Loving the Omega Read online

  They’d won the goddamn war.

  Why couldn’t that be enough?

  Why couldn’t sending the demon to hell be the end of it?

  Nothing in life was that easy. Oh goddess, how Ellie knew that. She had the scars and memories that said just that. Maddox held the scars and memories that were just that.

  As it was, Ellie knew Charlotte was somewhere around them, but she wasn’t sure exactly where. Engulfed in the Central scent, Ellie didn’t know what was going on and what would happen.

  They hadn’t picked up the Central scent on the den lines and inside their wards, meaning Charlotte must have felt…something…and come outside the wards. It was either that, or they had another traitor. In the past, the Redwoods had trusted the wrong wolves, wolves with dreams of higher powers and shifters far greater than themselves, leading to the deaths and pain of the Jamensons and other wolves. She didn’t want to think that there was another traitor out there that had been lying in wait for the perfect opportunity to attack again. The Centrals were supposed to be gone just like Caym. Though they hadn’t let all of their defenses fall, she thought they could have been safe from something like this for just a bit longer. At this point, Ellie wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

  All she knew was that her daughter had left the protection of the den for the unknown. Either someone had taken her—and that was looking less and less likely since they hadn’t felt the breach of the perimeter from an unknown force and Charlotte didn’t feel scared according to Maddox—or their daughter had left on her own accord.

  That sliced through her, leaving in its wake a bloody trail over her heart.

  She’d always known she wasn’t good enough for Charlotte—far from it. But she’d done her best to be a mother to the little girl who was of her blood. Charlotte had been born a Reyes, a bastard of Hector in the strictest sense, a by-blow in her own brother’s words. Ellie had never thought of her like that. No, Charlotte had always been an innocent.

  A child in need of a family.

  Ellie and Maddox fought to provide that.

  What if it wasn’t enough?

  Calling someone their daughter and doing their best by her didn’t make them parents. Just because she held Charlotte during her nightmares and sniffles, just because she tried her best at baking goodies and provided a warm roof over her head didn’t make Ellie a mother.

  Didn’t make Maddox a father.

  Or at least that’s what she felt some days. She knew that wasn’t true and was an insult to even think so, but sometimes she couldn’t help the shades of doubt.

  Though Maddox was more in tune with his role than Ellie. At least that’s what Ellie thought. Maddox had the best examples of parenting and family around him—even if he had to draw on his memories now that Edward and Pat were gone.

  Ellie had nothing.

  After all, no matter how strong the Jamenson blood ran through Maddox’s veins, Ellie held that of the Reyes. Maybe there wasn’t a way to overcome the environment in which she’d been raised. Her mother, though strong in some respects, had given up long before Hector killed her. In fact, most of the wolves around Ellie didn’t know the true story of her mother’s death…of her mother’s disappearance.

  Ellie herself didn’t know the truth. No one had told her and her vivid imagination was far worse than anything Hector could come up with. At least that’s what she prayed for to the moon goddess.

  Her mother had wanted release from the chains binding her to this earth and this pain so desperately, had craved it with every fiber of her being, that she’d left her daughters—and her son—behind.

  The same sadistic bastard who had tortured Ellie for years.

  Ellie’s twin had given up just as their mother had, the sweet release of death the only kiss of sweet freedom she’d ever feel. Though her sister fought until the end, Ellie had always known deep inside that Jessa would give up before taking every lash, every burn. Ellie had been the one to land the most punishments and had been the one who had become Corbin’s pet. Jessa had never been strong enough.

  And in the end, it showed.

  Ellie knew she would never be good enough. No matter how hard she fought, no matter how far she’d come since becoming a Redwood, she still wasn’t clean. No mating bond, no inner peace that came from leaving behind the old, would fix that.

  She was still a Reyes.

  The mating bond flared, almost knocking Ellie to her knees. Love, anger, and hope crashed into her, a strong beat of promise and transition.

