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Tomas

Midnight struck on the church tower, its solemn chime echoing through the night as I pursued the reckless thief who fucking dared to violate my car, stealing my wallet.

His skinny legs drove him ahead of me, but I could taste his fear in the wind as I followed. Behind me, the woman whose purse this asshole stole, sobbed with her kids clutched close to her. He was an amateur criminal and he didn’t know how big of a mistake he’d made.

The streetlights shone like stars as he ran. His shoes padded along the sidewalk as he weaved in and out around a few late-night pedestrians. At the end of the block, he cut left and ducked around a corner. The little shit was fast, but he couldn’t shake me that easily.

A metal door of a dumpster clanged shut, but I didn’t need to hear that to know where he was. His heartbeat echoed in my ears, its erratic rhythm a testament to his fear. Yet, he had no idea what fear truly meant. He would understand, soon enough, once I caught him. Then he would face the embodiment of terror.

With supernatural speed, I darted across the street and dove into the alley between the two buildings. Bastard didn’t know he was dealing with an enforcer from the Volkovs, the notorious werewolf mafia, and my adopted family. Few outside of our pack knew we were actual werewolves and we liked it that way.

My claws extended and I raked them down the side of the dumpster. I heard his heart rate speed up, and I smiled.

“You stole from the wrong person,” I said, adding a growl at the end.

What do you want? Money?” He stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. “I can...I can give you half.”

It was a waste of time trying to negotiate with me; it only egged me on to hurt him more. “And if I kill you, I’ll just take all the money.”

“Fuck, man, don’t hurt me,” he whimpered and tossed out my wallet. “Take it. Take it.”

Too late for that shit, but I pocketed the wallet anyway. “And the money you took from the mom with the three kids?” I mocked. “Come out and I’ll make this quick.” If he forced me to crawl in the garbage to get him, I was going to be pissed.

My gaze locked on the sliver of light as the guy emerged from the back of the dumpster onto a small patch of dirt. What a fucking idiot. He was no more than five foot eight, not even coming to my shoulders. I flicked my wrist, causing the silver ring on my middle finger to glint in the low light.

“Please,” he begged while putting his hands in the air. “Just take it.” He held out his trembling hands to me, weeping rivers of tears. “I just needed something to eat.”

Please.

No fucking way he wanted food. He just needed his next hit. I rolled my eyes. “Good luck buddy.”

At my taunting words, his fear shifted to a desperate defiance and he brandished a gun, waving it unsteadily in my direction. “I-I’ll shoot,” he threatened, his voice trembling as much as his hands.

What a chicken shit. “You got a last request? Or are you ready to die now?”

“I'm the one with the gun.” As though feeling the tension of being prey and me the predator, his gaze darted between the mouth of the alley and me, biting his lip until it was bright red.

“I can fuck you up.” I loved fucking with terrified people. The wolf inside me paced in anticipation.

I took a step toward him and he paled, shaking so badly the gun wobbled in his hand.

“Stop it!” His voice rose to a scream. “I’ll kill you. I will!”

“Try it.” I took another step closer. “See what happens.”

His eyes widened like he thought I was crazy, and he wasn’t far off. When you’ve hunted for the mafia, killed people they didn’t want to bloody their hands with, and taken out whole families, nothing sane remained.

The little shit fired off a sloppy shot as I came at him. His movements were slow, almost clumsy - a reminder of his human frailty.

And I dodged the bullet, not that it would’ve mattered much since my pain tolerance and healing ability were far above average. He fell backward and my wolf snarled, wanting to clamp its teeth around his throat.

“Please.” He tried to get away, crab-walking backward; his face nearly green. “Here. Here’s a purse. It’s got money in it. I-I saw the broad go to the ATM.”

He lifted his shirt, pulled out the red purse, and pressed it into my hands.

“Don’t kill me,” he begged like he believed I would interrupt my plans of justice just so I could grant this asshole’s one request of not being murdered.

I stood, glaring down at the trash. His nostrils flared as he tried to suck in a breath. Pathetic. If he wasn’t strung out on drugs, I’d offer him a second chance. But this asshole had not only stolen from me but from a family that looked like they saved every penny.

“This doesn’t pay for the damage you did. For the nightmares that mom and her kids will have because of you.”

“I’m s-sorry.” Terror twisted his face and he pleaded for mercy with his hands raised in supplication and his eyes wide with fear.

I shook my head; those words meant nothing to me anymore. I’d heard too many say sorry or plead for their lives, and it never fazed me.

“No, you’re not.” I shook my head. “But I promise you will be.”

I punched him in the face and felt the bones in his nose break under my knuckles. He screamed, blood oozing from his nostrils.

I leaned over him again, punching his face harder, savoring the crack of bone under my fist. His screams filled the night and I basked in his terror.

My fists dripped red as the fucker wailed like a dying beast.

A gust of wind stirred the trash littering the alley. The sweet-spicy scent of an omega blooming into heat tickled my nose, and I paused mid-punch.

Fuck.

There weren’t many omegas, and the alpha wolf in me craved this one already. I grabbed the purse, removed the cash from my wallet, and stuffed it inside. Then I looked for someplace safe, like a store with security cameras or a police station, and ran across the street to a 24-hour gym. I wanted the woman with the kids to get her money back and a bit extra for having to deal with a purse snatcher.

