Chapter Thirty-Two

Bridger

I stand alert in the meeting room as Arron paces back and forth, mumbling about how I should have never invited those "stupid omegas" to our pack in the first place. I know better than to say anything as his face is red with anger.

Arron stops in front of me. His eyes are narrowed, a yellow tint behind his blue irises. His anger is excusable, but I know that he's angry for all the wrong reasons.

He's mad because something he considers his property was stolen right from under him -- not because Keira could be in danger.

"Shaye is handling this," I say, calmly, "this is no one's fault."

"It's yours," he snaps, "you wanted those damn omegas in this pack, and for what? Because you wanted to fuck one. Then--" he laughs as he looks away and shakes his head, "--you hold yourself on a pedestal about how much better you are than every werewolf because you treat omegas like they're more than an alpha's whore. Tell me, Bridger, how nice is the weather on your fucking high horse after convincing an omega he's better than he is and then fucking him as a reward for your self-righteousness?"

He spits as he talks.

I can't blame him for the way he thinks. Many people who think like him probably think I'm cruel for my creative ways of getting into an omega's pants. It's how they all think. Still, it's hurtful because I know that it's untrue. Deep down, I want to save myself and tell Arron that my goal was never to be in a relationship with Kian. Sure I was a bit bewitched by his looks and soon enough began falling for his character, but I also understood the possible consequences of pursuing him. I'm a higher-ranking member of a pack filling an omega full of hope and then I sleep with him. I know what it looks like. I do, in some ways, look guilty. But I know better than to explain myself. It'll go in one ear and out the other. Arron would only retain the parts that make me look bad. Because everyone has to be bad, right?

I know that he knows that he got under my skin. I don't like the way he speaks of Kian or any omega, referring to them as 'an alpha's whore'. I want to defend Kian and say that he and the others are all worth so much more, but I can't. It would be futile. I can't even say that he's "stuck in his ways" because his parents didn't raise him like this. His anger, carelessness, and hatred simply came out of nowhere -- as if he had something to prove.

I try to keep myself composed. "Arron, I did everything with the right intentions. You're only mad because your chance at anyone liking you was blown out the window and now you must rely on your amazing personality. Now you see why I suggested Kian reject you and why Keira doesn't want you -- I mean, look, you don't even care that she's in danger."

My words are childish, but I can tell that I struck a nerve, not in a way that would make him cry himself to sleep tonight but in a way that'll likely bite me in the ass later on -- Arron is sneaky like that. We both are in a way, sneaky. I'm sneaky in a way that benefits me and he's sneaky in a way that hurts others.

Arron turns from me. "Keira will count her blessings after what she experiences. She'll realize just how good she has it here. All because of me."

I can't respond to that. I don't even know how. He starts pacing again, uninterested in arguing with me anymore.

I can't help but feel terrified for Keira.

Last night, I had just finished talking to Kian and approvals on the expansion proceedings when Keira's roommate, Edith, ran into my office. Her blue eyes were wide and teary, curly red hair falling out of her white bonnet. She was dressed in her pajamas and she looked as though she just woke up. She had.

"Beta Bridger," she had said, "it's Keira, she's–" she couldn't even finish her sentence as she shook her hands in front of her chest to calm down. "We were doing something we shouldn't have, it's my fault."

She had dropped her bonnet on the ground as she put both hands on her face and started sobbing in them. Edith was always the emotional one, crying every time she got a new pup in her classroom or when that pup moved on from her classroom. She even cried when Kian and his friends left and she barely knew them. So I honestly didn't know how to react at first -- if her crying was serious or not. I knew at this point, I would never get her to calm down to tell me what exactly happened to Keira. I needed to find someone else.

I told Edith to sit in my office while I found someone else to talk to. Through her sobs and tremors, she managed to tell me that Keira's younger sister, Laina, had been with them. Just as I left my office, Laina was standing by my door looking just as terrified as Edith. She wasn't crying which was a good thing. Before I could even ask what happened, Laina told me that she, Edith, and Keira were up past curfew watching the etas' late-night training. I wasn't surprised by this, their training zone tends to be a place of worship for the omegas here as they ogle and giggle to their hearts' desire.

Then the etas finished and Edith was apparently flirting with one of the etas that stayed back no doubt to get praises from the girls. According to Laina, only two etas had stayed back to talk to them and one of them left. Then all of sudden, an "army" of wolves came out of the darkness and, "everything happened so fast and then Keira was gone. They were trying to get all of us, but Dex fought them the best he could."

We still don't have an explanation as to why these wolves took Keira. All I know is that the girls must have been watched for a while for the wolves to know exactly where they were. This raises questions like how they get past our patrol and how on earth none of the twenty or so etas sensed them. Both questions piss me off beyond means because we have an incredibly skilled defense system yet somehow no one alerted us to a thing.

