A Curse of Fate (Shifter City Fated Mates #1)

Chapter 34

Chapter

Thirty-Four

M y phone woke me early the next morning, and I reached out blindly to grab it, answering before I even checked who it was. It wasn’t as if many shifters had this number.

“Hello,” I mumbled, attempting to pry my eyes open. My room was so dark it felt like the middle of the night.

To my surprise, it was a voice I didn’t recognize barking crisply down the line, “Ah, yes. Good morning, Omega Emmeline Anders. It’s Beta Jones Shaw here. I’m sorry to disturb you.”

Lifting the phone from my ear I squinted at the number and saw it was coming from the Reeves guardhouse . What in the…?

“No, you didn’t disturb me. Is everything okay?”

“We had a delivery arrive this morning from one Omega Chelsea Thenguard.” Jones sounded far too fucking chipper for whatever ass crack of dawn time it was.

Chipper and a stickler for the rules as he used every proper title at his disposal. Omega Chelsea . It took my sleep-addled brain a few seconds to recall Chelsea saying she’d leave books on omegas with the guardhouse. I cleared my throat. “Amazing, thanks for letting me know. I’ll head down to collect the delivery later this morning. If that’s okay.”

“As soon as possible would be great. There’s not a lot of space in our guardhouse. See you soon.” The line went dead, and I’d have laughed but I was already half asleep.

Kellan had kept me up watching scary movies half the night, and I desperately needed a few more hours sleep, but as I lay there I couldn’t help but ponder over what was in those books. After ten minutes of trying to catch more sleep, I gave up and dragged myself out of bed and into the shower.

When I finished brushing my teeth and washing my face, I dressed in jeans, a different hoodie from yesterday that somehow still smelled like Kellan, and checked the time.

It was just past five, the lingering darkness thanks to the continued rain. The worst of the storm had passed yesterday afternoon, but it wasn’t completely done with Golden Claw.

A glance out the window indicated it was between cloudbursts, and I decided now was as good a time as ever to make a break for the guardhouse. Rushing downstairs, there was no sign of the alphas, which wasn’t a surprise since this was the time they usually got in a gym session before work or hockey.

Out the front door, cool winds whipped around me as I hurried down the stairs. There was no sign of life in the street, and I found myself curiously staring at each house as I passed by. As much as I’d enjoyed games day yesterday, I was also looking forward to a family bonfire night where I could sit back and observe the dynamics of these four interconnected families.

Living in such proximity to family could either be a dream or a nightmare, depending on your family. I hoped none of them were like my mom. Cora had already mentioned that Hunter’s dad wasn’t particularly the nicest, but his name hadn’t come up during Kellan’s rundown of their compound.

Halfway along the street, I started to worry that I should have let the alphas know I was leaving. Kellan especially, as he liked to see me before he left for training. I patted my pockets for my phone, only to realize I’d forgotten it on the bed when I raced out the door. Shit!

Now I really had to get back before they noticed I was gone.

As my lungs started to burn, I realized the street was longer than I’d remembered, and that it might be time for me to incorporate a touch of cardio into my life. My wolf pushed for me to let her out, giving me the distinct impression that I was embarrassing her with my wheezing.

It’s too cold to get naked, but we’ll run soon. I promise.

The best part about being here in a pack city was not having to keep her suppressed, and I wanted to take advantage of that as much as possible. But now was not the time.

The clouds grew heavier as I raced along, and I wondered if I’d make it back before the sky opened up and poured its rage on me. The heavy breeze had a real feeling of winter about it today, even though we were only in fall.

When the booth finally came into sight, I softly wheezed in and out, trying to pretend that my lungs weren’t about to expel from my chest. My wolf whined in embarrassment again. It’s okay. They’ll never know. She huffed, well aware I was full of crap.

One of the guards on duty noticed my approach and opened the gates to let me through to the other side. “Omega Emmeline.”

The call came from a tall man with light blond hair, fine lines on his face, and a slim frame. He walked briskly toward me wearing the navy uniform, his with multiple patches on the shoulders, which looked like awards and commendations.

