Page 18 of Abel's Omega
I tried to protest but the Alpha’s power stopped my words in my throat. I hated that, but I sat on my anger—I needed these people. My babies needed these people. And as kind as this Alpha seemed, how could I know that he was any more tolerant than Patrick was? For all I knew, he was just looking to one-up Jackson-Jellystone, in the giant game of egos the Alphas all seemed to love playing.
No. This is Mercy Hills.Mercy Hills had no reason to play king of the forest glade with another pack. And he didn’tfeellike Patrick, inside my head. If anything, he seemed stretched thin over the entire pack, so thin there was almost nothing of him left for him.
And then I wondered how it was that I knew that.
A clattering of dishes sounded from the kitchen, the sucking sound of the refrigerator opening and closing speaking of food to come, and then more clattering. I closed my eyes, because the Alpha was watching me too closely for my own comfort, and I needed the illusion of some amount of privacy to regain my composure. Sleep sucked at the edges of my awareness and the adrenaline that had kept me going for the past five months deserted me completely. I was moments away from dozing off when the damp cloth touched my forehead again and my eyes flew open.
The Alpha pulled the cloth away. “I thought it might help. You’re looking a little less gray.”
“I’m feeling better.” The hazy thought that the Alpha would have made a fine radio announcer flitted through my mind. His voice had that lovely depth you always heard when the DJs started talking, the kind that made you want to listen forever.
He made a noise deep in his throat. “But tired, I’ll bet.”
I nodded. He wasn’t wrong.
Faint giggles came from the direction of the kitchen, the sound of happy pups. Then a door opening and closing, and louder giggles mixed in with the deep rumble of Mac’s voice. I swung my legs off the couch and started to sit up.
The Alpha put out a hand. “I don’t think you’re ready yet.”
I wasn’t, not entirely. My stomach lurched and the room swam in front of me for a moment before my vision cleared. “I don’t want to scare the pups. I won’t try to stand, so you don’t need to worry.” He still looked concerned, so I dared greatly and put a hand on his forearm. “Really. I’m good.” And just then, my pups barreled around the corner into the living room and leaped on top of me. Teca gave me a huge kiss, throwing her arms wildly around my neck, but the unfocused expression in her eyes told me she was two blinks away from sleep herself.
Fan, on the other hand, was wired for sound. “Dabi, Dabi, Mac let us pee on the fence posts. Why don’t they have a real fences? They just have the up and down parts.”
“You mean the posts? I don’t know why. You could always ask. Politely.” I helped Teca out of her little coat and let her curl up on the couch with her head in my lap. She went heavy, boneless, almost immediately, her breathing settling out into the deep respirations of puppy sleep.
Fan nodded and curled into my side, grinning and humming happily while he stroked my chest as if he was still nursing.
I hugged him to me. “You hungry, baby?”
“Can I have more cookies?”
“You can have food. But no more cookies until tomorrow.”
“But I want some!”
“Eat something else first. You want to grow big and strong, don’t you?” I really didn’t want him to have a meltdown in front of the Mercy Hills shifters, but at the same time, he needed to have something healthy. My decision to go with a fun, junk-food day for the trip was coming back to bite me.
The Alpha was quick to sum up the situation. “Fan, you come with me and help me bring something back for Dabi and Teca, okay?” He held out his hand to Fan, looking entirely like an Alpha.
Bless you, Mercy Hills.“That sounds like a good idea,” I told Fan. “Let’s get your coat off.” Quickly, we stripped him out of his outdoor gear, then he took the Alpha’s hand with an expression of sheer amazement, and headed off into the kitchen.
I leaned back on the couch, stroking the dark silky curls on Teca’s head. She was going to be a beauty when she was older. And darn cute now. I was so lucky with my babies.
Movement in the corner of my eye made me look up. Fan walked carefully around the corner, a loaded plate in his hands, followed by the rest of the adults. I held my breath—not-quite-four-year-olds weren’t best known for their balance or coordination—but he made it to the small table in front of me without incident.
“Supper, Dabi.” He put the plate down, only spilling a few kernels of corn, and grabbed my hand to pull me forward. “Eat your veggies.”
A muffled snort of laughter came from the rest of the adults, which made Fan look around in confusion.
“I will,” I promised him. “But you have to too. Be a good example.”
The Alpha had two child-sized plates in his hands, and Jason carried one with slightly more on it. “I’m eating too,” the Alpha said, and set a plate in front of Fan, then looked over at Teca, fast asleep. “Do you want to wake her?”
I shook my head. “Let her sleep. She can have a big breakfast tomorrow.”
Jason nodded to the Alpha and took his plate back into the kitchen. The Alpha sat down with his child-sized portion, kitty-corner to Fan.
Carefully, I moved Teca off my lap and wiggled to the edge of the couch. “This looks delicious.”
