Alpha's Heart Read online

  Table of Contents

  Wesley

  Ken

  Also by Hawke Oakley

  Alpha’s Heart

  Indigo Mountain Pack Book 3

  Hawke Oakley

  Copyright © 2018 by Hawke Oakley

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover Designer: Cosmic Letterz

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  Contents

  1. Wesley

  2. Ken

  3. Wesley

  4. Ken

  5. Wesley

  6. Ken

  7. Wesley

  8. Ken

  9. Wesley

  10. Ken

  11. Wesley

  Also by Hawke Oakley

  1

  Wesley

  It was cold and dark. A sense of overbearing dread came over me as I stepped inside the warehouse. A hole in the ceiling provided a window to the night sky, and the moon’s rays shone gloomily across the bare cement floor. Across from me, sitting in a makeshift throne, was the alpha who had summoned me.

  “Come closer,” he growled.

  His words were a hook in my chest. Without thinking, I immediately heeded his command and stepped forward.

  All around me were other shifters - alphas from my pack. But the man in front of me was no ordinary alpha. He held more power than any of the others put together. And for whatever reason, he wanted me here tonight. In the grand scheme of things, I was nothing - just a mateless omega. Although, I supposed that made me valuable in a different way. I swallowed hard, thinking of the possibilities he had in store for me.

  One in particular crossed my mind, making my chest flicker with both hope and dread. What if he wanted me for himself? As far as anyone in the pack knew, he hadn’t chosen an omega for himself yet. At least, not romantically. Logically, I knew he must have sired many pups in the pack - ones who were destined to join his growing alpha army. But there was never an omega by his side, and he never spoke of a mate. Not a fated mate.

  I shivered in anticipation. Was he going to choose me?

  “You,” he growled again. His face was covered in shadow, and I couldn’t get a good look at him. “What is your name?”

  His aura was overwhelming, and I forced myself not to shudder. “Wesley Fawkes.”

  He fell silent again. Then, extending out a hand, he beckoned me closer. Unable to resist an alpha’s demand, I shuffled closer to him. I tried not to gasp as he picked up my arms and let them drop back to my sides, like a ragdoll. He turned me around with one hand and kept examining the rest of me. His nails were long and dug into the bare skin at the nape of my neck, and this time I couldn’t help but shudder. I had never been in the presence of such power before. To tell the truth, I was frightened. But omegas were never summoned to the top alpha. If I was here, there had to be an important reason.

  Just as if to assert his power further, he dug his claws deeper into the sensitive skin at the base of my neck. I stood dead still. Only a single bead of sweat trickled down my brow.

  “He’ll do, at least physically,” he finally said, turning me back around towards him. I still couldn’t see his face properly in the darkness.

  At least physically? I thought. What does that mean?

  “Remind me of his profile,” he said to one of the alphas.

  A different man spoke. He had less raw power in his voice than the top alpha. “Nineteen, still yet to have his first heat, but judging from our clinic’s fertility trajectory program, it should occur sometime in the next few months, sir.”

  “Good,” the top alpha growled. He tilted his head and asked me, “Are you loyal, boy?”

  “Me?” I said, although it came out hoarse and weak-sounding.

  He drummed his long nails on the armrest of his throne. “Yes, you.”

  “I am… sir,” I added, hearing that the other alpha had done the same. The last thing I wanted was for the top alpha to think I was disrespecting him.

  “How loyal?” he pressed.

  I stared at him, blinking stupidly. “I - “

  “Would you die for Scarlet Ridge pack?”

  His words felt like a blow across the face. What were you supposed to say to something like that? No, more importantly - what would happen if I said no? I was a single omega in a room full of powerful alphas who could tear me apart as easily as snapping their fingers. It crossed my mind that I could be dead in an instant if I said the wrong answer.

  Would I really die for the pack? I guess I had no choice but to find out the hard way.

  “I would,” I finally said. “Sir.”

  In the darkness, a cold yellow-white grin stretched over the top alpha’s mouth. “Good.”

  He suddenly rose from his seat and slowly descended the concrete platform until he stood before me. The breath escaped from my lungs. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and surprisingly young. His face was a strange combination of unnerving ugliness and sinister beauty. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

  So this was Gunner.

  I was frozen to the spot. His alpha aura radiated like electricity in the air. I felt like I couldn’t even twitch a muscle. I was powerless in front of him.

  He strode around me, inspecting my body once more. Once he seemed satisfied, he stepped back.

  “I have a proposal for you,” he finally said.

  My heart raced. Did he mean that literally?

  “Yes, sir?” I said, my voice almost coming out in a squeak.

  Gunner stood still and glanced down at me with his narrowed blue eyes. They felt like arrows of ice piercing my soul.

  “I’ll get straight to the point,” he began. “We need a virgin omega to infiltrate Indigo Mountain pack. You’ll need to seduce their top alpha and destroy the pack from the inside out. Is that clear?”

