Omega Bound Chapter 104

Thane

I never registered that bullet when it went clean through my arm. Never felt its pain, but I did feel the pain Little Wolf felt when she discovered my wound, pulsing through the bond. I never want her to feel that kind of pain again, but I can't make her any promise until her father is apprehended.

Seeing him above us in a helicopter was a gut punch. I can't describe the rage I felt not being able to get my hands around his neck, but I smothered the bond from Ayla to help keep her steady. I may not have him today, but he screwed up letting me know to look for a helipad. There aren't any alphas or pads that I know of around any locations we raided. That means he was close to the area. Little Wolf thinks there was one at her old pack and I would bet money that he still resides there. It is the perfect hiding spot. Nobody knows they exist, until now.

Raven and Ayla are doing an excellent job keeping up. I pushed everyone hard into the night. The other teams have a good half day lead on us back to Pack Clarke and the healers were able to attend to every shifter rescued. Cyrus found his mate, which I am grateful for. So why does it feel like the mission was a complete failure?

Probably because I couldn't get the answers Ayla needs yet.

I don't like letting her down.

We have camp set up from the backpacks we picked up at the rendezvous point. We are currently taking shelter in a cave we found at the start of the trip, thankful that it is still uninhabited. There isn't a lot of space, and we can't have a fire because of the smoke potentially giving away our location, which ensures that Little Wolf and I will be sleeping close tonight, sharing body heat, but puts Raven and Cyrus in a predicament. I am sure his wolf is riding him hard to claim his fated mate and I really don't want a front row show to that or Ayla to see it for that matter.

I am hoping the two of them can get it figured out before we get to Pack Clarke to regroup, but I am not sure. Raven obviously senses the mate bond but doesn't seem willing to give into its pull. It isn't uncommon that mate bonds exist outside of the pack, and for strangers to be fated mates. I am not sure what her reasoning is for avoiding him or the bond.

Cyrus isn't allowing that to happen though, and Little Wolf and I get to see it unfold front and center.

Great.

"Like I told you a hundred times before, you are coming back with me to my pack." Cyrus bickers with Raven.

"And like I told you before I was not going with you, but you are too stupid to get that through your head!" Raven growls out and I see a flicker of a flame in Cyrus' eyes. He is enjoying this.

Double Great.

"Stupid? Stupid is thinking you can abandon your mate bond. Stupid is thinking I won't find you. News flash Fireball, I find shifters for a living! There isn't a place you could go where I wouldn't find you. Now you are coming back with me. We will share our back stories. You will provide me with the names of any shifter that has had you before me and the names of those responsible for getting you wolfnapped. I will vow to kill them all. We will mate. I will have you sobbing and begging for release. You will have the best night of sex in your life. Orgasms. I will mark you. You will be mine. Happily, ever after. Rainbows and unicorns Fireball. The end." Cyrus is tense and Raven appears flustered from what she just heard.

Traumatized.

That is what Little Wolf, and I will be if we have to endure anymore of this.

They continue bickering back and forth and I lean up against the back cave wall and pull Ayla close to me, tucking her into my side and wrapping my arms around her. "You think they will figure it out?" Little Wolf whispers. I think back to everything we figured out and smile.

"I think so Little Wolf. We did. They will too." I remind her and feel her love pulsing through the bond. It is warm in my chest and relaxes me into her more and her into me. I want to purr for her and lull her to sleep for what few hours we can get, but I would rather do that in private. Plus, Cyrus would never let me hear the end of it.

"I am sorry I couldn't get your answers." I say again, probably too many times.

"Thane, it is okay. It's not your fault. The whole situation sucks, but I am happy we got out and we helped the others. I need answers and so do you, but I am not devastated that we didn't get them today. I kind of feel like I am still in shock from seeing him. Like it hasn't really hit me yet," she tells me, and I can detect a faint tremble in her voice.

"It is part of running on adrenaline plus the whole shitty situation itself. The entire situation of how you ended up taken is still a shock to me. I think it will take you some time to process and move through the stages. The emotions. We both have things that will come up, keep coming up, that we will have to deal with." I explained to her, squeezing her tighter and kissing her on top of the head.

The sky starts to lighten, and it is time to pack up and move. We need every hour of day light we can get to make it to pack Clarke today. We went the night without hearing any helicopters and I don't smell any other shifters around which are both good signs they aren't using any men on the ground.

We shift and grab our packs with our mouths and our wolves head through the forest. Ronan is on edge today. He is more interested in Aramana I noticed. When we stop for rest, he is extra attentive to her and checks on her. I haven't noticed any scent changes with Little Wolf, but I have noticed changes in her body temperature which prompted me to be concerned with how she was feeling. Both good signs could point to Ayla carrying my pup, but I think it would be too early to tell.

I also haven't experienced this before and have no idea.

Raven follows us as we head to pack Clarke. For not wanting her mate, she hasn't rejected him. Maybe she doesn't know that is a possibility? Maybe she can't stand the pull of the mate bond when she is too far from him. I am not sure, but I know that it is probably taking everything Cyrus has to keep Artemis under control. From marking her.