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  There was no stopping. He was going to find whoever took Peregwin and they would meet their end for threatening the omega's life and liberty.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Peregwin

  The omega stumbled forward as the lead he was tied to was yanked. He wasn't going as fast as the alpha in control wanted. He never did. Peregwin figured if he was full on sprinting the whole way, it still wouldn't have been fast enough.

  It'd been a whole day of this forced march. He'd hardly eaten anything, and was perpetually exhausted. He murmured a praise to the moon as they pulled up to a clearing with a few rocks and bushes about, and his captor suddenly stopped.

  "Be another day before I can get you back to the Twilight Blood." The alpha sat down on a rock to catch his breath.

  Jeroc. That's what Greyl and the others had called him. He was the one they’d called a coward for saying he didn't even want to come along.

  Peregwin was learning a lot by watching him. He was an opportunist. Nothing more. He'd sell out his own pack in an instant if it served him well enough. Peregwin was simply a tool to be used in his quest to power.

  The omega cursed himself. He was a damned fool. He‘d been so naive to think that all of them would want peace. Alphas were capable of great evil, and learning that omegas were just as capable didn't change things.

  Peregwin should have waited. He should have brought Stone as protection. He should have... He should have...

  His regrets were as innumerable as the grains of sand in the wasteland around them. Did he deserve this for his own stupidity?

  Jeroc drank from a leaf pouch filled with water. He had stolen it off him so quickly after disarming Peregwin of his blade.

  The river's fresh water. How Peregwin had yearned for it. Right now, he was utterly parched.

  His captor noticed his gaze. He reward Peregwin by yanking the chain down and making Peregwin face-plant on the ground. He grunted, favoring his abdomen and saying a prayer to the moon to protect his pup who was suffering right alongside him. It wasn't good to go this long with food or water.

  Or without his alpha.

  Jeroc laughed. "You going to give me a pup before it withers away? I'd like that. Hopefully it's another omega so I can really get a good price for you."

  Peregwin kept quiet, not wanting to incur the wrath of his captor. It would be patience and cunning that saved him, there was no doubt about that.

  He noticed some leaves on the ground next to him, glistening in the morning light. Dew. Water. Not much but it was something.

  He inched himself over, and licked at the droplets. He contemplated even eating the leaf. He knew it had no real nourishing value for him, yet maybe it would stem his hunger, if only briefly.

  There wasn't enough time to decide. After only a few licks, his chain was yanked again, urging Peregwin up to his feet.

  There was a little kick in his abdomen and Peregwin cradled his swelling belly. Would his pup survive this journey? His thoughts shifted to Stone. Would he ever see him again?

  Ollas. Dear Ollas. A tear ran down his chin. He had let him down.

  Why was he such a damned fool?

  Chapter Sixteen

  Stone

  Stone panted as he galloped over the uneven ground with his nose pressed as closely to the ground as possible. Peregwin’s scent was growing fainter. The realization made Stone increase his speed, even though he knew there was no way he could keep this pace up.

  But they’d had an entire night’s head start. There was no way Stone could catch up unless he pushed himself to the brink.

  Along with Peregwin’s scent, the earth beneath him carried an alpha’s pheromones. An alpha. One.

  Hadn't there five of them?

  The path he was on, was it the right one? They might have ran off in multiple directions, each bringing a shred of Peregwin's clothing to lead him down the wrong path.

  He grunted. He had to stay on the trail. Hope that it was the right one.

  Five of them. It was just him. He was suddenly second guessing his decision to turn down Rohan's offer to help. When the time came to fight, he wasn’t sure he could take down five alphas, starved as they were.

  Never doubt someone fighting to protect what they hold dear though.

  That fact was on his side this time.

  He kept running his heart pounding, but he wouldn't stop. He couldn't stop.

  Stone cursed to himself. Why was his omega so kind? So foolish? So naive?

  Then he cursed himself as well. He would be dead if not for all those things.

  The omega's heart wasn't the problem.

