I rolled off the Beta’s body and shook my wolf form, stretching out my limbs. I had aches here and there from the fight, though with all the fur, it was hard to tell the extent of my injuries. I’d taken the Beta’s claws and teeth a few times, but in my wolf form, the damage wouldn’t be as much, and a lot of it would be taken care of if I shifted to human form.

I didn’t shift immediately, though. I stood completely still, sensing out any other possible threats. This might not be the only Beta that made it out of the hall, and that Omega was lucky I happened to see him get run down or he would have died.

Right…the Omega.

I’d almost forgotten about him. I turned my head, and saw him kneeling on the ground with his head bowed, his whole body shaking. Shit. I couldn’t take my time at the moment, not with him there. I turned my head to the downed Beta, and after making sure he wouldn’t be getting up, I forced my body into a shift. I’d done it so many times it was as simple as breathing; one moment I was standing on four legs, and in the next, I was standing on two legs. The only regrettable thing was that I was naked, but for a shifter, it wasn’t so big a deal.

My human form didn’t have nearly as much damage as my wolf form had. There were a few scrapes and scratches here and there, but nothing that required medical attention. With the Beta incapacitated and no one else in the vicinity, I finally turned to the Omega. He hadn't moved his position.

He was probably scared shitless. At least, though, from where I stood, he looked like he was in one piece. I’d had my focus more on the wolf, but I did hear a loud sound and a yelp of pain.

“Hey,” I called softly, walking closer to him.

His whole body went tense, before he started shaking up again, even harder. It made me pause for a bit, then hurry over. I kneeled beside him, keeping one of my knees bent out of courtesy so he wouldn’t see me naked. I raised a hand out to him, wondering if I should smooth back his blond hair or rub his shaking shoulders. But I hesitated and decided not to touch him just yet. He didn’t need me to spook him again.

“Are you okay?” I asked gently. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

For a long moment, he didn’t speak or move, and I waited for him to get himself together. It must have been scary for him being so close to dying. I flattened my lips, thinking of how many wolf-shifters had already been taken down by those damn Betas. I was anxious to go back and check the damage, but I couldn’t leave the little guy alone here, either.

“Can you please let me know if you’re injured?” I asked, my patience running out. “If you’re not, then we should move.

“…I’m fine.”

His waive, when it came, was low and reluctant, hoarse and a bit shaky. But, at least he’d talked. Feeling encouraged, I placed my hand on his back and rubbed in slow, soothing circles. As an Alpha, it was instinct to comfort a distressed Omega. The scent coming off him was enough to make me restless, but I was used to Omegas, so it was simple enough to keep my cool.

Some comfort turned out to be all he needed. In a minute, his body had stopped shaking, and he let out a heavy sigh that left his shoulders slumped. Then, he looked up, and my breath caught.

Shit.

Even in the dark, he had these expressive deep blue eyes that I was tempted to fall into, and for a moment, they left me mesmerized. I came back to myself pretty quickly, though, clearing my throat.

“Do you think you can get up?”

He stared at me for a moment before he nodded.

I pulled my hand back, but held it close in case he needed help, and waited for him to try and stand. Sure enough, when he tried to stand, his legs trembled and he fell back on his knees. The shaking was a little more pronounced, and he let out a short laugh.

“Um, sorry,” he whispered, keeping his head down. “This is really humiliating. Can you give me a minute?”

“None of that. You went through an experience no one would want to ever happen to them. You’re not acting like yourself, take your time.” As much as I would have preferred he sped things up, it wouldn’t be very fair to him.

After a minute, he managed to collect himself. He tried to stand again, and I moved with him. He stumbled once he was on his feet, though, and I caught him by the tops of his arms, with his hands landing on my bare chest. He inhaled a sharp breath at the contact, and I stilled, ready to release him, but then he looked up. There was a blush rising on his cheeks, and I watched it with fascination. My mind was slow to return to the current objective, and I frowned at myself. The Omega seemed to misread me, because his cheeks darkened even further, the flush spreading down to his neck.

