“Our pancakes are best eaten hot, remember to re-heat them,” said the young woman behind the cashier.
“Thanks for the tip,” Joe answered.
Grabbing the brown paper bags, Joe walked of the diner, whistling a cheerful tune under his breath. Everyone in Ace Ville seemed friendly. This was a good place to raise kids.
Why that thought cropped up, Joe didn’t know. He looked at his bags/
Did he get enough?
He nearly bumped into a four wheel drive parked on the curb—a red Toyota Land Cruiser.
That wasn’t there when I crossed the street.
Instinct made him study the vehicle, which looked familiar. Seeing the Faith Spring license plates kick-started his heart.
Dropping breakfast, Joe raced inside the building. The ride up to West’s floor took longer than expected. The elevator doors barely opened and he rushed out.
The front door to West’s apartment was opened ajar. Kicking it, Joe scented the air.
He could still smell West’s lingering fear. There were droplets of blood on the floor. Seeing that fueled his hunger.
Whoever took West hid his tracks. Joe couldn’t identify the scent. Hearing a car engine outside, Joe ran to the window.
The same Toyota Land Cruiser he spotted earlier, disappeared down the street.
Double fuck.
He should have paid more attention, should have never left his mate alone.
How the hell did they find him so quickly?
No, of course Zack would zero in on him. Zack’s wolves probably tracked him from the start. They were simply waiting for the right moment to strike.
“You made a mistake, Alpha,” he muttered under his breath.
Fury swept through him, followed on the heels by a strange kind of calm. West’s kidnapper would probably be driving out of town by now. He wasn’t worried, because there was only one place to go.
Back home—except Faith Spring had never been his home.
Joe didn’t waste any time. Shutting West’s door behind him, he went back downstairs. No time to retrieve his paltry belongings back at the inn. Once in his car, Joe started for Faith Spring.
How ironic he only left that place a day ago.
Now he was driving back, maybe to certain death.
Well, his life hardly mattered. This was all his fault. Pure selfishness made him pursue West, despite knowing the consequences. He never expected Zack to act so soon.
Was Zack that threatened by his presence?
Whatever. Even if it killed him, he would retrieve his mate.
Joe thought of nothing but violence during the drive.
Last time, he had no reason to fight Zack. Now, he had everything to lose.
That was right. West was his everything.
The Omega showed him a glimpse of happiness, a piece of heaven. West reminded Joe there was more to life, that a guy like him was also capable of love. The least Joe could do was save West.
He’d die trying. At the very least, he could negotiate for West’s life with his.
Zack would be satisfied with that, right?
There was no need for Zack to destroy an innocent life.
* * *
The next time West woke up, all his limbs were bound. His head hurt. He tried lifting it, but it was no use.
A headache pounded at his temples. A piece of cloth had been stuffed into his mouth, silencing him.
Why the hell was it so bumpy?
His restrained body hit metal and what felt like rubber—a tire.
It took him a second to figure out where he was. The smell of gasoline filled his nostrils. When he turned his head, he saw the night sky.
What the hell?
He was in the back of some asshole’s truck, maybe the same asshole who beat him up and kidnapped him.
West didn’t need to be a genius to figure out what happened. Whoever took him must be after Joe. And Joe...he knew without a doubt the Alpha would come after him.
For once in his life, he thought of someone other than himself. No doubt his kidnapper was taking him back to Joe’s hometown as a hostage.
Joe mentioned little about the fight he lost, but West knew if Joe returned to his pack, they would tear him apart. He couldn’t have that.
Damn it. It was so unfair. Guys like Joe appeared once in a lifetime. Now, these assholes wanted to take West’s mate away from him?
Focus, West told himself.
He experimented with the bonds on his wrists, but the ropes were too tight. The same went for his ankles. He rolled to one side and tried to move.
Maybe he could roll out of here, but he wasn’t confident he’d survive. True, all shifters possessed regenerative abilities, but Omegas were nearly as weak as humans. He was no use to Joe dead or badly injured.
Exhausted by his useless efforts, West curled on his side. He was all too aware of the rope cutting into his skin. By now, they’d left marks.
This wasn’t exactly the kinky kind of situation he imagined participating in. He’d only allow a guy like Joe to tie him up.
He bit his lip. Now where did that thought come from?
West should get his mind out of the gutter and extract himself from this situation. Once Joe found him, his Alpha and he ought to have a sit-down and serious conversation about ex-pack mates kidnapping him.
West had a business to run. Being kidnapped completely ruined his daily routine.
The car stopped. West sniffed. The air tasted different here. They were no longer home. For all the prejudice he endured living in Ace Ville, it was still the place West grew up in and found himself.
Most importantly—it was where he found Joe. Or rather, Joe crashed into him.
He stilled, hearing the car door open. Somewhere nearby, he heard voices. His Omega wolf told him there were other werwolves nearby. A door opened and slammed shut.
His ears caught the sound of more footsteps and whispering voices, but West couldn’t make out the words.
Fear clenched at his heart. His kidnapper walked to where he was and regarded him. The asshole looked at West as if he was a inconvenience.
Another werewolf—similarly big, scarred and rough, eyed him critically.
“This is Joe’s Omega? The pup sure works fast. Beaten an inch of his life and the next thing he does is bang the nearest Omega?” the other werewolf asked, scratching at his chin.
