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

Valek’s eyes meet mine as he follows Thane out, and the message is crystal clear.

I’ve just burned that bridge to ash.

Not that I blame him. Drawing on the Ghosts isn’t exactly good for maintaining professional relationships.

Well, good fucking riddance.

That’s trouble I don’t need.

Although whenever Raven is around, I seem to find myself knee-deep in it anyway.

Speaking of trouble, I glance over at my current headache and notice he’s gone completely still. Like someone hit his off switch the moment Thane dropped Nikolai’s name. His usual manic energy has drained away, leaving behind something I’ve only seen once before.

Raw fear.

As much as I hate to admit it, a part of me is relieved. The threat of another encounter with Nikolai might be the only thing that could deter this idiot from his suicide quest.

‘Raven,’ I say, trying to snap him out of it. No response. Not even a blink. ‘Hey. Earth to the fop.’

Nothing.

Fuck it.

I haul back and slap him across his perfect face. Hard enough to leave a mark, but not hard enough to break anything. The sound echoes through the empty room like a gunshot.

That does it.

His head snaps up, those blue eyes finally focusing as he glowers at me. ‘My face?’ he demands, touching his reddening cheek. ‘Did it have to be my fucking face?’

‘Wasn’t gonna be your ass,’ I mutter, already heading for the door. ‘Come on, let’s go.’

Through the grimy windows, I catch sight of the ‘civilians’ watching us. Their pristine clothes and perfect posture screams Surhiiran guards undercover. This whole place is a paper town. Wouldn’t be surprised if the Ghosts had it polished and set up for this very occasion.

To my surprise, he actually follows me without argument. The silence continues as we climb into the SUV, and it stretches on as we pull away from the creepy little town. Hours pass, and still nothing from the man who usually can’t stay quiet for more than thirty seconds.

I find myself glancing over at him every now and again, just to see if he’s dead, which I always thought was the one thing that could shut him up. He just stares out the window, lost in whatever dark thoughts are plaguing him. His profile is harsh in the dying light, all sharp angles and melancholy.

Kid missed his calling not being one of those pretentious assholes who sit in a tower of archived books salvaged from the old world, writing flowery poetry to girls on the side. He’s got too much going on inside his head to be cut out for this shit.noveldrama

I can’t believe I’m thinking this, but I actually prefer when he’s being a royal pain in my ass. By the time he finally speaks, we’ve already passed a shoddy stop sign marked ‘Belvast’ in white paint.

‘You can drop me here,’ he says, his voice rough from disuse. Guess he doesn’t usually go this long without filling the silence. ‘I’ll pick up a ride the rest of the way.’

I slow the SUV to a stop, confusion gnawing at me. I’d assumed he’d be hanging around until I kicked him out. Which I don’t have the heart to do right now, not when he looks like someone just gutted him with a spoon.

‘You sure you don’t wanna come back to the market?’ I ask, trying to keep my tone gruff and failing. ‘You can hang around and torture the assholes who harass the strippers like old times.’

A ghost of his usual smirk flickers across his face, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. ‘As tempting as that sounds, I’ve got my work cut out for me.’

‘Doing what?’ I ask warily as he gathers his gear from the back, dread settling in my gut like a lead weight. ‘What exactly are you planning?’

‘It’ll take me a while to track down his current base,’ Raven says, slinging his pack over his shoulder as soon as he gets out of the SUV. ‘That paranoid son of a bitch never stays in one place more than a few months.’

It’s probably not paranoid, considering how many people want to kill him—me included—but I keep that to myself.

‘Fuck.’ I’m out of the car before I realize I’ve moved. I grab his arm, but instead of yanking away from me with a dramatic flail like I would’ve expected, he just stands there. ‘You can’t be serious. You’re willing to cross paths with Nikolai again for some omega you don’t even know?’

Raven’s expression shifts, something dangerous flickering in those blue eyes. ‘No,’ he says quietly, pulling free of my grip. He starts walking past the sign toward Belvast, but tosses over his shoulder, ‘But I’m willing to do it for my mate.’

My jaw clenches so hard it hurts. ‘Nikolai will fucking kill you. You know that, right?’ I call after him.

‘Not unless I kill him first.’

The casual way he says it makes my blood run cold. I’ve seen that look in his eyes before. Always immediately before he does the most unhinged, self-destructive, suicidal—and usually homicidal—bullshit a human being could possibly come up with.

‘You and your little army of bouncers?’ I bark out a harsh laugh. ‘Are you fucking kidding me? Nikolai’s army just helped take down Reinmich. You don’t stand a chance.’

Raven just shrugs, not even bothering to look back. ‘That’s why I’m going alone.’

‘Alone?’ I echo in disbelief. ‘That’s even worse!’

But he keeps walking, his golden hair catching the last rays of sunlight. Like some tragic hero in those books he’s always going on about where the fairy tale prince on a gleaming white horse gets the girl. Except those stories in the real world usually end in blood and death, not a fucking happily ever after.