  The scum of the earth was. Those alphas. More than ever, he understood Edrik's fears.

  The wind carried a blast of alpha pheromones. There were more of them—many more than five.

  Was he getting close? If Peregwin reached another pack, Stone’s rescue efforts became a whole lot more difficult.

  Five on one was within the realm of possibility.

  One versus one hundred? No matter how driven Stone was that was simply suicide.

  He had to get to Peregwin. He didn't want to think of what would happen if he failed.

  To gain all this—the bliss of having a wonderful omega, a pack that had potential to be something great. The dream of having a pup of his own.

  Then to have it all stolen from him.

  A suicidal run into hundreds of alphas was preferable to facing the fallout of such a reality.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Peregwin

  Dread washed over Peregwin when he spotted a village in the distance.

  Or, rather, the remains of one.

  In the ruins, alphas loomed out, their eyes fixated on Peregwin, as well as the captor holding his leash.

  The scent of the pack was odd and Peregwin realized it was because there were no other omegas. It was strange smell after being in the Mount Liberty village for so long.

  No. There were omegas. Unseen. Their smell so faint, smothered by alphas. This had to be to keep invading alphas from being lured by their scent, Peregwin figured.

  Jeroc led Peregwin to the tallest tent in the village. He stood firm and proud of his accomplishment.

  “Look who decided to stop being a rogue.” A taller alpha emerged from the tent. “And they brought a delightful toy for us.”

  "Yeah. Got an omega. Pregnant one, but still an omega," Jeroc explained. "I'll leave it up to you if you want to make the pup wither or try to gamble him giving you another omega before it withers on its own."

  Peregwin kept silent. He needed to pick his battles. Too much abuse would endanger his unborn pup.

  "The Twilight Blood pack thanks you for your donation." He must have been their pack master.

  "It's no donation. I expect to be well compensated."

  "You will be. Tonight you may rest. Tomorrow the auction for this one begins. We have many alphas who desire a plaything."

  Peregwin shuddered at the idea.

  "Good," Jeroc said, yanking Peregwin forward. "Do you have a tent for me?"

  "Indeed. We had one prepared for you and the rest of your rogues, but it seems it's only you?"

  "The rest are dead. If they weren't so weak we would have had a better haul."

  "Figures. Greyl should have been put out of his misery years ago."

  "I won't miss him."

  Peregwin grunted as again his chain was pulled. Jeroc led him to his private tent. He threw him down in the corner. Peregwin held in a scream when his head struck against a skull. It was a long dead wolf, it's fangs still eternally grinning at Peregwin, it's canines still looking sharp as ever.

  Was it a souvenir from a enemy or the remains of a meal? Peregwin shuddered at the thought

  Jeroc drove a stake into the ground and chained Peregwin to it. A tear welled in Peregwin’s eyes when he felt the metal collar press around his neck. It was exactly like the one he’d been forced to wear when he’d lived in The Bloody Fang. His brief glimpse at freedom a
n a better future for his children was fading like a dream.

  Peregwin watched, mouth watering as Jeroc scarfed down a pitcher of water and bowl of cooked meat. He smacked his lips in Peregwin’s direction, grinning as he made moans of enjoyment. Peregwin’s stomach twisted hungrily and he resisted the urge to jump on Jeroc and steal whatever he could. Maybe if he was lucky, he might starve to death before he had to face the worst of their cruelty.

  Peregwin closed his eyes, shaking his head.

  He couldn’t just accept his fate. If he was put up to auction, if another alpha claimed him, it would poison his womb. He would lose Stone's pup.

  He didn't want that. The loss of his child terrified him more than a lifetime of servitude.

  In silence, he planned. He contemplated. He looked down and saw the decaying wolf's skull laying next to him.

  One dead man's tragedy may be another's salvation.

  ***

  The night pressed on. Jeroc slept. Peregwin did too.

  Or so Jeroc thought.

  Waiting just long enough, Peregwin opened his eyes, and put his mind into his own rescue.

