Page 29 of Fractured Fang: Omega

Macs stayed back at the cabin that he and I would be occupying for the night since his presence might make some uncomfortable. He didn’t seem to mind. He was more than happy since we would be taking Levi home the next day.

Me? I had plans. If I were returning to my pack with a child in my custody, I also wanted to return with my mate’s mark on my neck. I just needed these kids to wind down so I could return to my mate.

Chapter 15

Macs

WaitinginthecabinMorgan had given us gave me a lot of time to think about all that had transpired over the course of the day. I’d known my mate had been holding back information, and now that I knew what it was, I understood why. It wasn’t just him he needed to take care of. Levi needed him, needed us.

My wolf had been pushing me to mark our mate and start our family since before I knotted him that first time. He recognized Gabe for who he was meant to be in our lives before I even heard him say the very first word. When I first learned about and met Levi, a tiny part of me feared my wolf would reject him.

My beast didn’t have the same understanding of how the human world worked. To him, this child could easily be an outsider, his scent not even that of our kind. Only he didn’t. Instead, he accepted him as easily as I did, his desire to protect and provide for him strong.

I understood the reason I needed to be secluded like this. Omegas in distress didn’t need a random alpha running around, especially one who wasn’t mated. However, it was still challenging for me to stay put, to know they were where I couldn’t hear them if they needed me. I wasn’t sure if this feeling would go away after my mating bond or if I would just have to get used to it. Either way, it was currently holding me and not allowing me to do anything other than think of them and their safety.

My wolf longed to, at the very least, do a perimeter run. We’d been so trained to protect in that way that he instantly fell back to it. I understood his yearning, but the omegas and children here had all been through something horribly unpleasant if they had taken up residency here. The last thing we wanted to do was make their lives any more difficult.

I took off my clothing and folded it. Usually, I didn’t bother. Why would I? Wrinkles didn’t matter when you were only going out to deal with the cows or sheep. But I needed something to do, and folding worked for that. So I placed them on the small dresser and looked around the room again.

It was adequately filled with the necessities. Anyone staying here would have a place to put their clothing, a bed to sleep on, a chair to sit in, and a place to take care of bathroom needs. But it was sparse. Almost too sparse. If they were coming here to escape badness, wouldn’t they want something comforting? Something less austere.

My mind quickly fell back to the sheep, and ideas started flooding in. I took my fur, jumped on the bed, curled up into a ball, and let my imagination flow. I’d felt an extreme desire to get the sheep, almost too strong, looking back at it. Phillip didn’t love cooking sheep, and while wool had a profit margin, it would require a great deal of effort to reap the rewards of that.

Maybe the sheep weren’t even meant for us. Maybe they were about something greater, about helping this pack and the people who sought refuge here. I let that notion play around in my head until my wolf and I eventually dozed off.

We woke to the door opening, my mate walking inside, his face beaming and a bag of popcorn in his hand.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.” He clicked shut the door behind him. “Go back to sleep, alpha mine. The snack I brought you can wait.”

That was where he was wrong. It couldn’t wait. Only I wasn’t referring to the snack he brought me as much as Gabe was the snack.

I got up and jumped off the bed, shifting as I did. “How was the party?”

“It was so good. Levi had a great time, and I felt so much lighter now that I knew the legal crap was on our side. I’d made a promise to his mother before she passed, so I suppose it was a promise to myself that I would make sure he had the best life. Everything I’ve done since then was to that end, and knowing there was a possibility that what was best might not be with me had been hard to stomach. So much so that I pushed it down and pretended it didn’t exist. Tonight I was able to let all that go.” He held out the popcorn to me. “Enough serious stuff. Here’s some buttery goodness.”

I took it from him and popped a piece in my mouth. It was cold and greasy, but I made a huge deal of it, wanting him to see my appreciation for his kindness. So many things he had said or done since we met made more sense in this light. What a burden he’d been holding onto, or maybe burden wasn’t the best word. Responsibility? In either case, it was a relief to see him so free and to know that, for the first time, nothing was standing between us.

“I wish you could’ve been there.” He toed off his shoes. “I haven’t seen Levi that happy since—before.”

“I would have loved to have been there.” This time I was speaking with my mouth full. The more pieces I ate, the better they tasted. “We’ll just have to have a party for him back at the pack.”

Pizza and a movie and playing with the other kids. It would be a great way for Levi to feel more a part of the pack and would be good for everyone. We hadn’t had enough social time lately, and it wasn’t acceptable for anyone.

“Speaking of back at the pack. When we go back, I want to be your mate.” He shoved his hands in his front pockets.

I set the now mostly empty bag of popcorn down and closed the distance between us. “You already are, my love.” I cupped his cheek, and he leaned into it. His scent engulfed me by standing this close to him, and my nostrils flared. “You smell…”

“Different?” he asked, his eyebrow quirked and a knowing smile on his face.

“Yes. Slightly. Are you… pregnant?”

Gabe took a deep breath. “I’m not sure, but I might be. If I’m not now, I will be soon. I want us to finish what we started. I mean—I want to wear your mark and for you to wear mine. I know the only reason we aren’t marked already is that there were things between us we hadn’t dealt with yet.” He dropped his eyes to the floor. “And that was on me. I allowed my fear to prevent me from being the mate you deserved.”

“No,” I spoke firmly, and he looked up at me. My mind was still reeling from the idea that my mate could already be carrying my child. “You have always been my mate. I just needed you to be sure. Your life had more complications than mine—or different ones, at least. I needed you to be sure. I never wanted you to regret a single second of our time together. And I can’t wait to add to our family.”

Tears welled in his eyes. “I cherish each moment with you. No one has ever seen me the way you have and just accepted me as who I was. You didn’t even push me too hard when I let fear get between us. Marked or not, you will be my mate until I take my last breath.”

“As you will be mine.” I brought my lips to his for a sweet kiss and then pressed my forehead against his. “There is no rush, omega mine. None.”

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