Scrambling to his feet, Kai grabbed one of the branches Ian had found earlier to help the omega out with, and swung it around. Before Ian could move out of the way, it smacked him hard on his shoulder. He spun away with a howl, clawing at the stone outcropping so he didn't end up pitching over into the ravine.

“I won't do this anymore. I'm not going back with you!” the omega shouted. He swung the branch again, this time more harder than the first.

Prepared this time, Ian blocked it with his hands, clamping down to give it a pull.

“Hey, hey, hey! Easy there, Kai. At least give an Alpha a fighting chance.”

Kai's guard dropped for a brief moment as recognition registered that Ian, thankfully, was not Barry. It lasted a moment, Ian felt he'd only imagined it, before the omega held up the branch again, holding it this time with more resolve. “I'm not going anywhere with you. I'm not going back.”

“You honestly think I ran through this downpour and mud,” Ian said, blinking at the black sky as rain continued to plummet down on them, “to take you back to Barry? Of course not. I want you to be safe. That's my priority.”

“Safety? My safety?” Kai burst out in laughter, lowering his branch. He took a step back when Ian approached him. “Forgive me, but there's no safety from Barry. You don't understand what you've just gotten yourself into. He's a monster. He won't rest until he claims me as his. No matter where I'd run to, he'll hunt me down.”

Deciding against pursuing an argument with him, Ian ran a hand through his hair to smooth it back from his face. “Not for a while. That I'm sure about. I suspect he'll be passed out flat for some time. But we do need to get to the bottom of the mountain before he wakes up.

Kai tilted his head to the side, confusion brimming in his eyes. He loosened his hold on his makeshift weapon when Ian pried it from his grip and gave it a careless toss. “He's not going to look for me?”

“Oh, he will. You needed to see his face before I knocked him out. He was pissed as hell.”

Ian grasped Kai's wrist and gently pulled him away from the edge so neither of them ended up back in the ravine. Kai stumbled after him.

“So we're really not going back?”

“That's what I said. Where were you going to in such a hurry?”

Kai flapped a hand down the path. “I have a bag I was going to pick up. It contains some good, clean, dry clothes. A few bucks. A couple of chocolate bars and Digestive biscuits.”

“A getaway backpack, huh? Ingenious. So you've been plotting your escape for quite some time?”

Kai nodded. “Yes. Right after Barry killed our last Alpha, Kade.”

This entire day was a fucking disaster, but Ian was thankful for things could've gone much worse. “Well,” he said after a short huff. “It'll be foolhardy, trying to go back in this downpour. I suggest we take shelter instead. I doubt Barry would come running along for a while, and the rain would have washed away our scents by then. So there's no way he'll be able to track us down. We have some time to regroup. Let's find your backpack, shall we? Then find some place to wait out the storm.”

“I don't mind walking in the rain,” Kai shrugged.

Ian stared down from his ruined suit, to Kai's equally messy state and shook his head. “No can do. Even in the pelting rain and the gray mist, I can tell you don't look very well. You're pale, and you need to have some rest before we get moving. Lead on, Kai. You know this place better than I do.”

Kai hesitated, looking Ian over carefully, weighing his options.

It wasn't like he even had so many options. He couldn't outrun Ian or Barry no matter what, and Ian was the better devil. At least the Alpha was promising to keep him safe from Barry.

Kai could only trust his instincts to make the right decision. They'd never been wrong before, and he hoped that they wouldn't be wrong now.

With a resignated nod, Kai turned and headed down the path with Ian following closely.

— 

Finding their way back from the ravine through the rain and mud was worse than difficult. Not much further down the path, Kai struck off the normal path into the woods. Forty yards away from the path was a dry, shallow alcove beneath and overhang of large boulders.

Dry was a relative term in their cases. The storm wasn't a violent one. Not at all. But it was dumping an insane amount of water. Add in a sweltering summer heat and what wasn't wet was either sweating or condensing.

Fortunately, without a wind driving the clouds overhead, it appeared to stall the stationary front position, which could only mean some more rain.

It was a blessing in disguise, Ian supposed. He followed Kai in, ducking to sit against one of the walls as far as he could go.

Once he was out of the rain, Ian stripped off his jacket. The entire suit, a stunning Armani, was a hot mess. His blue linen shirt wasn't any much better, but he might be able to salvage it after all.

Kai moved some rocks and a pile of kindling to reveal a small, black backpack. He then huddled against the shallow overhang out of Ian's reach, the backpack clutched tightly to his small chest. He stared out with large, blue eyes as Ian took in their surroundings slowly. “We should try starting a fire with wet wood. We could get lucky.”

“There's no need for that. I'm good.”

Ian lifted an eyebrow at him. “That's good to hear, but I'm not.”

Kai eyed him. “Oh. Well...”

“Relax, Kai. I'm no monster. I won't hurt you, I promise,” Ian said, patting the ground next to him. He made no further attempt at convincing Kai to draw closer so as not to spook him. “This situation has left me with a lot of questions. I'm confused. Can you at least provide me some answers? I know you have some.”

Kai nodded his head quickly. He scooted a little closer to Ian and sat down with his shoulders hunched. Ian took note of that, and frowned.

“So, as I've been made to understand things, Barry is not your Alpha. He eliminated your true Alpha and Elders, is that correct?”

Kai nodded quietly again.

“He kept you and the other omegas prisoners, right?”

“Not quite. It was more like a harem, honestly. He wanted us to be his little bitches.”

“Hmm,” Ian nodded thoughtfully. “That explains why there are no betas or gammas around either. Did he kill them as well?”

“We think so. Our pack wasn't that big to start with.” Kai shrugged. He loosened up as they conversed further, which pleased Ian a great deal.

Beautiful, soft Kai. Who would ever want to abuse an omega as innocent and sweet as him? The thought clung like a bitter taste to the mouth. He would make a fine mate for an Alpha in the Blue Moon Pack, Ian could tell. An ache seized Ian's chest that Kai was promised to Chase. It wasn't that Chase was a bad Alpha. Not in the slightest, in fact. It was just that he wasn't deserving of an omega as unique and spirited as Kai.

Possessiveness — swift, painful, and startling overwhelmed him. It was odd, unshakeable and out of place.

What the hell was happening to him?