  With his arms bound behind him, he couldn't just shift out of the situation unless he wanted to hobble along on two crippled fore-legs. When speed was needed to run away, an injury like that was a death sentence.

  If he could get rid of the bounds though, the chain around his neck didn't really pose any deterrent from him shifting out of it. It'd just roll up his neck a little bit, still being as uncomfortable as it ever was.

  The ropes around his hands had been made by the Mount Liberty pack. They were decent quality, not great. A craftsman can only create something as good as the materials he has, and they had little access to resources that made good rope

  Peregwin had seen them made. They were weak enough to be cut by a wolf's tooth. He moved into action, stretching to touch his bonds to the wolf's skull.

  Slowly yet surely, he managed to use it to saw through the cords, bit by bit. They frayed.

  The skull moved. It made Peregwin jump for a moment, but he calmed down, realizing that he had just leaned too hard into it.

  He had to keep trying. He had to break through.

  He almost cried with utter joy as his arms snapped forward, now free from their oppressive bonds.

  Jeroc rolled over and Peregwin froze, barely daring to breath until he heard a light snore.

  Now there was the matter of the stake that held his chain to the ground.

  He shuffled over to it.

  In a rush, Peregwin tried to lift it out of the ground, but it was in there tightly. He must have been too weak from his pregnancy and the lack of food.

  So he dug. He dug up the stake until he could finally pull it up.

  Furiously, knowing time was short. Dirt was flying past him, and he finally uprooted it

  The piece of wood clattered onto the ground.

  The sound seemed to echo through the tent. It hit his captor's ear, triggering an unpleasant growl.

  Adrenaline hit Peregwin. Jeroc was stirring. It was now or never.

  He sprinted. He shifted.

  There was still a chain around his neck, and he was dragging it across the ground, but Peregwin didn't care. He had to run.

  "What in the moon..." Jeroc grumbled as he was roused to consciousness by the noise. As swiftly as Peregwin had taken off, Jeroc was rushing right after him, four legs after four legs.

  Jeroc howled, it's cacophony echoing through the night.

  The sound, it resembled the one Mount Liberty used for lost pups, but with a guttural tone to it.

  Peregwin kept running, yearning for more speed. He knew where Mount Liberty was from here. If he could just keep running, if he could just get away, he would be able to find his way home.

  Jeroc's scent was rapidly growing closer.

  He wasn't starved. He wasn't carrying a pup.

  There was nothing hindering his speed aside from the grogginess of awakening, and compared to the pains Peregwin had, that was absolutely nothing.

  Still, the spirit was strong. He had to find the will, the strength to carry on.

  Yet it was inevitable.

  Jeroc was closing in. Peregwin tried one last rush, but his heart caught in his throat when he was yanked backward.

  The alpha leaped onto the chain, pinning it down to the ground, yanking Peregwin back and rolling him along the ground. Soon, his captor was once again over him.

  Peregwin rushed his paw to his neck, worried that it was broken by such a reckless act. No. It was still intact. Intact enough, anyway. He could still feel his paws, his toes. His heart pounded, fearing the near catastrophe he had just avoided. To them, a crippled omega was almost as good as a healthy one.

  "You're going to pay for that, dear omega. You're going to pay dearly."

  Peregwin wouldn't go back.

  He clawed at Jeroc's face. He tried to push himself to run away.

  The alpha's grip on the chain was too much.

  Peregwin whimpered as he reached the length again, and Jeroc closed in, putting his paw right at Peregwin's throat.

  "You just don't know when you've lost do you? Don't worry. I'm sure whoever wins you will have fun breaking your will again."

  There were alphas running out. Jeroc was a coward, just like Greyl said. Even if it was pursuing a pregnant omega, he wanted backup.

  Scents filled the nose of Peregwin. All foreign, all alpha.

  Except one.

  It's sweetness brought joy to Peregwin's heart for the first time in what felt like forever.

  Stone.

