can’t make
you love him Katy, not even demon magic can influence the heart. You would be
forced to stay with him. Your heart and soul are yours alone to give though.”

She felt tears prick her eyes. She wanted to be able to be given a
chance at love, more importantly to be able to choose her own mate.

“Let’s get moving. If you found us”—Cole gestured to Gray—“it won’t
be long before the rest are here to bash our doors down. It’ll also give me
some time to think about what to do next.”

Gray stepped forward, “Relax! I’m the best tracker you’ll ever meet,
demon or otherwise. That coupled with my Ducati make me the fastest thing on
wheels. The rest are still eating my dust.” He very nearly smiled, “You’ve got
some time.”

Cole looked anything but relaxed. His entire being radiated raw
energy.

“I’ll head back out there to”—Gray looked at her, then to Cole and
back again—“keep an eye on things.”

****

Her hand was back up at her throat. It was all true, she hadn’t lied
about anything. A not-so-regular girl who had landed herself in something
nasty.

A demon had managed to get past his defenses yet again. It was
irrelevant that she was half wolf and an innocent. She could have been another hellion
demon like Angelica, or worse. He’d sensed that she was not what she seemed.
The point being, he should have been able to put a label on it. Maybe Gray was
right maybe it was time to take the ring off. Every part of him was against the
idea. At least he had an answer for his irrational behavior. Lust. It was the
pheromones. Nothing more.

“I’m going to walk out that door and I don’t want you to stop me,”
Katy said, her voice strong, her eyes never leaving his.
Did she think he
wouldn’t notice how her hands were shaking?

“No you’re not.”

“If I stay, best case scenario you’ll become an Alpha which I know
you don’t want. There’s a reason why you wear that…,” she looked at the ring on
his finger, the one that kept his demon at bay. “Worst case you’ll die,” she
said the last bit like she cared which touched him. For reasons he could not
fathom.

“If you walk out that door you’ll end up being bound to Bain for always.
Is that what you want?”