Page 28 of Saving His Omega
“With Draco and the others beside me, yes.” He flashed a grin. “No offense, sweetheart, but those dominants from your old pack are a pretty mangy bunch. We’ll hold our own, don’t you worry about that. And we’re going to continue the diplomatic approach first. No one wants trouble.”
“Garth isn’t that smart,” Tripp dared to say.
Graham chuckled. “Yeah, we know. That’s why we’re going to give him a carrot and a stick to make the decision not to fight easier for him.”
“The alpha’s already given him so much. What more is there?”
“You let us worry about that.”
Tripp nodded. Naturally, the alpha and Graham had a plan and it wasn’t his place to question them. He had to have faith that things would work out.
“I’m worried about you!” Tripp couldn’t help voice his fears. “And I’m sorry for the horrible things I said and the way I acted.” He blinked back tears, which he still apparently had the capacity to shed. “I don’t hate you. I love you.”
His mate smiled. “I know you do and you know that I love you, too. Right?”
Tripp nodded, happy and miserable at the same time. “Please come back to me. To us.” As if she needed to join in the family’s declaration, the pup squirmed.
Graham placed his hand over her. “I’ll return soon. And I’ll have her uncle with me.” He rose and kissed Tripp.
It was done with such sweetness, it made his heart ache. He reached for Graham before he backed away. “Please, tell me what to do while you’re gone.”
“Stay here, listen to my mother, and take care of yourself and the pup.Rest. It’s been a hard day and it can’t be good for either of you.”
Tripp pulled his hand back. “Yes, Graham.”
Tripp watched his mate leave with only one backwards glance before opening the door and walking out. And when the first contraction ripped through him, Tripp kept his lips and his wolf clamped down tight and prepared to ride out the pain until his mate and brother returned. Apparently his vow to be obedient was going to be tested immediately. He felt no guilt, however. In this one way, he would defy his mate in order to protect him. The last thing Graham needed was to be distracted by the coming whelping.
Chapter Eleven
Graham didn’t have the power of the gammas racing by his side, but he’d always had great stamina. He tore through the woods, leading the way throughout the night with his full focus on his destination. They stopped only once for a water break, then as they neared the campsite where Draco waited for them, he allowed the two gammas and himself to fortify their energy with a quick squirrel snack. The meat would give them added strength without weighing them down like a heavy meal. He was desperate to confront the foreign shifters, itching for a fight. There was nothing he could do to punish Victor, but these gammas were a good substitute—or so his wolf thought. His human brain fought for control. With Tripp safely back in the packlands, he could afford to take the time to level himself. Negotiation was the best way out of this mess. Fighting had to be a last resort. If it came to that, though, he was ready to win. And it would mean killing the Low Country gammas so they couldn’t report back to their alpha where to find Tripp and Blake. War between the packs was to be avoided at all costs, and with the gammas’ disappearance, their pack would have a mystery, but no answers. Hopefully, they’d leave it at that.
The uncertainty of it all wouldn’t be ideal to say the least. Graham wanted his mate free of worry and that meant coming to an agreement instead of a fight. He approached his encamped quarry downwind to give himself the element of surprise. When he was mere feet from them, he shifted into his human skin and assessed the situation. The Low Country gammas were sitting around a fire, drinking and grumbling among themselves. The SUV stood idle to one side, its hood up. Blake was leaning over it while Draco stood with his legs braced and his arms crossed, keeping an eye on the others.
“I thought you said the sigma could fix it,” one of the gamma’s snarled in what he obviously thought was an intimidating tone.
Draco didn’t blink. “Human machines are complicated.” The gamma’s gaze refocused on the tree line. He broke into a broad smile when Graham made his presence known. “Hey, there. Graham. Glad you and boys could join us.”
Leo and Chuck positioned themselves on either side of Draco, a wall of muscle standing guard over the sigma. If things went to shit, they understood that protecting a servient came first.
Garth jumped to his feet. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
Graham met the hostility with calm. “I’ve come to explain to you that a mistake has been made and we’re retrieving the sigma.”
Garth’s expression turned to fury and he took a step toward him. The tension ratcheted up to an eleven, as the humans liked to say.
Graham raised his hands, palms out, although he held his ground. “We’re not here to fight. I found out last night from my mate that it was he, not his brother, who killed Victor. The asshole had it coming, as far as I’m concerned, but I’m not here to argue that point.”
“That’s a lie!” Blake tried to lunge past Draco.
The gamma blocked him easily with one arm. “Hush.”
“It’s the truth. The sigma is trying to protect his brother. He doesn’t need to, though, because that’smyjob.” He emphasized his words with a matching glare.
Garth’s gamma brain worked to absorb the information. The others started talking to him, and each other with obvious confusion. “Shut up!”
In the silence, Garth stared at Graham with narrowed eyes. “Omegas don’t kill dominants.”
“They do if they’re pushed far enough.” The squirrel sat uneasily in his stomach as he recalled what had driven his mate to such an unheard of act. “He didn’t mean to kill Victor but desperation made him stronger than he expected.” He shrugged. “All cornered animals are dangerous.”
