Blue Moon III: Call of the Alpha (21 page)

He has no clue that I’m not leaving this confused country until he’s under my arm and going home with me.
“You are more than capable. That’s why I’m concerned. You can’t think I’d want to be partnered with just anyone?”

“Whoa. What the fuck? Partners? Oh. You mean for this mission?”

“No,” Lion all but hissed. “I mean my partner. Mine. You are already mine.”

Omega looked like he was about to either curse up a storm or start fighting.

“Fuck you!” So it wasn’t the latter – this time. “I’m no one’s fuckin’ partner. No one does or will ever own me. I can’t believe you. I was starting to think we might can have a quickie before this is all over, but I’ll be damn if you’ll own me. You want to have a man or toy to play with at your disposal, then leave me the fuck out of it.”

Lion’s body moved like the tiger he was. Swift and too overpowering to counter. Using his vise-like hands, Lion grabbed Omega by the back of his neck, a hold no longer comforting or massaging. It was a move intended to discipline and to settle him. He wondered if it felt familiar to Omega, since his eyes widened and he’d yet to attack. Using his mass, he pushed Omega down to the ground, pinning him there with one large thigh squeezed between Omega’s legs and the other securing the irritated man’s hand after he yanked it down to his side.

Omega was a snake. His attacks came from his feet and hands. With three of the four quickly secured, Lion linked their two hands together. “At first, your westernized language and swearing were really getting to me, and I kept thinking, ‘How should I break him from this obnoxious habit?’” Lion’s mouth was snug up against his ear and he made sure his hot breath was all over Omega’s face before he continued. “But now that I think about it, partnered with your temper, you must be a real spitfire in bed.”

“I told you,” Omega grunted. He was completely immobile. He couldn’t even pull his fingers out of their joined hands. “I won’t dare partner with you. You’ve lost it, man. You think by defeating me that you’re winning me over, when in actuality you’re doing the opposite.”

“I’ve lost you, Erik?” Lion sounded like someone had gut punched him. A solid one at that. Enough to make him lose a bit of his strength. Omega had so much power; he just didn’t know it. He’d always have the ability to best Lion. All he had to do was keep pushing him away. The heavens forbid if he and Omega actually did partner together and then the cunning man broke his heart. It’d ruin him. He’d be finished.

“Not lost me. Lost it.” Omega uselessly tried to force his weight a different way.

“What ‘it’?” Lion was genuinely confused now.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Forget it. We’re too different, alright.”

Lion was up and off Omega before he even realized it. His big body stood towering over him while he lay flat against the cool earth. “Stand.” When he saw that Erik had listened, he knew he had to come clean. Unfortunately, they were out of time.

“Your brother came here to get you. He is and will always be loyal to you. I know Alpha – or should I say, my master told me what I needed to know – he originally came back to the United States to find you after you’d kidnapped Pierce, aka Backhander. In that search for you, he met and fell in love with his cherished – in a matter of minutes, according to him. So when the mission was complete, he stayed. There’s nothing wrong or disloyal about that.”

“That’s right. He came back for the commander. He relocated his entire world for that one man.” Omega sneered. “I was the one who was loyal. So I stayed. Then, before they could even solidify their partnering, that brute had taken my brother to some desolate wilderness where he’s barely able to contact me. I would never leave those who needed me. No matter how fuckin’ lonely I get or how….”

Omega’s words trailed off as if he realized he was revealing way too much while fuming and letting out his frustration. It was making so much more sense to Lion with every word Omega spoke. Lion approached him slowly, his thick, blond hair tied up tight at the base of his neck. The air cooled the hot skin there. Enough that by the time he was face-to-face with the beautiful killer, he’d dialed back his tone. “You don’t have to stay here for anyone but yourself. Or you can come home with me and be the man you were made to be. You and I will bring the rebels to justice, then we’ll continue further into the world, bringing the corrupt to their knees or burying them under our boots. We’ll fight until the fight has left us.” Lion abruptly gripped both Omega’s cheeks in his hands and slammed his mouth over his pursed lips. He forced his way in, but only gave Omega a small taste of his flavor before pulling back. “There’s too much fight left in me to quit now. But I can’t deny what I’m feeling for you. I can’t deny what I felt when my master sent me to connect with you. Something inside my stomach felt like this was so much bigger than I could imagine. And I was right.”

“You came here for one reason.” Omega hadn’t pulled away, but he still looked unconvinced.

“I came here for one reason, yes. But, since I heard your voice, the reason has increased.”

“Firuz. Don’t. I’m not that kind of man,” Omega whispered.

“You are my cherished, Omega.” Lion laid it out there. This was it. There was no time left for schmoozing.

“You’re asking for forever. You’re asking for love. How can I promise you a lifetime of something I’ve never felt for even a second for anyone?” Omega walked off, and Lion let him.

oMEGA

Omega was almost tempted to start jogging and speed up until he was in a full-on sprint, but realized that’d be a bad decision. Any other day a run would cleanse him, but doing it now would cause his muscles to tighten again. He still walked at a brisk pace. When he realized that Lion hadn’t followed him, he’d wanted to turn around and it pissed him off. He hated to want, hated to hope or dream.
Just turn around. Turn and run back into those strong arms.
Omega wanted to go back and rest his head against that solid chest while Lion worked every kink out of his body with his magical hands. Wanted to simply ask him… what he should do. Wanted to turn around and yell at him that he was a liar. If Lion really wanted him, why was he not coming after him? If you really wanted someone, you chased them and caught them.