  Maddox gripped her chin and forced her gaze to his. She loved his eyes, that Jamenson green she hoped that, one day, their babies would have. No, she couldn’t have his babies. What if she lost them too? What if they ran away from her because she wasn’t strong enough?

  Hell, who was this woman? She wasn’t this weak. She hated sounding like she wasn’t strong enough to hold a feather.

  “Stop it.”

  She blinked, confused. “Stop what?”

  “Stop doubting yourself. You are not a Reyes. You are a Jamenson. Fuck where you came from. Remember who you are now.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t read my thoughts. You don’t have that right. We promised we’d block all stray thoughts that we don’t control.”

  He kissed her then. Hard. A clash of teeth, a press of firm lips.

  Her wolf pushed at her, wanting more even as she pulled back to fight the scent that toyed with them, not knowing what it meant.

  “I might have promised, but that doesn’t mean I won’t use what I glean by accident. Stop worrying about what you’ve done wrong.”

  “You first.” She knew her mate better than she knew herself. There was no way he wasn’t feeling as if he’d failed somehow as well. She wasn’t alone. She knew that. And her brave mate was hers for a reason.

  And from the look of shame on his face, she knew she’d struck a chord.

  That above all else pushed her out of her funk. There was no way her sweet alpha of a mate could be at fault for this. And if she thought about it enough, she knew she wasn’t either. That didn’t mean she’d let go of all doubt though.

  “Charlotte first,” she whispered back, and he nodded.

  “Charlotte first. Then we work on those thoughts of yours, Ellie mine.”

  She pulled away slightly, needing space, even though she wasn’t far from him. No, she’d never be purposely far from him again. They were in each other’s minds for a reason. Their mating bond was stronger than others for a reason.

  They needed each other.

  Maddox gripped her hand, and she raised her chin, ready to go. Just as she took a step, the scent of the Centrals increased, and her wolf raged to the edge of control.

  A dark wolf with a white streak on his tail jumped out of the tree line, his hackles raised, but his fangs weren’t bared. It was as if he was protecting what was behind him, not attacking outright.

  The wolf lowered his head in submission, but that didn’t appease Ellie’s wolf, not when she couldn’t find her daughter. Ellie crouched low, ready to attack just in case. She could sense Logan and Maddox doing the same behind her.

  No one would separate her from Charlotte.

  Not again.

  “Where’s my daughter?” Ellie asked, her tone strong, surprisingly not shaky at all though her heart was in her throat.

  The wolf growled.

  Not the right response.

  Ellie bent further, ready to spring and pin the wolf and make him tell her where her daughter was. Maddox growled behind her.

  “Don’t kill him. Not yet.”

  Ellie growled back.

  “Mommy!”

  Charlotte’s voice pulled Ellie back from the edge, and she blinked at her daughter, unsure of what she was seeing.

  Charlotte stood between them and the wolf, her black hair wild in the breeze, her eyes glowing gold with her own little wolf.

  “Please don’t hurt them. They were family.”

  Ellie’s mouth pa
rted, her heart breaking inside, not knowing what she meant.

  Not knowing what this meant.

  What did all of this mean?

  ****

  Charlotte knew her mom and dad weren’t going to be happy. She’d known that since she’d first felt the other wolves from her old home.

  But that didn’t mean what she was doing was wrong.

  At least that’s what she hoped.

  She saw the pain in her mom’s eyes, the same sadness in her dad’s and she knew she’d messed up.

  Bad.

  “I’m sorry, Mommy.”

  She wasn’t used to calling Ellie and Maddox mom and dad every day, but she was getting there. Calling them mommy and daddy wasn’t something she did.

  But right then, she didn’t feel right. Her tummy hurt, and she wanted to make them feel better. She wanted her mommy and daddy. She didn’t want them as Maddox and Ellie. She didn’t want them to be angry at her.

  Her own little wolf felt all angsty and wanted to bow and show its belly. Maybe she wanted to turn and do that so her mom and dad wouldn’t feel so bad.

  She bit her lip, tears welling. She shouldn’t have left without saying anything. She shouldn’t have.

