Unhinged Omega: A Dark Reverse Harem Omegaverse Romance (Ghost Alpha Unit Book 4)

‘Are we there yet?’ I drawl, propping my boots up on the console of Geo’s beat-up SUV.

The leather of my shoes is scuffed and worn, much like the rest of me after the past week. I crunch down on another stale cracker I stole from a vending machine at the last gas station we stopped at, savoring the salt on my tongue. It’s not exactly gourmet cuisine, but it’s something to focus on besides the gnawing ache in my chest.

Geo’s knuckles whiten on the steering wheel and his eye—the one not hidden beneath that patch that wasn’t there the last time I saw him—narrows. ‘I swear to all that’s unholy, Raven, if you ask me that one more time, I’ll stop this car and tie you to the roof.’

‘Don’t tempt me,’ I scoff. ‘It’s been months since anyone’s tied me up. I’m starting to feel neglected.’

Geo grimaces, his gaze fixed firmly on the dusty road ahead. ‘You’re impossible.’

‘So I’ve been told,’ I quip, but my heart’s not really in it.

My mind keeps drifting back to her. Those violet eyes fluttering open briefly before they rolled back into her head as those mongrels carried her off. I shake my head, trying to focus on the task at hand. Sustaining my weakening body.

‘So, this dream girl of yours,’ Geo resumes after a few minutes. Usually, I’m the one filling the silence. He must be nervous about meeting the Ghosts. ‘She know about your little… problem?’

‘You’re making it sound like I can’t get a fucking erection,’ I snap.

‘More like you’ve had one so long it’s melted your common sense.’

I flip him off.

He has a point, though. Not about the erection, but my… issues. They’re not exactly common for an alpha, and there’s a chance she’ll reject me outright when she finds out just how fucked in the head I am, but it doesn’t matter.

Okay, so it matters and I’ll probably throw myself in a well, but at least she’ll be away from those grungy barbarians.

‘How much longer?’ I ask, suddenly in a mood as sour as the irradiated sky.

‘Soon,’ Geo grunts. ‘You sure this is worth it? It’ll be five against one.’

I can’t help but scoff. ‘No, it won’t. It’ll be two on two.’

Geo’s brow furrows, confusion etched across his weathered features. ‘How the hell do you know that?’

His features are more weathered now with that damn eye patch, but I know if I ask him about it, he’ll be sulking the rest of the trip. He likes to pretend he doesn’t care about that kind of thing, but he does. He likes to pretend he doesn’t care about a lot of things.

I’m holding my tongue on mentioning the flecks of gray hair he’s getting around his temples and in his short beard, too. Probably thinks it isn’t obvious now that he’s got rakish post-apocalyptic rogue hair. Which just so happens to be styled so a few strands ‘accidentally’ come down over his eye patch.

Yep. He cares.

I sigh, tossing the empty cracker package out the window. A small act of rebellion against a world that’s already come to an end. ‘It’s simple, really. Valek’s coming, obviously. He’s an escaped serial killer, so they’re certainly not sending him alone. That soldier—Thane, was it?—will insist on keeping an eye on him. You can tell from his body language he trusts him the least.’

‘And the others?’ Geo presses, his tone wary.

I roll my eyes. ‘Please. They wouldn’t risk bringing that scrappy little redhead into the presence of Outer Reaches deviants unnecessarily. The giant one that growls all the time is surgically grafted to her like a shadow, so he’s not going anywhere. I doubt the others would leave her alone with him, either.’

‘Which leaves…’

‘The prince and the cute one,’ I finish. ‘And they’ll want to stick together. One glance back at the Alpha’s Alpha and I knew those two were fucking.’

Geo does a double-take, swerving a bit. ‘Wait, which one’s the ‘cute one’?’

‘Whiskey, of course,’ I reply. ‘Abs are overrated.’

Geo just curls his lip back and focuses on the road. Guess he isn’t wild about finding out he’s more of my type than he previously thought.

I gave up on trying to get into his pants eons ago, and if I’m being honest, the fact that I never could makes him more charming. Not many people in this world who haven’t wanted to use me for something, and Geo is one of them. He’s straight as an arrow—genuinely straight, not the type that’s possible to bend with enough incentive. Monetary or otherwise.

But he’s fun to fluster. I like when the vein pops out in his forehead because he’s pissed.

Reminds me of…

No one.

‘You got all that from a ten-minute showdown?’ Geo asks, doubt coloring his gruff voice.

