Free Omegas In Love by Annie Nicholas

vehicle.
    Leaning forward, Tyler couldn’t calm his racing heart. Exposed in the open, his pack mate could be attacked at any moment. Why would Tony come here without Eric and Daedalus? No other car followed him. Maybe they’d gotten lost?
    About to step out of his hiding spot, Tyler watched as Tony opened the van’s back doors and carried out a struggling, tied-up Spice.
    Time stopped. Betrayal bit into Tyler. Tony had been helping Chen?
    Rescuing Tyler in Chinatown, helping read Katrina’s diary, and taking Spice to the hospital was all a hoax?
    The tip about the empty house, which exploded, had come from him. God, they were so naive. But Tony smelled Vasi. He’d been at pack meetings. Could Chen have been planning this invasion for that long?
    Tyler shook his head to snap out of it. No wonder Chen always kept a step ahead of them. He’d known where they lived, who Eric’s mate was, and moved Katrina from the warehouse before Tyler arrived there.
    Taking a deep breath, Tyler strode to the van, behind Tony, and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, dude.”
    Tony jumped as if the grim reaper had just struck him. He dropped Spice to the ground in a heap.
    She snarled around a gag stuffed in her mouth and tore at her restraints. Her eyes bulged as she gazed from him to Tony.
    “Tyler!” The traitor spun around, sweat beading on his forehead. “W–what are you doing here?”
    “Thought I’d be dead by now, packmate?” He spat out the last word and shoved the young shifter against the van. No one had ever tried to murder him before. “What are you doing, Tony?” He couldn’t shake off his disbelief.
    Straightening, Tony met his glare. “I’m making a trade. Spice and Katrina are the payment.”
    “What?”
    “You’ve no idea what’s it like to be a shifter in another country. Hunted and feared. You’re spoiled with pack meetings and pretending to be human. Day jobs, cars, houses, credit cards, movies, restaurants…” Tony stopped and caught his breath. A tear streaked along his cheek. “My sisters were kidnapped by Chen’s pack a few weeks ago. They’ve forced me to help them or they’ll take my little sisters to China for breeding.” He swallowed, determination squaring his jaw. “I can’t let you have her.” He gestured to Spice behind him.
    “You should have come to Eric. He would have helped.” Tyler glanced at the bruises on Spice’s face and didn’t think his alpha would be so generous now.
    “Screw that, he’d start spouting off on the accords again. You think Chen cares about old laws?” Tony shook his head. “When he offered my sisters for Spice and Katrina…my parents…this is the only way.”
    “You think Chen will keep his word?” He wanted to shake the younger idiot.
    “I’m not stupid. My sisters are on that ship. I’ve seen them.” He took a shaky breath. “Leave, Tyler. I don’t want to hurt you, but I’ll yell for help if I have to.”
    “Don’t want to hurt me? You set me up.” Clenching his fists, Tyler glared at Tony. He wanted to pound his head in. He wanted to break his bones. He wanted…Katrina back.
    “Set up? I didn’t–I mean, I told them you were coming…” His voice faded. “Oh.”
    “A shifter was waiting for me at the warehouse, wanting to separate my head from my shoulders.”
    Tony’s eyes grew wide. “I didn’t know.”
    Spice rose behind him.
    “I wouldn’t–” Tony shook his head.
    The surprise must have shown on Tyler’s face, because the traitor wheeled around just in time for Spice to sucker punch him.
    Knees wobbling, Tony flopped to the ground, out cold.
    “Were you trying to talk him to death, Tyler?” She rubbed her fist. “Fuck, that hurt.”
    “How did you–”
    She lifted her left hand. Sharp, long claws had grown from her nail beds. “Robert’s been teaching me that trick of his. I can only grow the nails on this hand, though.” The sawed ropes lay in a tangle at her feet. “Help me carry him.” She