  A vengeful howl rang through as he rushed into Jeroc, breaking his grasp on the chain and sending him rolling away instead.

  His alpha rushed to him, nuzzling his cheek. Peregwin smiled. Stone's touch was greater than any healers to him right now.

  "You're a fool, Pere," Stone whispered to him. "A kind, wonderful, generous, brave beautiful fool. Never change."

  Tears welled in Peregwin’s eyes. He pushed himself up. He was still in pain, still exhausted, and the hissing growl from Jeroc sent chills down his spine. Those beady eyes of his glared into Peregwin, furious that the omega was daring to make this so hard for him.

  The alphas of the Twilight Blood were at his side.

  In a flash, they were completely surrounding Stone and Peregwin, leaving them nowhere to run.

  A stern, powerful voice called out to Stone. "Surrender the omega."

  Chapter Eighteen

  Stone

  He had dreaded this so. A dozen or so alphas surrounding them.

  Stone dug his claws into the ground, keeping guard over Peregwin, who was coping bravely after the abuse he’d suffered, but Stone could tell he was week and injured.

  The alphas who did this to him would receive no mercy

  Stone bared his fangs. "I’d die before I let you take him."

  "Your life to throw away," the lead alpha said.

  They moved in on them in a flash of fur and fangs.

  Stone needed to make a path to escape. One for at least Peregwin to get away.

  No.

  He needed to survive too. His pup needed him.

  Peregwin pulled himself up and was right by his side. Pregnant and weak, he was still willing to fight, knowing he was outmatched in every way.

  “Stay behind me,” Stone said, but Peregwin pushed forward.

  "They're not going to kill me. I’m too valuable to them."

  Stone’s heart swelled at his omega’s bravery. He would save Peregwin. Such a beautiful heart was too good to go to waste.

  A wolf leapt at Peregwin and Stone was at his throat, but as he tore into the assailant, another jumped between him and Peregwin. The omega snapped ferociously, forcing the shocked alpha back. Stone rushed in and bit into the wolf’s throat, but there was another blocking their escape. Always another. Even with everything they had to protect, there was no way he and Peregwin could fight off an entire pack. Stone’s heart sank.
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  Until there was a howl.

  Far in the distance.

  It was enough to confuse the Twilight Blood, and Stone knew that he would never have a better chance.

  He leaped at one of the wolves blocking their escape, and struck as fast as lightning, driving the claw into their throat. They started rushing him furiously and Stone backed away, leading them away from his mate—ducking them, raking his claws across their chest, kicking them. But their numbers were still too much. One paw was held down by an attacker, and then another.

  There was no way he could keep this up forever. His doom would come, he was deathly sure of it.

  Until one of the wolves was thrown off him in a flash of fur.

  "Greyl!" Peregwin called out.

  Stone stared in confusion, as three wolves leapt into the fray, tackling the hordes. Wait, he recognized the newcomers—they were the former Mount Liberty captives.

  "Traitors!" Jeroc called out. He tried to strike down the old wolf, but one of Greyl's pack intercepted him.

  "Traitors to what? This isn’t a real pack." Greyl cried as he fought. “There is no soul here.”

  Stone, leapt back into the fight, and Peregwin fought alongside him, still exhausted, still hurting, but ferocious as ever. They snapped and clawed madly, fueled by everything that was at stake. Wolves fell to the bloodied ground, or whimpered off, frightened by what they saw in the eyes of the defenders.

  “They’re broken.” Greyl growled. "It’s time to move in for the omegas."

  "You're doing that?" Stone asked, his head tilted.

  He smirked. "We're delivering on our promise."

  Stone nodded. His omega wanted freedom for everyone, and he would do anything for him.

  They rushed into the makeshift village, following the pheromones of omegas. The scent was heavy with fear and desperation, and led toward a pit in the center of the village.

  “Stay away from there,” an alpha demanded as they approached, but all Stone had to do was growl and the coward shrunk away. With no soul in the pack, none of the alphas were willing to risk their neck to defend it.