Page 31 of Saving His Omega
Chapter Twelve
Graham set a punishing pace as they tore through the woods to return home. Blake was being pushed to the limit of his smaller sigma body. And even Draco was laboring because he had the added burden of carrying a pack on his back with his and the sigma’s belongings. He didn’t care. Something told him he needed to get back to his mate. There was an unnamed fear coursing through him, agitating his wolf and human brain alike. The feeling became particularly acute when he tried calling out to Tripp and got no answer in return.
Something is wrong.That was the only reason why his mate’s wolf would hide from him.
He put on a burst of speed as they cleared the perimeter of the packlands, sure that the others could now protect Blake without him. As he raced into the yard of the longhouse, his fear spiked. His father and the alpha were both pacing the area, obviously waiting for his arrival.
He shifted on the fly, skidding on his human feet in front of them. “What’s happened?”
Elijah clapped him on the shoulder. “Nothing bad. You’re a sire now. Congratulations.”
Graham gasped as if he’d been punched in the gut. It took a few seconds for him to be able to breathe again and speak. “Tripp whelped? It’s too early!” New fear gripped him.
His father came over to his other side and likewise clasped his shoulder. “They’re fine. The healer said you’ve got yourself a healthy sigma daughter and wait until you see her.” The older man grinned. “She’s as pretty as her father. Tawny-furred and blue-eyed.”
Elijah steered him toward the longhouse. “I had to change the pup because I wasn’t sure how long you’d be and you know waiting to cause the newborn shift isn’t a good idea. I had to do what was best for your daughter.”
Graham nodded. “I understand, Alpha, and I thank you for it.” As he walked, he was more weak-kneed than he’d ever been before. But for the two men holding him, he might have slipped to the ground. He told himself it was fatigue from the long run back and forth and lack of sleep. He knew better, though.
I’m a sire.Renewed doubts over whether he was ready threatened to swamp him. He shoved the thoughts aside. Tripp needed him to be strong. There would be time later to freak the fuck out in a more private setting. He was going to have to rely on his own father for a lot of advice, that was for sure.
His wolf and Tripp’s connected seconds later, and the pure joy they shared made Graham grin like a fool. He still wore the expression when he entered the birthing room and saw the two most important shifters in the world propped against a mound of pillows together in bed.
Tripp’s eyes lit up. “Graham! Come and see. Look at how beautiful our daughter Grace is.”
Our daughter.Yes, that was right. As he went to them, he searched himself for any doubts about his love for this pup that he was claiming as his own. There was none. This was his family now and he loved them both unreservedly. He would provide for them, protect them and even die for them, if need be. He intended to make sure that no such sacrifice would ever be required. He’d give them a safe and happy home to grow and flourish in. And there would be more pups in time, and they would be loved equally. No more, no less than this first one.
He sat on the side of the bed and reached over to kiss his mate. “Gods, I love you.” His eyes felt suspiciously moist as he stared into his mate’s already shiny ones.
To compose himself, he switched his attention to the pup. She was as his father had described with a golden coat and bright eyes that stared up at him with surprising intelligence given how newly whelped she was. He couldn’t wait to see her in human form once the first shifting ended, but for now, he memorized every inch of her, knowing that he wouldn’t see his wolf daughter again for many years. It was a shame that pups didn’t learn to shift until puberty. He understood the reasoning for the Gods making them that way. He’d seen for himself the mischief an unusual shifting pup could cause when he’d visited the Rogue Pack. Still in this moment, his pup was nothing but pure joy and he wanted to feel her in his arms.
He held out his hands. “May I?”
“Of course.”
Tripp didn’t need to pass their daughter over. The pup seemed to understand what was happening and wiggled in her father’s arms to get to Graham before they could move her. Amazed at the welcome, Graham took her and held her closely to his chest. Her soft fur tickled his face and she licked him.
“Hello, my sweet girl. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to greet you when you first came out, but I am now and I’ll never leave you and your father when you need me ever again.”
Graham moved to sit beside Tripp and maneuvered the pup so that she sprawled over both of them. “I am sorry, sweetheart, that I couldn’t hold you through this. Was it very hard?”
Tripp put his head on Graham’s shoulder. “It wasn’t bad.”
He kissed his mate’s cheek. “You’re a terrible liar, Tripp. I’ve heard whelping is the worst pain ever.” He would have given anything to put it on himself to spare his mate.
“Cora, your mother and Wren were here to help, so I was in good hands. I didn’t mind the pain given what was coming after it.” He buried his face in Grace’s fur for a moment. “And you brought Blake back so that makes everything all right. He needed you more than I did.” The omega turned wide eyes on him. “Heisall right, isn’t he? Garth and the others didn’t hurt him?”
“Yes. He’s fine. Draco protected him.”
Graham snuggled closer to his mate and settled farther down on the pillows. Fatigue washed over him. From the way the pup’s eyes were starting to close, he knew it wouldn’t be long before she fell asleep and her human form took over. He looked forward to napping with his family.
Tripp wasn’t done with his questions, however, apparently not too tired after his ordeal. “Did you have to fight Garth? I mean, the alpha mate said you didn’t but I wasn’t sure if he was saying that just to ease my mind during the whelping.”
“No, he spoke the truth. I was able to persuade Garth to give Blake up and go without bloodshed.” Graham wrapped an arm around Tripp and nudged his head onto his shoulder. He waged a short war within himself about how much to tell his mate. What had transpired had been dominant business. There was no reason to burden a servient with such detail. Still, he didn’t want the boy to worry that trouble continued to loom over them.
“I bribed him with something that I thought your sire would appreciate more than anything Elijah had given.” He took in a deep breath and let it out in a rush. “I promised that if our pup was a dominant, I’d send him to the Low Country Pack once he was old enough to shift.”
Tripp jerked his head to look up at him with a frown. “But you already knew we were having a sigma female.” In the next instant, he grinned. “Garth wouldn’t have known that. My old pack doesn’t have the technology to see inside the womb like Cora does. It was an empty promise.”
