Carnage Island (Reject Island)(11)

“Or maybe your Alpha mate didn’t give you permission to shift back?” he continues, his brow furrowing with the suggestion.

My mind reels with the possibility.

Canton inspired my wolf to come out. But he never forced me to change back.

Is that why I can’t shift? I wonder, my heart skipping a beat. What does that mean? Will I be stuck like this until he brings me back?

Oh, moon… Canton will never help me. Not after everything that’s happened.

I’m going to be trapped forever…

“She can’t attend your party in this state, Caius.” The strong Alpha speaks in a soft tone, but his words are underlined with authority.

“No shit,” the third Alpha drawls, moving closer. “She’ll be mounted by all the wolves in this state.”

My wolf reacts to that, a low whine leaving her throat as she starts to hide her belly again. The blue-eyed Alpha allows it, giving her space to curl into a protective ball. But he continues to run his fingers along my fur, just like the one behind me now. He’s still humming, the sound oddly soothing.

“She’s not an Alpha,” he says again, this time talking about me rather than to me. “A Beta?”

The blue-eyed one runs his fingers along my neck, then up to my snout to draw a line to my nose. “She’s small,” he says. “And submitting like an Omega.” He leans down to sniff me again, then shakes his head. “Her half-breed genetics are confusing my wolf.”

Caius joins him in squatting before me, his soulful eyes finding mine. He studies me for a moment, his dark irises seeming to swirl with knowledge. “She’s not feral.”

“No, not at all,” the blue-eyed one agrees. “Just very scared.”

Caius nods like he’s responding to some sort of unspoken question. “I’ll cancel the welcome party.”

“Tell them she’s exhausted and needs a few nights before she meets the pack,” the blue-eyed Alpha says, his gaze still on me.

“Where will she stay until then?” Caius asks.

“In our den,” the one behind me says. “Where we can keep her safe.”

“And determine if she’s a Beta or…” the blue-eyed one trails off, but the others seem to understand the rest of his statement because they grunt.

Or what? I want to ask. An Omega?

That’s impossible.

My mother always called me an alpha female. All my tests suggested the same. It was what made me suitable for Canton.

But these men keep saying I’m not an Alpha.

And after feeling their strong auras, I very much understand why. Because compared to them? Yeah, I’m definitely not an Alpha.

But an Omega?

I almost snort.

I’m definitely not that either.

The blue-eyed male sits back on his heels for a moment, combing his fingers through his thick blond hair. “I’ll come with you, Caius,” he says. “Her scent is already in the air. They’ll have questions.”

The two of them stand at the same time.

Caius grins, but it’s not a friendly sort of smile, more of a challenging one as he looks at the male behind me. “I suggest you move quickly, V.”

“I always do, C,” the Alpha drawls, his chest vibrating my back and making my wolf sigh in response. She really likes his rumbling hum. It’s almost like a purr. “Do you want to run with me, sweetling?” he asks softly. “Or would you prefer I carry you?”

What is happening right now? I wonder, a bit dazed by this unexpected treatment.

All three males are staring at my wolf expectantly—which I anticipated when hearing I would be sent to Carnage Island, except it isn’t the kind of expectant glimmer I worried about seeing in their wild eyes.

Instead, they appear intelligent.

Not carnal.

Caring.

Not savage.

Patient.

Not demanding.

I swallow, uncertain of what I want to do. It’s up to my wolf, but she’s not moving. She just seems to want to curl into the Alpha behind me and bathe in that rumbling purr emanating from his chest.

“Carrying it is,” he says then, moving to stand.

My wolf perks up, irritated by the loss of his warmth.

But that rumbling sound from his chest lulls her into a placative state as she shuffles over to lean against his legs.

He’s wearing suit pants and nothing else.

I follow my nose and find his shirt, jacket, and shoes, piled haphazardly on the beach only a few feet away. He wasn’t wearing those when he pulled me from the water, which means he stripped them off before diving in.

“You got this, V?” the blue-eyed one asks, his attire of jeans and a bare chest similar to what I grew up seeing in the village.

“Yeah, I got this, T.” That addictive purr underlines his words, making me shiver again.

The one called T nods, causing his blond hair to fall into his face. He pushes it back with an errant hand before looking at Caius. “Let’s go break some hearts.”

“And maybe some jaws,” Caius says.

V glances at me, his expression suddenly tired. “Yeah, I think that’s a given.”





5





TIERAN





The female’s scent slithers around me, perfuming the air and filling my lungs with each breath.