While Arron likely gave the Epsilons and Lambdas on patrol shit for their lack of alertness, I chewed out the etas and the zeta who was in charge of that particular team. They insisted that nothing felt off and that they would know since they'd been training late at night for months. I couldn't help but think 'of course, rookies would fuck up like this'. While it's true, that also means that the wolves knew these etas weren't professionals.

"They're going to corrupt her," Arron says as if that's the most concerning thing about this whole situation; as if they couldn't not doing despicable things to poor Keira as we speak.

"Arron, if they're Hunters, they could kill her," I snap. This is unbelievable.

"Or sell her off to some sorry vampire."

"Both are terrible and it's fucked you can only think about how it affects you," I scoff, "Keira is probably fucking terrified and wants to come home. Can you imagine how her parents feel? Have you even talked to Zeta Peters?"

Zeta Peters is Keira's father who retired just a few years ago. He and his mate vacation often like my father and currently aren't residing in our pack.

We should be out there with the Kappas and Lambdas searching for Keira. I know it won't help any as they're trained hunters, but I still feel useless in this meeting room. Arron clearly doesn't share my thoughts on the matter. Restless, I begin walking towards the door when Shaye walks in.

"It was James's pack," she states, "and he's here."

"James?!" Arron growls, "why the fuck is he here?"

"Do I send him and his people in now?"

He throws his arms up and shakes his head at the ceiling. "Is that even a question?"

Shaye apologizes and backs out of the room to get the idiots. I glance at Arron who looks like he's about to explode from anger.

"Since they're here, we can only assume that they want to negotiate," I say calmly, "what's the gameplan?"

"The gameplan is we get Keira back whether we have to rip James's throat out to get her or not," his eyes are turning more yellow as he speaks.

I hold back a sigh as I sit in my usual spot and Arron follows, crashing into the seat next to me.

James, Cole, and an unfamiliar man walk in with Shaye following closely behind. She closes the door and walks around the table to sit on my right as the other three make themselves comfortable. Unlike Arron who's visibly fuming, James looks collected as if he didn't just abduct one of our pack members. Cole keeps a blank face as he stares right at me and the unknown man is smirking. That just pisses me off. I sniff the air discreetly, trying to discern exactly what rank this man is. He's not a delta and with the way his scent smells almost offensive and how he holds himself, he seems like a zeta. A zeta who eyes me with a smirk.

"Wipe that stupid smirk off of your face," I bark, standing up, "who the fuck do any of you think you are coming onto our land and abducting a young wolf and then smiling at us as if you're innocent? What sick game is this?!"

James scoffs. "You think this is a game, Beta? No, this is revenge. You all have fooled us once, you will not do it again."

"Whatever this--" I gesture around the table, "--is, Keira has nothing to do with it."

"Ah, so you're the one who took my omega," the unfamiliar man speaks up, his smirk spreading into a knowing smile. "I can feel the justice for the weak radiating off of you. So, admirable."

"Who is this man?" Arron asks, looking at me as if I knew, "and answer my beta's question. Now."

"Jason," the man introduces with a mock bow, "Zeta Calter to you, sweetheart." He winks at Shaye who looks at me as if she might snap his head off.

Deltas are higher in rank by social standards only whereas Zetas are stronger. Even so, they are expected to treat higher ranks with respect no matter what. Despite this fool's blatant disrespect towards our delta, I gesture for Shaye not to do or say anything. It's hard for Zetas to respect deltas, but I will not give any excuses to these wolves. They are scum on this earth.

The name rings a bell in my head and alarms begin going off. I try to recall where I've heard his name and why it angers me but I can't–

'Kian Calter' Jace suddenly interjects, 'that's the cryptid who abused Kian. Jason Calter'

I stare at him, taking in everything about him. He's tall, broad, and bulky with straight blonde hair swept to one side and dark eyes. His knuckles are busted and he has a cut on his lip. When wolves are constantly hurting themselves, their healing tends to focus solely on the most important parts to heal and leaves other wounds like broken skin unhealed. When he smiles, I notice a crooked tooth likely from being punched out, and a new one growing in its place. When I imagined what Kian's abuser looked like, he's exactly how I imagined him: decrepit. His smile and crooked teeth make him look crazy, his hair is thin and unkempt, his arms are scarred. If he were a rogue, I wouldn't be surprised.

I'm a calm person and I hate violence, but I would do anything to keep this man as my punching bag until the only thing left of him is dust. I want to rip his head off and bring it to Kian the way a cat would bring a rat back to its person. Look Kian, look at this gift I got you. I want to stomp his face in. I want to watch Kian get back everything he lost from this man sitting diagonally from me.

I don't say anything but the way he watches me tells me that he knows me somehow too. And he must know what I'm thinking.

"Peyton is gone...again," James states, "but I am sure you already knew that."

