Blue Moon III: Call of the Alpha (22 page)

“However, maybe if you kiss up to me enough, I’ll let you know if you’ll ever experience the kind of bliss in your future that I’m going to give my partner tonight while you play outside.” Hawk laughed and shrugged, turning to walk off, but not before one last shot. “Maybe you’ll find love with Lion, maybe you won’t.”

He actually laughed at me!
He’d never been so insulted. Truth was, Omega had no idea what Hawk saw in his eyes, but he didn’t care, the bastard had mentioned his Lion’s name and Omega saw red. His? He felt another overpowering urge to coil and strike. The man had the nerve to speak on his… on his… on his cherished. Omega’s chest felt like it was going to burst open and spew out all his fears, secrets, and desires. He wanted to blame Hawk. Like somehow the mysterious man was forcing all this to happen, as if tilting the Earth in another direction. Omega sensibly knew it was not the case, but he needed an explanation for what was happening in his mind, damnit.

Hawk had stood in his way, not the other way around. He’d honestly been minding his own very complicated and terrified business when the seer ambushed him. He hadn’t even come close to accepting Lion’s pseudo-proposal, not until he had time for meditation and thought. But that was all shot to shit now. He hadn’t even made it that far, but feeling what he was now, he wasn’t sure the meditation was needed anymore.

I have every right to attack now.
Omega was trying every rationale he could halfway make apply to the situation. Hawk had completely unnerved him and the prick knew it. Why else would he dare to get so close to Omega and not be shaking in fear for his life? Because the SEAL knew how to land blows harder than any actual punches. He’d used his sight and his words. Omega was fired up. Motherfucker. Hawk could see his future and was provoking him with it. Unforgivable. Omega dropped down to the lawn and its softness made his rapid turf kicks even easier. Hawk was faster than Omega would’ve thought.

Hawk jumped to avoid his kicks like he’d seen the attack coming, but he wasn’t able to stop Omega’s speared strike to the dead center of his chest, a strike that was accurate and strong enough to damage internal organs if he’d wanted to. The holler that Hawk released was euphoric to a man like Omega. That hit had to hurt and would leave a nice bruise… for his sweet husband to see.

Omega’s lip was turned up angrily and he came in again from down low. He was a snake; the lower he got to the Earth, the stronger he became. If he landed one of his swift kicks to Hawk’s kneecap, it’d never heal properly. The man already favored one side because he’d been shot in the back of his leg, which was a nice weakness Omega could exploit. He could drop low, throw his body into a spin, doing a one eighty, to unbalance his opponent. He executed the move perfectly, and no sooner had Hawk spun to keep up than Omega drew his boot back, the tip aimed dead center.

Omega didn’t even feel the sweep of his legs, didn’t understand what had happened. Lion was faster than both of them. Hawk looked just as confused and disoriented as he too dragged his body off the ground. Had he swept both their legs at the same time? Remarkable. Where had Lion come from? From which damn direction? The quiet, stalking grace was characteristic of the man’s fighting style and name.

It wasn’t until he heard a fierce growl that he felt Lion’s big hands restraining him. Omega was pushed back and Lion turned angrily, facing Hawk.

“Stay back. I won’t warn you again.” Lion towered over Hawk, his posture clearly indicating that he was the apex predator in the fight now.

Lion had somehow snuck up on him, he was usually good at watching his six, but he’d felt no threat. Omega continued to stare in amazement. Hawk’s eye’s blazed like the pit of hell. Flames of fury.

Lion

As if he’d been able to sense Omega, feel he was in trouble… or doing something seriously stupid, Lion picked up the pace. As soon as he jogged onto the lawn, he realized both of those assumptions were true. Hawk was actually fighting Omega. Lion yelled loud and charged. All he saw was his cherished, his partner, fighting without him or his permission.

It was wrong on so many levels he didn’t know where to start. How where they ever going to unite and achieve a common goal against the enemy when they were fighting each other, and where the fuck was Alpha, he wondered.

Omega’s breathing was erratic, which baffled Lion. What he’d seen of the fight so far was hardly a workout for him. While they’d been trading hits, neither was doing significant damage, but the more Omega sank into the comfort of his snake – letting it take hold – the more hurt would be inflicted.

Lion had pushed until Omega was pinned against the side of the house, he’d restrained both hands in a claw clutch hold that was impossible to get out of. Omega looked up at him, not with anger or rage, but with confusion and betrayal.

“Is this how you fight with your partner? I knew you saw me as weaker and not your equal. I don’t need your goddamn protection,” Omega snarled as he struggled in Lion’s strong hands.

Lion frowned down at him, his own chest rising and falling rapidly against Omega’s. Was he serious? “I’m not protecting you, stubborn cherished,” Lion growled and turned, piercing Hawk’s hot eyes with his own golden glare. “I was protecting the fool who dared to challenge you.”