If West had use of his mouth, he had plenty to say to these two arrogant assholes who spoke over him like he was some kind of mute pet or object.
It didn’t happen like that. True, Joe saw him and decided to claim him. But that wasn’t the whole story. There was romance. Joe ignited fire in his body.
Joe urged West to trust him. When West fell, Joe promised to catch him.
That meant something, right?
What if Joe ran?
Joe might be powerful enough, but he wouldn’t be able to take on his entire ex-pack. Any shifter who valued his hide would turn tail and run. Live to fight another day and consider West a loss.
Joe wouldn’t, West told himself. Joe told him to trust him.
So West would do just that.
“Seems like it. This Omega means a lot to Joe, especially if he didn’t flee Ace Ville immediately.” His kidnapper undid the truck’s tail gate and reached for him.
West made it his life’s mission to make the asshole’s job as hard as possible. He squirmed and dodged. Swearing under his breath, his kidnapper grabbed his ankle and yanked him forward.
“We can either do this hard or easy, Omega,” his kidnapper looked at him with hard eyes.
West stopped fighting.
Fight the battles he could win had been one of the lessons he learned early while growing up in his parents’ pack.
Admitting defeat didn’t make him weak. They’d underestimate him. Arrogant wolves always did. When these bastards let their guard down, West would make his move.
“The Omega knows his place at least,” said the kidnapper’s pal.
A third man joined them. West didn’t like this new guy’s jagged smile. This stranger looked at him the way most dominant wolves did once they learned West was unmated. Ripe for the taking.
“Let’s take this breeding bitch for a spin,” said the new guy.
The third man moved lightning-quick, grasping West’s belt buckle before he could react. His kidnapper growled, slapping the guy’s hand away.
“Don’t, Dave. We need the Omega whole. Once we execute the plan and Zack’s dead, you can do whatever the fuck you want with him.”
“I’ll take your word for that, Cam,” Dave said, patting West’s ankle.
A shiver crawled down his spine. He found Dave’s touch repulsive, unlike Joe’s.
When West kicked at him, Dave only laughed. “I fucking love putting feisty little bitches in their place. We’re going to have some fun, Omega.”
West tried to slow down his hammering heart. Dave finally walked away.
He had two names at least. Cam and Dave.
He wished he could have asked Joe more about his former pack members. Then again, he never expected something like this would happen—at least not this soon.
What were these guys planning?
West wished they left him out of their plans. Then again, if Joe and he were going to work, they’d need to face the music sooner or later.
Politics was the reason why he never wanted to join a pack a new pack, why he loved his adopted family to bits.
God. Would he ever see them again?
“That asshole only thinks of one thing,” murmured Cam’s companion.
“Taylor, put the Omega inside the cabin before one of Zack’s spies see him,” Cam ordered.
Cam sounded like the boss around here. Judging by his age and powerful aura, West had no trouble guessing this veteran werwolf had a high ranking position in the Faith Spring pack.
Still, Dave’s words shook him badly. If Joe didn’t arrive in time, Cam and his buddies would succeed. He’d be given to this Dave as a gift. Dave could do whatever he wanted.
West would rather die than be some asshole’s sex slave.
Panicking wouldn’t help him. Think. Assess. These assholes were plotting something. Did that mean they were only a small group and the rest of Joe’s former pack wasn’t with the plan?
One name kept cropping up.
Zack. West’s mind raced. He heard that name before.
The enforcer that beat Joe, wrestling the position of Alpha from Joe. Right after Joe’s father died, Joe mentioned things were a mess.
This Cam didn’t seem weak. Was he a former enforcer of Joe’s dad too? Were the Faith Spring dominant wolves fighting amongst themselves?
West’s train of thought broke when Taylor hefted him and tossed him over his shoulder like West was a bag of flour.
This time, West didn’t struggle. He bit at the wad of cloth in his mouth when Taylor patted his ass.
“Good boy. You should know your place,” Taylor told him. “Because once Cam becomes Alpha, you’ll be at his mercy. You’re going to be our new pack bitch so start playing nice to your new masters.”
Dread filled West. He refused to think about what Taylor said. Joe would come and save him...or die trying.
Fuck. This Cam was bad news if he wanted to be Alpha.
Taylor began to walk towards the cabin. He saw trees all around them and a dirt path, but nothing else. They were in the middle of nowhere.
West usually kept his cool in bad situations, but not this time. All his life, he’d been told horror tales of Omegas who’d been taken advantage of. Omegas who ended up being broken, taken, and reduced to mindless living dolls.
He told himself he’d never end up like one of those Omegas.
Now, he wasn’t so certain. If Joe died, part of West would die with his Alpha too. West wouldn’t survive the Faith Spring pack. He’d die fucked to death, bitter, mateless and heartbroken.
Shit. He shouldn’t think that far.
Think positive thoughts.
They entered the cabin. More voices permeated the space. West caught the the smell of alcohol, a whiff of cocaine and sex. Taylor stopped to chat, boasting to the other guys about Cam cementing his victory, that it would all be over soon.
His resolve and determination to stay strong unraveled a little more as some of werewolves there stopped, stood and looked at him the way Dave did.
Joe, where the fuck are you?