2. Enrique

Chapter 2

Enrique

I can feel the Omega's eyes on me from across the field, her dark orbs resembling a brand against my skin.

Stunning, I think, picturing her gaze with ease. Absolutely stunning .

And naked.

So fucking naked.

Gods, it took restraint to keep my focus on her face. It was so damn wrong. She was vulnerable. Clearly abused. A captive .

And without a doubt, the most beautiful Omega I've ever seen.

"I've given the others clearance to land," Ander is saying, his dominant aura ensuring all of us are listening. "Once we do, we'll load up the injured Omegas that require the most medical intervention and send them to Andorra Sector. Riley's already prepping for their arrival."

I nod. Riley's an Omega, and a doctor. I've only spent a few minutes with the little blue-haired spitfire, but she's a force of nature.

"What about those who don't require immediate medical attention?" Kaz asks, his dominance rivaling Ander's. They're both X-Clan Sector Alphas. However, Ander is the more experienced of the two.

While their domineering auras agitate my inner wolf, I wouldn't want to challenge either of them. Not because I fear them, necessarily. I just respect them too damn much to try to fight them.

Besides, I owe them both a debt of gratitude for allowing me to accompany them on this mission.

Not only did I have a past to face here in Bariloche Sector, but I had a brother to save.

A twin who's currently being detained on one of the jets, I think, wincing. At least he's alive .

Although, after seeing him in that cage an hour ago, I'm not quite sure Joseph wants to be alive.

"The X-Clan Omegas who can heal on their own don't need to go to Andorra Sector," Ander says, addressing Kaz's question regarding the healthier Omegas. "In fact, I would prefer them to go elsewhere. It'll make this less complicated. Can you take any in Winter Sector?"

"If they're willing, yes," Kaz replies.

Ander nods. "We can give them a choice—Andorra Sector, Winter Sector, or Norse Sector. Because they can't stay here."

"What about the Omegas who aren't X-Clan wolves?" I wonder out loud, glancing back at the group where I left my little Omega treasure.

"We'll need to reach out to some allies to provide them with options," Ander replies.

Kaz grunts. "Good luck finding a vampire ally."

I snort, agreeing with him.

Vampire Alphas are fucking terrifying.

"Too bad Kieran didn't stick around to help with that one," Kaz adds.

"Or anything else," Sven mutters as he joins our little circle. He looks nothing like his brother Ander. Sven is blond with light eyes, while Ander has dark hair and golden eyes. Sven also appears to be a bit less dominant than his older brother, yet no less intimidating.

Elias is the last one to round out our group, the five of us having led the attack against the former Alpha of Bariloche Sector.

Well, technically, we had help from a few V-Clan wolves.

But Kieran and his two Elites fucked off the moment they found what they wanted in Carlos's estate, leaving the rest of us to clean up the mess.

I suppose it's only fair. This is X-Clan territory, after all. And most of the Omegas in Carlos's dungeons were of X-Clan origin.

Including my little treasure , I think, looking at her once more.

This time I catch her staring at me, her almond-shaped eyes striking even from a distance.

Ander and Sven begin discussing flight logistics, talking about who will be going where, while I hold the pretty Omega's gaze. It takes her a few beats to lower her eyes, causing my wolf to stir inside me. We like strong Omegas, ones who are not afraid to challenge our authority.

Upon first meeting, I would say this one isn't the type to challenge me at all.

But now… now I'm not so sure.

"All right, that just leaves us with the uninjured, non-X-Clan Omegas," Ander says, drawing my focus back to him. Because now he's talking about my little treasure's group.

Although, she's an X-Clan Omega.

Which means he'll be offering her a pick of sectors.

I wonder where she'll prefer to go? I muse. Where is she even from?

Because she's not a Bariloche Sector Omega. I would recognize her if she were, since I grew up here.

"I'll start making calls, but I need some details, like names, how they ended up here, and if they have any preferences on where to go," Ander goes on. "Elias?"

"On it," the Andorra Sector's second-in-command drawls.

"I'll help," I offer, wanting something to do that doesn't involve thinking about my brother and his catatonic mate.

"You don't want to accompany your twin back to Andorra Sector?" Ander asks, arching a dark brow. "He'll be on the first flight out, which is leaving in ten minutes."

They knocked my brother out with some hefty tranquilizers after we found him in a rabid state inside his cell. Unfortunately, those drugs won't last long. And my brother needs immediate treatment.

Just like a handful of other Alphas who'd been imprisoned with my brother, and several badly injured Omegas—including my twin's mate, Savi.

Ander put the Alphas on one and the Omegas on the other, wisely keeping them separated in case any of the feral Alphas escaped their restraints.