"And you think we have him again?" I deadpan. He's looking at us as if we're stupid. Like of course, we have Peyton.

'Oh Goddess' I think, 'Peyton is missing'

Depending on how long he's been gone, he could be far off somewhere unsafe again. I know Peyton isn't stupid, he wouldn't come back here. Why on Earth would he come back to the place he was taken from? I also know that he was trying to find the humans originally, but they're nowhere near any of our packs. Goddess, how do I tell Kian this? Should I even tell him?

'Of course, you do' Jace speaks up, 'it's clear that Peyton means everything and more to Kian, he deserves to know that his best friend is missing'

'Like how he deserves to know that his wolf is alive and avoiding him?'

Jace doesn't answer, but his shame and guilt do it for him.

"We don't have him," Arron states like a child.

"Bullshit," Cole spits, "where else would he go?"

Arron sneers. "Hell if I know, he's your omega. Clearly, you all are stupid enough to get fooled by an omega twice. You don't even educate your omegas yet somehow he managed to slip out of your grasp again. That is what you should be angry about."

Before they can get offended by Arron's insults, I jump in. "Peyton is smart. We can all push away our pride and agree. He likely didn't come back here because he knew you would search for him here. He doesn't trust us anymore, anyway. How long has he been gone?"

This time, Jason scoffs, sitting back in his chair. "My brother didn't alert us of his disappearance until a week after he left."

'Goddess, it's been seven days...who knows where he is'

I try to mask my worry. I just know Kian will worry himself sick if he knows how long Peyton has been missing. I wish that he had come back here. He'd be living with Kian, safe and happy, within just a few hours. I would've wasted no time dropping everything to drive him to Oasis. But I also understand why he didn't come. He knows he'd be better off dead if they caught him again. I can't imagine the horrors they've put him through for escaping the first time.

"Well, whatever the case, we do not have him," Arron says as he stands. He leans over the table, arms spread. "I want my omega back. Now. You had no right taking her. We never even stole yours in the first place. This is ridiculous. Where is she?"

James smirks, standing up and leaning against the table as well, copying Arron's stance. "It seems we're in this together. If I don't get Peyton back, you don't get Keira."

"Bull-fucking-shit," Arron growls, talons already elongating and canines dropping. His scent fills the room, making me want to gag but I hold it in. "You will give back what belongs to me. You will not come into this pack and take whatever you want. You may not have control over yours, Alpha, but do not assume the same for me."

I grind my teeth at his language. My omega, my belongings. Property, that's all he sees her as. I want to butt in that her name is Keira, but I can't get off topic. Her safety is more important right now. I only care about the fact that he's willing to fight for her.

James's eyes begin to turn a shade of yellow and Cole stands beside him. I suppose it's my turn to stand and so I do, pressing my hand against Arron's chest to keep him from flying across the table like a madman. At least, if all fails, I can be the one to say that I tried my best to stop the bloodshed that will take place in this room.

"Shaye," I say but she's already on it, mind linking a Mu and a Zeta to come in just in case we need a mediator. I'll always be on Arron's side during a fight so I have no choice but to fight if the situation gets heated enough. I will not be able to mediate a situation if I'm busy trying to kill another wolf. We all know that when wolves fight, it isn't to injure. Shaye wouldn't be able to take on Jason. She is still nursing her pup and that's tough on a wolf's body. We would need another zeta and she would act as another mediator along with the Mu.

I just hope it doesn't come down to that.

"Until we work as a team to bring Peyton back to where he belongs, Keira will make herself at home in my pack," James smiles as he speaks. His tone is patronizing as if he's speaking to a child. "Collateral damage, if you will. It is your fault, after all, for filling his head up with nonsense. We had to break that out of him and now look at where we're at. Peyton was hard to break when we first got him. It's only fair that we hold you accountable for the damage that you've done."

I can feel Arron's eyes burning holes through my head. I don't bother looking at him, I can already imagine his face. Instead, I stay staring at the three insane men in front of me wondering if I'm hearing his words correctly. Just months before, James was hiding the fact that he abused their omegas. It was obvious, of course, but he never admitted it. Now, he's openly admitting it and it feels almost like he's threatening us – or me – to do or say something about it.

Do they really believe that they broke Peyton or Kian? Those two are the strongest wolves I know, if anything, James's confidence in his leadership has likely been broken down since their first escape.

"We will find your omega," Shaye speaks up. I know this is even harder for her to hear as she's a mother to an omega. But she has no choice but to try to negotiate. "But we must talk first. Keira is the daughter of a retired zeta, and as a zeta and father yourself, I'm sure you understand the consequences of messing with your children. To avoid any future battles that'll endanger the lives of both of our packs, we have to lay down some ground rules."

I nod in agreement, watching Cole roll his eyes as he glances over at James. He's listening.

