Page 34 of Guarding the Runaway Omega

He returned his attention to Nic. “Okay, if you lead me to the group of Guardians, I can show you who your best bets will be.” Hawk cleared his throat. “Will I be going in with you? In the first wave?”

Nic shook his head. “No, Hawk. I need you to trust me right now. I can’t risk your desire for revenge to jeopardize this operation.”

Hawk growled through his teeth, “But I promised I wouldn’t. I’m a good fighter, strong. Let me go with you!”

Nic laid a hand on his arm. “I know you’re a good fighter, that’s why I need you to trust my judgement. The second wave that goes in also needs to be strong. I want you to work alongside the Denali Junction’s Alpha when he and his fighters storm the fence where Jasper was said to have escaped from. The Artic Circle Pack will split up and support us from the front and back entrances, with all of you hitting your marks simultaneously—five minutes after the first wave has breached the prison.” Nic arched his eyebrows. “Got it?”

Hawk sucked in a deep breath. “Got it.”

Nic gave him a tight smile. “Good. I’m counting on you.”

“One more question. What’s your definition of only killing in self-defense?”

“Hawk, seriously.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Your team’s objective is to grab the omegas and bolt. If someone tries to rip your throat out or shoot you when you’re mid-rescue, then by all means, send them into the next life. However, if they’re running away from you, leave them the hell alone and stick to your assignment. There should be enough chaos distracting most of the guards from the first wave, that getting in and out quickly won’t be an issue. Are we clear?” Nic arched his eyebrows in emphasis.

“We’re clear.”

He wasn’t trying to piss off the Alpha of the pack he hoped he and Jasper would become members of, but every time he thought about what Jasper had been put through…

“Hawk, let’s go.”

He was torn from his murderous reverie by Nic’s urgent whisper, and he followed behind him in a crouch as they made their way to where the Guardians were gathered. Hawk wished they could raid the compound in shifted form, but according to their intel, the guards carried guns and, since the omegas couldn’t shift, almost no one utilized their wolf form. Of the half-dozen perimeter guards stationed in the woods that they’d already neutralized, four had immediately surrendered while the other two had been easily tackled.

Hawk wasn’t so sure things would go as easily once they were inside where the omegas were kept.

The light from the waning moon cast a filtered glow through the pines as he and Nic trod over the soggy detritus covering the forest floor. Thankfully, the rain that had plagued him and Jasper when they were on the run had passed by, so the weather was one less issue to contend with.

When they reached the large group of waiting Guardian fighters, Hawk’s eye was immediately drawn to Cameron. Their gazes met for a second before Cam looked down. A few heads turned their way and while some stares were ones of disdain, he was also greeted with a few tentative smiles.

He didn’t want to point so he jerked his chin in the direction of Cam and the Guardians standing with him.

“There. The tall, thinner guy with light brown hair? That’s Cameron. I literally trust him with my life. He covered for me when I abandoned my post with Jasper.”

Nic grunted. “That’s what I call a true friend.”

“Yeah, for real. I owe him a lot.” Hawk jerked his chin again. “Uh, and the blonde woman standing next to him is Tara. She’s fast as fuck, a dead shot and a helluva lot stronger than she looks. The rest of them are excellent fighters too, know how to work with a team. But if you’re looking for the top two to watch an Alpha’s back, then I’d pick Cam and Tara.”

“How’s Cam with weapons?”

Hawk shrugged. “All the Guardians are great with firearms. If nothing else, they have a top tier training center there.”

Nic checked his watch. “Okay, good. I’ll let the Alphas know then send out the alert so we can synchronize the attack.”

No radios would be used to communicate. In their case, an alert meant that some of their fighters in shifted form would run to the groups of Alliance members who were scattered throughout the area, then pass along Nic’s message.

“Follow me.” Nic headed toward a group of vehicles, most of them flatbed trucks, parked close together. “I’ll be introducing you to Brandon. He’s the Alpha for the Denali Junction Pack who you’ll be working with.” Nic glanced over his shoulder as he walked. “You’re going to make me proud tonight, right?”

Nic’s faith in him as a fellow Alpha validated him in a way he hadn’t realized he’d been missing. Sure, he wasn’t the Alpha of a pack, but Nic didn’t treat him as if he was any lesser.

I didn’t even get respect when everyone thought I was a beta.

“I won’t let you down, Nic. You have my word.”

* * * *

Hawk took slow, calming breaths, focusing his energy on the task at hand and the orders Brandon had given him. In less than a few minutes, the first wave of fighters would be unleashed on the compound. Then five minutes after that, they’d be rushing in as well. Brandon’s instructions echoed in his mind.

“You’ll be my eyes and ears, Hawk. Stay just to the rear and right of me, make sure I’m covered while I search for the cells where they’re keeping the omegas.”