Forbidden by Liliana Carlisle
CHAPTER 8
JAKOB
“It was the Saviors,” Conrad says, sitting at the head of the table. “Just like you suspected.”
I nod, not at all surprised that those were the bastards that shot at me. The lead was correct.
“It was retaliation, for what happened with your Omega.” Our leader nods his head towards Calum, who growls.
“It’s not because of her,” he says. “This shit’s been going on for years.”
It’s true. There are sick fucks out there that want Omegas that aren’t theirs. Alphas and Betas will pay top dollar all over the world for a piece of forbidden pussy.
Calum, while rescuing his mate’s sister, pissed off some important people. There had been whispers for years of the trafficking, but we could never acquire concrete proof until Calum tracked a leader down.
It only makes sense that they’d retaliate.
The graze on my shoulder is the painful reminder of how close I was to losing my life.
And how close Amelia was to death.
Amelia.
Even as I sit at our debriefing table, her image stays in my mind. I recall our easy conversation, the sound of her laugh, and the taste of her mouth.
I fight within myself to stop the intrusive thoughts.
She’s a Beta, meant to have a Beta life and a Beta partner. Her life should be simple, with no complications that my world brings.
I should never have involved myself with her.
Yet, the mere thought of her with anyone else sends a rumble through my chest.
What the fuck is wrong with me? My Alpha tendencies are on full display, and I have to fight the overwhelming possessiveness I feel.
I know nothing about her.
Only the way she tastes.
The soft lilt of her voice.
The vulnerability that shone in her eyes as she came apart, rubbing herself against me.
“You okay, man?” Lucas asks, nodding his head towards me. “You’re completely zoned out.”
“I’m fine,” I grumble.
But I’m not. This is not how it’s supposed to be.
Once my Omega finally presents, the doctors will chip her. I’ll receive an electronic notification and meet her as soon as possible.
I just have to wait.
And wait.
Calum and I were the only ones without mates. And since Calum was in a state of perpetual gloom, Lucas and I kept the wisecracks up, doing our best to cheer him up. He believed his mate to be dead. Until suddenly, she wasn’t, and Calum went through Hell and back to win her heart.
Lucas has Chloe.
Calum has Aria.
And at thirty-five years old, I have no one.
Now, it’s suddenly Lucas and Calum aiming to cheer me up, but I can sense the underlying reason for their actions.
Every day that goes by, the possibility that I may not have a mate grows.
It’s happened before. Some Alphas just don’t have a match. Usually, by their early thirties, an Alpha has mated with their Omega.
But as the years go by, I wonder if maybe I’m one of the few.
Maybe I’m meant to be alone.
“Cheer up, pretty boy,” Conrad smirks, interrupting my thoughts. “You’re about to lead the next mission.”
It will be an excellent distraction.
I can erase her from my mind and remind myself that I have an Omega out there for me, merely waiting to present.
Hopefully.
* * *Weeks pass.
There’s blood on my hands—more than usual.
We’ve found Omegas beaten, bruised, and drugged up in abandoned warehouses. They were locked in makeshift cages, prepared for underground auctions.
I’ve taken out my anger on the monsters we catch, causing more chaos than necessary.
I’ve reunited more Alphas with their mates than I can count and burned with envy each time I witnessed their reunions.
Loneliness, bitter and putrid, tugs at me with every slam of my fist against a skull.
With every gunshot that rings out, another piece of me craves her.
Amelia. Amelia. Amelia.
And in between the violence, in between the darkness that takes over my world, I do something I shouldn’t.
I use the database.
The Center we occupy is carefully hidden, made to look inconspicuous in a dreary industrial area. Outside, it’s a simple corporate building. Inside, it holds an armory, interrogation rooms, and everything else needed to complete our missions.
Including private, classified information on every citizen in the country, gathered into numerous password protected systems.
It’s never meant for personal use, much less for an unhealthy obsession over a Beta.
But I type in her address, memorized from the night I took her home and her full name pops up on the screen, along with an image of her identification card.
Amelia Elizabeth Walker.
Twenty-four years old.
Beta.
I take in a breath as I stare at her face, my cock straining in my pants embarrassingly.
My mind conjured up images of her, but it pales in seeing her photo.
And her eyes…
There’s something behind them, a secret she’s hiding. Like they carry a knowledge she’s too young to have.
Her smile is there, her full lips turned upwards. But there’s a hint of sorrow behind it.
I want to know why. I want to know everything about her.
Fuck. This was a mistake.
Even just looking at her, the instinct is there to take.
Claim.
Protect.
Along with the possession, there’s a feeling of dread.
If the Saviors find out who she is…
We don’t offer security services for Betas.
But I can do it myself.
I won’t be responsible for her death. It’s possible they didn’t get a good look at her, but if one of them did, somehow…
“Fuck.” I hiss.
Fuck.