  His words went right over my head. I wasn’t prepared for the gravity of what Gunner asked me to do. It was like he had just told me I was supposed to go to the Moon.

  “Did you hear me, omega?” Gunner asked sharply.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Well?”

  Do I really have a choice?

  “I… I’ll do it, sir,” I said.

  Gunner hummed, pleased. He walked around the room a bit. It was only now that I noticed the full-length fur cape he wore around his shoulders. It trailed on the ground behind him as he strode around me in a loose circle, never taking his eyes off me. I realized with a piercing shock that I recognized the color and texture of the fur he was wearing…

  It was the pelt of our previous top alpha.

  Horror descended upon me. I knew Gunner had brutally killed him and taken over the pack, but I didn’t know the details beyond that. I didn’t know Gunner skinned him and turned him into… that...

  I felt sick to my stomach.

  “Listen carefully,” Gunner announced, speaking to everyone in the room now.

  All the alphas - and myself - instantly stood to attention.

  “The omega has accepted his mission,” Gunner continued with a smug tone. “Now, the first problem lies in how he will infiltrate the pack. As we know from past experience…” The smirk fell off his face and was replaced with a deep scowl. “Omegas from our pack have been readily accepted there. But I’ve received word that my spy has been killed, and that Indigo Mountain now knows about her treachery. I doubt they will be so welcoming anymore.”

  I swallowed hard. I had a
feeling I wouldn’t like where Gunner was going with this, but it was too late. I’d already dug myself a hole and now I had to lay in it. All I could do was pray that whatever he would say next wouldn’t be that bad.

  “But there was one thing she did tell me that was useful,” Gunner continued, turning back to me. “There is an alpha doctor among them. Unmated.”

  Unease gripped me like a cold claw.

  “We can use that to our advantage. Get close to the doctor, then their top alpha. Seduce both of them if you have to. Do whatever it takes to destroy them.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “Is that clear?”

  “Yes,” I said, afraid that if I didn’t answer his question right away he would get angry. “I just… have a question, sir.”

  “Speak, omega.”

  “What does the doctor have to do with my mission?” I asked carefully.

  A slow, sinister smirk spread across his mouth. “Keep in mind that it’s too late to change your mind now, omega. You’ve sealed your fate.”

  My blood turned to ice. I swallowed hard and forced myself not to stumble backwards, although every cell in my body was screaming at me to run. I was no coward. I would stand and face whatever fate befell me.

  Even though the horrible gleam in Gunner’s eyes sent a chill down my spine.

  He stepped towards me and hooked a clawed finger into the electronic collar around my neck. I trembled but did not move.

  Gunner glanced at the surrounding alphas. “Lock the door.”

  My eyes widened. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an alpha go to the front of the warehouse. A loud click followed. He quickly returned back to his position.

  “When I remove this collar,” Gunner spoke quietly to me. “The process will begin. Out of instinct, your wolf might decide to run, but let me tell you now that there is nowhere for you to go. And if your wolf fights back, I’ll have no choice but to restrain you again.”

  A bead of cold sweat rolled down my temple.

  “After this is over, we will take you to the edge of the border. Scouts will take you as close as we can go without being noticed, but after that you’re on your own,” Gunner continued casually. “Find the doctor, then find the top alpha. Gain their trust, report to me with your findings, and destroy them. Is that clear?”

  My throat felt thick as I tried to swallow. “Yes, sir.”

  “Good.” Gunner took one last glance around at the alphas surrounding me, then nodded towards me. He produced a key from his pocket and undid my collar. My neck suddenly felt cold as the collar clattered across the concrete floor.

  Gunner turned to his alphas. “Do it.”

  Clothing ripped into shreds as every alpha in the warehouse shifted at the same time. My heart leapt into my throat. All around me were huge wolves, hackles raised and growling. Only Gunner and I remained in human form. Gunner’s expression went blank and he stepped back onto his makeshift throne.

  I barely had time to look back and forth between them in confusion before a wolf slammed into me. I went sprawling onto the ground, knocking my head against the concrete. I instinctively raised my hands to protect my face. The room turned to chaos. All around me were alpha wolves snapping their jaws. Wolf spittle flew across my face as the wolf on top of me snarled.

  Panic and fear coursed through my veins. I tried to get up, but the wolf pinning me down was heavy and much more powerful than me. I pushed and kicked, but my limbs were useless.

  The wolf pinning me suddenly lunged at my shoulder. Its fangs sunk into my flesh, and I lay there in shock until I felt the blood spilling from the wound. Then the pain hit. Hot, white agony seared my muscles. I cried out and flailed underneath the massive wolf.

  I had a moment of relief when another wolf pushed it out of the way, but it didn’t last long. The new one was on me in an instant too, clawing at my chest and ripping my shirt into shreds. The wolf’s claws tore through my skin like it was paper.

  I screamed. I couldn’t breathe. The wolf was crushing my chest, and soon the air in my lungs was sparse. Only when another wolf knocked that one out of the way was I able to gasp for breath. Bloodlust had consumed them. All they wanted was to push the other wolves out of the way to get a chance at me. I could do nothing but lay there, helpless and weak, as the alphas ganged up on me.