Jones was well decorated, and I wondered what he’d done before he guarded the family compound. Maybe he was, or had been, part of one of the enforcer squads.

“Beta Jones,” I replied, hiding my smirk at his formality. “I’m here to pick up the books.”

Relief cracked his hard features, his reaction stronger than I expected. “I debated contacting Alpha Hunter to confirm the delivery was acceptable, but it’s his workout time, and he prefers not to be disturbed unless it’s an emergency.”

Before I could think about it, I patted his arm hoping to reassure the agitated shifter. To my surprise, he didn’t jump away. A beta as stringent with protocol as Jones would usually do anything to avoid touching another pack’s mate.

Especially his boss’, but whatever… it was my fuckup anyway.

“Follow me.”

I stayed close as he led me into the hut. There was another shifter sitting inside who was less powerful, and his animal had a distinct cat feel. Still a beta, but a weaker beta lion. “Ms. Anders,” he said, jumping to his feet. “I’m Harry. It’s nice to meet you.”

Harry looked even younger than me, his face still round with the flush of youth. He was cute, with curly red hair and hazel eyes. “Nice to meet you too, Harry. Thanks for keeping an eye on this place for the pack. It certainly makes me feel safer to know you guys are out here.”

Harry blushed, and Beta Jones patted me on the shoulder firmly, until I glanced down with my eyes widening.

Did this guy have a death wish?

My touch had been a mistake, but this was an extended and firm assault on my shoulder. The alphas were going to flip out when they scented him on me.

I took as big a step back as I could in the small hut, breaking his hold. It occurred to me that I was out here with two strangers and had unintentionally put myself into a dangerous position. I didn’t even have my phone to let the alphas know where I was.

“I’d love to grab the books and head back to the house,” I said, attempting to keep my voice steady. “The alphas are waiting for me.”

There was no reason for them to know that I hadn’t told anyone. Even if logically speaking, had an alpha known about this, one of them would be with me.

“Right, they’re over here.” Jones wandered toward the main desk and leaned down to grab a large hessian bag with black handles. It looked heavy as he hauled it up onto the table, and I was mostly relieved to know it existed and this wasn’t all some ruse to lure me from the safety of the pack house.

“One of us can carry this back with you,” he said, eyeing the bag. “It’s quite heavy.”

Bad idea! Abort. I shook my head. “Oh, no. I’m stronger than I look. I’ll manage just fine. Thanks though.”

He wore a dubious expression, his eyes narrowed on my rather uninspiring biceps as he handed the bag across. The solid weight settled in my hand, but it wasn’t unmanageable. At least not if I took breaks hauling it back. Glancing inside, I saw at least a dozen thick books which would take me two lifetimes to read, but I couldn’t fault Chelsea for effort.

“This is great, thank y—”

A loud crash shook the booth, and I almost dropped the heavy bag on my foot when I found myself pinned against the wall by Jones.

He pulled a gun out and stood between me and the door.

“Beta Harry, get out there and investigate,” Jones snapped, his stronger dominance leaving Harry no choice but to jump to his bidding.

The younger shifter hesitated briefly, eyeing the way I was pinned. “You shouldn’t touch her again, sir. She belongs to Pack Reeves, and we were thoroughly warned by Alpha Hunter.”

Jones’ voice was harsh. “They’ll understand in these circumstances.”

Harry’s eyes met mine, and I wanted to beg him not to leave me alone with Jones. My creep radar was going nuts, as I tried to figure out what situation I’d wandered into.

Begging wouldn’t help though; Harry couldn’t disobey a command from a more dominant shifter, not without a fight. I wouldn’t get this poor kid killed because I’d screwed up.

“She doesn’t like you being that close,” he finally said as he raced out the door.

Jones didn’t move, so I shoved against him. “He’s right. You’re too close. Back up.”

The only response I got was a growl as his scent grew muskier, indicating his wolf was in control. He leaned closer to my throat, breathing deeply, and I was in full-on panic mode now. “What’s an unmated omega doing wandering around on her own anyway?”