I swallow. "Do you need me to go with my brother? Or could you use my help here?" I ask, holding Ander's gaze. "I owe you a debt for helping to clean up this mess. And it feels wrong to leave in the middle of the process, especially when my familiarity with Bariloche Sector might still prove useful. But if you need more muscle on the jet carrying my twin, that's where I'll go."

The Andorra Sector Alpha considers me for a long moment. "You're right. You're more valuable here. But I'll understand if you need to accompany your brother." He glances at Sven before returning his focus to me. "It's what I would be tempted to do in your situation."

I run my fingers through my hair, my gaze flicking around the field and all the various groups of Omegas. "There's not much I can do for my brother at the moment. We found him. Now he needs medical intervention."

Assuming that will even be able to help him.

His snarling face populates my mind, making me wince deep within.

Joseph didn't recognize me at all. Hell, I wasn't even sure he knew his own name anymore, let alone mine.

I shake my head, clearing it. "There's not much I can do for him on that jet other than knock him back out… which I really don't want to do."

Ander nods, understanding flashing in his golden eyes. "Then you'll help here. Besides, it'll be useful having another pilot on standby should we need one."

Elias claps his hand on my shoulder. "Let's start with Carlos's newest ‘shipment,'?" he says, referring to the last group we found in Carlos's underground bunkers. "They should be the easiest to question in terms of their history and how they arrived here. Then we'll work backward from there."

My gaze instantly goes to the little treasure wrapped up in a blanket. "Sounds good to me."

I let Elias take the lead, aware that the Omegas will be more comfortable with him due to his status as a mated Alpha.

Of course, being mated means little in Bariloche Sector, thanks to Carlos's former policies. He actively advocated the sharing of mated Omegas, primarily to punish the Alphas who claimed them.

The Alphas under his command, anyway.

Alphas like my brother.

The only way to break a bond between X-Clan mates was to kill the Alpha. Alas, the Omega often went insane as a result.

So Carlos chose to hold the Alphas in his dungeons while exploiting their Omega mates.

It was sick and twisted and fucking wrong. Being part of the team to take him down did little to assuage my guilt of my association with the bastard.

Most X-Clan sectors saw me as Bariloche Sector's second-in-command, similar to Elias being Ander's Second in Andorra Sector. It wasn't my real title, as Carlos refused to name a Second. He considered me a general.

Alas, that distinction wouldn't matter to most of my kind. The affiliation and notoriety was very much there, and absolutely tainted my identity in our world.

Word would soon spread of my involvement in today's events, how I helped two other Sector Alpha's take down Carlos.

I have no idea what that means for my reputation, or where I'll even be welcome to live.

As it stands right now, I have no home. Mainly because I just helped Ander and Elias burn it to the ground.

I fight the urge to shuffle my feet, instead choosing to listen as Elias introduces himself—and me—to the group of Omegas huddled with my little tesoro.

She's the only one without clothes, suggesting she was delivered to Carlos in that state.

"Can you share your name, please? As well as what sector you're from?" Elias continues, his voice gentle as he takes a knee before the four Omegas.

Rather than kneel or squat behind him, I go and sit next to the Omega I carried out of the bunker.

She glances at me but doesn't try to move away, just watches as I extend my legs and cross them at the ankles. Resting my palms behind me on the ground, I lean back and meet her curious stare.

She shivers, causing me to reach out and more firmly wrap the blanket around her svelte form. It's such a natural response, one I realize might be intrusive a second too late.

But she doesn't seem bothered by it. Actually, her lips tilt a little upward in response, suggesting the opposite.

When Elias is done with his questions, I'll find her something to wear. She has to be cold. It might be summer in this part of the world, but it's still chilly in the mountains.

"I'm Paige," a petite X-Clan Omega says, her eyes lowered in deference. "I'm from Cusco Sector."

"Guerún," the vampire beside her adds, her voice holding a tentative note to it. "?lva Nest." She doesn't look down like Paige does but instead stares at Elias cautiously, like she's waiting for him to comment further.

He simply nods and looks at the female with Nordic features. She's either an Ash wolf or an Ulv wolf, based on her scent. Her expression is borderline defiant as she introduces herself as "Hel."

"And where are you from, Hel?" Elias presses.

"That depends," she replies. "Why do you want to know?"

Elias considers her for a moment, his lips twitching despite her blatant rudeness.

Most Omegas bow to Alphas.

This one clearly does not.

Fortunately for her, Elias is pretty laid-back. I am, too.

If she attempts to speak to Ander or Kaz in this way, though, she will quickly be educated on X-Clan hierarchy and what it means to be an Omega in our world.

"We're trying to determine where you came from and where you would like to go from here," Elias informs her, his tone underlined with patience. "You're welcome to join us in Andorra Sector, but we can also take you home, if that's your preference."

Hel narrows her gaze, suspicion clear in her expression. "That sounds too good to be true. And in my experience, good doesn't really exist in this world."