  These were my packmates. A pack was supposed to be family. But right now, it sure didn’t feel like it.

  Tears rolled freely down my cheeks now as the alphas continued to tear into me. My shoulders and chest were bleeding, and the muscles were bound to bruise. I was covered in sweat, blood and wolf saliva. Aside from the wolves fighting over me and the sound of my own cries, I could hear the blood pounding in my ears.

  I didn’t know how much longer I could do this. My body was weak and it was breaking under the abuse. I didn’t even have the strength to fight back.

  Suddenly I felt my body being lifted off the ground. One of the huge alphas had picked me up in its jaws. My heart raced in anticipation. The wolf then shook me like a rag doll before throwing me against the concrete. I tried to brace myself for the fall, but I was too weak. My elbow hit the ground hard, and I cried out before collapsing in a pathetic miserable heap.

  A scratch on my forehead bled out and got in my eyes, obscuring my vision as I tried to blink. I could only moan and wait for whatever other torture I’d be put through. I’d never felt so pathetic and helpless in my entire life.

  A huge paw curled around my bruised shoulder and rolled me so I was face up. I could only gasp and blink the sweat and blood out of my eyes. My chest ached with every breath as I stared up at the barren warehouse ceiling, and the cluster of bloodstained canine jaws breathing above me.

  “Enough,” Gunner called.

  The wolves instantly backed off, although the bloodlust still glittered in their hungry eyes. I looked away from them, letting my battered cheek rest on the concrete. I didn’t want to see them.

  From my angle, I could only see Gunner’s boots as he approached me. He didn’t bother to kneel down. He gently moved my body with the tip of his boot. I grimaced and clenched my eyes shut as pain shot through me, but I didn’t dare cry out in front of him now. I could only whimper as he examined me.

  “This will do,” he finally said. With a slight smile, he added, “I’m surprised you didn’t try to fight back.”

  I couldn’t speak. My body hurt too much. I could only look up helplessly at Gunner in pain and confusion.

  “You were the right omega for the job after all,” he said. His smile fell, and he growled to his alphas. “Take him to the border. Make sure he gets there alive. If I found out he died because one of you hurt him too much, I’ll have your heads.”

  Returning to human form, two of the alphas leaned down and picked up my battered body. I groaned as their hands pressed into my bruises and cuts. Tears rolled down my eyes, but I was too exhausted to make any more noise. My head spun as they carried me out of the warehouse into the cold night air.

  I don’t remember what happened after that. From the shock and pain and horror, I passed out.

  “Just leave him there.”

  “Are we close enough to the border?”

  “Must be. Doesn’t smell like Scarlet Ridge anymore.”

  “What if he dies here? Gunner will kill us.”

  “He won’t die. Look, he’s waking up now.”

  A tiny groan escaped my lips as I came to. I was disoriented and confused. The world was sideways. The scent of rich soil and leaves flooded my nose. I blinked dried blood out of my eyes.

  The alphas stood above me. Not all of the ones who attacked me were here, but I did recognize the handful that were. My heart rate instantly increased as I remembered what happened. They had turned on me. Attacked me until I was nearly dead.

  And now they had left me here on the forest floor and were discussing what to do with me, as if I was a child or an inanimate object.

  Instinctively, I wanted to get away, but I was in no condition to move. I trie
d to crawl once and it immediately sent shockwaves of pain throughout my whole body. I gasped and stopped, letting myself collapse back on the ground, panting and exhausted.

  The alphas ignored me. One growled, “Just leave him. They’ll find him eventually. I know they’re a bunch of pussies, but they must check the border once in a while.”

  “I guess.”

  “We should leave before our scents get any more noticeable,” another muttered. “Let’s go.”

  Before they left, one alpha stopped and turned to glare down at me. “You better pull off this mission, omega. You know Gunner won’t accept failure.” He smiled cruelly. “And besides, we’re all rooting for you.”

  He left without another word. I didn’t move. I could only listen as their footsteps faded until finally I was alone in the silence.

  My pack had attacked me until I was too weak to even move, and abandoned me on the enemy pack’s doorstep.

  But I had a mission, given to me by the top alpha himself. A glimmer of hope sparked inside me. If I could complete this task, I would be revered in Scarlet Ridge pack. Maybe even Gunner himself would award me with some kind of higher status.

  Even though the mission included seducing the enemy… and eventually, killing them.

  I would do it. I had to. There was no other choice now. It was too late to back out, and even though my whole body screamed in agony, the worst of it was over now. At least, that’s what I had to keep telling myself as I laid there, completely alone and broken on the forest floor.

  I closed my eyes. Even though Gunner had snuffed out spirituality in Scarlet Ridge, that didn’t mean I couldn’t still pray to the Moon in privacy. That was all I could do right now. So I prayed - that someone would find me, that I would complete my mission, and that I would return home safe.