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"Sir!"

They bound his wrists with a set of plastic ties and dragged him by his armpits, the tips of his shoes digging trenches into the dirt. He struggled against their grip but was too weak to fight. Looking over his shoulder, Lars glimpsed the final shimmers of sunlight disappearing beneath the horizon where his salvation lay. He had failed.

They tossed him into the back of a large transport vehicle bristling with weapons. Painted along its black steel side was the gold wolf skull emblem of the Feral Fangs Unit. Soldiers piled into the front, and the engine growled to life with pulsing vibrations that rattled its thick frame. Through the window, Lars watched as the remaining soldiers tossed two incendiary grenades into his truck, setting it ablaze. The fire spread to the bodies of his guards, consuming them in a flurry of white flame. Then a massive shape blocked his view. The door swung open and the Alpha colonel ducked into the back of the transport and took the bench seat opposite of him. Lars slid into the corner, trying to get as far away from the man as he could.

Two soldiers moved to accompany them in the back of the transport, but Colonel Greer raised his palm to stop them. "I will accompany the prisoner alone," he said.

"Sir."

They quickly backed away and shut the door, and the transport jolted forward as the convoy sped off down the road. The burning truck cast harsh shadows on the man's face as they passed it, and Lars thought that he looked like a monster. Staring at his face, he could now see a series of scars slashed across his temple just beneath his dark hair, which was neatly swept back. His eyes were a light brown with shimmering red specks, a feature carried by many Alphas. It made Lars think of blood. He shivered.

This Colonel Greer was staring at him silently, picking him apart with his eyes. Lars felt naked and vulnerable. He could feel him analyzing every part of his body, but the colonel’s expression betrayed no explanation of what he might be plotting. He was an Alpha. Lars knew what Alphas did to Omegas. He'd been spared a brutal fate at the hands of the soldiers, but that could only be temporary. After all—that was what this war was about. Resources. Breeding resources.

If Lars had been in heat, what would've happened? If the estrus-suppressing tonics were to lose their potency, how would the Alpha before him react?

An even more frightening thought occurred in his mind. How wouldhereact? Would he be able to even resist the instinctual urges that would course through his whole body? Would he want to deny the advances of a powerful Alpha? It wouldn't matter if that Alpha were a killer. Or a member of the Xyletian Empire.

"What are you going to do with me?" Lars asked, finding his voice.

"You're now an asset of the Xyletian Empire," Greer rumbled. "Anything I want."

Lars shivered again.

"But for now," Greer continued, "I'm going to turn you over to my brother, Commander Phoenix Greer." He leaned forward and stretched out a hand. His huge calloused fingertips grazed Lars's chest as they closed around the pendant hanging around his neck. "There'd been rumors of an Ekdolian heir, but none could be verified. Who could've thought? An Omega." With a quick tug, the chain snapped.

"Give that back," Lars pleaded.

"They were wise to keep you hidden. It was my luck to find you. This will change everything." He slipped the pendant into his pocket. "Tell anyone about your true identity and I guarantee that you will die."

"I'm going to die anyway," said Lars.

"Maybe. Perhaps you can receive an extension on your life. But if word of your existence makes it back to the Emperor, nothing can halt your fate."

"Why are you helping me?"

"Is that what you think this is, little Omega? Quite the opposite.Youwill be helpingus." He leaned forward again, resting his forearms across the tops of his thighs. His gold collar flashed under the passing street lights. His name was etched in bold letters along the right side.

GREER, GRIFFIN.

"We needed an Omega," Griffin said. His face was so close Lars could smell his scent. "And now we have one."

At that moment, he felt something awaken inside of him, a vibration deep inside of his stomach. He knew what it was, and he knew what it meant. Itwascoming. He'd fought and suppressed it for as long as was physically possible but his body was reacting to the catalyst that was this powerful Alpha male, and it wouldn't be long until he was fully engaged in his heat cycle. And when that time came, nothing could save him.

Chapter 2

The Xyletian basewas located in the clearing of a burned-out forest north of where Lars had been captured, a mobile encampment that had been fortified with weaponry meant to quash any efforts of rebellion and keep the border in check.

Lars’s head was covered with a hood, blacking out his vision. He heard the door open and Griffin get out of the vehicle.

"Holding cell, sir?" a voice asked.

"No,” Griffin replied. “The Commander's chambers. This one's our guest."

They dragged him out and forced him to march, prodding a gun into his back whenever he slowed or tried to resist. He smelled the sharp, noxious scent of gasoline and the sound of boots on gravel. The shouts of men. The howling call of wolves and the drumming of paws. Even in his human form he could smell them—Alpha males who could sense his Omega presence. He could feel their attention shifting to him as they detected the minuscule hum that was slowly building strength inside of him.

The healers had told him the concoction of tonics would override his cycle and last for at least this month. That was only a week ago, and suddenly now the suppressors were failing. His estrus was breaking through like a bad fever. Could it really have been all because of one Alpha?

Resist.