Chapter Four
They snuck over to the house the Black Tails had their people in.
“Are you sure he’s not in Baelon’s cabin?” Hunter said in a harsh whisper.
“I’m sure, I saw the Black Tails leading him from the campsite. He’d definitely with them.”
“And we’re what? Going to sneak past them with our ninja skills to see him?”
“If they kept him locked in a cage all day do you think really think they’ve brought him inside to sleep?”
Seth had a point. But if not the house then where…
“The stables,” he said, pointing. His cousin nodded. “Let’s go.”
Hunter led the way, Seth on his heels. He poked his head through the door, looking around carefully. There was a single lamp lit in one corner, casting an eerie glow inside. They wouldn’t have left a light on unless someone was there.
“I’ll keep watch,” Seth said into his ear. “You go say hi.”
Hunter stealthily moved through the stables, checking each stall and finding them empty. He found who he was looking for in the second stall from the end, his chain tethered to the wall. The omega heard him, his eyes opening, watching Hunter uncertainly.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
“Um, hi.” Smooth Hunter, really smooth.
The omega laid his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.
“I’m from Moonrise Cove. We’re a pack east of here, on the coast.”
The omega did a good imitation of sleep but Hunter could see the pulse jumping in his neck. He was very aware Hunter was there alright.
“Look, I’m only here to get to know you, okay? For anyone else presented this evening, I could just walk up and say hello. But you’ve been behind bars all night. And now you’re chained in a stables-” And what was up with that, anyway? Since when did they treat fellow shifters no better than animals? “-so I guess you’re a bit of a captive audience, huh?” The joke fell flat.
The omega opened his eyes again, his gaze scathing. “Fuck off.”
The anger took Hunter by surprise but he managed to laugh it off, shaking his head. “I guess I deserved that. If you want me to go, I’ll go. I just thought-” What was he thinking? All he needed to know he already knew. This omega didn’t want to be there, didn’t want a mate, and that suited Hunter just fine. “-nothing. I thought nothing. Goodnight.”
He turned to leave, catching the omega’s shiver out of the corner of his eye. He had a quick look around for a blanket or something to cover him with but came up empty-handed.
Sighing, he pushed opened the door to the stall and stepped inside. That got a reaction from the omega, who pushed closer to the wall, drawing his knees up to his chest. There was a mix of fear and anger in the chained man’s eyes. Hunter guessed if he got close enough he’d be given a pretty sharp kick. He swiftly shirked off his jacket, realizing as he did that that was probably sending the wrong message. Sure enough, the omega’s eyes went wide with fear and he pushed back closer to the wall.
“It’s alright,” Hunter said, holding one hand up, palm out while he held out the jacket with the other. “I just thought you looked cold. I can’t believe they left you out here wearing that.” That being torn, faded jeans and a T-shirt that had seen better days. He was barefoot, too.
The omega was suspicious, but slowly inched forward and reached for the jacket, yanking it from his hands. He didn’t put it on but curled up tightly and covered his body with it like a blanket.
“I’m Hunter, by the way. I guess I’ll see you soon.”
Hunter turned and walked away, closing the stall door as he passed.
“Not if I see you first.”
The words carried across the quiet stable but when he turned back around, he found the omega feigning sleep again.
The jacket was heavy and warm. It smelled like the shifter who’d given it to him but the scent wasn’t unpleasant. Of course, it might piss off other shifters planning to claim him to find him covered in another alpha’s scent but hey, it wasn’t his fault they hadn’t bothered to make sure he was comfortable.
Still, he wasn’t sure about Hunter’s intentions. Other than the jacket, there was nothing about what Hunter had said that really fit with a Choosing. He hadn’t tried to impress Cade in any way by telling him about himself, about his pack. He hadn’t complimented Cade’s looks. He’d just done a very awkward introduction and kind of… given up. Whatever he was looking for, Cade didn’t think he was it.
He had just drifted off to sleep when he heard more noise; footsteps and a dragging sound. Uh-oh. That wasn’t good. He was torn between continuing to feign sleep and actually seeing the danger he sensed was coming for him.
In the end, he went with awake, setting the jacket aside and moving to a crouch. A tall, broad frame came into view, the man leaning over the closed stall door. It took Cade a moment to recognize the Red Fang alpha. The other sound he’d heard was a knife, which the shifter dragged along the top of the door, the metal glinting in the weak light.
“So this is where they’re hiding you.”
Cade swallowed and stayed quiet. As with most predators, it was safer not to move, not to draw attention.
“All the pretty people on show this evening and then there was you.” He smiled and Cade tried not to shudder. It wasn’t that the shifter wasn’t handsome, there was just something… off about him. Wrong on a level below skin deep.
“We would be so good for each other. I can give you everything you could want. My pack has more territory than the next biggest packs combined. My warriors are the fiercest. Money is no object. My mate will have the best of everything.” He smirked at Cade. “What? Nothing to say? Overwhelmed by my generous offer?”
“You don’t even know my name.”
The alpha waved that off. “What does it matter? I’m an alpha, you’re an omega. You have what I need.”
Cade feigned ignorance, watching the alpha with wide-eyes. Damn it, he knew. The alpha knew.
“Don’t worry about the Claiming. I have it in hand. There isn’t a wolf alive brave enough or strong enough to fight me. And as long as you give me what I need, you and I will get on just fine.”
Tapping the knife twice against the door, he twirled it in his fingers, turned, and walked away.
Cade listened to him leave, not relaxing until everything had gone quiet again. Only then did he sink back to the ground, reaching for the discarded jacket and tugging it back over him. He inhaled Hunter’s scent deeply, taking comfort from it. Which was weird, wasn’t it?
But that Red Fang alpha seemed fairly certain there wouldn’t be any challengers to his claim. Cade was equally as certain he didn’t want to be going home with him. Clearly, that alpha thought he knew something about omega and Cade had an idea what that was. What Cade needed was a challenger, a champion. Someone who could fight the Red Fang alpha, and win. He looked down at the jacket wrapped around him. It looked like Hunter would be his best choice. His only choice. He had two days to convince Hunter of that. He’d take awkward over crazy, any day.