Chapter 5

Brielle

As I bide my time in the cover of an Aspen tree, my mind drifted back to the release pit—the room the Council put the Omegas in when collaring us before the Hunt.

"Get off me!" I shouted.

I tried to yank my arm from Alister's iron grip, but he tightened his hold, his fingers digging painfully into my bicep. I was supposed to be receiving my heat suppressants, but instead, Alister and Frank had burst into my cell and escorted me into the hall.

"No can do, breeder," Alister mocked. "Looks like your time has finally run out."

Frank's laugh was a blade slicing at my taut nerves. Dread pooled in my stomach in the wake of Frank's glee. This wasn't going to be good.

I feigned confidence and asked, "Where are you taking me?"

They ignored my question and caged me between them as they marched down the hallway.

The medical wing came into view, and my stomach flipped.

I shouldn't be here.

Before every Hunt, the Council gave the Omega's heat suppressants to keep the males civil during the claiming. Since I'd spent the last few months at the facility, I was on regular suppressants.

This deviation from the usual course of action was alarming.

My wolf pressed against my skin, alert and ready.

The guards tugged me into the medical room where Councilman Raza waited, hands clasped behind his back. His smile chilled the room several degrees.

"Ms. Davis. So glad you could join us," he said.

He walked over to a small metal tray and picked up a syringe with a long, thin needle.

Ice raced down my spine.

My wolf begged me to fight, and I almost listened, but the memory of my father's voice drowned out my panic.

Control is the best weapon you can wield. Don't let your emotions cloud your thinking. The second you do, they've won.

Alister and Frank forced me onto the examination table, and I let them. Jaw tight, I watched as Councilman Raza slunk forward.

"Not going to ask me what this is?" Councilman Raza asked as he held up the syringe.

"Would it matter?"

A smirk curled his lips. "So pessimistic. I expected more excitement given how you're about to be claimed."

I frowned but bit back the questions that bubbled in the back of my throat.

Men like Councilman Raza loved to hear themselves talk. Stay quiet long enough, and he would tell me everything I needed to know.

His eyes lit with insidious fire. "I don't know how you managed to evade the units for as long as you did, but it won't happen again."

Alister's and Frank's arms banded around me. Councilman Raza tested the needle, squirting clear liquid out of the end.

Councilman Raza continued, "Normally, we require all official claiming to occur in front of a witness, but something tells me the unit who catches you won't be able to hold off."

My body jolted into action as his words crystalized and his plan became clear.

He was going to induce my heat.

My hips bucked, and I thrashed side to side as a strong hand pressed against my shoulder to still me.

"No. That's insane," I shouted. "They'll kill each other." Or me.

"There, there," he said, gripping my hip as he angled the syringe just above my pubic bone. "It will all be over soon, and when you're living your new life with your unit, heavy with your first child"—his eyes hardened—"you'll thank me."

He plunged the needle into my skin.

My breath caught in my throat as twigs snapped beneath me.

They were there, just below me.

A unit of males.

Fuck.

I wanted to wipe the moisture from my brow, but the fear of drawing their attention kept my arms at my sides. I tried to ignore the steadily rising temperature of my body. The collar around my neck rubbed uncomfortably against my throat.

I was running out of time.

Fuck, why couldn't I hear them?

A flush of heat made my pelvic muscles clench, alerting me to an even more pressing problem. The serum should have already worked its way through most of my body, and soon, every male in a twenty-mile radius would scent me—regardless of how much rabbit tobacco I rubbed on my skin.

The small, overlooked plant had a little-known side effect. When chewed and rubbed onto the skin, it masked one's scent as well as any made chemical.

When I first found it growing at the base of some aspens on the west side of the Hunt grounds, I knew my father was watching over me. It was one of the biggest reasons I'd evaded capture.

I had to move. The finish line was just ahead, and this was my last chance to—

White hot pain lanced through my skull, and I struggled to breathe for a few moments. My hand shot out to grip the tree trunk as my knees turned to jelly.

Sinking my teeth into my lip, I swallowed a cry of agony.

You can do this, Bri. Just put one foot in front of—

A noise distracted me, and the scent of mint, orange blossom, and spiced vanilla hit me as I spun around. To my dismay, a huge male had joined me.

"Smart. I never would have thought to look in the trees," he said as he leaned against the trunk.

He didn't fool me. The possessive way his hazel eyes scanned my body had me taking a step back.

I wrestled with the idiotic urge to freeze out of sheer panic. The ache between my legs began to pulse, and I flushed as the sweet smell of my slick perfumed the air.

The male's eyes darkened with desire.

Time to get the fuck out of here.

I took another step backward. He followed.

"Wait," he said, his voice like gravel. "Don't run."

I held his stare like a rabbit caught in the glare of a predator. My wolf pushed me to run while there was still space between us.

He moved to close the distance, and I leaped off the branch without thinking.

A growl erupted behind me.

I rolled when my feet hit the ground, ignoring the shivers prickling down my spine. The moment I came to a stop, I hopped up and ran around the trunk.

The thrill of being chased by a viral male stirred the Omega in me. My body responded, abdomen tingling and clenching, preparing me for an invasion I hated myself for wanting.

It's just your body responding. Once you make it out, none of this will matter.

I crashed headfirst into a wall of muscle, my body jerking back from the impact. This male was even taller than the last, and I quickly retreated, my heart thudding in my ears as he reached for me.

"You're okay," the male said. His voice was so steady I nearly leaned into him.

A horrifying wave of lust pulled a whimper from my wolf, but I bit down to keep it from escaping my throat. My chest twisted with an unfamiliar sensation, and my vision grew hazy.

Goddess, this heat was muddling my brain.

I lunged forward, and the sudden movement startled him, giving me the seconds I needed to duck beneath his long arms.

I sprinted away from him, but the sound of crunching twigs alerted me to their chase.

Stop. Let the males claim us, my wolf said.

I almost tripped at her rapid change of heart.

You've got to be kidding me.

They will take care of us, she urged.

Oh, fuck. You're serious. This is just the heat talking.

No, she purred. They're ours.

What in the ever-loving fuck?

I dismissed my wolf. Her common sense had left the building.

I heard shouting behind me, but I couldn't make out the words. The frantic pounding in my ears made me feel like I was underwater. My skin burned, and my muscles spasmed as need and lust battled with the promise of losing my only chance at freedom.

I had to escape if I wanted to find my sister.

A ledge appeared before me, and the faint sound of rushing water echoed from below.

I had one chance.

I brushed my fingers over the locket I had secured around my neck, taking strength from the memory of my sister.

"Stop," one of the males cried behind me.

I didn't listen.