Blue Moon III: Call of the Alpha (8 page)

“That’s him, huh?” Lion said, just loud enough for them to hear. It was an observation, Lion wasn’t expecting an answer. They were still a good hundred yards away. “From everything I heard, I expected more. Bigger.”

“He can read your lips.” Call smirked.

When they were in earshot, Hawk leaned on the rail watching them. A large hawk called out in the sky and swooped over their heads before gliding up into the air gracefully and landing right next to Hawk. He watched his good friend stroke the muscular raptor’s breast before turning and going back inside. By the time they reached the front door, Hawk was there. His dirty-blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail. He wore an oversized pair of sweats and a white t-shirt. Call stood in front of Hawk and embraced him.

“What took you so long?” Hawk asked, a sly smile on his ruggedly handsome face. His buddy didn’t look a day older, despite the few strands of gray in his beard. He still looked like a badass, experienced soldier.

“When did you see us?” Call asked curiously.

“Two months ago.” Hawk turned and went inside. His visions didn’t have a time stamp. Call had learned that from the many years of fighting side-by-side with the man. After all this time, Hawk still blew his mind.
Two months ago
. He and Alpha had been living peacefully, completely oblivious until a few days ago. But Hawk had this vision of the four of them coming to his doorstep weeks ago. Unbelievable.

Call was almost completely through the vast foyer before he noticed that Alpha, Omega, and Lion were still standing at Hawk’s doorstep. Hawk stopped and turned to face them. “Seriously? Are you assassins or vampires? If your face didn’t meet the reinforced steel of my front door, then the invite in is implied. Get your asses in here.”

Call snorted. Oh how he missed his guys.

Alpha entered first, followed closely by Lion, and then Omega finally entered. Everything they did was done with formality, even the removal of their footwear. It was no shock that Alpha was in front and Omega last. The A and the Z. The beginning and the end.

“Hawk. It just
hasn’t
been long enough. How have you been?” Omega grinned. “And that petite beauty of yours. Is he doing well these days?”

Hawk spun and faced Omega. The golden flecks in his eyes shimmered so brightly it looked like flames ignited and burned behind his irises.

“Shit. That’s new. When did that start?” Call asked, the awe clear in his voice as he stared intently into Hawk’s eyes while his friend kept his anger directed at Omega.

“Two months ago. When he first saw you coming.” Everyone turned and looked up at the top level of the three-story home. Pierce answered Call’s question while leaning on the solid oak banister. Call had to admit that Pierce and Hawk wore domestic bliss well. Pierce’s skin was smooth and radiant. His eyes, bluer than the Carolina sky, shone adorningly as he watched Hawk on his descent. “Hello, John.”

“Pierce, it’s really good to see you.” Call gave him a crooked smile and opened his arms for the smaller man and let him embrace him in a brotherly hug. In the past, while in the field, he and the strategic genius had their share of procedural differences when Call allowed his team of SEALs to back up Pierce’s top-secret missions. But when it was all said and done, they’d both had a newfound respect for each other. Coming eye to eye with death would make that happen. While Pierce had never served with Call in the military, he was still a brother to all of them. When Pierce stepped back, his eyes darted over his shoulder, his gumball-sized Adam’s apple dipped theatrically before he spoke again. His twitching eyes contradicted his smooth tone when he addressed Call’s company.

“Gentlemen. Welcome to our home. I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of meeting you before.” Pierce was looking at Lion.

“Greetings, Backhander,” they said in almost complete unison.

Before Pierce could extend his hand to Lion, Hawk was there pulling him back behind him. Lion removed his hood and let it rest on the back of his neck. Not a string of his luxurious mane was out of place. Both Hawk and Pierce’s eyes enlarged at Lion’s appearance. Think Thor, but with prettier hair. 

“You’re awfully big to be Persian,” Pierce commented. “Not trying to be rude, but you
are
an assassin of the same Order as Alpha and Omega, yes?”

Lion got a quick nod of approval from Alpha before he stepped a couple feet in front of him. He carefully reached inside his jet-black cloak and pulled out a small, tan leather satchel. Inside was a piece of material wrapped in a sheer mesh cloth. Lion stood in front of Pierce and extended the gift in both hands, his eyes downcast to show humbleness, but his posture was rigidly straight, that used when in the company of a master. His English was immaculate, and though his accent couldn’t conceal his Romanian heritage, he practiced Iranian culture. It was interesting he recognized Hawk as the dominant and head of household in their westernized relationship and so approached Pierce as the host. Lion was certainly a paradox. “It’s customary
Taarof
, our culture of politeness and humility to a host, to bring a gift. Inside is a vintage Persian scarf handcrafted by a matriarch in my village of Isfahan. You won’t find a better quality nor a duplicate.”

Pierce smiled brightly. “I accept your gift. Thank you.”

“Alright, alright, I guess none of us got what we expected. He thought I was bigger, I thought he didn’t exist.” Hawk waved in Lion’s direction. “Enough formal stuff. Come on in to the great room and we can talk business, since this is hardly a social visit.”

“It’s sort of social.” Call smirked, slapping Hawk on his muscular back.

