Page 26 of Guarding the Runaway Omega

“Wait! No one shoot!” The newcomer yelled.

Hawk had almost reached Jasper’s side when the blond man shifted, pouncing on Hawk and knocking him to the ground. He had him pinned and Hawk growled and struggled, fighting with his wolf so he wouldn’t also shift. If he gave in to his wolf, there wouldn’t be any explaining—only jaws snapping and flesh tearing.

“I’m not trying to hurt anyone!” Hawk shouted. “My mate is dying, I need to take him to the healer!”

The man shifted back, breathless from the shift in quick succession. Hawk took the opportunity to push the guy off his body, given the man’s weaker state. As he leapt to his feet, all guns were trained on him and he jerked his hands in the air so no one would shoot. The blond rose more carefully.

“Hawk Ivanov?”

Hawk swallowed hard. “Yes, sir. Listen, I know you have no reason to believe me, but I swear I’m telling the truth. I don’t care what you do to me, just please take my mate to see Healer Asha. He was imprisoned by some rogue Yukon Deltas for months and experimented on, drugged. I’m afraid he’s dying.”

A wave of compassion filled the man’s eyes. “That’s why you went AWOL? Stole that car?”

Hawk nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t think I could trust anyone except Asha. My mate escaped the facility where he was being held, and the Delta wolves were coming after him. I didn’t have time to do anything else.”

The man sighed. “Okay. I’ll interrogate you more later. For now, let’s get your mate to Asha.

Hawk was overcome with relief. “Thank you, thank you so much. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

The man smirked. “Yeah, I’m guessing you will. My pack doesn’t mess around, especially after the fight with the Deltas last winter.”

Hawk’s jaw dropped. “Wait. Are you Nic? Nic Petrov?”

One of the men with a rifle trained on him yelled out, “Alpha Nic Petrov to you, wolf.”

Nic held up a hand to his cohort. “It’s all right, Jackson. We don’t have the full story of what’s going on yet.”

“Hey! Alpha, look!”

Hawk’s attention was grabbed by the soon-to-be-dead asshole who was peering through the passenger side window of Hawk’s truck. He surged forward, but Nic grabbed his arm in a steel grip.

His strength’s back. Damn.

Hawk gritted his teeth. “Don’t you fucking touch him, you piece of shit!”

“Fuck you!” The man yelled back. He turned his attention to Nic. “Alpha, it’s a trap! This shifter has the mark of a Delta on his arm, the pack’s tattoo.”

“Enough!” Nic barked out. “There’s more of us than them and we’re armed. Radio the perimeter and put every guard on alert, just in case.” Nic regarded Hawk. “I’m not going to have a problem with you, am I?”

Hawk shook his head vigorously. “I only care about the wellbeing of my mate. Like I said, it doesn’t matter what happens to me.”

Nic loosened his hold. “Then let’s get your mate to Asha.”

Chapter Ten

Hawk cradled a now-unconscious Jasper in his arms as he was led by gunpoint into Asha’s home, which to Hawk’s eyes, was little more than a cottage. He ducked his head to step through the threshold and the moment he locked eyes with the Alliance’s spirit guide and healer, a sense of calm filled him. The helplessness he’d been battling ever since Jasper’s spontaneous shift began to recede.

There’s hope.

She regarded the group of them with narrowed eyes. “Alpha Nic. I believe you’re aware of my stance on firearms?”

Nic cleared his throat and Hawk was struck by his nervousness in front of the elderly sage.

“I am, Healer. But there are some concerns over whether this is a trap put in motion by the rogue shifters from the Yukon Deltas.”

She waved her hand in a gesture of dismissal. “It isn’t. Tell your men to leave us.”

Nic turned to the visibly shocked men. “You heard the Healer. Back to your perimeter stations.”