“It happens,” Ezra said as we sat in her office. “Life often gets in the way when we least expect it to. I don’t know that they can be faulted for that so long as it doesn’t continue. Especially after all they’ve been through.”
She sat back in her chair, the light from the screen of her computer reflecting in her eyes. “Neither of you suspect anything different?”
“I certainly don’t,” Ezra said. “Though I’m not a wolf. I’m not as… adept at picking up deception. And since they don’t have a witch, I feel we need to look to Robbie in this regard.”
They both turned to me.
I swallowed thickly.
“Robbie?” Michelle asked.
What makes you think I won’t do just that?
Because part of you knows I’m telling the truth. You can feel it, can’t you? It’s hidden in shadow, buried deep inside. Something… off. Do you dream?
I did. I dreamed in such sharpness that it felt like reality.
I said, “They’re busy.” Truth. “They have two young wolves.” Truth. “The Alpha herself is young, as you know.” Truth. “It would be a lot for anyone.” Truth. “But Alpha Wells is capable of many things.” Truth. “And I have no reason to believe she’s not doing what she thinks is right for her pack.” Oh, how easy it was to lie without actually lying.
Michelle nodded slowly. She was listening for any skip of my heart. There was none. “And they know they need to remain in contact from this point on?”
“They do,” Ezra said. “I impressed upon Alpha Wells when I met with her the importance of open lines of communication. She….” He stared off into nothing, mouth open.
I reached over and touched his arm.
He blinked as he looked at me. “I’m sorry. I just….” He shook his head. “Getting older. I recommend you avoid it if at all possible. The mind has a tendency to wander with age.” He smiled ruefully. “The Wells pack is in good hands, I think. They have much to learn, but I don’t know if we need to worry about this just yet. There are bigger things to focus on.”
Like an Omega hidden in the floor of a silo surrounded by unknown magic.
“Robbie, would you excuse us for a moment?” Michelle asked. “I need to have a word with my witch.” She glanced at me. “You did well. Thank you. And I’ll need you again in the next couple of days. My computer keeps making weird noises at me. I want you to take a look at it again. You know I’m terrible when it comes to such things.”
She was. She didn’t know a damn thing about technology. I’d always found it slightly endearing, how frustrated she could get.
I hesitated. If I didn’t say anything now, I never could. They wouldn’t trust me again if they ever found out I’d kept this from them.
And yet.
“Go,” Ezra said. “I’ll catch up with you later. Take a shower. You stink.”
I nodded at both of them and left the office, closing the door behind me.
The compound was busy, but I barely saw any of it.
I was lost in my head.
I had just lied to my Alpha.
Lied to Ezra, her witch.
And for what? A pack I didn’t know that was harboring an Omega?
What the fuck was wrong with me?
I accidentally bumped into another wolf. I apologized.
She frowned. “It’s okay.” But she hurried away, glancing back at me over her shoulder.
I stared after her as she disappeared into the crowd of people.
Something was… off.
People were milling about as always.
No one stopped to talk to me as they always had.
No one waved.
They glanced at me, but when they saw me watching them, they’d smile and look away. The barest of acknowledgments.
Not like they were scared of me, but…. I didn’t know.
I shook my head.
I was tired. That was it. I was tired and seeing things. Transference or some such bullshit. I felt guilty and I was projecting it onto others. It was nothing.
It was fine.
It was fine.
I needed to go home. Take a shower. Get some sleep. That’s all.
With a plan in place, I moved on.
And yet….
All I could think about was the look on Malik’s face as he cradled the Omega child in his arms, an Omega child caught partially in his shift, though he was too young to be able to turn wolf.
Can I trust you?
I’d said yes. I didn’t know why.
Why I’d said yes. Why he’d asked. Why he’d shown me what he had.
He didn’t know me. He didn’t know anything about me.
And yet….
There is a prisoner.
In your compound.
The ground swayed beneath my feet.
My head was starting to hurt.
I was going home.
I was going home.
Except I stopped in front of the house that held the prisoner. The one no one talked about. We all knew, sure, and we stayed away, but who they were and what they’d done was need-to-know only.
Santos was there again. Luck of the draw.
Funny how that worked.
He said, “I heard you left.”
“Assignment. That was all.” And, “It was only a couple of days.” And, “It was easy.” And, and, and, “Who’s in there?”
His eyes narrowed. “Who’s in where?”
I felt feverish. Overwarm and overbright. The sun pounded against my skull. There was magic here, oh yes, but it was familiar. I knew it because I knew Ezra. I knew the scent and taste of it. Magic was
(a fingerprint)
unique to… the… user.
The ground rolled.
I took a stumbling step forward.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Santos growled, catching me before I fell.
“I don’t know,” I gasped, trying to ignore that voice in my head, that voice that said a fingerprint because it came from somewhere inside, and I didn’t know it. I didn’t recognize it. I didn’t fucking recognize it—
That had to be it.
That had to be what this was.
Whoever was in the house was leaking magic, and it was warping everything around me. Whatever wards were around it had cracked, and this witch was using it to their advantage. Never mind that they were supposed to be stripped of their powers. No matter that whatever they’d done had been so egregious that they had to be locked away. It wasn’t working.
“Who is it?” I said through gritted teeth. “Who’s in there? Can you hear me, you bastard? Who the fuck are you?”
Santos shoved me back.
I fell to the ground, skidding in the dirt.
His eyes were orange as he glared down at me. “I don’t know what the hell you think you’re doing, but you need to stop. You need to—”
I opened my mouth to tell him to fuck off, but no sound came out.
I looked up at the sky.
It was blue, blue, blue.
And then I screamed, my claws digging into the earth.
The sky was on fire.
It burned.
It burned and I—
what are you doing
robbie
robbie
please don’t
please don’t do this
oh my god what’s wrong with you
you’re not