-Flint-

The smell in the gymnasium made bile bubble up my throat, but I swallowed it down and held back a grimace. Though I was never fond of omegas or their sickeningly sweet scent, the smell of their neglected hygiene, dried blood, and general state of disarray didn't help.

Dozens of them huddled in whimpering clusters, clutching fearfully to the blankets we gave them, while others merely lay unconscious. Healers and volunteers were interspersed amongst them, doing their best to soothe them while attending to their wounds.

"They rescued 108 from the Mid Zone," my son, Conri, explained. His voice was monotone, despite being an omega himself. He came off cold to many, but I knew it was a front he put up. He now had an important role in their pack as the Luna, so maintaining his image was necessary.

"And how many survived?" Alpha Mingan stepped from our group to address her mate directly.

Conri's carefully crafted facade broke for just a moment before he spoke. "46."

I nodded with narrowed eyes and a deep frown as I heard a litany of displeased mumbling. I retired from being the pack Alpha a few years back, but the other elders and I still took part in guiding the new pack Alpha. She had come from a pack to the north in search of her mate a few years back, but while traveling through the Mid Zone, she learned of the appalling acts happening there.

She was a wolf of fierce determination and made for a good Alpha just in time for me to step down after 40 years of leadership. However, she had a naive sense of justice and delusions of grandeur. It made me concerned for the future of the pack and doubt my decision to retire. I wasn't the only one who objected to her wild ideas of rescuing the omegas in the middle territory, but she proved her strength despite being challenged by many. She even managed to convince other packs to lend a helping hand. I sighed. Maybe I was just an old man that couldn't get with the times.

"How can the Middle Wolves be so sick." Mingan spat as her black eyes glowed brightly. I felt her disgust wafting from her skin as I crossed my arms with a grunt.

Even though I didn't want to get involved with outsider business, seeing these omegas with tear streaked faces and bruises all over their bodies turned my stomach. I doubted they even understood that we were trying to help them after living their entire lives imprisoned.

"How is their treatment going?" Mingan began a slow walk through the center aisle of crumpled masses. She inspected each with a pursed mouth as Conri and the rest of us followed behind her.

"We're doing our best," Conri pushed his glasses up his nose and flipped through some papers on his clip board. "They don't speak much English."

"Poor souls," the elder beside me fretted. "They must have been isolated and never taught." Though her age worn face had countless scars, Waya was a gentle woman. She would have been easily killed if she ever had to fight for Alpha, but her age gave her a place on the elder council. She was one of the first to support Mingan to investigate the Mid Zone.

I merely offered a grunt as we continued walking while Conri explained. "I doubt they thought this group of GEOs needed to know anything considering their bleak futures."

I recognized the slang term for Genetically Engineered Omegas with a sneer. It was common knowledge that the Middle zone experimented with genetics, but creating hybrids between Werewolves and Cat-shifters was unheard of.

"What do you mean?" Raul, the Alpha before me, interjected.

Conri cringed as he looked to his mate. She nodded in encouragement as we paused our meandering path through the omegas.

"They were created by a company in the business of… pleasure…" his voice cracked. "They were days away from being sold."

Several of the elders gasped and I let out a low growl. We knew this was a possibility, but hearing our suspicions being confirmed was still a shock.

"But thankfully we found them in time." Mingan placed a firm hand on his shoulder and they shared a tender look. I tried to hide my displeasure. I didn't have anything against omegas, but I never thought my own son would be one. It was only a slight comfort he could still be Luna, but a father always wants more for his child. I always thought it was ironic how things turned out, especially how Conri's name meant King among wolves.

"What are we going to do with them?" Waya stepped forward with a hopeful glance in my direction. I rolled my eyes. It wasn't a secret that I never found my true mate, but I didn't appreciate her suggesting that one of these could be them.

Mingan heaved a hefty sigh. "We'll have to find volunteers to take them in. We'll also open the pack house to them. It won't be a permanent thing, but this group is going to need a lot of help."

I suppressed a groan, irritated that I'd have to come in contact with them. As an elder, many of my responsibilities caused me to frequently visit the pack house. The thought of the coming days gave me a headache. They'd only cause more trouble for me than they were worth.

Mingan stared directly at me with a challenging glare. She must have sensed my resentment, but I was too old and tired to put up a fight, despite still being under 100.

Seemingly satisfied, she turned once again and headed in the direction of a nearby healer.

It was at that moment that the most delectable scent reached my sensitive nose. I froze instantly and my entire body tensed. It was like pure ambrosia to my senses. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. I felt a stirring inside of me, like I was suddenly seeing a new color. I spun in a circle, looking for the source. My fangs started to elongate and my claws grew. I clenched my fists, trying to stop myself from raging, but I couldn't ignore the sensations racing to my loins. My body felt constricted, like my skin was too tight, so I shredded my shirt with a fierce roar.

People shrieked, omegas and elders alike, but I paid them no mind. I only had one thought:

Mate.

"Where are you?" I bellowed, cupping my cloth covered hardness crudely. My vision blurred and my mind spun. It was like a whirling vortex raged in my belly. I couldn't see, I couldn't hear, I could only smell my delicious mate.

"Hit him with another dose, damn it!" I vaguely heard someone yelling and a jab to my neck. They must have injected me with a suppressant, but my wild desire and painful erection would not be quieted that easily. I easily shook away the arms that tried to restrain me.

I felt another pick in my neck and suddenly my vision came more into focus. I stared into brilliant green eyes glossed over with tears. My breath caught in my throat. What was I doing? I had an iron grip around the girl's arm and another gripping my cock as if ready to feed it to her.

"Oh fuck." I blurted in a panic, releasing her as gently as I could, but she still fell backward with a cry and struggled to push herself away from me.

"Oh fuck!" I repeated and backed away. My hands shook and my face paled as a cold sweat dripped from my forehead. Never had I experienced a rut so intense, not even with Conri's mother.

My cock throbbed painfully and I let out a whimper. My vision started to blur again. The people around me grabbed at my arms, but I knew that wouldn't be enough. I needed to get out of there, lest I cause more damage.

Quickly, I sprinted through the gymnasium double doors and down a hallway. I didn't know where I was going anymore. My vision swam again and I choked on my own breath.

I couldn't take it anymore. I felt like I was going to die.

Instead of stumbling further through the mess of hallways, I collapsed against the wall with a groan and fisted my dick. I spat on it sloppily and jerked it like a madman. Barely 3 strokes in and already I spurted jet after jet of sticky white fluid. It didn't go down, but it throbbed less painfully. I kept stroking it wildly, but seconds later, I slipped into unconsciousness.

I was in deep shit.