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

I pace in my office, unable to shake the image of Raven’s face as I locked him in that cell. The betrayal in those blue eyes haunts me with every step, cutting deeper than any blade ever could. My boots scuff against the concrete floor as I wear a path back and forth, back and forth, like a caged animal.

Which is fucking ironic, considering I’m not the one in a cage.

The weight of my decisions sits heavy in my gut, but I keep telling myself it’s for the best. Raven’s lost his damn mind over some omega he barely even saw. Running off into the wasteland after her would be suicide.

He’s always been impulsive, but this is different. This is a whole new level of self-destructive behavior.

And Nikolai…

I glance at the security feed showing his unconscious form slumped against the wall. Those bullets I put in his back weren’t enough to kill him. I know better than to think an alpha of his caliber would go down that easy.

The bastard’s survived worse.

Much worse.

The memory of our last encounter flashes through my mind. My hand drifts unconsciously to my eye patch, fingers tracing the edge where the leather meets scarred flesh.

Fucking Raven.noveldrama

Of course he had to stop me with his big blue puppy eyes right when I finally had the chance to end that psychotic bastard once and for all. After everything Nikolai’s done, after all the pain he’s caused… he deserves far worse than a quick death.

But no. Raven had to get in the way.

Had to protect the very man who…

I cut that thought off before it can fully form. No point dwelling on the past.

What’s done is done.

With a growl of frustration, I grab my radio. ‘Dr. Ryefield, come in.’

Static crackles for a moment before a familiar voice responds. ‘What is it now, Geo? Another stripper with a backwards ass implant?’

‘I need you to treat two patients,’ I say, ignoring his attempt at humor. ‘In the secure basement level. One’s in rough shape.’

There’s a long pause. ‘The secure basement?’ Ryefield’s voice drips with disbelief. ‘You mean your personal dungeon? Who the hell did you lock up this time?’

I grind my teeth, my patience wearing thin. The doctor’s always been a smartass, but right now I’m not in the mood. ‘Nikolai Vlakov.’

Another pause, longer this time. ‘… Are you fucking with me?’

‘Do I sound like I’m fucking with you?’ I snarl into the radio, my grip tightening until the plastic creaks.

‘Holy shit,’ Ryefield mutters. ‘You actually caught him? Do I even want to know how you managed that?’

‘Shot him in the back,’ I say flatly. ‘Twice. But the bastard’s still kicking.’

‘Of course he is,’ Ryefield sighs. ‘And the other patient?’

I hesitate, my eye fixed on the second screen showing Raven huddled in the corner of his cell. He hasn’t moved since I left him there, curled in on himself like a wounded animal. The sight makes my chest tighten up.

Goddamn it.

‘Raven.’

‘What?’ Ryefield’s voice rises an octave. ‘You locked up your own⁠—’

‘He’s not my anything,’ I snap, cutting him off. The words taste like ash in my mouth. ‘And he needs to be kept safe until he gets his head straight.’

‘Safe from what?’ There’s an edge to Ryefield’s voice I don’t like. A knowing tone that sets my teeth on edge. ‘Or should I ask safe from whom?’

‘Are you going to help or not?’ I growl, already regretting calling him. But he’s the only doctor I trust not to immediately sell this information to the highest bidder. Or to just run his mouth for the hell of it over drinks.

Another sigh crackles through the radio. ‘Fine. But I want hazard pay for this one. Double my usual rate.’

‘Triple it if you keep your mouth shut about who’s down there,’ I counter. Money’s never been an issue, but if he knows I can afford to give him whatever the hell he demands, he’ll turn into the second biggest pain in the ass I’ve ever had.

‘Deal.’

‘I’ll page you in through the security door,’ I finish. ‘Don’t try any heroics. They’re both chained, but Nikolai’s still dangerous even half-dead.’

‘And Raven isn’t?’

The question catches me off guard. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Nothing,’ Ryefield says quickly. Too quickly. ‘I’ll grab my supplies and head down.’

The radio goes silent, leaving me alone with my thoughts again. I turn back to the security feeds, watching as Ryefield makes his way through the tunnels toward the secure area. The doctor’s words nag at me, stirring up doubts I’ve been trying to ignore.