Goddess be damned! This was bad. I might not know exactly what was happening, but Jones acted like a wolf who’d lost control of his beast. Omegas could do this to other wolves, completely unintentionally of course, which didn’t change the end results.

“They’re going to kill you,” I growled back at him. “You know that, right?”

He snarled, and he was so close that it echoed in my ears. “Not if they never find you. There’s a lot of packs looking for you, Emmeline, and they’re all willing to pay very well for your time and company. I heard you wanted to escape the alphas. I’m offering you a chance right now.”

I forced my terror down and breathed slowly, calming my mind as I ran my gaze over the office in search of a weapon. On the desk I noticed the phone, which had to connect to the pack house. I swept over it quickly not wanting to draw attention to the device.

“I’m not trading one prison for another that might be worse,” I told him, trying to keep him distracted and talking. “This isn’t about helping me. It’s about selling me to the highest bidder.”

He didn’t even bother to deny it. I had no idea how he had this planned, but he must have been ready and waiting for an opportunity to grab me, and I’d played right into his fucking hands.

Refusing to fall into my fate without a fight, I jerked my leg up and kneed him straight in the balls. When he dropped, I landed another kick to his head, before I dove for the phone. In the same instant I yanked up the receiver and hit the button that said Reeves Pack .

Jones recovered near instantly, plowing into me and knocking the phone from my hand as I hit the ground. There’d been no time to hear if anyone had answered, but maybe there was a chance they’d hear the struggle before Jones hung up.

I let loose a guttural scream, shouting for help as Jones came for me again. I dodged his first strike, but the second slammed into my chest, sending pain shooting through my ribs. Pushing back to my feet, I didn’t wait around, racing out the hut door while Jones hung up the phone.

The black gates were closed, barring me from the safety of the street, but I still screamed in case anyone was close enough to hear me. Alphas especially had exceptional senses.

Sprinting away from the guardhouse, I worried I was being herded into another trap, but I didn’t have many options. Harry hadn’t returned yet, and I prayed to the goddess that he wasn’t hurt thanks to this asshole’s scheme.

Heavy steps pounded behind me, and unlike my unfit ass, Jones was fast and trained. “Help!” I kept shouting, but there was no indication anyone was out and about in the compound yet.

Knowing I’d never outrun him, I reached out and yanked hard on a low hanging branch, breaking it off and spinning to smash the limb against Jones, who’d been right behind me.

The beta shifter flew back, and I was proud of myself for landing a solid shot. It wasn’t enough to do any real damage, but it would give me a couple of minutes head start while he healed.

Changing directions, I raced back to the guard booth and the phone that remained my best chance of survival. I couldn’t outrun this shifter, and the compound was far enough from town that I’d never make it to anyone else anyway.

I panic-gasped when the booth came into view, my screams dying off as I gave this new plan my entire focus. When I raced inside, I slammed the door closed and flipped the lock. Propping a chair under the handle, I grabbed the receiver again and hit the house number. It rang in my ear, and I pressed myself against the door, bracing my feet on the nearby table.

“Come on, pick up. Come on, alphas. Come on. Pick up the fucking phone.”

A heavy weight slammed against the door, almost shooting me across the room. Bracing myself again, I prepared for the next hit, my legs aching from the first impact.

Come on. Come on. Come on.

It was a continuous chant in my mind as a second hit splintered the door. Solid as it was, it would only take one or two more hits before Jones made it inside.

This was my last chance.

No one was answering.

The one time I needed my pack, and they were nowhere to be seen.

Jones’ scent grew stronger, and I barely choked back a sob as I looked for a weapon. He had a gun, which thankfully he hadn’t used yet. I had to assume I was worth more alive than dead, which wouldn’t remotely help me out of this situation.

There was nothing in the damn hut except a stapler.

Clutching the phone like a lifeline, I prepared for the final hit, as a roar thundered through the room. It was so strong that the foundation shook, and I had no idea what was coming or if I’d survive the fallout.

Please. Don’t let me lose everything. I’m not ready.