I wonder if it spreads down to his chest…I thought.

Then, shit, Max. Keep it together! This is not the time!

“Thank you,” the Omega said, then cleared his throat. “For saving me. I thought I was gone for a moment there. Oh, and my name is Evan. Nice to meet you.”

After his introduction, he ducked his head. Then he must have noticed I was naked and standing right in front of him. It might be completely dark in the woods, but shifters had good eye sight, even in the dark. He raised his head so he was facing my chest, and the corner of my lips tilted up in a small smile.

Now that he was standing up, I realized just how small he was. At six foot six, I was pretty tall. In our pack, only a few other shifters even came close to my height. The Omega, Evan, was about five foot seven, nearly a foot shorter than me. At this height, and standing so close, if I leaned in a little more, I could tuck the top of his head under my chin. He’d be just the right fit in my arms…and I pushed that thought aside before it could go too far.

“Oh,” I murmured, realizing I hadn't replied yet. “Uh, my name is—”

“I know who you are,” Evan said, cutting in, then his face, that had started returning to normal, flushed once more. “You’re an Alaskan shifter, right?” he continued, his voice low. “Your father is part of the Alaskan shifter’s council.”

I pursed my lips, wondering where he could possibly know me from. He didn’t look familiar, and even if I hadn't seen him in a while and he’d grown since I last saw him, if I got anywhere near him, I would have caught his scent. Even if I couldn’t recognize his face, I would definitely know his scent, but aside from realizing just how lovely it was, it wasn’t familiar.

“Well, then…it’s nice to meet you as well, Evan.”

He made a sound of acknowledgement but didn’t lift his head. He kept his body perfectly still, and I realized I still had my hands holding onto his arms, but I didn’t feel like pulling them away. Watching him, my smile grew a little bigger.

Evan was just lovely. The instant connection I felt between us was strange, but I loved it. And I loved how polite and shy Evan was acting. Most Omega’s would act the same in the presence of an Alpha, but maybe the ones in my pack were too used to me, because they tended to be a lot bolder, sometimes to the point of annoyance. Plus, Evan was unbelievably easy on the eyes.

I leaned in a little close, inhaling his scent and feeling warmth spread through my chest. None of the Omegas in my pack had ever made me feel this way just from scent alone. It was only a little regrettable, because I couldn’t believe I was meeting this gorgeous creature in such terrible circumstances.

He probably has family back there. I hung around the entrance so I didn’t see him, but if he’s out here alone…

Before I could ask him about his pack members, there was another huge crash from behind, in the direction of the gala building. I turned around, worried at how loud the sound was when we were so far away, even with enhanced hearing, and the screams that followed.

“Dammit,” I growled, releasing Evan and turning to go back.

Only, he stopped me with a hand on my arm, freezing me immediately. When I turned to face him, he was looking at me again, his eyes wide and panicked, fingers digging into my arm as if he was going to hold me down by force.

“Please stay,” he asked, his voice slightly high.

I grimaced. “Evan, there’s still trouble back there and I have to go and help.”

He shook his head rapidly, his body once again visibly shaking. I knew he was scared and he wouldn’t want to go with me. the distressed scent coming off him was making me anxious, but the problem behind us was much bigger than giving him peace of mind in that moment, no matter how badly I wanted to. I placed my hand over his where he was holding onto me, squeezing gently, but with some urgency.

“You don’t have to go back, Evan,” I said softly. “Just stay here and wait for me, okay? I’ll send someone to come get you, or come back for you myself depending on how things are. Is that okay?”

He shook his head again, and I could feel frustration start to build, but then he spoke.

“Please don’t leave me.”

The words were whispered, and his voice trembled. A shiver wracked through my body, my instincts telling me to just stay there and protect him. But I had to keep myself lucid! In that moment, Evan was out of danger, but there were plenty of other people that were not. I was the future leader of our pack after my father, I knew all about responsibility, and I couldn’t just ignore it because my instincts were telling me to.