Inside, transcendental non-Western music of some kind played over the speakers. Guess it had helped drown out the thief’s screams.

“Hey, I found this outside,” I said to the lady at the front desk. “Would you make sure it gets back to the owner, please?” I had to hurry this the hell up. My wolf clawed at my insides to find the omega and claim her as ours. My whole world narrowed down to getting to the omega before some other alpha beat me to it.

“Of course.” She gave me a bright smile, fluffing up her brown hair.

“Thanks.”

When I turned to the exit, she said, “Can I get your number? I mean, there might be a reward for turning this in.”

“No, thanks.” I pushed open the door, adding over my shoulder, “I don’t need anything.” Except to reach the omega.

“Wait,” she called. “My shift ends in an hour and a half at 3:30 this morning. Maybe we could get coffee?” She was cute enough if it were any other time... But without another thought, I shook my head no.

I had an unclaimed omega to find. Her scent called to me and my wolf.

The chill of the night air brushed against my skin, as I sprinted across the street in a handful of powerful strides. Her sweet scent whispered in the night air, faint but distinct, teasing my senses and pulling me in her direction like an invisible thread.

My heart raced. She was on the other side of the park. Was she in her wolf form? Some omegas never shifted, but I’d heard of a few who did. The urge to change into my wolf and track her pumped through my veins. But a wolf roaming through the city wouldn’t go over well. I didn’t care, but I didn’t want the locals trigger-happy and putting down innocent animals.

The moon hung high and full overhead. Two women ran along the trail with LED running lights around their upper arms and they both gasped when I passed them. I hid my speed as much as I dared. Let them think what they wanted. Like I could be an Olympian runner. I didn’t care. I needed to find that omega.

Her honeysuckle and light cinnamon scent drifted on the wind like a thread among the pollution of the city. I quickened my steps and I didn’t care who saw me. The urge to find her squeezed my chest until I felt like I couldn’t take in enough air.

I rounded a cluster of trees and spotted a woman with dark hair getting into the back of a car. She was in a tailored cream suit and her hair was pulled back into a bun. She never once looked back at me. Then she eased herself into the car and pulled the door shut behind her.

I charged at her, dodging around two women taking selfies together after a long night out partying and under a streetlight. They didn’t seem to notice me as I ran between them.

The driver pulled away and I leapt across the edge of the park. I jumped the curb, and ran down the street, hoping for a glimpse of which direction she was headed. But it was too late, the car she’d gotten into was gone.

While as a wolf I’m much faster over land, even I wouldn’t be able to track a car. Cars were darting here and there but none were the four-door Dodge she vanished in. There were so many scents in Manhattan I couldn’t pick hers out easily when it was diluted with so many others.

I wanted to howl at the moon. Rip the man and his dogs behind me to shreds. I didn’t look at him because I knew if I did, I would kill him. He’d see the amber glow of my eyes and run. Which is the worst thing he could do when faced with a predator.

The scent of her remained on the night air. I noted the car had come from the southern end of the park. I prayed she lived around here and came here regularly so I could find her again.

She had to be mine.

My phone dinged and I dug it out of my pocket to allow the distraction of it to calm me some.

An urgent text flashed in my display:

We have a job.

I was tempted to tell them to piss off, to leave me to my pursuit of the omega. Yet, the car she had disappeared into lacked a license plate, making the task of finding difficult, but not impossible. Maybe taking a new gig would take my mind off her until I could track her scent again.

I accept

I typed back.

Kidnap Natalia Mikhailov and keep her safe until her father votes for Pavlischchev’s new boss before the election in seventy-three days.

Natalia. The popular girl who put me down in high school and had me running around the track at night to get in shape? I was the big one. The one they all teased and made fun of, thanks to her. Until I dropped out of school at the start of my sophomore year after getting bit by a freaking werewolf one night while running on the school track.

I was sick for three weeks and on my own. And my body changed rapidly. I had already begun losing weight, but with the werewolf bite, I packed on muscle and dropped all the chubbiness.

When the Volkovs found that their wayward werewolf had bitten me when he’d gotten high, they offered to adopt me into their Bratva family. I started doing odd jobs for them, stuff no one wanted to do, cleaning up messes, and working my way up to pay-to-hire gigs.

The Volkovs were an ancient clan of Russian werewolves, tracing their supernatural lineage back thousands of years. They taught me all about being an alpha and they were the family I had never had growing up with my abusive father. Alex and a few others had wanted to kill my father for what he’d done to me, but I refused. I wanted the bastard alive and knowing his son hated him and would never forgive him.

Now, I never wanted for friends or money. Aside from my adoptive family, I had a group of guys who had my back.

When Natalia was graduating high school, I’d even thought about crashing her prom, but of course, it was during a full moon and I had to lock myself up for the night. The next day, I left for America and carved out a reputation here for my comrades in the States and overseas.

Taking her would have to be done delicately. She was smart and wouldn’t come with me willingly. She hated me, and the feeling was mutual.

It will be a pleasure to see her beg. To have her plead for mercy. I grinned. The election was two and a half months away. And I had so much time to make Princess Natalia wish she’d never met me.