Omega's Truth - Nora Phoenix Page 0,79
thought being covert was no longer necessary since they’d caught Lidon Hayes—or so they reckoned. Two patrols were marching the ground, the quiet conversations of the soldiers easy to pick up. The walls of the school itself must be thick. Only the faintest of sounds came through from inside.
Lidon found a spot behind a whole row of dense bushes, then shifted, the thin strap holding his pack breaking. The others followed within seconds.
“They’re done with trying to hide,” Palani said softly.
“They’re convinced they have me in custody,” Lidon said. “Kean, do you feel Bray close?”
Kean closed his eyes. “Yeah. He’s close, and he’s okay. He’s tired, but he’s good.”
“So they haven’t transported him to another location.” Lidon frowned. Was there a chance they were using him as bait in the hopes that his pack would show up and they could capture all of them?
“Are they simply being stupid or overconfident, or are we walking into a trap?” Rhene voiced Lidon’s thoughts exactly.
Lidon rubbed his temples as he went over the options. “Palani, what do you think?”
“If he’s expecting us to show up, he’s expecting men, not wolves. That’s something to keep in mind. He’s also not expecting Lidon, only his pack. You’re our element of surprise, alpha. You, and the fact that we can shift. How do we use that to our advantage?”
Lidon nodded, then turned to Taban. “Any insights you can offer us from your knowledge of how Armitage thinks?”
Taban looked pensive, a little frown between his eyes. “He’s a brilliant strategist. That’s why he made it this far in the army.”
“So he’ll have a plan for when we show up,” Palani said.
“Plus a few contingency plans.”
“But none of them are factoring in that it’s not Lidon he’s holding and that we can shift,” Kean said. “Palani is right. Those are the two elements we need to use.”
“Which means we need to play into his hands at first, make him think he has us and that we’re doing his bidding,” Palani said.
Lidon liked where this was going. “You guys need to show up in human form, without me, and see what he wants. I’ll use the commotion this will result in to sneak in unseen. If I’m close enough, I should be able to hear what’s going on as long as I stay in wolf form. When things get dire, shift and fight your way out.”
“I’m not leaving without Bray,” Kean said. “I’m not leaving my mate behind.”
Lidon put a hand on his shoulder. “I will get him out. You have my word as your alpha.”
Kean hesitated for a second, then nodded. “Thank you, alpha.”
“My god, they’ll piss their pants when they see you in wolf shape. Serves them right, the bastards,” Lars said to Lidon, and Lidon grinned. It was such a classic Lars remark.
“Let’s hope so.” He grew serious again. “Let’s retreat and see if we can find some clothes. You guys can’t show up naked.”
“No?” Palani’s eyes sparkled. “It would certainly offer an element of surprise as well.”
“I can damn well guarantee you that every alpha who sees me naked will immediately feel weak and inadequate.” Rhene rubbed his bare chest, and Lidon laughed all over again.
“Dude, not next to Bray,” Lars said. “That guy is…ripped.”
Kean raised an eyebrow. “May I remind you that’s my mate you’re talking about and also your…”
“Don’t say it,” Lars warned him, his eyes narrowing.
“Stepson,” Kean finished, and Lars groaned, his face a thunderstorm now.
“You just had to go there, didn’t you?”
God, Lidon loved his men. They were batshit crazy, all of them, but he’d sacrifice his life to keep them safe.
“Stop squabbling.” Palani rolled his eyes. “God, Lidon was right. This is like herding squirrels. Let’s fall back a few blocks to where we last saw houses. I’m sure there’s one we can break into and find some clothes. Leave the packs here for now. We don’t need them right away.”
It took them half an hour, but then they hit the jackpot with a boarded-up house they managed to sneak into. They all found outfits to wear, though Lidon was glad he didn’t need anything. Everything was too tight for him. They shifted and raced back to the boarding school, carrying the clothes in their mouths. They hid in a different spot than before, closer to the entrance, and shifted to their human form.
Lidon sat on the dirt, waiting while the others got dressed, then gestured at Palani to come close. His mate crawled between his naked legs. Lidon cupped