Page 40 of Shared Omega

I break the Outsider’s grip on my throat and shove him off of me. I climb to my feet, and we grapple, snarling and barking, slamming against the walls of the house, which shakes with our struggle.

“Dog, look out!” the omega shouts.

But her warning is too late. I send a hard kick straight into my opponent’s gut, and he stumbles backward, crashing through the wall and opening another glowing portal to the outside world.

There is a snap of wood as a main support beam breaks under his weight, and a terrible groan as the beam supporting the upper floor starts to give. In the dim light filtering in from above, I see the wrecked ceiling start to sag.

The ceiling is collapsing, right on top of the omega.

“No!” I shout.

A dose of adrenaline, born of some primal protective instinct, surges through my muscles. Before I even have a chance to think, I’m flying through the air, covering the omega’s helpless body with mine as the structure comes crashing down, burying us in wood and plaster and darkness.

CHAPTER 12: SLOANE

At first, I’m quite certain that I’m dead.

Yet somehow, as if by a miracle, the weight covering my body isn’t crushing me. And it is not broken pieces of debris. Oh sure, there is some of that. The dust is stinging my eyes and coating my mouth and throat, making it difficult to breathe. And I can’t see a damn thing in this total pitch blackness.

But the weight pressing down on my body is not hurting me. It is protecting me. It is something warm and smooth.

And breathing.

A voice, deep and rumbling, speaks directly into my ear. The words are in a language that I do not understand.

It’s the Alpha. The one that looked at me upstairs. The one with the stunning, silver-gray eyes and the wild mane of hair the color of burnt gold and skin like polished bronze.

“Are you okay, little one?” the voice murmurs at my ear.

It is not, in fact, another language that he is speaking. It is English, but the accent is strange, unlike anything I’ve ever heard before, harsh and guttural. Even now, at this most inopportune of moments, it stirs something deep inside.

I do a quick check of my body. It’s difficult to move, but that is because we are buried under a heap of rubble. However, as far as I can tell, nothing seems to be broken or injured.

“Y-yes,” I stammer, “I’m okay…”

Suddenly I notice Dog’s voice calling out for me. It sounds muffled and distant through the layer of debris.

“Sloane!” He bellows. “Sloane, are you okay?”

Wow, two protective Alphas concerned for my well-being. Again, it’s totally inappropriate, but it sends a wave of warm tingles rushing through my body.

“Yes!” I shout, my voice sounding flat in this cramped, enclosed space beneath the heap of rubble. “I’m here! I’m okay!”

Already, Dog is scrambling at the pile of debris. The sounds of him digging and flinging away chunks of plaster, wood, and rotten insulation gradually become louder and louder as the pile gets smaller.

At last, a little light begins to trickle through.

“Sloane!” Dog shouts again, his voice much louder now.

With the weight of the pile reduced, the other Alpha on top of me rises, taking care to make sure no chunks of debris fall on top of me.

Soon, two pairs of strong hands are lifting me to my feet.

On the right is Dog, and on the left is the nameless Alpha who protected me with his body.

Both of them inspect me in the light shining through the walls broken by their fighting.

A wave of relief rolls over Dog’s face when he sees that I really am all right. A moment later he turns to his opponent with a snarl, his muscles tensing and the veins on his neck and forearms bulging with renewed aggression.