I shrug, turning to look out the window at the barren landscape rushing by. ‘You don’t grow up in a brothel without learning how to read people.’

Geo falls into an awkward silence, his eye fixed on the road ahead. I can practically see the gears turning in that thick skull of his. Finally, he clears his throat. ‘How old were you when Nikolai pulled you out of that shithole, anyway?’

Ah, there it is. I can’t help the smirk that tugs at my lips. ‘Your fatherly concern is showing, Daddy.’

He mutters something that sounds suspiciously like ‘forget I asked’ and grips the steering wheel tighter. I turn back to the window, watching the desolate landscape blur past. The silence stretches between us, and eventually, it’s more awkward than the unspoken words.

‘Nineteen,’ I murmur after a moment, surprising myself with the admission.

I feel Geo’s gaze on me, searching for something. What, I’m not sure. Pity, maybe? I’ve never been that good at reading him. It’s part of his charm.

‘That’s rough,’ he finally grunts, his knuckles white on the wheel. ‘Hope he burned that place to the ground.’

A small smile plays at my lips as I toy with the necklace hidden beneath my shirt. The bronzed remnants of the first match. ‘We did.’

The memory washes over me, still vivid and visceral. The stench of smoke and burning flesh, the heat of the flames licking at my skin, Nikolai’s hand on my shoulder as we watched it all crumble to ash.

It was the first time I felt truly alive.

Truly free.

It’s the only gift he ever gave me, besides a sawed-off shotgun and a lifetime of trust issues. I wonder, briefly, if he kept the gift I gave him. The thought sends a familiar ache through my chest, and I push it away. No use dwelling on the past.

Not when I have a brand new obsession to crush the remnants of my soul out of existence.

‘That’s it,’ Geo announces, pulling me from my thoughts.

I look up, blinking away the phantom smell of smoke. We’re approaching a small settlement, and I have to do a double-take. It’s nowhere near shitty enough to be in the Outer Reaches. The buildings are rudimentary but nice, like they’ve been freshly painted over and renovated.

There’s no fucking way a place like this has been around more than a week without getting gutted by raiders and mercs.noveldrama

‘You weren’t kidding about their spa towns,’ I mutter as we pull to a stop. It has Surhiira written all over it. ‘How did they even have time to do all this?’

Geo kills the engine and steps out, stretching his massive frame. ”New Reinmich’ is just a proxy state for Surhiira now,’ he says with a grimace. ‘Of course, they’ll be trying to close the gap. Less space for rats like us to scurry around in.’

He’s probably right, but I’m not worried. My habitat has been burned down before, and I survived.

I always do.

I slide out of the SUV, my boots kicking up dust as they hit the ground. The air here smells different. Cleaner. It sets my teeth on edge. I prefer being the gilding on a dirt pile, not the scum at the bottom of a castle.

‘So, where’s this meeting supposed to go down?’ I ask, scanning the area for potential threats. The Surhiiran guards sprinkled around the quiet streets aren’t wearing their usual finery, but they stick out like a sore thumb. Anyone who showers more than once a week in the Outer Reaches has a way of doing that.

Geo jerks his head toward a nondescript building at the edge of town. ‘There. Neutral ground, or so they say.’

I snort. ‘Neutral. Right. And I’m a virgin goddess.’

‘You’re about as far from a virgin or a goddess as it gets,’ Geo mutters, but there’s no real heat behind it.

We make our way toward the building, and I can’t shake the feeling that we’re being watched. The fact that I can’t see who’s watching us has me even more on edge. My hand drifts to the revolver at my hip, a comforting weight against my thigh.

‘You sure about this?’ Geo asks as we approach the door. ‘Last chance to back out.’

I think of violet eyes and hair like moonlight.

Of a scent that haunts my dreams.

‘I’m sure.’

Geo sighs, reaching for the door handle. ‘Your funeral.’

Possibly his, too. But he’s here, for all his protests.

Probably just for the skull.

The door swings open, and we step into the dim interior. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust, but when they do, I see them.

Valek, lounging against the far wall like a coiled snake ready to strike. Instantly recognizable even though he’s wearing a white scarf with little silver patterns on it. And beside him, looking as out of place as a rose in a garbage dump, is the big surly one with a stick wedged permanently up his ass. Thane. He’s even wearing a white Surhiiran military jacket even though I know for a fact they all recently retired. Maybe they gave him an honorary position to keep him occupied. Like when Geo tried to start an employee of the month program at the club.

That shit went south quick. Literally, considering one of the girls spiked the competition’s drinks with laxatives.

