An Idol for the Omega

Chapter 31: Still Alive

Braden

Jae...

I don't bother opening my eyes when I wake up. The hard, rocky ground beneath me tells me that I'm tied in the same spot since first awakening after the fight. Even though my position is uncomfortable, I'm too weakened to shift within the tight bonds. Thick ropes wrap around my neck, legs and torso, biting painfully through my fur and cutting into my skin.

Jae. I can't help myself from calling out in the pack link, although I already know that I'm too far away from my mate. Jae, I want to go home.

I've woken up a few times in the past days, but I'm not sure how long it's been since the ambush. The rogues were unprepared to take a hostage and have been using blood-loss to keep me sedated. The wounds from my fight with the rogues, though deep, should have healed by now, but I can feel the layers and layers of dried blood from them succession of bites and scrapes they used to re-open them.

"You should have just let me kill him out there!" A loud voice shouts out from close by.

I try to pull my fuzzy thoughts together but I feel even weaker than before. I haven't been given any food or water and soon even my werewolf healing won't help me. Dizzy, I focus on taking deep breathes.

The smell of my own blood, both the dried and the fresh, cause my stomach to churn. The parts of my body that aren't numb, from laying bound in the same spot, tremble weakly as they anticipate the next round of teeth and claws. Slowly, I breath through the nausea, trying not to create any sound that would alert my captors that I'm awake.

"We can use a hostage!" This voice is more familiar. Matthew. Previously from the Dark Rains pack, also previously assumed dead. The rogue holding a deep grudge against the Alpha and the Luna and responsible for all of the recent attacks.

Aside from the blood is the scent of mountain air, dirt and the rogues. It seems that only five survived their attack on the pack. It's isn't completely dark behind my eyelids and my instincts tell me that its early morning. I woke up in light the first time but there wasn't much to see.

It's so much a cave as it is a protected outcropping up in the mountains, with a thin layer of dirt covering the harsh rockiness. A few scraggly trees have sprung roots in the small area, really only the size of one of the living rooms back at the pack house. The edge was several yards away from me, though I can't tell how far up or deep into the range we are. The rogues must have had a stash of supplies somewhere, because I had seen a couple of hiking packs worth of gear although not much.

"What? You really think that Christopher's going to trade his Luna for this little scrap?" The two voices continue to argue.

"Of course not, he wouldn't trade his Luna for anything! We just need to find a way to lure out that weak-hearted, piece of shit vet."

"There's no way they'll fall for that again. I say, we kill this one and dump his body where it can be found. We'll send a message." A chill races down by spine at the words spoken by the unknown rogue. This one seems to be speaking for the group against Matthew, I can hear the other three mumbling in agreement.

"Not until I get the Luna!"

"This omega isn't going to last much longer anyway, he won't be any use to us any other way."

"We'll kill him when I say so!"

"Why is it your say so? The little army you built is gone! Although, I've been thinking on that past couple of days, on why you had this little plan. This isn't one of the other places we've used, but you knew just where it was. The packs too, you had them hidden away, but its barely enough supplies for two."

"What the hell are you saying?! I'm in charge here, I found all you useless thugs roaming around, its only with my experience that you've survived this far."

"Survived! They're all dead! You knew they would be killed but all you care about is that Alpha and his human. You screwed us over!"

"No, we'll still take out the Shady Range pack and then the hunting grounds will be all yours!" Matthew's voice isn't sounding as sure, a little bit of panic seeping into his anger. Risking more dizziness, I crack open one eye, forcing the heavy lid to open.

Even in their human forms, the rogues are terrifying. All of them look exhausted, filthy and pissed off. Matthew has his back to me, and the semi-circle of the others seem extremely close and threatening.

I don't know how we even got to this secluded space but the swiveling of Matthew's head tells me that he's definitely cut off from an escape route. The largest of the others steps closer, but Matthew is out of space.

"We don't care about that anymore," the rogue states, "once we're done with you and that omega, we're going to head East and never come across that damn pack again. It's no longer our fight."

In response, Matthew starts to shift and I close my eye again to the sound of clothing tearing. Holding still, I keep my weakened body slack, trying not to react to the growling, snarling and snapping sounds that reach me. As much as I hate him, Matthew is the only one that wants to keep me alive, at least for a little while.

The four rogues finish him off quickly, the loud snapping sound of his neck shortly cutting off a loud whine. It doesn't take long before I hear the padding of feet upon the ground coming to a stop in front of me. I believe it's the one that was arguing before, I can now pinpoint his scent as the dark wolf that took me down while fighting and tore up my face. He shifts back and I can feel his breath as he crouches down and leans over me.

"There's no need to pretend, I know you're awake. Your heart is racing." My eyes pop open and I recoil from his offensive smell. He's tall and muscular, easily blocking out the thin light. Even as my brain tries to grasp that he's going to kill me, I recognize he looks pretty normal. "This is nothing personal, we just want to end things cleanly."

Large hands start to adjust the rope around my neck, pushing it out of the way while leaving the rest of me trussed up. Adrenaline starts to flood my system, I want to fight for one last chance! I want to see Jae, just one more time!

I move my muzzle, but my throat is dry and damaged and no sound comes out. Fruitlessly, I struggle against the ropes. The rogue ignores my struggles and quickly shifts again, his dark looming form pressing close. My neck tingles, waiting for the sharp pierce of his canines.

Help! I called out instinctively. Please!

Braden! This voice...

Beta Reed!

A/N: Go ahead and breathe out a sigh of relief, Braden is safe now :) (Trust me on this, I'm not going into the rescue detail. Next chapter picks up with Braden coming home!)

Also, a giant THANK YOU to all readers that are still reading, even after the long weeks without an update. Plus, another thank you to the new readers, those that followed me and added An Idol for the Omega to their reading lists! I'm glad you want to read the story and I hope you enjoy it.