Chapter 19: The Escaping Omega Part 2

Back in his alpha office, Ryker did not sit immediately. He paced. Once. Twice. Three times. His wolf was relentless. "Go back to her." Ryker exhaled sharply. “You heard the healer. She needs to finish her examination. We will only get in the way.” "We will not get in the way," his wolf snapped. "We are her mate. She needs our presence. She needs our strength. I can barely feel her wolf. She is so weak." Ryker stopped pacing. That part unsettled him too. The mate bond between them was faint—thin like a thread barely holding. He could feel her somewhere in the back of his mind, but it was distant and fragile. "If we do not go back," his wolf continued, claws scraping against his control, "her wolf may not recover. She needs our energy." “She is with the healer,” Ryker growled softly. “A competent one. Let her do her job.” "You are choosing patience over instinct." “And you are choosing impulse over strategy.” His wolf snarled. "She crossed into our territory half-dead. She rejected someone or someone rejected her. She ran until her body collapsed. She is ours. And we are standing here." Ryker dragged a hand down his face. He did not like how right his wolf felt. Kylian stood near the desk, watching his alpha carefully. He had seen Ryker angry. Calm. Calculating. Ruthless. He had never seen him… unsettled. “So,” Kylian finally said carefully, “she really is your mate?” Ryker did not hesitate. “No doubt.” His jaw tightened. “My wolf has been clawing at my insides since we left the hospital. He wants to go back. Now.” Kylian nodded slowly. “That explains the air in that hallway.” Ryker finally sat in his chair and motioned for Kylian to do the same. “Report,” he said. Kylian straightened automatically. “Our patrol sensed unusual activity about a mile from our eastern border,” he began. “I went personally to investigate.” He paused briefly. “I extended my senses beyond the tree line. That’s when I saw her.” Ryker leaned forward slightly. “She was running,” Kylian continued. “But not well. Her stride was uneven. Her balance was off. She was pushing herself beyond what her body could handle.” Ryker’s wolf growled softly. “And behind her?” Ryker asked. “A mile and a half back,” Kylian replied. “More than ten warriors. Organized. Moving in formation.” Ryker’s eyes darkened. “Hunting,” he said quietly. “Yes.” Kylian’s voice remained calm, but his posture hardened. “Their leader was calling out to her. Warning her not to cross our border.” Ryker frowned. “Warning her?” “Yes,” Kylian confirmed. “Not threatening. Warning. But she didn’t slow. I don’t even think she heard them. She looked… desperate.” The word lingered heavily between them. “She crossed,” Kylian continued. “The moment she felt the border, she faltered. Then she collapsed.” Ryker’s hands tightened on the armrests of his chair. “She collapsed because she was safe,” his wolf murmured internally. “Or because she was finished,” Ryker corrected silently. “But you said the wolves pursuing her were from Silver Fang,” Ryker said aloud. “Yes, Alpha. They stopped at our border immediately. They did not attempt to cross.” “Smart.” Kylian nodded. “Their leader introduced himself as Kirk. Beta of Silver Fang. He requested the omega’s return.” “And you refused.” “I would have returned a trespassing male rogue,” Kylian said bluntly. “But this was different.” Ryker’s gaze sharpened. “Explain.” “She was female,” Kylian said. “An omega. In terrible condition. Chased by more than ten warriors—including the beta of her own pack.” He paused. “For a female to run like that. To collapse the moment she was out of their reach. To risk crossing into Bloodmoon territory. I don’t believe she knows what territory she is crossing or that she even crossing a territory.” Kylian met his alpha’s eyes directly. “She was just that desparate to avoid capture. She wasn’t trespassing.” “She was escaping,” Ryker finished. “Yes.” Silence stretched. “That is why I informed Kirk that we handle our intruders ourselves,” Kylian continued. “I ordered one warrior to take her directly to the hospital. Another to monitor Silver Fang’s position.” “And Silver Fang?” Ryker asked. “They withdrew shortly after.” Ryker leaned back in his chair, thinking. Silver Fang did not attempt to push further. They did not challenge Bloodmoon’s refusal. That meant one of two things. They respected and fear Bloodmoon’s strength. Or they did not want Bloodmoon digging too deeply into why an omega had fled their territory. His wolf stirred again. "They hurt her." Ryker’s jaw ticked. “Did you sense aggression from Silver Fang’s beta?” he asked. “No,” Kylian admitted. “Frustration. Tension. But not aggression. He knew better.” Ryker nodded slowly. “Good.” Kylian studied him. “You’re thinking,” he said. “Yes.” Ryker’s gaze drifted toward the window, toward the direction of the hospital. “If she rejected someone before crossing,” he murmured, “Silver Fang will have felt it.” “Yes.” “And if she is my mate…” he continued quietly, “that rejection may have been recent.” Kylian’s brows lifted slightly. “That would explain her condition.” Ryker inhaled deeply. His wolf pressed forward again. "Go to her. This talk is unimportant. Our mate is important." He closed his eyes briefly. “She ran from her own pack,” he said aloud. “Collapsed at our border. And now she lies in our hospital, barely breathing.” Kylian remained silent. “And she is my mate,” Ryker finished. The weight of that truth settled heavily in the room. “What are your orders?” Kylian asked finally. Ryker opened his eyes. “Double the patrols along the eastern border.” Kylian nodded. “If Silver Fang returns, they do not cross. Under any circumstance.” “And the omega?” Kylian asked carefully. Ryker’s voice lowered. “No one approaches her without the healer’s approval.” His wolf’s presence surged.And when she wakes— Ryker’s gaze hardened. “When she wakes,” he said quietly, “I will be there.” Kylian gave a short nod. “Yes, Alpha.” As his beta rose to leave, Ryker remained seated. Alone. His wolf was no longer pacing. It was focused. Waiting. Somewhere in the hospital wing, a fragile omega who had fought her entire world to escape was breathing under Bloodmoon protection. And for the first time in years— Ryker felt the unmistakable shift of fate settling into place.