Good times. I almost miss that place.

I glance around casually, but there’s no sign of the others. Looks like I was right after all.

‘Son of a bitch,’ Geo mutters.

‘Told you so,’ I say in a singsong under my breath, before plastering on my most charming smile and prancing up to Thane and Valek. ‘Fancy meeting you boys here.’

The words have barely left my lips when Valek’s knife appears in his hand, glinting dangerously in the dim light. Beside him, Thane draws his gun, the barrel aimed squarely at my chest.

Fuck.

I freeze, feeling Geo tense beside me. This isn’t quite the warm welcome I was hoping for, but then again, when has anything in my life ever gone according to plan?

I raise my hands slowly, adopting an expression of wounded innocence. ‘Is that any way to greet an old friend?’

Thane’s eyes narrow, his finger tightening on the trigger. ‘We’re not friends,’ he growls. ‘Especially not after you shot at us on our way out of the Alpha’s Alpha.’

Shit. I was hoping they wouldn’t bring that up so quickly.

I feel Geo’s furious glare burning into the side of my face. The look screams, ‘You didn’t tell me that,’ louder than any words could. I’ll have to smooth that over later. Assuming we make it out of here alive, of course.

‘It was a misunderstanding,’ I say smoothly, waving a dismissive hand. ‘A misunderstanding between friends.’

I turn up the charm, letting a roguish grin spread across my face. It’s the same look that’s gotten me out of—and into—more trouble than I care to admit. ‘Yes, I should have mentioned that I owned the club Monty Filch frequents, but you got what you came for, didn’t you?’

Thane’s jaw clenches, his grip on the gun tightening. ‘No,’ he says gruffly. ‘We didn’t.’

‘Oh,’ is all I manage to say.

I need to recover. Fast.

‘But he’s dead now,’ I say, grasping at straws. ‘And isn’t that the important thing?’

The sound of Thane cocking his gun echoes through the room.

Guess not.

But I’ve talked my way out of worse situations than this. Hell, talking is what I do best. Well, that and a few other things that probably won’t help me much right now. These two don’t like alphas.

‘Okay, yes, I was purposely vague,’ I admit, the words tumbling out in a rush. ‘I apologize. But the information I gave you was good, even if it was easier to come by than I implied. And yes, sure, my men shot at you—despite my orders to the contrary, I might add—but you also killed quite a few of them, so can’t we just call it even?’ I pause, a flash of inspiration striking. ‘Well, maybe not quite even, considering you still owe me a favor.’

Beside me, Geo face-palms so hard I’m surprised he doesn’t knock himself out. ‘You were on a roll,’ he mutters under his breath.

‘Not like you’re helping,’ I hiss, noticing he hasn’t bothered to reach for his gun.

‘A favor?’ Valek echoes, his laughter sharp and cold. ‘A favor would be letting you walk out of here in one piece.’

I feel a bead of sweat trickle down my neck. This isn’t going well.

Time to change tactics.

‘Fine,’ I say, letting a hint of steel creep into my voice. ‘If the Ghosts have no honor and want to renege on your end of our deal, then I’ll hire you.’

Thane and Valek exchange a look that speaks volumes. I’ve seen that look before. Usually right before someone tries to put a bullet in me.

‘We’re spec-ops, not fucking gutter mercs for hire,’ Thane says, disgust dripping from every word. ‘And even if we were, I highly doubt you have more funds than Surhiira.’

‘There are some things in this world money can’t buy,’ I reason. ‘Good intel is one of them, and in a war, which you happen to have started, information is king.’

I let my gaze drift over them, taking in the subtle changes since our last encounter. They look… softer somehow. Not weaker, not by any stretch of the definition. Just a little bit less like the hardened killers I remember and more like men who’ve finally found something worth living for.

Normally, I’d find it revolting, but having recently come upon a bit of existential purpose myself, it’s kind of sweet. But it also gives me an angle to exploit. Something tells me they haven’t changed quite enough to let me walk out of here alive without giving them a damn good reason.

‘Considering the fact that the five of you have gone into a cozy retirement with your little lady,’ I continue, watching their reactions carefully, ‘I’m sure you could benefit from the services of a filthy ‘gutter merc’ yourselves.’

For a moment, I think I’ve got them. Thane and Valek look at each other thoughtfully, and I allow myself a flicker of hope.

Then they burst out laughing.

Dicks.

Since when do they get along?

‘We have the entire Surhiiran army at our disposal,’ Thane says between chuckles, ‘and half of what’s left of Reinmich’s. What could you possibly have to offer us?’

