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“Do we have a problem, Mr. Johns?”

“We just might.” Dev glanced at the omega sprawled on his stomach in the grass. He had no idea if the man was still alive or not. A blow to the temple like that could kill a human, but the man was a wolf, even if a weaker one. “Would someone like to explain to me why the five of you are beating up on a much smaller, much weaker man?”

The largest of the men frowned. “Who do you think you are, mister? This is a pack matter.”

“Since I’m considering joining your pack, I’d say I have a right to know what’s going on. Where I come from we treat our fellow wolves with a little more respect than what I see here. If that boy is dead—”

“You’ll what, asshole?” The big man stalked towards Dev.

Dev was ready for him. He caught the man’s fist in one hand and slashed his other over the man’s abdomen, raking him wide open.

The man staggered back, his eyes wide, clutching his stomach.

The two men who’d been holding the redhead charged Dev. He dispatched them as effortlessly, stabbing one in the stomach with his claws and abrading the other across the face. It was pathetically easy. Dev was quite a bit quicker than them.

He looked up at the Alpha and the man in the green shirt, while the other three writhed on the ground at Dev’s feet. “Who’s next?”

The man in the green started forward but the Alpha’s hand landed on his shoulder, holding him back. “Not now.”

“But—” the man sputtered.

The Alpha shook his head, his eyes never leaving Dev. “I said not now, Peter. Gather them up and let’s go.”

Dev glared back at the leader, keeping the others in his peripheral vision. They were injured, but they were wolves and healed extremely fast.

Peter managed to get the other three on their feet and headed towards the cars.

The pack leader walked past Dev, head held high.

Dev turned and watched them go, keeping his front to the five wolves.

“I do hope you know what you are doing, Mr. Johns, because you have just challenged my authority and I can’t have that. Rest assured, you will be hearing from me.” The Alpha followed his men through the trees to the parked cars.

Dev hesitated, torn between following them to make sure they didn’t mess with his truck, and getting to the kid to see if he was all right. Dev couldn’t do much for the kid if he couldn’t get them out of here. So he followed the men, standing in the tree line glaring at them until they piled into the three cars. They left without incident, but Dev was certain he hadn’t seen the last of them. He shook his head and hurried back to the clearing as soon as the last car drove out of sight.

Dev had been taught from an early age that Omega were to be respected, not mistreated because they were weaker. They were the ones who held a pack together, they ran interference, they coordinated and listened to the pack’s complaints and took them to the Alpha, they were the pack ambassadors, the peacekeepers. What did this little redhead do to piss off his pack leaders so badly?

He knelt by the smaller man, touching his back. Only then did he realize his hands were still claws. He relaxed and willed his hands back to normal. His canine teeth remained and his vision shifted, going black and white again, probably due to the adrenaline rush. It would wear off eventually and there was no one there to see him anyway. The rise and fall of the little Omega’s breathing was easily discernable. Thank God. He leaned down next to the redhead, meaning to gently turn him, and gasped as he caught scent of him.

The man’s scent was like nothing Dev had ever smelled before. He smelled like a wolf and he was definitely a weaker, submissive wolf, but he was…enthralling? That was the only word that came to mind. Dev’s cock, which was still hard, began to throb.

Come on, Dev, get a grip. He rolled the smaller man over on to his back and nearly swallowed his tongue. Happy freakin’ Valentine’s Day to me. The Omega was beautiful.