Page 67 of Abel's Omega
Roland wiped the pained look off his face and began. “I see you’ve grown fond of our Bax here.”
Abel raised his eyebrows. “Your Bax? My understanding of pack law is that, now that Patrick has gone to the Moonlands, Bax belongs to Buffalo Gap again. I’m here to negotiate for the pups.”
Ah, that was a shot Roland hadn’t been expecting. Did he really think I was stupid enough not to know what my status in Jackson-Jellystone really was? I kept my satisfaction off my face and watched Fan vrooming his car up Abel’s leg.
“I don’t believe Buffalo Gap wants him back,” Roland tried, but Abel wasn’t having any of that.
“Roland, do you think I’m fool enough to come here without having spoken to Buffalo Gap? That’s my next stop, and they’re awaiting my arrival eagerly. So let’s talk straight, Alpha to Alpha. I’ll offer you six solar collectors, and training for one member of your pack on how to maintain them.” It didn’t sound like much, but Roland also needed to save some face here. If he could talk the Alpha of Mercy Hills into higher compensation for the pups, then it would improve his standing with the pack, and he’d be less likely to cause trouble later if Abel had to go to the pack council about Jason.
“I’m not certain you understand the value of what you want to take from us.” Roland’s smile said we were playing him perfectly. “Not only are they the pups of the previous Alpha, but they created a relationship between us and Buffalo Gap.”
Abel snorted. “And Buffalo Gap is such a profitable relationship.”
I hoped this wouldn’t get back to Buffalo Gap before we got there.
“Fan will be an alpha,” Roland reminded us. “The girls will make good mates, or will be alphas in their own right. Everyone knows pups take after their sire, especially when the bearer is an omega.”
I pressed my cheek harder against Abel’s shoulder.Don’t get mad, I told you to expect this.
“True.” Abel wiped Noah’s chin again and played tug-of-war with the chewy. “But there are still no guarantees. I’ll give you eight solar collectors then, on the assumption that we’ll get two alphas out of them, and train your pack member.”
“And what happens if one of the girls turns out to be alpha?”
How I hated the way packs valued us based on our status. What was wrong with being beta, or gamma, or delta? I didn’t even think about omega. We shifters were as bad as the humans in some way.
Noah began to squirm and squawk. I quickly checked his diaper, but he seemed fine. Probably hungry again—he hadn’t wanted solid food this morning, insisting on nursing until I had to force him to stop. I wondered if he sensed my tension. “He’s probably hungry,” I said quietly. “I’ll take him down to the room.”
Abel nodded at me and discreetly gave my fingers a squeeze before he handed Noah over. “Come back when you’re done.”
I nodded, seemingly obedient to the core, and hurried out of the room with my grumpy pup. It was odd—I wondered if my false obedience would change once we were truly mated, when he’d taken me in heat. Would I then have no will outside his? It hadn’t happened with Patrick, not completely, though the urge to serve had grown stronger with him. I trusted Abel, though. He’d made so many choices that were in my favor, opened so many doors for me, it probably wouldn’t make any difference in my life. And, when the time came—the thought of his pup growing inside me made me shiver in delight.
Noah nursed well, and I took the time to change his bum, now wet. I had packed some animal crackers and I dug out a handful, hoping he’d last longer between meals with solid food in his stomach. He grabbed the first one and gummed it happily, ramming his still unpaired front teeth into a lion’s head with glee. We danced down the hallway to the living room, where I had to put on my sober omega disguise again.
I couldn’t wait to get out of there and be myself once more.
The men were just getting out of their seats when I got back. I looked a question at Abel, who nodded. “Roland is going to contact the pack members he thinks would be good candidates for training.” He smiled down at Fan, who had gotten to his feet and grabbed hold of Abel’s hand. “Maybe Fan can show me all his favorite places?”
“Yep!” Fan said and bounced in place, hanging off Abel’s like a monkey instead of a wolf. “We can see the creek and the climbing tree and my old fort!”
Roland held out a hand for Abel to shake. “It’s good doing business with you, Mercy Hills. I look forward to further dealings.”
“I’ll keep you in mind if the lab comes up with anything you might find useful. We’re still very small, unfortunately. I need to get a few more wolves out to university first.”
“Something we should all be working on.”
His words almost sounded respectful, which surprised me. But then again, Roland hadn’t been a bad Alpha. Just my experience with him had been, and even if I resented it, he’d done the best he knew how for me. Didn’t mean I wasn’t going to enjoy any small revenge I could have, though.
We walked down the main street, headed toward Central through the rows of battered trailers and rough-built houses.
“How much did you end up giving him?” I asked.
“Ten collectors and two techs.”
Hmmm. “So, less than you were willing to pay.”
“Yep.” He smiled, his wolf peeking through. “I expect I’ll have to pay through the nose for you.”
I elbowed him, and he grunted. “Don’t you dare! We can’t afford it.”