“Look, Evan,” I said quickly, adding pressure on his hand. “I would love to stay here with you, but I need to go and see if the others need help right now. Hide somewhere, and I promise I’ll come back okay? With all the blood and my scent being so heavy here, no one should be able to find you if you hide well.”

A Beta ranked below both Alphas and Omegas in a number of ways. One of them, was their senses. While all wolf shifters had acute senses, Betas were a little worse than the rest, especially their sense of smell. For a Beta, it would be difficult not to scent out an Alpha because the scent would be too strong, but it would be just as difficult to scent out an Omega, especially with a heavy Alpha smell in the area.

Evan hesitated a bit, and I could see it in his eyes when he remembered this little detail. He bit down on his lip, his anxiety obvious. But he did as instructed, letting go of me, then looking around for a place to hide. I watched to see where he would be, though catching his scent now that I had it would be easy for me.

Once I was sure he was hidden properly, I turned and sprinted for the gala. If I hadn't seen that Beta running into the woods, I wouldn’t have left the gala hall at all, and I could feel my heart start to beat fast in growing anxiety.

When I got back, the mess was a lot bigger than what I’d left. Bodies were strewn around, both in human and in wolf form, and the scent of blood hung so heavy in the air I couldn’t tell who was what, but there were definitely Alphas, Omegas, and quite a few Betas. I wasn’t sure who was alive or who was dead, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to check. Most of the noise on this was coming from outside, and one side of the event room had even collapsed. It appeared that most of the fighting had either stopped or moved.

I wondered just what kind of force those Betas came with that could have caused this much damage, even with their surprise attack and larger numbers.

When I looked around a little more as the cloud of dust cleared, though, I felt some relief to note there were some people around, and they were alive, though quite a few were injured. I wasn’t the only one walking around in the nude, there were other Alphas sticking close to some Omegas huddled by the walls that must have shifted back from wolf form.

“Father?” I called out into the room, not expecting a response, but wanting one. “Alpha!”

I had to find him. When the whole thing went down, I’d stepped outside for a chat with some shifters I’d met on previous events. I caught a strange scent on the wind, but didn’t think much of it until we heard the crash of glass from inside the building. My parents and my pack mates were inside, so I’d immediately rushed in to see the growing chaos. I couldn’t find anyone familiar, and then I saw that Beta running out, and my body just moved on its own to follow.

Shit. While I didn’t regret saving Evan, I hated that I’d left my parents to fend for themselves. My elderly Alpha father and the Alpha of my pack had been inside, but I didn’t know in which side of the room. The scents around the hall were too mixed up so I couldn’t find him that way, and I walked further inside the ruined buildings to try and find him.

Even as my stomach turned, I looked at the bodies strewn on the floor, moving some that had fallen over each other or were lying on their fronts. Some of them were so disfigured I couldn’t recognize a face, but I knew my father’s build, and none of them were it. I even looked through the huddling groups, but couldn’t find him, or my Omega father who’d been with him and pack members.

My heart was a piece of ice in my chest as I looked over the rest of the room. I’d looked over every body and hadn't found them, which could only mean two things. My eyes drifted to the side of the room that had crushed down… either they were under the debris, or they were outside of the hall. I wished for the latter, even though I didn’t have much hope.

I stepped back outside, but the noise had died down there, too. There were some bodies around, but most of them were downed Betas, and none of them were the ones I was looking for. I wanted to follow the trail of shifters that had moved a distance away, but I was worried. What if I went and found them, and they weren’t okay?

“This is a mess,” I muttered, rubbing a hand down my forehead.

I would go after them. If the remaining Betas were on the run, then no one was in need of help at the moment. I turned back around to go and pick up my clothes. Then, I would go back for Evan so we could both start the search for our families.