Page 25 of Guarding the Runaway Omega

The air was sucked from Jasper’s lungs as he abruptly shifted back. His stomach clenched as if it had been grabbed in the fist of an ogre and he rolled to his side, vomiting on the dirt. From what seemed like a distant planet, Hawk’s voice drifted down to him.

“Baby, I’m here, we’re going to get you help.”

The ground fell away, and he realized he’d been lifted into Hawk’s arms. He tried to raise his arms to wrap them around Hawk’s neck, but they wouldn’t obey and went limp, hanging down uselessly as Hawk carried him.

“Hawk…” He barely had the strength to speak. “Am I dying?”

It wasn’t fair. He’d just found his mate and he still had to make sure Sascha was saved.

“Here you go.” Jasper was set down gently in the front seat, and as Hawk adjusted his body that felt like a bag of mush, he lowered the seat back so he could lie down. “Hold on, baby. We’re driving straight to Asha’s, you’ll be taken care of right away.”

“B-but…wait.” That wasn’t the plan. “They’ll catch us. You said we had to sneak in because everyone…” He could hardly catch his breath. “Everyone will be looking for you, don’t know who to trust…” The engine fired up and Jasper wasn’t sure Hawk had heard his feeble protests. “Hawk, don’t… Just leave me here while you sneak in.”

Hawk grasped his hand as the truck rolled away. “It doesn’t matter what happens to me. We have to get you to the healer immediately.”

Jasper tried to protest again but more pain shot through him leaving another bout of nausea in its wake. He managed not to barf, but he couldn’t guarantee it wasn’t still a possibility.

As they sped along, the SUV shaking and jerking, Jasper sent prayers to the gods in case he didn’t make it. Watch over Hawk, take care of Sacsha—help him get away.

When Jasper had seen his opportunity to run while the guards were fighting over something, there hadn’t been time to look for his friend. It had only been him, a couple other omegas and the two guards. When the two idiots had begun yelling and shoving each other back and forth, he’d noticed that they hadn’t closed the door to the separate facilities all the way. Without pausing to think, he’d grabbed a T-shirt, then jetted out the door.

Once he was outside, he’d made a beeline for the perimeter fence only fifty or so feet away. He’d always loved to climb and was agile. While his diminished strength had made the task difficult, he’d still managed to get over the eight-foot tall wooden barrier by using a stack of firewood to give him a boost. Then he’d jumped to the ground on the other side and rolled when he hit the pile of soggy leaves carpeting the forest floor, saving himself from a broken ankle or any other dire injuries.

His head lolled to the side as Hawk hit a pothole. It would really suck if he croaked after he’d already made it this far and they were only five minutes away from the healer. But if that was the case, he could at least make sure Hawk knew how he really felt.

Jasper took in as deep a breath as he could to get his words out. “I love you, Hawk.”

“Oh, baby.” Hawk’s voice hitched. “I love you, too.” He gave Jasper’s hand a soft squeeze. “But you need to save your strength, to hang on so we can say how much we love each other over and over for many years to come.”

“I’ll try.”

Jasper hoped he didn’t disappoint Hawk.

* * * *

Hawk had never been filled with so much terror in his life, hadn’t known such a level of fear existed.

He can’t die, can’t die, can’t die…

If Jasper didn’t make it, Hawk didn’t know what he’d do. His life would go back to being an empty, pointless existence—only this time—there would also be the agony of knowing what true happiness was, but knowing he could never have it again.

The edge of the small town that made up the Wolf Creek Pack was visible in the distance, the gas station/convenience store the typical gateway to an Alliance pack. The business served as a greeting to lost tourists or curious locals who would subsequently discover that no overnight lodgings existed at that location. Gas was provided to send them on their way, along with directions to a shifter-run campsite a few miles down the road as additional encouragement.

Hawk imagined that barreling into the station then demanding to know where the healer lived wasn’t the best low-profile move, but he didn’t have time to fuck around. Not when his mate’s life was on the line.

When he reached the business, he came to a screeching halt near the entrance to the store. Jasper’s moans increased and Hawk jumped from the SUV, not bothering to cut the engine or close the door behind him. He raced inside the station’s store, charging toward the startled man behind the counter.

“Where’s Healer Asha’s house? I have a sick shifter in my truck, he might be dying!”

The man’s eyes widened, and he pointed to the town’s interior. “She’s on the other side of town at the end of the main road, on the right. Small cabin, surrounded by boulders and trees.”

“Thanks.”

Hawk whirled around right as two vehicles, a flatbed truck and another SUV, pulled into the station then came to an abrupt halt, flanking Hawk’s truck. Two men from each vehicle jumped out, all of them carrying rifles.

Dammit.

The moment one of them approached the passenger side of Hawk’s truck, he let out a roar and burst out of the building, ignoring the guns trained on him. The next few moments went by in a haze as yet another SUV roared into the station, the armed men yelled at Hawk to halt and a muscular, white-haired man jumped from the new vehicle.