Omega hated how much he was questioning himself. With Alpha, everything came so easy. The missions, the leading and instructing him, it was all effortless. That seemed a good solution. Let Alpha help him sort this mess in his head. He just needed to get to his brother. It almost felt like Lion had kept him isolated since he’d gotten there, that he and Alpha had barely been able to have words. He rounded the back of house, hoping to signal Alpha from his room’s window but he halted in his tracks when he looked up and saw his brother and Call holding one another tightly while they each fought for control of the other’s mouth. Alpha looked so entranced and in love, he had no clue they were even being watched. Or maybe he did and just didn’t give a damn because he had his cherished in his arms. Omega’s shoulders slumped, feeling thoroughly alone for the first time in years, and he sullenly walked back around to his own entrance. He had no one to confide in.  

“Another walk that starts with the two of you and another walk where you return solo.”

Omega huffed. It was all he could do. Goddamn Hawk. He was the first to admit he wasn’t the ex-SEAL’s best friend, but he didn’t necessarily hate the guy either. Hell, Omega had saved Hawk’s life – at Alpha’s command, of course. But that was a minute detail no one needed to know.

“A lesser man may start to question the validity of your player card.” Hawk laughed, walking out from the shadows of the large shed where he did his woodwork. 

“I’m not a player, shitdick. Don’t you have anything better to do than meddle?”

“You sound like my buddy, Shot.”

Omega stiffened, his eyes narrowing as his body instinctually wanted to coil into his fight stance.

“Oh, sorry. You don’t like my old comrade very much, huh?” Hawk was wiping his hands on a greasy, threadbare towel that had seen too many washings. “I understand that. I think it was Shot’s M14 that put that slug in your shoulder.”

“You know damn well it was.” What was Hawk playing at with him? Omega could be a dick, too. “Too bad he wasn’t good enough to kill me. Maybe they should’ve sent Marines after us instead of trusting the boat boys.”

Hawk’s eyes flashed a few dark colors before they blended together. His black pupil was outlined by a variety of reds and oranges. A military man in any branch was going to hate to hear they weren’t skilled enough to get the job done.

“Oh, he could’ve killed you, but he had orders and he followed them. The government wanted you and Alpha alive. Shot swore an oath to follow his orders without question. Something you know little about.” Hawk walked closer to him but Omega stood his ground. “A damn good sniper can hit his stationary target every time, but a moving one… it’s damn near impossible. Now imagine a target that moves like a serpent… how hard do you think it would be to hit him precisely where the bullet would go through clean and do the least damage?”

Damn
. He’d never thought that. Though Shot had hit him, trying to capture him, he’d did it where Omega would still have full mobility of his arm.

“Maybe they should’ve chose the Corps. A Marine definitely would’ve just fuckin’ killed you,” Hawk mocked. The seer being right, as usual.

Omega was receiving so much sensory input at once, it was confusing the hell out of him. He needed… no he wanted to fight. Now the man in front of him he could definitely beat. In the back of his mind, he knew what was right and what was wrong, but he couldn’t stop. His head and heart were pounding like a bass drum. His adrenaline was skyrocketing. He wanted to shut up and not insult the host of the house where he was staying, but he hated when Hawk looked down his superior nose at him. He wasn’t superior to him. Just because he was a damn freak of nature didn’t make him invincible. He needed to be knocked off his all-seeing soapbox.

“How do you even sleep in bed at night knowing that it was you and your team that allowed your precious Pierce to be taken? I never would’ve even taken that contract with the Russians if the Beastmasters’ names hadn’t come up.” Omega rubbed the fine hairs on his chin, looking like the cat that got the canary. “Or is that a secret you keep from your life partner? Maybe it’s high time he knew. I mean y’all are in love and shit, I’m sure he’ll feel just fine about it.”

Hawk’s cocky smirk fell.

Like I fuckin’ thought.
Everyone around him was talking about love, cherishing, and partners, but was Omega the only one who believed that that came with an uncompromising amount of trust? Here they were throwing their partners in his face, like they were so happy, like he was missing out on the greatest gift life had to offer. Like he could actually have that. None of them were real. He knew he sounded bitter, but fuck it. Damn this mission couldn’t come fast enough. He still shouldn’t disrespect the host, though. Omega was a guest. He was being a traitor to his customs.

The purpose of them being there was so much bigger than this puny shit he and Hawk were doing… penis measuring. The two of them just didn’t mesh well when together too long. About to open his mouth to call – at least – a temporary truce, Hawk was in his face, the SEAL’s eyes could only be described as blazing. He and Hawk where almost evenly matched in height and build. All strong, solid, lean muscle. Hawk didn’t look angry, he looked… victorious, Omega knew why after Hawk spoke in a timbre foreign even to him.

“I’ll tell you what. I’ll whisper that confession in my husband’s ear tonight when I’m pressed up against his warm body. Within my security, like he is. Every. Single. Night. Under my guidance and protection. I’m sure I’ll continue to sleep quite well.” Omega couldn’t stop his reaction. He needed guidance, whether he liked to admit it or not. Hawk’s pupils blew wide and the irises were flickering a deep gold that was bright enough to reflect off Omegas own gray ones. Hawk grinned slyly at him as he bore deeper into Omega’s eyes, like he was looking at a specific something.

Omega actually felt a spark of nervousness and it messed with his head. This didn’t happen to him. He was The Omega. Hawk cocked his head to one side, his eyes furrowing and he inched even closer, until there was only a kiss’ breath of distance between them. Omega couldn’t move, he wouldn’t move. Hawk’s voice was rough. “You want to wonder how my husband will feel, huh? I’ll help you out since you’re the only one here stag. While you’re out in the woods in the cold tonight seeking your own… god knows what it is you do out there in those damn woods so much, but hey, whatever it is, keep it to yourself. You came back tired as fuck the other day, or were carried back rather… whatever’s out there must be some good shit. I’m pretty sure it’s not Lion leaving your body so sore. It’s an odd puzzle to solve. But I’ll warn you, bestiality is a highly frowned upon crime to our local game warden.