Page 11 of Omega's Triplets

He brushed that feeling aside. This was no time to get sentimental. If they got an omega, everything would change for all of them, and their worries would be gone.

He pulled out the stacks of bills in the safe and weighed them in his hands, then counted them quickly. Five thousand dollars, plus a little extra.

He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach.This isn’t going to be enough.

Jamie and his brothers had ridden out to Oregon to attend the Death Fangs’ auction last year. Jamie had found the proceedings sickening, although Harley had watched with frank interest and Mark’s face had been set in that determined scowl of his. Jamie didn’t like to admit it, but the Death Fangs frightened him. They were the most powerful pack of wolf shifters in Oregon—Jamie had heard stories of rival packs eliminated in terrible, brutal fights. The Driscoll brothers were used to being the most powerful men in any room they entered, but standing on Death Fang turf, Jamie had felt vulnerable.

But if he felt vulnerable, that was nothing to how he supposed the omegas on the auction stage must feel. They had been dressed in sheer dresses that were almost transparent, leaving nothing to the imagination, and men walked along the stage squeezing them like pieces of fruit.

The Driscolls had found seats at the back of the auction and observed the proceedings. Most of the women were sold for prices in the neighborhood of twenty-five thousand dollars. Some, the more homely of the group, went for closer to ten thousand. And there had been one young and beautiful girl who had gotten a bid of fifty thousand. She had been led from the stage, shaking and crying, by a man twice her age.

It had been disturbing, to say the least. Jamie hadn’t discussed what he’d seen with either of his brothers. They had to have an omega, after all, a high quality one, and that meant doing business with the Death Fangs. Jamie had consoled himself with the thought that their woman, when they bought her, would be treated well. She wouldn’t have to worry about being abused. It was a better outcome than most of those omegas could hope for. So, weren’t they saving her, in a way?

And there was another facet of the auction the Driscolls had discussed—the prices they’d seen the omegas going for. Jamie had wondered, at the time, if his brothers knew just how meager their savings was compared to those auction prices. He had done his best to increase the amount they put away with each paycheck, to better prepare. But at this rate, they wouldn’t be competitive in the auction for another three years at least.

That was too long to wait.

He tucked the money into a manila envelope and slammed the safe shut, spinning the lock to protect the emptiness that remained inside. They would just have to hope, he supposed. Maybe there would be a girl who had some kind of physical deformity that didn’t affect her health, something that would keep the bidding low on her without ruining her prospects as a good mate.

He tucked the envelope full of cash into the backpack he liked to wear while riding. It was dark green canvas and held up well against the elements, and he knew their money would be well protected while they made the trek to Oregon.

But it seemed highly unlikely that it would be enough.

Mark wasn’t going to be happy about this when Jamie told him. His brother could be difficult at the best of times—his temper was easily set off, and he was difficult to reason with when he was angry. But when he heard that the money they’d been saving all this time wasn’t going to be enough, when he heard that they’d been taking food out of their family’s mouths for nothing...

He has nobody to blame but himself,Jamie thought.This whole thing was his idea, wasn’t it?

But that wasn’t quite fair, he knew. He and Harley had been equally on board when Mark had come to them with the idea of saving up for an omega. They had all recognized the need. And they had all known that this was the only way to get a girl of reliable breeding and health, someone they knew would be capable of carrying a pregnancy from multiple fathers to term.

Jamie zipped up his bag and got to his feet. He would have to tell his brothers. They were going to have to think of something. They couldn’t allow their strong, proud lineage to end here.

***

“NO LEAVING THE HOUSEwhile we’re gone,” Mark said. “Except in case of an emergency.”

“Not even to tend the garden?” Piper asked.

“You can go out for an hour to work in the garden. Make sure it’s light out when you do.”

Piper nodded. In truth, she was the one Mark was least worried about. He probably would have given her the run of the backyard if he hadn’t had to take the other two into account. But he couldn’t make different rules for each of them and not expect any backlash.

“Your meals are prepared in the refrigerator,” he continued. “You can heat them up in the microwave. No using the stove or the oven.”

“That’s bullshit,” Amy said. “We’re not going to burn the place down.”

“I’m not worried about you burning the place down. I’m worried about someone getting hurt. Remember when Reese fell out of that tree and broke his arm? The pain made him shift, so we couldn’t take him to the hospital. What if something like that happened?”

“We’re not seven anymore,” Amy said. “We’re not going to start shifting because of a little pain.”

“And anyway, we could always take Reese to the vet if he does that again,” Piper said, giggling. Reese gave her a playful shove.

“No stove,” Mark said again, leaning into the words. “No oven. It’s a command.”

Amy rolled her eyes dramatically but didn’t argue.

“We’ll be back the day after tomorrow,” Mark said. “Take care of each other, will you?”

“We’ll be all right,” Amy said, her voice softening somewhat. She was a good kid, really, Mark thought. Seventeen was just a difficult age. He had been seventeen himself when they’d brought Amy into the pack, and he could easily remember what a confusing time that had been. And he’d had a lot more control over his own life than she had now. He’d been an alpha, leading his own pack.

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