Rohan
Rohan slowed down so Briar could keep up, but the omega was impressively fast in wolf form, bounding ahead of him, even though he was surely sore from his first mating.
A thrill ran down Rohan’s spine at the memory. He couldn’t believe the Briar had begged—no, ordered Rohan to mate him. He certainly was a feisty little omega. Thankfully, he hadn’t been through his first heat yet, so there was no risk of him getting pregnant. Though Rohan couldn’t deny he liked the image of Briar swollen with his pups. But of course this wasn’t the time. It might take weeks for them to reach safe territory, and he couldn’t risk putting Briar into more danger by getting him pregnant.
He shook his head. What was he thinking?
Briar wouldn’t want to carry Rohan’s pups anyways. He’d asked to be mated to save his life. Rohan wasn’t going to kid himself into thinking Briar wanted to truly belong to Rohan.
And yet, Rohan couldn’t deny the deep connection he’d felt when he’d been inside of Briar’s tight little body.
Could it have been a soul bond forming? He growled at himself. None of these thoughts were appropriate. He was just supposed to save the omega, not fall in love with him.
‘Something wrong?’ Briar moved in closer to him.
‘Nothing.’ Rohan barked back. ‘Just hurry up.’
The air was heavy with the scent of alphas as they approached the river crossing that marked entry into Bloody Fang territory. Would the rest of the Bloody Fang wolves have been warned about the rogue alpha and omega coming through? Something told Rohan that the news would have spread fast.
Thank the moon Briar’s scent was masked for now, but that couldn’t last much longer. Rohan didn’t count on finding an opportunity to mate Briar again with the other alphas hot on their heals.
Shame.
‘What was that?’ Briar scented the air, and Rohan could sense his sudden fear.
‘Come on.’ Rohan urged. They were still being hunted. That was certain. How much longer could they keep running without stopping to eat or sleep?
Just ahead was the river, and beyond that, Bloody Fang territory. This was no time to slow down. Rohan plunged into the cold water, hearing Briar follow just behind him. The current was strong, and it took all Rohan’s strength to make it to the other side before he was swept too far down stream, deeper into the pack’s territory.
Briar emerged behind him, coughing and shivering. Rohan wished he could let the little omega rest, but instead, he began nipping at his heels, urging him on. A cold wind carried the scent of alphas, and Rohan knew the packs weren’t far behind. If they caught up, he’d be dead, and Briar would be… he didn’t want to think about that.
‘Hurry,’ he pressed, but he could tell something was wrong. The omega was still shivering, his pace slowing even with Rohan biting at his flanks to keep him moving.
Gray light peeked out from the trees on the horizon. Morning would be coming soon, and they’d been running all night. Omegas didn’t have an alpha’s stamina and Rohan was sure Briar couldn’t keep going for long.
‘We can rest soon.’ He nuzzled up close to Briar, feeling how hot he’d become. Something was definitely wrong with the omega. ‘Let’s stop here.’
Briar nodded, seeming all too ready to flop down into the earth. Rohan couldn’t help admiring his strength. He’d known alphas who wouldn’t have pushed themselves as hard as the little omega.
Of course, an alpha would never have as much to fear as Briar did.
He nuzzled in close to the shivering wolf, resting his head protectively on Briar’s neck. It was far from a safe place to rest, but he was afraid Briar might drop dead if he pushed him any harder. He wished he could let him go to sleep, but they had to keep moving. Just as he was urging Briar to his feet, he heard a low snarl behind him. Fuck. He’d been so distracted by the omega’s suffering that he’d let his guard down. He turned just in time to see the Bloody Fang alpha he’d fought in the arena emerging from the trees.
The wolf stepped forward, growling. ‘What do we have here?’