The dismissal in his tone ignites something in me. A spark of anger, of wounded pride. Before I can think better of it, my hand is moving.

In less than the blink of an eye, I draw my gun. The familiar weight settles in my palm as I take aim. Time seems to slow as I squeeze the trigger.

The shot rings out, followed by the sound of shattering glass and the dull thud of a bullet embedding itself in wood.

When the echoes fade, I’m already holstering my pistol with a practiced twirl before either of them has the time to react. By the time Thane and Valek have both drawn their guns, so has Geo.

Two of them, one aimed at each alpha.

He always had style when it counted.

‘Relax,’ Geo snarls through his teeth, his voice dropping into the low, gravely tone of his alpha bark. ‘If he wanted you dead, you would be.’

I look over at him, unable to hide my shock that he actually drew on the fucking Ghosts. And here I thought he’d step aside while they dragged my bleeding corpse around to the dumpster out back.

His bark isn’t enough to bring these hardened soldiers to their knees, but it sends a message. And makes me shiver in spite of myself.

Now is not the fucking time, and my hobby of teasing him aside, I don’t exactly relish Geo’s bark having that affect on me—even after years of training to render me immune—but it is what it is. There was a time when I couldn’t even be in the same room with another alpha without being at risk of a bark leaving me powerless to respond to any command they happened to give.

Now, it’s more of a nuisance. A little itch in the back of my brain I can choose to ignore until it’s convenient to scratch.

Except when it comes to one alpha, but I’ve spent the last five years avoiding him. I’ve become something of an expert at it.

And if we ever do cross paths again, well… he may have taught me everything I know, but I’m still a quicker draw than him.

Thane grabs at his shoulder with a snarl, ripping away the fabric where his epaulette used to be.

But he isn’t even grazed.

Across the room, a glass lies in pieces on a nearby table. And there, on the far wall, my bullet sits dead center in the bullseye of a battered dartboard.

I allow myself a moment to savor the looks of shock on their faces before speaking. ‘You boys are good,’ I say, unable to keep the sneer from my voice, ‘but you’re military dogs. You work in a unit. It takes a rat to thrive solo in a gutter like the Outer Reaches.’

Geo looks like he’s about to be sick, even if he hasn’t lowered his guns, but I press on. This might be my only chance. And it’s both our necks on the line now.

‘You may have New Reinmich, and eventually, you may even be able to take the rest of old Reinmich,’ I continue, weighing each word carefully. ‘But the Outer Reaches are full of a hundred warring factions, each of which is going to make that task exceedingly difficult. And Surhiira can’t just put up swanky outposts and hope for the best. Not without help. Not without people on the inside. Or outside, as it were.’

‘People?’ Geo grumbles. ‘Now you’re roping me into this?’

‘You roped yourself in when you drew on ’em, big guy,’ I remind him, blowing a kiss in the air. ‘I’m touched, by the way.’

He gives a grimacing eye-roll, but keeps his focused locked on the Ghosts in front of us.

The silence that follows is deafening. I’ve laid my cards on the table, shown them exactly what I’m capable of.

Now it’s their move.

Thane’s eyes narrow, his gun still trained on me. I can see the wheels turning behind his dark eyes. He’s a soldier, through and through. He understands the value of what I’m offering.

Valek, on the other hand, looks like he’s trying to decide whether to gut me or applaud. With him, it could probably go either way.

Hope this doesn’t sour his ‘friendship’ with Geo. I’ll be hearing about that for the next decade.

I watch Thane’s eyes narrow as he considers my offer. The tension in the room is thick enough to choke on, but I keep my expression neutral. Years of practice have made me a master at that, too.

Finally, Thane gives a grudging nod to Valek. They both lower their weapons slightly. Geo follows suit, his massive frame relaxing marginally beside me.

I resist the urge to sag with relief.

That was too fucking close.

‘You still haven’t told us what you want badly enough to risk this little meeting,’ Thane says, his voice gruff with suspicion.

I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. ‘Oh, that’s simple,’ I purr. ‘I want the omega.’

Their guns snap back up so fast I barely have time to blink. Fury blazes in their eyes, and for a moment, I think I’ve fucked up royally.

I throw my hands up, panic flooding through me. ‘Not yours!’ I cry, the words tumbling out in a rush. ‘The one you took from my club. Silver hair, violet eyes, an ass carved from the clouds of the heavens?’

Thane and Valek blink, exchanging a look of confusion. ‘Cosima?’ Thane finally asks, his brow furrowing.

