Page 65 of In the Mouth of the Wolf

I let out a small yelp, the bark freezing me in my spot. The waitress finally turned around and looked over at me. “Is this… your girlfriend?” she asked, her eyes narrowing while she tried to suss out our dynamic.

Archer cleared his throat. “Marlowe, this is Rachel, a friend from high school. Rachel, this is Marlowe, our pack’s omega.”

Cue the record scratch.

Rachel’s mouth dropped open and the tables closest to us turned around to see, murmurs of “did he say omega?” coming from their lips.

The town would have found out sooner or later, but the unplanned public outing, combined with the raging desire to rip Rachel’s throat out for thinking she could take one of my alphas had me feeling far too exposed and volatile. This wasn’t exactly how I had wanted to introduce myself.

Finally, the rational, empathetic,humanside of me regained control, and I noticed the deep hurt falling over Rachel’s face. She and Cam had planned a date, and then he had dropped her for me without so much as a good-bye text. He and I were having words when I got home.

“Omega?” The word was a pained whisper. “But I thought…”

She didn’t finish the sentence, and her words hung heavy in the air, her heartbreak palpable. I felt the feminine urge to reach out and comfort a fellow female hurt by a dumb guy, but I was probably the last person she’d want anything from. It was my fault Cam had dumped her, after all.

Archer gave her the space to process the news, waiting patiently until she looked back at him. “When did you all meet?”

“Last Friday,” he replied, his voice calm. “Marlowe is James Linden’s daughter. She met Camden and Elias to go over his will.”

“I see.” A few more moments went by before she shook out her shoulders and plastered a sad smile on her face. “Well, it’s not like I thought we were going to get married or anything. Anyway, what can I getcha?”

Archer ordered for us so I wouldn’t have to talk to Rachel, and I sent him a silent thank you.

“Okay, coming right up. And hey, Marlowe?”

I looked up sheepishly.

“I’m sorry if I upset you.”

“Me?” I replied. Rachel seemed like such a nice person, and my anger over Cam’s treatment of her and my own reaction began to simmer. She didn’t deserve any of that, from him or me. “Oh, you didn’t do anything wrong. Cam certainly didn’t tell me he was seeing someone, either. If I’d known…”

She ripped the order ticket off the pad and laughed. “Alphas are idiots.”

I grinned, darting my eyes towards Archer and then back up to hers. “Exactly.”

Rachel left, and once she entered the kitchen, I dropped my head on the table, moaning in embarrassment. “Oh my god, that was so awkward. Please don’t tell me you have a string of old girlfriends you’ve left in the lurch that I have to be worried about, too?”

Archer sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “No, not me. But Nolan and Camden were two of Maiingan Hollow’s more prolific bachelors. You’re going to run into some exes, of course, but also some bitter females that will be mad you’ve taken both of them off the market. Word’s going to get out soon now that Rachel knows, since she’s friends with everybody.”

Ugh, could this get any worse? I folded my arms and rested my head in them, blowing an errant hair out of my face. “This is why I like big cities; small town dynamics are so fucked.”

Archer gave me a knowing shrug. “Well, Elias would agree with you on that. Which reminds me, we need to have a pack meeting soon.”

“Pack meeting?” I snorted. “What, are we going to sit around in khaki uniforms and recite the Wolcott oath?”

Archer reached over and pinched my nose. “Very funny. But yes, we need to discuss how we’re going to operate moving forward. Do you really want to move to Maiingan Hollow, into Camden’s home? Do you want to continue working? Typically packs with an omega live together, but that doesn’t have to be our arrangement if settling in a small town won’t work for you. We’ll all suffer if you’re unhappy.”

I sat up and looked out the window. The past week had been an absolute whirlwind, and I’d been avoiding thinking about the logistics of making this new life my reality. Coordinating with Mike to get my stuff, moving across the country, quitting my job…

My job. I liked what I did, and I felt a sense of pride and fulfillment in work and getting paid. Could I find something like that out here? Or would being a “house omega” be just as rewarding? I didn’t even need to ask the pack to support me, because with my dad’s inheritance, I likely wouldn’t have to work again if I didn’t want to.

And would I even like living here? Ididprefer big cities. Not just for the relative anonymity, but also the amenities and opportunities. I liked theater, I liked art, I liked innovation. Did I need a self-driving car to take me home from a night at the bar? No, but it was still awesome to live in a place where that was normal.

I also liked living in California. Ocean, mountains, and plenty of sunshine. Farmer’s markets 365 days a year. I could get weedandboba delivered to my front door at the same time through an app.

Archer watched me carefully, reading my every thought as though they were written on my face. “The Twin Cities aren’t so far,” he said gently. “We could help you settle there and then visit on the weekends.”

My gut churned at the thought of it. I couldn’t imagine just seeing my pack two days a week. I’d only known them for eight days, four of which I couldn’t even remember, but they’d already become the most important people in my life. I couldn’t even sleep unless I’d hugged and kissed each of them good night.

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