Guerún nods in agreement, as does Paige.

But the Omega beside me stays quiet, her focus shifting from me to Elias.

"How did you end up here?" he asks, his attention on Hel. "Were you taken or traded?"

"Both," she growls. "Taken as an unwilling bride, then traded for a more submissive model." She folds her arms, her air of defiance returning with a vengeance. "Do you know Jarl?"

Elias frowns, glancing at me.

"I've never met anyone by that name," I tell him.

"Same," Elias says. "Who's Jarl?"

Hel stares at him for a long moment, evaluating him and then me. "He's a Balor wolf. From Wildborn Sector."

Elias's brow furrows even more.

But a bell goes off in my head, a face appearing in my memories. "Tall, crooked nose, pointy jaw, thinning blond hair? Smells like mold?"

Hel freezes, telling me I've not only described him appropriately, but she's not his biggest fan. "You do know him."

"I've seen him around here a few times," I admit. "But no, I don't know him. He's also dead. One of the many Alpha casualties sustained today during our raid." I shrug. "I hope he didn't mean much to you." Because I can't exactly apologize for the loss. He, like many of the others, deserved their fates today.

"He… he's dead?" she repeats, her bravado seeming to fail her. "Oh." Her brow crinkles. " Oh ."

"Raid?" Paige asks, her gaze finally lifting up from the ground. "W-what do you mean?"

"We've shut down Carlos's operations here," Elias tells her. "Now we have the very difficult task of returning you all to your homes, if that's where you want to go. So I'm going to ask again, where are you from? And if you don't want to share that, then where would you like to go?"

Hel and Paige look at each other, then Hel clears her throat.

"Savage Sector," she says. "My brother is Alpha Ragnar."

Elias's eyebrows lift a little in surprise, but he quickly masks it with a nod. "I don't know if we have open connections with him, but Ander has a contact in that region—Shadowland Sector—that he can lean on. We'll make it happen."

He looks at Paige. "I… I don't want to go back to Cusco Sector."

Not a surprising response. Cusco Sector isn't much better than Bariloche Sector.

"As I said, you're welcome in Andorra Sector. We also have Alphas in Norse Sector and Winter Sector who would be willing to take you in, if you prefer," Elias tells her before looking at Guerún.

She says nothing for a long moment, then quietly tells him, "There's no place that's safe for a Vampire Omega."

"Maybe Kieran can help with this one?" I suggest.

Elias grimaces but concedes with a muttered "Maybe."

V-Clan wolves are similar to vampires in that they need to drink blood and prefer the night. Vampire Omegas are also compatible with V-Clan Alphas. So there's that benefit as well.

But yeah, I very much understand Elias's reluctance to reach out to Kieran. The V-Clan Alphas are exceptionally powerful, almost frighteningly so.

"What about you?" Elias asks, his attention falling on my silent little treasure.

She's been quietly observing the whole conversation, her beautiful black eyes glittering with intelligence. When I found her in that cage, I mistook her for being meek. But she's not. She's calm, collected, and very aware.

"My name is Caja," she says. "I've always been destined for Bariloche Sector, so I'm not sure where else to go."

"What do you mean, you were always destined for Bariloche Sector?" I ask her before Elias has a chance to respond. This little treasure is mine , I think, my wolf growling inside me in agreement.

Elias isn't a threat.

I know that.

But I don't want him questioning this Omega.

She's mine to question. Mine to protect. Just… mine .

I don't care if we just met. Her scent calls to me. Her beauty. Her eyes .

Eyes that remind me of black fire as she gazes up at me now. "My Alpha always said I would end up here. That's been my primary purpose since birth—to be traded once I came of age."

My jaw clenches, the notion that this beautiful Omega was only worth her value as a Bariloche Sector trade grating on my nerves. "What sector is your Alpha from?" I ask, doing my best to soften my tone and swallow my mounting rage.

She starts to reply, then stops and asks, "Will I go back there?"

"No," I answer immediately. But I may visit and kill your Alpha , I think darkly.

"Oh. Then… then does it matter?"

"Yes," I say without hesitation. Because the more I'm thinking about it, the more I want to destroy whoever dared to trade away this gorgeous little treasure. "Who gave you to Carlos?"

Her full bottom lip disappears between her teeth as she considers how to reply. "Alpha Bautista."

My wolf snarls inside, echoing the fury simmering through my veins.

Because I was wrong.

This female is from Bariloche Sector.

Perhaps not from the central part of the territory, but the outskirt lands under Carlos's former protection.

Bautista is— was —a sadistic asshole who lived about a hundred miles from here in a run-down village where he managed distribution for Carlos's Omega slave trade.

If this female was one Bautista felt he could barter for himself, that meant she was his daughter.

Fuck .

"Bautista's dead," I tell her.

And I'm the one that put a bullet through his head.