  And she told them so.

  “Charlotte, baby, come to me, please,” her mom said, her voice very calm, like when she didn’t want to scare her.

  Charlotte always knew when people were trying to scare her, so her mom’s voice made her feel warm inside.

  Safe maybe?

  “I’m sorry, Mommy,” she said again then ran to her mom. Strong arms wrapped around her, cocooning her. Her mom’s and dad’s scents surrounded her, making her wolf feel warm and happy.

  “Oh baby, tell me why.” Her mom’s voice cracked a bit, and her dad growled low beside her.

  “Explain yourself.”

  Charlotte froze then looked over at her dad. But her dad wasn’t facing her. No, he was facing Duncan, the wolf that had helped raise her.

  “Don’t hurt him, Daddy, please. That’s Duncan. He took care of me before the bad wolf took me.”

  Maddox turned sharply toward her, his eyes glowing that gold that told her that his wolf was close. Just like hers.

  “Talk to us, Charlotte. Please.”

  “Just don’t hurt him. Promise me.”

  Her dad sighed, and her mom’s arms tightened around her.

  “Okay, Charlotte. I promise.”

  Uncle Logan growled behind them, but he didn’t say anything. And she trusted her dad with everything she had, so she knew Duncan would be safe.

  “Duncan loved my mom. And then she died.”

  Duncan whined softly before starting to shift, and Charlotte closed her eyes, remembering the woman who had raised her. She shouldn’t have said it like that, but she didn’t know how to say it any other way.

  “Oh, baby,” Ellie whispered, and Charlotte leaned into her mom.

  Not having her first mom hurt, but she had her new mom and dad.

  Everything would be okay.

  It had to be.

  Chapter Five

  Maddox wanted to grab Ellie and Charlotte and run, leaving Logan to deal with the mess. He couldn’t, though, because sometimes being a dad meant being more than himself.

  The black wolf, Duncan as Charlotte had called him, stood up as he pulled on his pants. Pants that another female wolf handed him from behind a boulder. Now that Maddox was slightly calmer, he could scent four distinct other scents.

  Central scents.

  The Centrals he’d known long before Caym had come into the picture. In fact, he wasn’t sure he’d scented that smell since he’d been forced to go to the Central den when Ellie’s brother, Corbin, had scarred his face, thinking he was North.

  Connections.

  Paths.

  They all crossed one another with such frequency that Maddox wasn’t sure fate wasn’t asking for a kick in the nuts. Or maybe it was the other way around where fate was concerned.

  From the way Charlotte seemed to lean into Ellie but still want to care for this Duncan, Maddox had a feeling things weren’t what they seemed at first glance when it came to the Centrals. Really, though, nothing was ever as it seemed when it came to the rival Pack of wolves.

  What worried Maddox most, though, was that this Pack wasn’t supposed to be a Pack at all. No, it shouldn’t even exist at this point.

  “Ellie, take Charlotte back to the den,” he said, his voice as smooth as possible.

  “Please not yet, Dad.”

  Maddox barely resisted the urge to close his eyes at his daughter’s pleas. “Stay behind me, Ellie.”

  “I’m staying for only as long as I feel relative safety. Then we’re all leaving. The enforcers are here, and I can feel Kade coming. They can take care of it. It’s their jobs. We need to be selfish for once. We need to get our baby home.”

  “I know, Ellie mine. But these people…they’re something to her. We need to feel it out.”

  He heard her inward sigh and broke for her. “I know. I know. That doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

  His mate went behind him anyway, and he loved her all the more for it. Logan and Kade, who had come up when he and Ellie had been sending their thoughts to one another, flanked him, their chins held high.

  Duncan bared his throat, a clear sign of submission.

  “I mean you no harm. I mean the child no harm. She was Martha’s. I wouldn’t hurt her.”

  Martha.

  Maddox had never known Charlotte’s mother’s name. The little girl never spoke about her, even though they’d given the open space and comfort she’d needed to feel free in order to do so. She’d come into their lives on the wave of panic and torment, but they’d done all they could for her. Or at least he thought he had.

