Chapter 77 Marian's Story
SILAS
She arrives at my warehouse just after midnight. Pregnant wolf, running scared, tracking blood from wounds that aren't healing right.
"Silas?" She's young. Maybe twenty-five. "They said you could help."
"They say a lot of things." I don't move from my desk. "Who are you running from?"
"Brennan pack. Cormac's enforcers." She collapses against the doorframe. "Please. I need to get to the Rookeries. Need safety."
Brennan pack. That's interesting.
"Come in." I gesture to a chair. "Sit before you fall."
She stumbles inside, leaves bloody footprints. Omega wolf, I can smell it. Bottom of pack hierarchy. Abused, terrified, desperate.
"Name?" I ask.
"Marian." She's shaking. "Marian Fletcher."
"And why is Cormac's pack hunting you?"
"Because I ran." Simple. Final. "Because I refused abortion. Because I want my baby to live."
I study her more carefully. She's maybe six months pregnant. Dangerous time for wolf pregnancy. High mortality rate, especially for Omegas.
"Whose baby?"
"Pack enforcer. He raped me. Multiple times. Pack law says Omega serves Alpha and Betas however they want." Her voice is dead. "I got pregnant. They ordered abortion. I refused."
"Brave. Stupid, but brave."
"I won't kill my baby." Fire enters her eyes. "I don't care what pack law says. This child is mine. Mine to protect."
"Child might be hybrid." I point out the obvious. "Wolf-vampire, wolf-human, something unstable. That's why pack ordered abortion."
"I don't care."
"You should. Hybrid births kill most mothers. Those who survive often birth monsters."
"Still my choice." She meets my eyes. "My body. My baby. My decision."
Can't argue with that.
"How'd you escape?" I ask.
"Kitchen duty. Grabbed a knife. Stabbed the guard watching me. Ran." She shows me the knife, still bloody. "They're hunting me. Found my scent trail three times. I've been running for two days."
"And you came here because?"
"Because wolves in the Rookeries said you help people. Said you keep records, know everyone, can get me to safety." She leans forward. "Please. I have nothing to offer except my life. But I'll do anything. Just help me reach Isla Reid. They said she helps pregnant wolves."
Isla does help pregnant wolves. Runs a shelter specifically for that. Lost one last month, saved two others.
"There are more like you," I observe. "In Cormac's pack. Omegas being abused. Why don't they run?"
"Because they're trapped." Marian starts crying. "Because pack law is absolute. Because anyone who runs gets hunted down and made example. Because we're property, not people."
"How many?"
"Twenty. Maybe more. All Omegas. All abused. All wanting to escape but too scared to try."
Twenty wolves trapped in Cormac's pack. Twenty potential defectors.
This is information worth having.
"If someone created escape route," I say slowly. "If someone could get Omegas out safely, how many would take the chance?"
"All of them." No hesitation. "Every single one. We talk about it constantly. Dream about it. But there's no way out. Pack guards watch us. Track our scents. Punish anyone who tries."
"What if the Rookeries organized extraction? Planned rescue?"
"They'd have to fight pack enforcers. Risk war with Cormac." She wipes her tears. "Why would they do that for Omegas?"
"Because Callum Brennan isn't like his brother." I stand. "Wait here. I'll make a call."
I step into the back room, dial Isla's number.
She answers on the second ring. "Silas. What is it?"
"Got a pregnant Omega here. Running from Cormac's pack. Says there are twenty more wanting to escape. Interested?"
Silence.
Then, "Send her to the shelter. I'll take her in."
"She's bleeding pretty badly. Needs medical attention."
"I'm a nurse. Send her over." Pause. "And Silas? Get details on those other twenty. If we can extract them, we should."
"Agreed. I'll debrief her first, pass along intelligence."
I hang up, return to Marian.
"Good news. Isla will take you in. I'm sending you with an escort, make sure you arrive safely."
"Thank you." Fresh tears. "Thank you so much."
"Don't thank me yet." I sit back down. "First you're going to tell me everything about Cormac's pack. Layout, guard schedules, weak points, escape routes. Everything."
"Why?"
"Because information is currency. And if Rookeries is going to extract twenty Omegas from Brennan territory, they need to know what they're facing."
Understanding dawns. "You're going to help them escape."
"Maybe. Depends on what you tell me." I pull out a notebook. "Start talking. Where are the Omegas housed?"
She talks.
For two hours she describes Cormac's pack in detail. The townhouse layout. Guard rotations. Where Omegas sleep, when they're watched, how they're controlled. Weaknesses in security. Times when extraction might be possible.
I write it all down. Two hundred years of record-keeping has taught me to be thorough.
"The pregnancy," I finally ask. "How long until birth?"
"Three months. Maybe less. Wolf pregnancies are faster than human."
"And the father? The enforcer who raped you?"
"Marcus. He's one of Cormac's favorites." Hatred fills her voice. "He's raped at least six Omegas. Pack just looks the other way."
Marcus. I write the name down.
"One more question. If Rookeries extracts the other Omegas, what happens to Cormac's pack? Twenty wolves leave, that's significant."
"Pack collapses." Marian's smile is vicious. "Omegas do everything. Cooking, cleaning, childcare, manual labor. Without us, Betas have to do their own work. Pack can't function."
Interesting. Very interesting.
"Okay." I close the notebook. "I'll send you to Isla with all this information. She'll decide what to do with it."
"And the others? Will you help them escape?"
"That's not my decision. I just keep records and facilitate connections." I stand. "But between you and me? Callum Brennan's building army. Twenty trained Omegas who hate Cormac? That's valuable recruitment."
I call my escort. Young wolf named Danny, works with the Rookeries sometimes.
"Take her to Isla's shelter," I instruct. "Make sure she arrives safely. Anyone tries to stop you, you run. Don't fight."
"Understood."
Marian follows Danny out. She looks back once.
"Thank you," she says again.
"Thank me by surviving. And by getting those other twenty out."
After they leave, I sit in silence.
Twenty Omegas in Cormac's pack. All wanting to escape. All potential recruits for Callum's resistance.
This changes things.
If Rookeries can extract them, that's twenty more wolves. More importantly, it's twenty wolves taken from Cormac. Weakens his pack, strengthens theirs.
But it's also extremely dangerous.
Cormac won't let his Omegas go quietly. He'll fight. Send enforcers. Maybe attack Rookeries directly.
Could trigger war.
Then again, war's coming anyway. Parliament's extermination order guarantees it.
Might as well fight on two fronts.
I pick up my phone, text Isla directly.
Pregnant Omega incoming. Has intelligence on 20 more in Cormac's pack wanting extraction. This could be big. - S
Her response comes quickly.
Received. Will brief Callum. This is exactly what we need. - I
I lean back in my chair.
Two hundred years I've been keeping records. Documenting deaths, tracking movements, collecting information.
Never thought I'd be facilitating resistance.
But here we are.
Marian's information sits in my notebook. Twenty names, twenty stories, twenty wolves trapped in Cormac's hell.
Soon, if Callum's smart, they won't be trapped anymore.
Soon they'll be free.
And Cormac will learn that even Omegas bite back eventually.