Page 43 of Ruined Omega

“What are Farlanders?” Hines asks, her voice trembling.

“They are bad Alphas,” I answer. “That’s all you need to know.”

“But Baen said there was an omega with them too…”

I look back to Baen. His instinctual reaction is the same as mine. His muscles are striated with tension. Veins are popping out along his arms and neck, and I can smell the adrenaline coursing through his system. He’s ready for a fight to the death.

“We can take them, Tal,” he says in a low growl. “There’s only six of them. Between you and me, we will make short work of them.”

It’s tempting. There is nothing I would like more than to kill some Farlanders. But I shake my head.

“It’s too risky,” I say in a low growl. “If we get into a fight, that will leave Hines unprotected. And it could be a trap.”

Baen’s disappointment is obvious, but he nods in agreement.

“What about the omega?” Hines whispers insistently. “Baen said something about an omega…”

Just then, a noise comes from beyond the rise ahead of us. A sharp yelp that slices the air like a knife. The sound is unmistakably female and unmistakably in peril. Even Hines hears it, and her body stiffens with tension.

“What was that?”

“Don’t worry about it,” I say. “We’re going to avoid this situation. We’re going to go around.” I turn my eyes toward the looming darkness in the east. “It will take longer, but if we hurry, we can still make it to shelter before the storm arrives.”

Another agonized yelp bursts in the distance, louder this time.

Hines shivers at the sound, but immediately her expression becomes firm with resolve.

“Someone is in trouble,” she says. “We have to help them.”

“No,” I hiss. “We’re not getting involved. Hines!”

But the defiant little female is already racing ahead, her small bare legs carrying her forward with a surprising swiftness.

Still, she is no match for my Alpha speed. I lunge forward and catch her arm, stopping her. Baen is there too, blocking her path.

“Tal is right,” he says. “We can’t get involved in this. We need to keep you safe.”

Hines’s eyes are moistening with tears. Her face reddens like she is going to cry.

“But someone is in trouble,” She insists.

Her courage is admirable. Her desire to help someone, and a total stranger at that, swells my heart with pride. It reminds me of two days before when I saw her help that poor homeless woman in the city.

I take a deep breath.

“Okay, I’m going to check it out,” I whisper to Hines. “But you stay put.” I turn to Baen. “Keep her here.”

He nods in agreement.

I stalk forward, moving cautiously up the slight incline. I concentrate on the flow of the wind over the hairs of my arms and legs. It’s blowing into me, which means I’m downwind. The Farlanders cannot smell me, but I can smell them. Their foul stench grows in intensity with each step I take.

But I have to be careful. The wind could shift without warning.

As I near the top of the ridge, I duck into a crouch. I lower myself further, until I’m lying prone on the wet road, partly concealed by a row of tufted weeds sprouting from the cracked pavement. I tease the weeds aside with my fingers and peer down into the shallow valley below.

What I see down there sends a rush of white hot anger coursing through my veins. I force myself to bite back the pissed-off growl welling in my chest.

It’s a group of Farlander Alphas. Six of them, just like Baen said. They are repulsive monstrosities, sick mockeries of Alphas, their faces gnarled and twisted by generations of inbreeding. Their naked bodies are filthy with mud and grime. Their lips curl back, baring rotting, broken teeth as they snarl and circle their prey.