5. Sebastian

Chapter 5

Sebastian

I glance in the rearview mirror at the omega in the backseat as we hit the road. Kinda hard to believe we've finally found him after hunting for so long. He's even cuter now that I've gotten to see him up close. My wolf is more excited than a pup at his first playdate.

Lucas keeps shuffling uncomfortably and looking out the window at the scenery as it rolls by. I can't tell if he's even paying attention to the omega that's sitting less than three feet away from him. Thankfully, the omega seems to be at least somewhat reasonable. He didn't try to put up a fight when he was clearly outmatched, didn't try to run as we were putting him in the car, and other than protesting the entire situation from time to time, he's been completely quiet.

I know the elders were concerned that we'd have to use force to bring him back. They were worried that he'd put up a fight and get injured in the process. They'd been very clear that we weren't to rough him up if we could help it, which had been kind of annoying given the shit this guy's been accused of. Until now, I'd been picturing myself punching him in the face as soon as we found him.

Omega or not, selling information about other wolves to human hunters is the lowest kind of behavior. A punch in the face would've been letting him off easy in my opinion. But he's been relatively calm, so there's no need to resort to violence.

"You're awfully quiet, Dodger," I remark as I look in the mirror again.

"Stop calling me that," he snaps.

"It's your name."

"It's not," he insists. "No matter how many times you say it, it's not gonna make it true. I literally left my pack like a week before you guys started following me."

"Let's say I believe you." I decide to humor him for a moment, mostly because I'm bored and this is gonna be a long drive. Gods only knows Lucas isn't much for conversation. "Let's say you really aren't Dodger. Why on earth would an omega ever leave his pack? It's unheard of."

"Yeah, well, you're wrong. It's not."

"It is."

He pouts quietly for a moment and exhales heavily. "I left because...in my pack we have one leader. My father, and the eldest child always inherits the title. I'm the eldest, but I'm also an omega. If I'd inherited, it would've made my pack look weak to the neighboring packs. We've had territory disputes with some of them for generations, and any sign of weakness would be like the scent of blood to them.

"My little brother just came of age. He's an alpha, he's strong, charismatic, and everyone likes him. He'd be a perfect leader. He'd make our pack strong and safe. So, I left so he could take over. My parents would never have given him the title otherwise, and everyone in the pack always said that they believed I could lead them just as well as my father. But it doesn't matter what they believe. It's about how things look to the outside. So, I left."

I frown, considering his words. There's something about his story that I can't help but believe. Maybe it's the sincerity in his voice, or maybe it's the way he keeps meeting my gaze in the rearview mirror. Whatever it is, he seems earnest.

"So…you said your name's Oliver?" I ask, deciding to follow the conversation a bit further. Like I said, I'm bored. I hate long drives, and there've been too many of them on this long-ass road trip.

"That's right." He nods.

"Well, Oliver, my name's Sebastian. That's Lucas. The leader of this little band of merry men is Roman, and the other guy is Theo."

"Why are you telling him our names?" Lucas frowns at me, speaking with an annoyed tone. "We're bringing him back for trial, not making friends with him."

"Hey, I've been stuck driving for hours every day for the last week. I'm fucking exhausted, and this guy is the first interesting thing that's happened in days. So, sorry if I'm trying to make the drive a little more bearable."

Oliver smiles a little at that. "I get it," he says. "I've been driving all the time too. It's kind of nice to have someone to talk to, even if I'm being kidnapped."

I laugh and nod. "Kidnapped sounds a little extreme. We're just bringing you home."

"To your home," he corrects. "It's not mine. It never has been. I don't know what you think I did to deserve to be hunted and brought back for trial, but I guarantee it wasn't me."

I don't know how to respond to that at first. We drive in silence for a few more miles as I mull things over in my head. Finally, I glance in the mirror again and decide to try to get the whole story from him.

"Look, maybe you really aren't Dodger," I admit, "but we're here on a mission from our pack elders. They gave us a photo that looks a helluva lot like you and told us you were a lone omega on the run for selling information to hunters. We were to bring you back for judgment as soon as possible."

Oliver raises an eyebrow but doesn't speak.

"This Dodger was a newcomer to our pack. He'd only been with us for a few months, and no one knew him really well. After he ran, we found that his room had been completely doused in some sort of chemical so we couldn't pick up his scent properly. We've had to rely on a visual description only."

"Oh..." Oliver frowns and looks out the window. "So I guess that explains how you could've made a mistake. If he was basically a stranger and you had no scent to follow."

"I guess." I nod slowly. "But then there's the other problem. We can't just believe what you're saying either. Because if you are Dodger, then why wouldn't you lie about who you are and try to get out of it by relying on the fact that we only had a description and a blurry photo."

Oliver scowls at that and doesn't respond.

"Why do you keep telling him all this stuff?" Lucas says, even more annoyed. He's been sulking ever since Roman chewed him out last night, and that's clearly made him even more annoying to get along with than usual.

"He might be telling the truth, okay?" I snap. "He might actually not be Dodger. And if that's the case, we'll need to figure out what to do."

"He's not telling the truth," Lucas argues. "The one thing I did right this whole damn mission was accidentally lead us to the hotel where we found the omega we'd been hunting all this time. That's literally all I've got going for me right now, and if my dad finds out that even that was a complete fuck-up and this guy isn't who we're after, I'm done for."

I shake my head. Lucas's father is one of the elders, a stern alpha with a reputation for being very strict, especially with his son. His father's constant disappointment in him is something that Lucas has been struggling with ever since we were all pups, and to this day I feel a little sorry for all the pressure he's under.

I'm sure Lucas has a point, but I don't really see the harm in humoring Oliver a bit. Even if he is Dodger, he hasn't been violent or aggressive. We're all just talking, and it's making the drive way more interesting.

I turn to Lucas. "Look, whatever happens, the elders will sort it out. They know the guy we're after better than we do. They had to interview him extensively before they let him join us. So they'll be able to tell us for sure, one way or another."

Lucas frowns but doesn't argue. He goes back to staring out the window as Oliver and I talk.

"So, what's the plan anyway?" Oliver asks. "How long is this trip gonna take?"

"We're headed home," I tell him. "Back to Mill Creek. Now that we're not trying to track you all over the place, it should only take us about twelve hours to get there. That's provided nothing comes up along the way."

"Okay." Oliver is quiet as he nods.

"Are you going to cooperate?"

"What's the alternative?"

"I mean, there isn't one. I guess." I shrug. "I guess I could put you in the trunk if you decided to try to run. But it would probably be easier on everyone if you just behaved."

He goes silent for a few miles before speaking up again. "So what'll happen if the elders look at me and confirm that I'm not the omega you were looking for?"

"Honestly, I have no idea," I reply. "I doubt they'll be happy. They sent us on a mission, and it would reflect poorly on them if we come back without the right guy. But as far as you're concerned, you'll probably be free to go. I'm sure there'll be profuse apologies all around."

Oliver sighs then settles back in his seat. He seems to have lost the desire to talk, and he's just staring out the window in complete silence.

Guess this drive is going to be boring after all.