By now, Alpha, Call, and Pierce were rounding the corner wearing concerned and slightly irritated expressions. Lion wasn’t troubled by them. He could hear Omega behind him, anxious, uncontrolled energy radiating off of him like steam from boiling water. It burned within Lion’s soul. His beloved was in need and he wasn’t providing for him. He didn’t deserve Omega if he couldn’t meet his most basic requirements. Guidance and structure. Lion needed to get this situation back under his control. He had to take back the reins or else this mission would defeat them before they even got a chance to fight it. He’d only taken one step forward when he felt Omega’s shaky hand pinch the fabric of his sleeve. Lion turned and saw the desperation, the plea that Omega was too proud to voice.

Instead, Lion placed his hands on the cool, hard brick, closing Omega off from the world. His thick biceps were like shields – like blinders on a racehorse – Omega couldn’t use his peripheral vision, he could only see what was directly in front of him. Perfect. “Look at me,” Lion demanded. His voice was quiet, but strong. “I won’t repeat myself.”

Omega’s frigid eyes were on him a split second later, and Lion could see as clear as day what the tense man caged in his arms wanted. Without taking his eyes off Omega, his deep voice carried across lawn. “Leave us. Now.” He heard the sound of footsteps retreating and the faint mumbling of Hawk’s annoyance, but neither fazed him.

Lion waited until he was sure no one was there. Hawk was a sneaky man, but Lion knew his MO. He wouldn’t leave Omega alone with the seer again. He was getting frustrated. He knew why Omega was behaving this way: his mind was fighting what his heart and soul needed, so he was projecting. However, he made no such assumptions for Hawk.

If Omega was being totally honest with himself for a change, he was glad Lion came when he did. As he got himself more and more worked up, he found he wasn’t able to stop or pull back. There was no one to tell him to stop. No one. And it frightened him to no end. Someone had been there his whole life to guide him. No matter how fierce he was on the battlefield, Omega always performed best under the leadership of his alpha. Gods… where was his alpha when needed one? Then he heard him. Then he felt him. Felt Lion’s commanding presence. Omega doubted that even Hawk saw him coming. 

“Look at me.”

Omega wanted to let Lion’s hair loose and cover his face with it. He was humiliated, ashamed of himself. He’d acted like an untrained animal and he’d no doubt embarrassed his brother.

“Focus on me, Erik,” Lion ordered.

Omega’s heart was beating so hard it hurt and his head felt like it’d been bashed in from the back. The pain was harsh, more excruciating than the torment he’d put his muscles through just a couple days ago. His mind was at war. He hadn’t felt this way since before he ran off on his own and got in a world of trouble. And not just the kind of trouble that got you a smack on the wrist, but the kind of trouble that got you on the FBI’s most wanted list and labeled an enemy of the country.

“Breathe.” Lion’s voice was soft now. Omega wasn’t sure how the man had gone from domineering to romantic in the blink of an eye, but he liked it. He inhaled a partial breath and let it out too fast, his head spun, making him grasp the side of his skull and wince.

“I got you,
sheereen
. Just focus on me.”

Omega had never been called sweetie – Lion used a Persian term of endearment – and he found he didn’t mind so much when it came from Lion’s soft lips. He stared at the gorgeous colors of Lion’s eyes and concentrated on just how many blends made up the stunning shade of gold. He had to focus on something or else he’d start to shake, his hands would tremble… there was only one thing, one person who could get him back under control. He breathed in again and this time it was closer to settling him, but not enough. He needed more.

“I know what you need, but I need you to trust me, please. We are out of time. The mission is doomed to fail if we can’t unite. I’ve meditated, prayed to the highest power. I know I’m on the right path. Are you?”

Omega’s skin felt pulled tight and adrenaline from the fight still coursed through his aching muscles, burning him from the inside out. He knew what he needed, too. “I don’t know if I can.”

“Yes you do. There isn’t anything you can’t do.”

He loved that Lion believed in him, he’d needed that too, needed to know that although Lion was the superior fighter, he still recognized just who Omega was. A warrior, superior to most. “How do I know you won’t…?”
Abandon and leave me like Alpha did.
Wow, he could barely think it, not to mention say it out loud. Already, he felt connected to Lion. It was their way, their tradition. He didn’t have to wait a standard amount of time before he could justify his feelings, or finally say, “I’m in love.” When you knew… you just knew. It was obvious now, from the way Lion had intervened – not to save him, Lion recognized his skills, that’s why he pushed Hawk back so hard. It was amazing to see Lion fight, Omega thought just maybe he could watch that the rest of his life. The same way Alpha’s black tiger gave him the chills when he used it, it also gave Omega the strength and confidence he needed. He loved to show off too, and his brother knew it and would let him shine also. It’s the way his brain was wired. He excelled in a partnership. No matter how hard he tried to deny himself, deny his instincts, he’d known Lion would become important to him. But never did he think this. His cherished. Meaning Lion would be all his forever. There was no going back. In the western world, it meant they couldn’t divorce. Omega thought about it – or tried hard to think in the moment, his thoughts were racing out of control – but he already knew deep down in his heart what he wanted. He just hadn’t tapped into those feelings before. Never had a need. He was a fighter, not a lover.
I could be both.