“Dammmn,” Knox begins but his sister elbows him in the ribs, no doubt keeping him from saying anything about my pheromones.
“Slashed their tires? Oh, this I gotta hear,” She chuckles the squeals and sits straight when Roman slides in next to me, “Alpha,” she and Knox say in unison.
He nods his head but doesn’t say anything and it begins to get a little awkward. Now, I know I’m not supposed to disrespect an Alpha, and I won’t but these two are my new friends and Roman is making it feel weird as hell right now, so I decide to break the ice.
“So, old man, you hungry?” I know that’s not what bikers call the men, but I think I’ll act as though I’m completely clueless to this lifestyle. I bat my lashes at Roman, biting back my smirk when his jaw tics and the twins become suddenly engrossed with the pattern on the wooden tabletop, “I can get you something, maybe a pudding or a jello snack?”
Okay, that was probably a little too on the nose, but I can’t help it. I also can’t hold back my laughter which turns into big belly laughs when Roman growls and grips my thigh, squeezing it on my tickle spot.
“Okay!’ I shout between breaths, “I give, I give!”
“Good, now tell me about the creatures.” Roman’s eyes gleam with dangerous intent. Like all eyes, they are the windows to a person’s soul, and his tell me all I need to know. Roman has a chip on his shoulder, a crack in his soul. Someone at some point in his life, hurt him or his brothers and he has never been able to live without that betrayal tainting his view on the world.
He fights and kills his enemies, sacrifices parts of himself to protect his pack, just to heal parts of his past. He’s haunted by the ghosts of betrayal and perhaps he thinks killing the Dark Bloods—a major foe—will cleanse him of the need for revenge.
“The Dark Bloods are not documented, so everything I tell you will be based off of what I’ve witnessed in my old pack and theories the Elders of that pack have come up with.” I shrug and slide the tip of my finger around the edge of the soda can, trying to get my words in order, “The first time we had a run-in with them, it wasn’t good. A group of hunters went out and the only one to survive was an omega who happened to wander off. She made it back and told us of the being who took our wolves. She said it looked human but had a long black cloak that hid its face.”
“How did it take the wolves?” Knox asks, his food forgotten as I recount the story.
“The omega said the being, whom I think is a Witch, weaved her hands in the air. Whatever magic she was doing caused the wolves to become paralyzed and at her mercy. She took them with her. Alive.”
I bow my head and think of the fate that must’ve become those men and women. Their families mourning the loss of their loved ones. Wives howling in agony as they beat their fists on the ground, begging the old Alpha to let them hunt the creature down.
“You obviously loved your pack,” Roman says with a slight bite to his words.Is that jealousy?Is he indignant that I won’t accept his pack in the same loyal way? I did love them, but he’s in for a real bummer when he hears what I did.
“I did love them, I vowed to protect the pack that so easily accepted me. I was an abandoned baby, and they took me in, treated me like I was part of them,” I chuckle bitterly, bending the rim of the soda can in my anger, “but I betrayed them, Roman.”
I look up into his eyes, ignoring how quiet the room has grown, supernatural hearing has allowed everyone to hear my tale.
“What do you mean?”
“My childhood friend, Cree Raider, was a warrior. He’d do anything to protect the pack. He’d never sacrifice his morals for power, he’d never mistreat one of his own like his father did. But not long after he became Alpha, the Dark Bloods struck again. This time, he was the only one to survive. He was covered in black blood, a dead wolf in his arms, a beta he saw as a brother. Cree began to change after that, his soul was no longer one I recognized. We thought he was just grieving but grief does not smile at the pain of others. He began making us fight in the pits for entertainment, punishment...even for something as simple as forgetfulness. Age did not matter to him. Pups fighting pups, parents fighting in place of their children,” I slap a hand to my chest, my anger is like a hacksaw in my heart, “warriors killing omegas!”
Fucking hell, I hate what I’ve done. I hate that I killed an innocent omega to protect her baby. She offered herself up without a fight and I ended her quick, making sure she did not suffer. Of course, I was whipped for that. I was mocked for having a weak heart.
“You don’t have to continue, Jaz,” Roman says, wrapping his big arm around my shoulder and pulling me to his warm chest. I breathe him in a moment before pulling back but I keep his arm around me. Our connection gives me the strength I need to continue.
“I have to, you need to know what I’ve done, and you need to know what you're facing,” I breathe deeply, “on Choosing Night, I was chosen to be Alpha Female to Cree. I was devastated but I also knew then that I was chosen to stop Cree’s reign of terror and deliver the pack from the dark existence we knew. He used his Alpha command on the ceremonial bed, but I was able to disobey. I stabbed him in the chest, aiming for his heart and ran. I was almost to the edge of the pack lands when the Captain, Beta Roland, caught up to me. He let me go when I told him Alpha Cree was under the influence of the Dark Bloods. He confirmed it when he said Cree’s blood was black.”
I bow my head, waiting for an outburst that I would willingly kill an Alpha. Of course, Cree isn’t dead, but the intent is still there. It makes no difference in our world. You attack or kill and Alpha outside of a challenge, you die.
Roman will undoubtedly distrust me from this moment on. All of them will.