  They hadn’t known of this Duncan.

  What else hadn’t they known?

  What kind of parent did that make him?

  Yes, it made no sense. Charlotte hadn’t told him so he couldn’t have known. But the irrational father part of his brain wanted him to know everything. Even the things he could not possibly have known.

  Duncan looked toward Kade, the power radiating off their Alpha clear and vibrant. There was no missing who was the dominant wolf in this situation, even with Logan, another strong fighter on his other side.

  “You’re dangerously close to encroaching on Redwood Pack land.” Kade’s voice fell over them all like a curtain, the power beneath the words so potent that Maddox wanted to bare his throat just like the stranger in front of them.

  “We meant no harm.”

  “I’m Kade Jamenson, Alpha of the Redwood Pack. Who are you? We don’t take kindly to our children running away to wolves we don’t know. If that is indeed what happened. You didn’t break the wards. Our Enforcer is sure of that. So tell me, who are you?”

  “I’m Duncan Leeland. I’m a Central wolf.” The wolf raised his chin, though his eyes were still downcast, not able to meet Kade’s gaze. This one’s power wasn’t as strong as any of the Redwoods that had come into the clearing. That much was evident. But that didn’t mean they would take that for granted.

  “The Centrals are dead, yet you smell of them.”

  “The Centrals that stayed with Hector and the demon they summoned into our realm are dead. Those of us who broke off are in hiding.” Duncan met Kade’s gaze for a moment then lowered his lashes, the action shocking in its bravery.

  “How many more of you are there?” Maddox asked, unable to hold back his questions for Kade. Though the man was his brother and he’d roughhoused and played with him as a child, right then, he was his Alpha, not of his blood. Kade didn’t seem to mind though.

  Duncan shook his head. “I believe forty or so. We spread out as much as we could when we ran away.”

  “You still smell of the Centrals. How is that possible?” Ellie asked. Since they did smell of them, that meant they still had to have some connection to each other or the old Pack. But if they did, they should
have been tainted by the demon and even dead by his pulling of their souls for more power.

  “Martha and I always lived outside the den. We were Charlotte’s caregivers.” He looked at Charlotte and gave her a sad smile.

  Maddox’s wolf didn’t like that. No, he wanted to take his daughter and run. From the pain along the mating bond, he knew Ellie felt the same way.

  “Martha was her mother,” Duncan continued. “Hector…well, we all know how Hector was.” He winced as he said it, but Charlotte didn’t respond even though Maddox wanted to rip the dead Alpha’s throat out for everything that had happened. “Hector didn’t want Martha and Charlotte near the Pack or even inside the den near his other children. Corbin knew, of course, but you really couldn’t keep much from him because he’d throw a tantrum or go crazy if he scented something that should be his.”

  Ellie’s body thrummed behind him, and Maddox reached out, a soothing stroke down her arm.

  “Those outside the den weren’t affected by the taint then.” Maddox had known some of that at least. After all, Charlotte hadn’t been affected at all, even though she’d been a Central during the time when the other wolves had begun to rot. Ellie hadn’t had it either since she had left before the change had begun.

  Thank the goddess.

  “Thankfully,” Duncan answered, though Maddox hadn’t voiced his statement as a question. “I think the wards they worked so hard for and sacrificed their witches for shielded us. If I can be grateful for anything in this mess, it’s that.”

  “Why are you here? Why did you take the child?” Kade’s voice held no argument. Though Duncan scented like he was telling the truth, that didn’t mean he would be forgiven for the scare they’d just had.

  Charlotte had been missing for fifty-eight minutes.

  Fifty-eight long minutes.

  “We didn’t take her.”

  “They didn’t take me.”

  Charlotte and Duncan spoke at the same time, the desperation in his daughter’s voice breaking his heart. He’d promised he wouldn’t hurt Duncan, but he hadn’t promised that Kade or Logan wouldn’t. He’d been clear on that, even though Charlotte might not understand that.