Lucas’ jaws snapped around the other wolf's throat, his head twitching wildly as he forced him down. All he needed was to trap the man in an alpha death shake and it would all be over. For both of them. But then his hazel eyes slid to Oliver, molten with a searing intensity that should have been frightening, but somehow wasn’t. Blood sprayed from the other wolf’s neck, splattering across Lucas’ muzzle as he kept his eyes fixed on Oliver.
‘Protect…Hurt…Hurt…Protect…Protect.’
The words,no, the intention ricocheted between them, sinking into Oliver’s cerebral cortex until he was rocking forward on unsteady legs and dropping his head.‘Safe…Safe…Safe…Safe…Stop.’
“S-Stop,” Oliver said, his human voice coming out in a stuttering tumble. “Lucas, stop!” He called, stronger the second time.
The rage seemed to drain away for a split second, enough for the other wolf to wriggle out of Lucas’ death grip. But then a sound rumbled from deep within Lucas’ throat, a strange, feral growl. Something old. Something primal. All the daylight seemed to be sucked away, as Oliver suddenly found himself in his sandy-wolf form. When did he shift? When did?—
Special Branch officers sprinted towards them, some human, others wolves as their feet thundered across the tarmac. The betas had their weapons drawn, and all of them were snarling.
Expecting them to take hold of the suspect, Oliver barked and growled in confusion when they laid hands on Lucas instead. The shifted alphas piled on top of him, biting the back of his neck and forcing him onto his belly. It took five of them to finally subdue Lucas, and they wasted no time in hauling him away.
Everything after that was a blur. The man Oliver half-arrested was thrown into the back of an unmarked car, kicking and spitting at the other officers. Nancy sat in her wolf form on the ground next to him, watching as the other officers tried to keep the situation contained. She pressed her sweaty muzzle into Oliver’s ear, licking him before jerking away.
Five people were arrested on suspicion of child exploitation offences, one customer for theft. The idiot thought he’d try his luck amongst the chaos, by attempting to steal a showroom vehicle.
“Friend…”Nancy said, resting her head on her paws. Though they shared no formal pack bond, they’d run together enough times to hear one another's thoughts. Her thoughts were low and cautious as she said,“Felt that? Power. From the howl?”
“Yes.”
“The alpha. Your mate?”
SEVEN
TIDES OF CHANGE
“Ollie?” a soft voice called, as fingertips brushed his forehead and a comforting scent drifted into his nostrils. He cracked open an eye, the harsh light of the High Enfield Accident and Emergency department hurting his head more than the broken nose and two black eyes.
“Matty,” Oliver croaked, his voice dry and raspy from the hours spent asleep with his mouth open. He frowned, which hurt like a bitch. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?” His brother said, pulling the blue curtain around his tiny cubicle.
“Like mum.”
Matteus scowled, pulling up a plastic chair and handing him a bottle of water. “You look like hell, brother.”
Which was to be expected, given that his face felt like it’d been smashed into the giant testicles of the golden bull. “Please don’t tell mum,” he replied. “I don’t need two hens pecking at my bedside.”
“I won’t, butyoushould once we get out of here.”
Oliver cracked open his other eye and squinted at his brother. He looked exhausted, like he hadn’t slept in days.
“We?”
“Yes,we. You’re coming to stay with Julian and I for a few days. You’ll heal quicker if we stay as a pack.”
Oliver sat up in the narrow bed, grimacing at the shooting pain in his face. “Not a chance. I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself.”
Matteus sniffed, cocking his eyebrow in an expression that could only mean trouble. “Okay then,” he said, getting to his feet. “I’ll give mum a ring.”
Oliver let out a sharp breath. “You’re a little shit, you know that?” Matteus grinned, his soft omega features making him look childlike for a split second. “What time is it?”
“Half-past two in the afternoon. You’ve done well to get seen so quickly.”
Oliver smirked. “It’s amazing how fast things move when you get hauled in by a group of alphas with guns. The nurses were practically tripping over themselves to get a look.”
“This isn’t funny,” Matteus snapped, stamping his foot. “Nancy told me what happened, you could have been seriously injured! Or worse. A knife? For Christ’s sake, who the hell attacks a police officer head-on with a knife?”