‘Y’know, if you’re feeling like you wanna die, there are less gruesome ways to go about it,’ I call after Raven’s retreating form. ‘Because I might as well just pop a cap in your brain pan right here. Clearly nothing left in it!’

‘I don’t want to die,’ he calls back without stopping. ‘For the first time in my life, I just care about something more than living.’

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. Rage and worry war in my chest, making it hard to breathe. ‘You can quit the melodramatics. I’m not getting killed so you can get some moon-scented strange!’ I roar. ‘This is as far as I go!’

Raven finally stops, and the smile he gives me over his shoulder is strange. Nostalgic, almost. ‘I know,’ he says in a soft tone that scares the fuck out of me. ‘And I wouldn’t ask you to. But I appreciate what you did back there, putting your neck on the line for me with the Ghosts. It meant a lot.’ His smile widens into something more familiar, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. ‘Hey, look at the bright side—if this goes bad, you won’t have to worry about me bothering you again.’

With that, he turns and walks past the sign toward Belvast.

I stand frozen, watching him go, warring with myself. Part of me wants to grab him and drag him back to the market. To lock him in the basement until this madness passes and he finds something else to obsess over.

But I know it won’t work.

Nothing ever does with him.

Fuck it, I’m falling for his bullshit.

It’s an act. It always is.

‘It’s not gonna work this time, you weaselly little asshole!’ I bellow after him.

He just waves without looking back, the sun catching the thin gold bracelet on his wrist. ‘Bye, Geo.’

I stand there watching his retreating form, my jaw clenched so tight it hurts. What the fuck is wrong with me? I shouldn’t give a shit.

I don’t have family.

I don’t have friends.

That’s how I like it.

Raven is nobody. Just another stray that wandered into my life looking for scraps. A twenty-something kid who showed up asking for work and latched onto me like a barnacle, trying to forge a bond that wasn’t there because he’s terrified of being alone.

The one thing I’ve been my whole life.

The way I prefer to be.

And yet, the idea of never seeing him again feels like a weight on my chest I can’t shrug off.

I’m still warring with myself when Raven stops and turns slightly, glancing back at me over his shoulder. ‘Oh, before I forget…’

Relief floods through me. Maybe he’s finally coming to his senses. Or maybe I called his bluff by standing my ground. Wouldn’t be the first time his dramatic exit fell flat when no one chased after him. And I still don’t know exactly what went down between him and Nikolai, but my first and last encounter with the bastard—the one that took my goddamn eye—left me with the impression that was how it ended.

Raven reaches into his pocket and pulls something small out. He tosses it over his shoulder in a high arc toward me. I catch it reflexively and look down at the flash drive now resting in my palm.

‘If this is your freaky porn collection, it can die with you,’ I yell after him, waving it in the air even though he isn’t looking at me anymore.

His laugh carries on the wind, but it’s hollow. Empty. ‘Everything you need to find the Harbinger is on there. Good luck. You earned it.’

That hits me like a fucking truck.

He’s not even dangling it as a prize over my head to get me to change my mind. He’s just… giving it to me. Like a goodbye present.

Like he knows he’s not coming back.

Well, fuck you, too, asshole.

I stuff the drive into the pocket of my jeans, cursing under my breath as I force myself to stomp back to my SUV. The door creaks as I yank it open, the sound grating on my already frayed nerves.

The engine roars to life and I floor it, gravel spraying as I execute a sharp U-turn. I need to put as much distance between myself and that lovesick idiot as possible.

Before I do something stupid.

Like go after him.

Like try to save him from himself.

I could use my alpha bark on him.

I could make him stop.

I could make him turn around and get back in the damn car.

But I feel like the biggest shithead in the fucking universe for even considering the idea for the half-second it enters my head.

Forcing Raven to listen to me is not an option.

The first time I made the mistake of using my alpha bark, years ago when he was being particularly insufferable, I learned the hard way about his… condition. The way he reacted—going completely pliant, eyes unfocused, waiting for the next command—haunted me for a long damn time.

That was when I finally understood why an alpha would choose to work in a brothel. Why he flinches sometimes when other alphas get too close. Why he uses humor and flirtation as armor.

He’s not just an alpha who likes other alphas.

He’s an alpha who responds to alpha commands like an omega would.

He wouldn’t tell me much that night after I apologized—his past is the one subject he won’t ramble on about for hours if given the chance—but over the years, I’ve managed to piece together enough from the few and far between moments he gets drunk enough to actually let his guard down.

Whatever he went through in that hellhole before Nikolai found him, it changed him. Molded him. Made it impossible for him to do anything, eat, drink, sleep, even stand without that bitch’s permission. He was submissive to the point of not being able to function without someone to rule over every mundane aspect of his life, all for the sick pleasure and amusement of the madame—a woman he’s only ever referred to as ‘her’—and her clients.

He’s always seen Nikolai as the one who saved him, but as far as I’m concerned, all that asshole did was to transfer her authority over Raven to himself.

Nikolai just gave him a longer leash.

And I won’t be the third to do that to him.

The road stretches out ahead of me, empty and desolate. Just like it’s always been. Just the way I like it.

So why does it feel so wrong?