"We will search for Peyton for a month starting today," Shaye says, as she glances at Arron and me. Arron nods for her to continue. She straightens her back a bit. "You may keep Keira for a month, but she will return safe and unharmed whether or not we find Peyton."

"No," James shakes his head. "If you do not find him, we will keep her. Both of us will lose in this situation. May I remind you, my pack lost five valuable omegas – all of which I know were in your pack. While I have no idea what you've done with them, I will not allow you to fool me again. Keira stays with us unless you find Peyton."

"She will return home whether or not we find him," I argue, "may I remind you the reason why you're missing so many omegas? That is not our problem."

"Unfortunately, you made it your problem when you held them here," Cole counters. "Now, are we at an agreement or what?"

"No–"

Arron holds his hand up to stop me. He shoots me a glare before facing these sorry men in front of us. "Fine, we will find Peyton. But you may not keep Keira, you can have one of the others, but Keira must come back."

I cannot believe my ears.

I look at Arron, my eyes wide and mouth agape. Shaye looks at him in horror as well. Fear runs through her eyes as she looks at me, mouth slightly agape. Oh. She thinks he would...no he wouldn't. Would he? He does always get rid of male omegas in the pack and her pup is a male. But he's just a baby...Arron would never put a baby in harm's way. Right? I can't let this happen. Not after everything I've done, this goes against everything I've wanted and everything Kian is working against.

"Arron, we should talk–"

"Who's the alpha, Bridger?" Arron looks at me as if I'm an annoying fly buzzing in his ear. Like I'm a child needing a scolding. Jace growls at the disrespect in front of these people.

"As your beta, I advise you not to do this," I say carefully, "this is a dangerous game. The omegas here do not deserve to be put in this mess. They do not know what happens outside of this pack."

I never thought to tell them the horrors that happen to omegas. They know of the hatred and the oppression, but they don't know of the sadness and abuse. I should have taught them but I never thought I needed to. I never wanted to ruin their innocence. All I can think about is Edith's sweet face covered in tears the night Keira was taken or Laina's scared eyes as she told me what happened. All of them are beyond frightened and I can't imagine allowing these sick bastards to go onto their floor and shop around like it's a market.

Arron has all the right to ignore me like he always does. So he doesn't have a problem walking towards James and standing in front of him. I watch as they exchange a few words but the blood rushing to my ears from my anger doesn't allow me to hear them. My heart beats rapidly and loudly in my ears as they shake hands. No, this can't be happening. My eyes meet Jason's and I fight against the overwhelming urge to lurch forward and break his neck. I take a step forward, but Shaye steps in front of me, her narrowed brown eyes finding mine.

'Whatever you're thinking, don't do it' she says through our mind link.

'What about your pup?' I ask.

'There's a pack out there who would take him and protect him if need be. You're the only person who knows how to get there, I need you to keep a level mind'

I look at her. Her eyes soften and I can tell she's trying to stay strong. I remember when reports of recent births were given to Arron. He had groaned when he discovered Shaye had birthed a male omega and mumbled to himself about how hard it is to get rid of them. Male omegas are least desired. They're seen as a curse, useless, or "sexual deviants" as my father liked to say because their heats and mating habits are different from their female counterparts.

I won't let anything happen to the omegas in this pack. I can't.

My eyes turn back to Jason. The anger boiling in my chest and stomach, up and down my entire torso makes it hard to breathe. Even when the others exit the room, discussing their sick plans, Jason stays.

"I guess Kian told you horror stories, you look like you've seen a ghost, Beta," Jason goads. "How is my omega, anyway? Well, I hope."

That sets me off. The room is empty, the doors are closed. No one can see us. My hand is around his throat in a second. I squeeze hard, digging my talons into his throat. It stabs deep into his neck and blood drips from his lip.

I blink. I'm still standing in my spot. Jason is laughing, rubbing his scarred wrists with his scratched hands.

"Struck a nerve didn't I?" he asks.

"Why?" I ask and I don't even know why.

He cocks his head to the side. "Why what?"

"Why would you hurt him – all of them – the way that you have?" I don't know why I'm asking him this. I shouldn't care about his reasons (if he has any). No excuse can ever explain the treatment of omegas in his pack. Nothing he can tell me will excuse Kian's trauma. It'll only make me angrier. No excuse can cover up the smell of rot I remember so vividly when I visited Liam's pack. The torture and terror...no excuses, no explanation. Nothing. They could have killed his firstborn, but even that wouldn't excuse the pain and suffering.

But I want to know. I want to know if Kian ever asked this same question if the answer would be worthy enough of the tears he's shed because of it. It won't. I know it won't.

Jason shrugs. "I liked when he would cry and beg me to stop. I like it. We all do, Beta. Deep down, your primal instincts want you to take, take, take. I'm you if you were strong enough. I'm all of us."

---

Word Count: 4266

Ummmm I don't know about, Jason :/ What a sicko