“Then next time leave the highly trained killers at your place and bring a pack of Omaha steaks instead.”

“You got it, old friend.” Call laughed.

“I’m slightly offended,” Omega snorted, sitting next to his brother on the large micro suede sectional.

Omega

The heavens knew that he’d done his fair share of underhanded scheming in his life. Not only as a rebellious teen, while they groomed him to be an invisible bringer of justice, but as an adult warrior. He fought and killed in the name of Imuma Aga Kahn. Not for a king or a commander-in-chief, but for their Order, their country. Looking back on his life, he never thought he’d end up where he was. Not in a million lifetimes.

There were so many things Omega couldn’t stomach about living in a country everyone called the “free world” but was, in his opinion, riddled with countless laws that restricted man’s every move. Omega could barely teach a man a proper lesson about respect without that man claiming assault and battery. He needed to go home. Back to Iran, back to his upbringing and culture.

Seeing the beautiful and skilled Lion here, speaking in his strong accent, practicing their customs, it made a place inside of him ache. Made his pulse quicken with the urge for change and a contradictory need to stay the same. He closed his eyes and breathed in deep, drowning out the deep voices of the important men around him, and dared to imagine a better life for himself. He pictured the deeply rooted history in so many of the buildings in Persepolis, the immaculate landscapes of the Eram Gardens, the most vast architecture – one that he’d never seen duplicated, and oh the smells and comradery of the village market, where he ran free as a boy, using his lighting quick speed to steal kiwis from some of the younger mens’ stands. His laughter being the only thing he left behind.

He missed it dearly, but he’d miss his brother more if he left this country. While he didn’t live within walking distance of his brother, they were very close. Alpha had already been a young fierce leader when Omega was rescued from an abandoned building at the age of nine. All of them were groomed to tell the same story, that they were born and raised in the Order. Trained from birth. But that was a front. None of them were born in the Order, because there were no women allowed to socialize with the Elders or masters. Women cared for the young ones within the community but were still considered subservient and not allowed behind their secretive walls.

“Can I speak to you outside?” Lion asked him in their native tongue.

Omega’s eyes flew open. Lion was close to him, his voice rough and smooth at the same time, catapulting him out of his reminiscing. He looked around. Where’d everyone go? It wasn’t like him to space out or let his guard down so wholly that things happened around him and he was oblivious. Had he been that deep in thought?
Fuck
. He didn’t even hear what that cocky all-seeing asshole Hawk had to say about their upcoming mission. Was he in or out? Personally, Omega felt they didn’t need any of them. He and Alpha were more than capable of going in and filtering out the traitors and punishing them accordingly. But Alpha was with Call, and Call was with his team. He had no choice. He surely couldn’t override Alpha’s decisions. “Why?” He finally responded to Lion’s request.

“I thought we could speak as confidants and I’ve just always felt more comfortable outdoors. This dwelling is unique and inviting, but I’m most at peace around nature.”

Omega knew exactly what he meant, but didn’t acknowledge it. “Where’s my brother?”

“Getting our belongings from the vehicle.”

They walked back without us.

“Hawk and Pierce went, too. Whatever you were thinking, your brother didn’t want to disturb it. Now I’m curious what was going on behind those cold, gray eyes. I see things the same way you do,” Lion said softly.

“You don’t know me.” Omega stood and Lion rose to his full height. He looked up at him, his eyes connecting with Lion’s intelligent light-colored eyes. He emanated power, just like his brother, Alpha. He was breathtaking, masterfully trained, deadly, and fearless. But his scent – oh the gods – he knew that smell. It was home. Homemade incense and oil. Davidoff’s Cool Water or Gucci had nothing on these fragrances. No impurities, no harsh alcohols to dilute the concentration of the perfume. The oil Lion wore contained only fresh fragrances natural to their country: fragrant woods, tree sap, essential oils. It only made Omega wish for things that weren’t within his grasp. Craving something he couldn’t have was self-torture. Even the trip back home for this mission left an ill taste in his mouth. He didn’t want his first time back in years to be to end treachery.

“A moment, Omega.”

He didn’t see deception in Lion’s face or hear it in his tone, but that wasn’t one hundred percent reliable. Lion was trained to mask and hide just like him, so he’d tread lightly. He had no reason to trust this man… yet. Not until he gave them one.

“I guess some fresh air won’t hurt.” Omega could’ve leaped over the coffee table and made his way to the door, or he could not act like an idiot in someone else’s home and simply brush past the huge man blocking his path.

When he was only inches from the man, he absolutely refused to look up, wouldn’t give Lion that kind of respect. Respect was earned. Bringing unfounded news – even from their homeland – was not reason enough to drop his guard.

Lion moved slowly, as to not startle him or to show he was at all threatening. His large palm traveled up Omega’s arm adding a slight pressure as he went. Omega still didn’t look up, but what really fucked with his head was why he didn’t pull away. He let this man touch him, crowd his space, tower over him and all he did was inhale him.

“You’ll learn to trust me. Our lives may depend on it,” Lion said in a low rumble. His large chest in contact with Omega’s side.

“The trust of the innocent is the liar’s most useful tool,” Omega replied, cutting his eyes up but a moment.