“We didn’t see hunters on the road,” Carter said. “Aside from David King, there was no one else.”
“That’s because, like wolves, their numbers were thinned,” Pappas said. “Age or death or fear of reprisal. Revenge, if you will.” He glanced at me and then looked back at the Alphas. “It’s why David King was on the run, after all.”
“They won’t come here,” Joe said, sounding sure of himself. “The hunters. Whatever’s left of them. They know better.”
I said, “I don’t think that’s—”
Ox said, “What happened to the others? The Omegas you took from here. Eight of them over the last six months.” He knew. I’d told him already. He was testing Pappas.
“Dead,” Pappas said without hesitation. “All of them. We had no choice. They were already too far gone.”
“And I assume you did everything you could. That Michelle did everything she could.”
“She did.”
“He’s not lying,” I said quietly.
Ox looked at me. He was angry. I could feel that, a wave of blue and red washing through the thread that bound me to him. It came as why and gordo and i don’t know what to do he’ll take her kill her she’s going to die.
“She could hurt someone,” I told him, trying to ignore his anguish. I needed him to keep a level head. “Maybe she won’t want to, but by the time it happens, what she wants won’t matter. She’ll be gone. Nothing will be left but claws and fangs and a desire to hunt. You’ve tried. Joe has too. You can’t keep her here. She could hurt someone. What if it’s Jessie? Or Tanner? Chris or Rico? They won’t be able to fight her off if they don’t see her coming. She’ll be an animal.”
He ground his teeth as Joe put his hand on top of his. “Is Michelle stronger than I am? Stronger than Joe?”
Pappas looked wary. “Why?”
“Because if we couldn’t do anything, then how can we expect her to?”
“Shit,” Carter breathed. “You can’t be thinking of—”
“No,” Pappas said bluntly. “She’s not. And if you tell her I said that, I’ll deny it until the day I die. But that’s not what this is about. This is a formality, nothing more. A courtesy to you. And if this Omega has deteriorated as much as you say she has, then it’s already too late.”
Ox nodded before he pushed himself up from the chair. “Gordo.”
“Dude,” Carter said, sounding alarmed. “Wait, Ox, hold on a minute, you can’t just—”
“Carter,” Joe said, and his brother fell silent.
Ox left the room. I did the only thing I could.
I followed him.
She was in one of the spare rooms at the top of the stairs. Kelly stood near the door, watching over his mother as she hummed quietly on the bed, the Omega in the corner, growling low in her throat. Her hair hung loosely around her face, and she was half-shifted, her eyes shining violet, her face covered in gray fur. Her right hand was a paw. Her left was still mostly human.
She saw Ox and her eyes widened. She opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was an animalistic grunt. Her eyes darted to me and narrowed to slits before she looked back to Ox.
“What’s going on?” Kelly asked nervously, picking up the waves of blue pouring off Ox. “What happened?”
He said, “Take your mother downstairs.”
“But—”
“Kelly.”
He nodded. Elizabeth didn’t fight him as he helped her up from the bed. She paused next to Ox, taking his face in her hands. “Is there no other way?”
He shook his head.
“The others. They….” She didn’t need to finish her question.