The name hits me square in the throat. ‘Cosima,’ I breathe, savoring the way it rolls off my tongue. ‘What a fitting name for a goddess. Absolute poetry.’

‘For fuck’s sake,’ Valek growls, lowering his gun. ‘I told you this fucking idiot must’ve caught her scent.’

Thane gives him an annoyed growl and mutters, ‘How the fuck was I supposed to know he even liked women, let alone omegas?’

‘I’ve given up my goal of fucking and being fucked by every living thing in the wasteland,’ I say brightly, unable to keep the offense from my voice. ‘I’m a changed man now that I’ve found the one.’

‘The one,’ Thane echoes flatly.

Geo mutters beside me, ‘He thinks she’s his mate.’

‘She is,’ I snap, whirling on him. I turn back to the Ghosts, desperation clawing at my insides. ‘I want her. I need her. Whatever the price.’

They laugh, the sound grating on my nerves. ‘Get in line,’ Valek sneers. ‘Your girl is popular.’

Something dark and possessive rears its head inside me. I feel my expression harden, my mask slipping away. ‘Who?’ I demand in a voice that doesn’t quite sound like my own.

‘Raven,’ Geo warns, but I ignore him. Even Thane seems uneasy now, his hand tightening on his weapon.

‘It doesn’t matter,’ Thane says, his tone clipped. ‘She’s being handed back over to her father, Arthur Maybrecht.’

The name hits me like a punch to the gut. Arthur fucking Maybrecht. One of the only people even I consider morally reprehensible, and that’s saying something. It takes me a moment to process the fact that she’s his daughter.

But it only exacerbates my need to find her.

To wrest her from the clutches of these barbarians.

‘You’re not handing her over to that monster,’ I hiss, taking a step forward. Geo’s hand on my arm is the only thing that keeps me from lunging at them. ‘I thought you Ghosts fancied yourselves heroes. Isn’t that why you started this war in the first place? To protect omegas?’

I see a flicker of discomfort in Thane’s eyes, almost as if there’s something else he wants to say, but he schools his expression quickly. ‘Cosima will be protected,’ he says firmly. ‘The rest is none of your concern.’

Something snaps inside me. I’m about to throw caution to the wind and attack when Geo’s iron grip on my arm tightens. He starts hauling me toward the door, muttering, ‘Well, that’s that, we tried.’

I break out of his grasp with a snarl, but I don’t draw.

Not yet.

I’ve got one last card to play.

‘You owe me a fucking debt,’ I say, my voice low and dangerous. ‘And even if honor among Ghosts means nothing, it’s still currency among thieves and rats.’ I bare my teeth in a feral grin. ‘I was under the impression it meant something to Surhiirans, too, which is probably why your forces have been allowed to traipse around in the Outer Reaches relatively unbothered. But I imagine that would change if the other rats were to learn of the Ghosts’ treachery.’

Thane’s eyes narrow to slits. ‘Is that a threat?’

I meet his gaze unflinchingly. ‘Absofuckinglutely.’

The tension in the room ratchets up another notch as we stare each other down. I sense Geo coiled like a spring beside me, ready to go for his gun again at the slightest provocation. My own fingers itch to draw, but I force them to stay still.

Then, to my surprise, Thane snorts. ‘Alright,’ he says with what I hope is finally a lick of respect. ‘A deal’s a deal. You want the girl? I’ll tell you exactly where she is.’

Hope surges in my chest, but I tamp it down.

This is too easy.

There has to be a catch.

Thane approaches and I feel Geo tense beside me. But the massive alpha just stands toe-to-toe with me. I’m tall even for an alpha, but he’s built like a fucking tank. I have no doubt he could turn my head into a human stress ball, but I remain rooted where I stand, eyes locked on his.

‘Nikolai Vlakov,’ Thane says.

And just like that, my world stops spinning.

Two words.

That’s all it takes to turn my blood to ice in my veins.

Thane’s lips curl into a smirk. ‘There’s your intel. That’s more than you gave us, so consider us fucking even.’

With that, he and Valek—whose hyena grin is clear even with his scarf covering part of it—turn to stride out through the door, leaving me frozen in place.

Nikolai.

Fucking.

Vlakov.

The name echoes in my head like a death knell. Memories I’ve spent years burying claw their way to the surface. The scent of smoke and blood. The heat of flames licking at my skin. A calloused hand on my shoulder, steadying me as I took my first life.

Gunmetal gray eyes that looked at me like I was worth something.

Until the last time.