Keeping them both down there is risky.

Especially given their history.

A history I still don’t fully understand and will never grasp in its entirety, despite years of drunken half-confessions and stories from Raven. Stories that always seemed to stop just short of the full truth, trailing off into silence or deflected with a joke. Stories I’d rather not hear, so I’m sure that means I’ve tuned out plenty of the more important details.

But what choice do I have?

I can’t let Raven run off to his death chasing some omega fantasy. And I can’t kill Nikolai, not when it would break something in Raven that might never heal. The look in his eyes when he begged me to spare that bastard’s life… I’ve never seen him like that before.

Never seen him so desperate.

So broken.

He’s damn good at escaping and thwarting me, which is why he’s safer in there. Where I can watch his every move, even if he somehow manages to find a way to get through the door. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the one person who can pull that off.

After all, he learned all his tricks from Nikolai Vlakov himself.

Movement on one of the screens catches my attention. Raven has finally stirred, lifting his head to stare directly at the camera. Even through the grainy black and white footage, I feel the burning weight of his gaze. Those eyes that usually sparkle with mischief and mirth are dull now, empty in a way that makes my stomach churn.

He knows I’m watching.

He can feel it.

Something uncomfortably close to regret gnaws at my conscience. The lost, broken look in his eyes when I collared him… it wasn’t just betrayal. It was something deeper.

Something that spoke of old wounds being torn open.

I remember the first time I discovered how much like an omega he is, even in regard to how he reacts to alpha barks. I’d sworn then and there never to use that power over him. Never to be another alpha who took advantage of his unique vulnerability.

And yet here I am, keeping him chained up ‘for his own good.’

How is that any better than using my bark on him? Am I any better than the son of a bitch chained on the opposite wall?

But I push the feeling aside.

Sometimes being cruel is the only way to be kind.

I’ve learned that lesson the hard way, watching too many people I cared about die because I wasn’t willing to do what needed to be done. Because I let sentiment cloud my judgment.

Not this time.

The radio crackles to life again. ‘I’m at the security door,’ Ryefield announces.

I key in the access code, watching on the monitors as the heavy metal door slides open with a hiss. Ryefield steps through, medical bag in hand. He pauses at the top of the stairs, taking in the scene below.

‘Shit,’ he mutters, just loud enough for the radio to pick up.

I watch as he makes his way down the steps, his footsteps echoing off the concrete walls. He approaches Nikolai first, which is smart. The bastard’s wounds need immediate attention if we want to keep him alive for questioning.

And oh, do I have questions.

Starting with why the fuck he’s so interested in the same omega Raven’s apparently willing to die for. There has to be more to this.

And I don’t like it one fucking bit.

Especially because I know in my gut how this is all going to turn out. If the mystery moon omega is still alive—which I sincerely doubt, since even omegas who aren’t being chased by monster alphas never last long alone in this world—I’m going to end up hunting her down and bringing her home for Raven.

How do I know this?

Because the son of a bitch has had me wrapped around his pretty little pinkie since the day we first met. And he knows it. All he has to do is smile and bat his goddamn eyelashes and my heart melts straight through the iron defenses I’ve built around it.

It happens again and again and again.

My eye drifts back to Raven’s feed. He’s watching Ryefield work on Nikolai. The collar around his neck gleams dully in the low light, and I have to suppress another wave of guilt.

This is necessary, I tell myself again.

This is for his own good.

But as I watch him curl in on himself again, head dropping to rest on his knees, I wonder who I’m really trying to convince. Maybe thinking about how I can at least try to make things right, how I can try to make Raven happy if I can find this doomed omega who’s almost certainly long dead, is just me trying to make myself feel better about what I need to do.

It doesn’t matter that it’s for his own protection. Because I know it doesn’t matter to him.

I pull Nikolai’s red sunglasses from my pocket, turning them over in my hands. The lenses catch the light from the monitors, reflecting my own distorted image back at me.

One eye, just like him.

Fucker wanted to make sure we match, but little did he know we already match. And in a much worse way.

We’re both terrible for Raven.