Page 16 of Wild Omegas (Wild Skies Ranch Omegaverse #1)

Luke

I know what an animal backed into a corner looks like. Josie puts on a good show of not being afraid, and for much of the time, I believe she isn’t. Not when we’re around. But she is scared of someone. She’s afraid . Which is something she should never be with us around to protect her.

But we can’t protect her if we don’t know what’s going on.

I do believe Josie will tell us when she’s ready. She’s our omega. She knows she can come to us for help and support and we’ll provide anything she needs, even if it’s a shield. No, especially if it’s a shield.

But she’s also used to being alone. I can sense that, too. Creatures that are used to being alone don’t accept help well, and if they do, it’s always far too late.

I will not wait until it’s too late for Josie.

I finish up work for the day and seek out Brooks. For a minute I’m concerned the foals won’t let me leave. They’re playful and loving, but god they’re exhausting. A flash of having my own pups with Josie fills my mind. It freezes me in my tracks.

I want it. I want this reverie to be reality so badly.

Having a family, a pack , with Josie is… Everything.

It’s my childhood dream come true, and the only thing standing in the way is this thing Josie refuses to talk about. The frustration of her secret sits in my throat like a hot, heavy stone.

There’s not a whole lot I can do to find out what happened except talk to Josie’s grandparents, and while that may work, I think that’s a little further behind her back than I want to go.

Putting her family in the middle won’t help anything.

But Brooks has connections from his time in law enforcement.

He has ways to find information on people that I can only dream of.

When I find him Brooks is also finishing up for the day. Our work is never truly done when animals are involved, but by now they’re fed and taken care of.

He nods as I make my way over. “Finally free of the foals?”

“Saw that, did you?” I chuckle. “Little tyrants, all of them.”

Brooks laughs. He removes his hat for a moment to smooth down his hair. “At least you get a break from the wild mares.”

All but one. “Speaking of, can I ask you a question?”

Brooks’s smile falters. “What’s up?”

I cross my arms and look to the mountains for a moment. “It’s Josie. Whatever she’s running from. It feels dangerous, and her not telling us feels off.”

“It’s her business,” Brooks says but even I can tell he’s not accepting that information.

“It could put the pack in danger,” I argue.

Brook’s shrugs. “You’re not wrong, Luke. But if she doesn’t want to tell us, there’s not much we can do about it but be ready in case danger strikes.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “You don’t really believe that.”

“What if I do?”

My jaw sets hard. “She’s our omega. We’re supposed to protect her no matter the cost. But we can’t do that if we don’t know what we’re protecting her from .

” I point back at the main ranch house where Josie is probably sitting in her grandparents’ office going over their paperwork.

She was really dizzy this morning and generally not feeling well, so I can’t imagine she wandered far from the house.

“She just showed up here clearly running, Brooks. You cannot argue that it’d be better to not know. ”

Brooks’s lips press into a thin line. “No, I can’t. Fine. Come with me.”

We hurry back to the main house and duck inside the back door. Brooks has me follow him upstairs into his room and we crowd around his laptop.

“I still have access to some things,” Brooks admits while he logs into some official-looking system. “Means my sergeant is probably hopeful I’ll come back to the force, but that’s not going to happen.”

I stand behind him while he works. “What made you leave in the first place?” Brooks never talks about it.

Brooks stops typing for a moment. “A really bad case. It was too dark for me and I couldn’t do the job after that.”

I’m not sure what to say to that so I simply place a hand on his shoulder for a minute to let him know I heard him.

Brooks types away. He’s looking through several databases which turn up nothing as far as I can tell. Then, finally, he points to the screen at a file icon with ‘Locked’ over it.

“So, most of the information around this case is locked,” Brooks explains. “That’s the bad news. Whatever happened involved her designation as an omega so the NYPD locked the case. I can’t dig into that without authorization which I won’t get.”

My brow creases tight. “Something happened because of her designation?”

Brooks bites his cheek and shakes his head. “Not necessarily because of it.” He flips tabs. “It looks like she was involved with a fire. We know she owned a bakery. It burnt down. Whatever happened with that is why the case is locked.”

A sticky feeling churns my gut. “Is she in witness protection or something?” I realize how stupid a question that is the second it’s past my lips. “Nevermind, she wouldn’t be at her family ranch with her real name if she was.”

Brooks nods his head. “That’s correct. But there’s nothing saying she’s not under some informal order to stay out of sight.” He sighs. “I can put in a few calls, but I think it’d be best if Josie never finds out we had this conversation. She needs to tell us what’s going on herself.”

“And if it’s too late?” If something happens to Josie, I will never forgive myself. We’re her pack. We protect our own and we’ll sure as fuck kill to protect our omega.

The intensity of that strikes me.

I’ve never thought about killing anyone before. But I know for a fact I would for Josie.

Love, scent-matches, pack bonds… it’s all dangerous as hell. And no less dangerous than any consequences from a torched bakery.

Brooks takes a long moment before replying. Several heartbeats thud as I wait for any wisdom he has to offer me. But there is none. Either we step across the line to protect her, or wait for her to tell us everything. Both are bad options for alphas with an omega to protect.

I shake my head and head for the door. “Make those calls, Brooks.”

“Where are you going?”

I glance at him over my shoulder. “To find our omega.”

I check the whole house for Josie and she is nowhere to be seen.

Maybe it’s the conversation Brooks and I just had, or maybe it’s an overactive imagination, but terror strikes a chord through me.

I rush past Carson’s gardening shed without finding her and out past the sheep fields to the horse barn, and finally find Josie at the far side.

She’s playing with a foal and I can just hear her say, “One second, I’ll get you some more hay. ”

I swing through a few gates and head into the barn. Seeing her from a distance, knowing she’s okay, allows me to breathe again. The clawing anxiety in my chest melts away at the sound of her voice.

The foal trots around happily, no doubt waiting for Josie to return, but she’s disappeared up into the hayloft. And it feels like she’s out of sight for far longer than it should take to grab some hay.

“Josie?” I call up to her as I enter the barn. A thick wall of her scent encompasses my entire existence, far stronger than it’s ever been. Just instant florals and honey and Josie , even with her on another floor from me.

Her footsteps pad around up there on the old boards. Dust filters through the small gaps in the boards. She’ll be down in a minute no doubt. I settle down on top of a barrel and cross my arms waiting for her.

That’s when the floorboards above crack open and Josie shrieks as she falls.