Omega

Chapter 1

It was not meant to be like this. It should not have ended the way that it did. But this is how it is.

Two dead. A once strong leadership broken. A clan in disarray. Rival packs watching at the border.

Stepping out of the church, I took a deep breath in and tried to contain the sadness. There was no point, of course. Not when I'd just said goodbye to my father and my brother. If it weren't for our pack, I'd be alone in the world.

My father, Anders, was the Alpha of the West River Clan, and my brother Stephen was the one who was being prepared to take over when my father decided to retire. Until that time, he would be the beta, my father's second in charge. It was a system that had worked well for many years, each generation doing the same without change.

Until now.

As the rain pattered softly to the ground, I lifted my face and hoped that the sensations of the rain would help relieve the suffering. Just a little something to make me feel again rather than this numb void that I'd become. Death had done so much damage. It had deprived me of the last of my family, at least my real family.

These past few days have proven how death can bring a group together. In the sadness, we found comfort in our consoling words and warm hugs.

Feeling a hand slip into the crook of my arm, I lowered my head from the soft sprinkling of rain on my face to see my oldest and dearest friend, Shelly.

She was holding an umbrella over the both of us. It was sweet, but the rain was a connection to the world that I believed that I needed at the moment.

"You're coping remarkably well."

"Surprising considering that I've spent the past few days in a complete haze. One death is bad enough, but two is just reprehensible."

"The cops will figure it out."

"Puh-lease. The cops in this town couldn't figure out how to get out of a wet paper bag."

Shelly smiled softly. Like me, she knew it was pointless even pursuing the matter.

It was a car crash, seemingly innocent to the average person. The threat was always hanging over our heads. It loomed in the shadows and was ready to take us out at any moment. Perhaps not the average pack member but the likes of my father and Stephen, who were leaders, it was more common than any of us cared to admit.

If the clan members had anything to do with it, revenge would come soon. They'd probably start planning it at the wake. Two lives cut short with no reason for it. This was the beginning of a war.

Shelly's grip on my arm tightened as a figure broke through the crowd. My heart stuttered.

He was breathtakingly gorgeous. I knew him. But where?

Dressed in a suit, he still could not hide the bulging muscles. He cut a fine figure that tapered from the broad shoulders to a narrow waist.

"Good grief," Shelly whispered. "Isn't that the guy that you hooked up with at the Midnight Festival?"

That's where I knew him. It was the limit, of course. No names exchanged, just heated glances through the crowd. When I went outside for fresh air, he followed. We didn't even talk to each other. He merely followed me to a secluded spot outside the building and gave me what could only be described as the best sex of my life. Even thinking about it now had my body turning to liquid.

His hands on my body were burned in my memory. His lips on the back of my neck sent my mind into a frenzy. It was nothing compared to the sensations of his body thrusting against mine from behind.

I stared, remembering every single sordid moment. 

He ran his hand through the soft brown hair to straighten what the wind had tousled. Beneath the umbrella, the man smiled, and I swear I nearly whimpered. It was not the time for any of this, but that didn't change what happened naturally.

"It was a lovely service," he offered. "My condolences for your loss. You're the Alpha's second-born, right?"

"I am."

Tension rippled in the air, and I could see the pack circle around us. I frowned, wondering what they were doing. Why were they acting as if they were preparing to attack?

"What do you want, boy?"

My frown deepened as I tried to figure out why they were rude to a fellow mourner. Unless he wasn't one. It felt like the world had stopped turning. This could not be happening. Something was clearly wrong here.

The muscular figure turned his head, glancing at one of the elders with a smug smirk on his lips.

"That is no way to address a leader, old man. Did no one teach you manners?"

"You are the disrespectful one, coming here on a day of mourning, and you're out of your territory."

It was true. He was a pack leader and, by the sounds of it, the worst pack possible. The Black Ridge Clan. I'd slept with the enemy.

I stared at him, knowing why he was here. He'd come to size up the new leader, which was me. Yet I was no leader, at least not officially. The elders were going to argue about that one later.

"I merely came here to introduce myself to the new leader of the West River Clan. Because you are the leader, right?"

He didn't wait for an answer, almost like he knew the truth, and decided to rub my nose in it.

"Konrad Marlowe, Black Ridge Alpha."

I didn't reply because I was unable to state that officially. Technically, I should be the leader, but the ceremony had not occurred.

I am what they call the omega. Unworthy and the last wolf they would consider as a leader. All because I am female. The problem was that there were no others left. They had no choice. For the first time in history, an omega would lead a wolf pack.

Taking a step forward, Konrad was fast in his movements. Before any of the other pack members could take action, he had my hand. Raising to his lips, he smiled with a devious wink. Clearly, he remembered me.

I was in so much trouble that it wasn't funny.