“I was going to tell you anyway,” Josiah said on a huff.
“When?”
“As soon as we had a calm moment, and I could convince myself it wouldn’t come between us. Anyway, it’s the omegas I’ve visited with Mark, and I don’t regret it.”
River looked away. “I’ve known for a few days you’ve been lying to me. I forgot my keys last Monday and came back to find you gone.”
Josiah connected the dots. “You wanted to see if I’d lie.”
Guilt flashed in River’s eyes. “And you didn’t.”
Josiah let out a breath. “Yes, I did. I let you think I was on my way to the Congress when we were really going to the omega refuge. I felt so guilty. I would have talked to you that night if the girls hadn’t gotten sick.” Josiah took River’s hand. “I’m sorry. I just want to help. I know you’ve been wrestling with things since we left the compound, but I still believe improving relations is important.”
River’s jaw tightened. “I don’t like you putting yourself out there when I’m not around to protect you, Josiah.”
“I can understand why you wouldn’t want me to be around rogue alphas or even betas, but omegas? You know we have an affinity. These shifters are just like the rest of us, only down on their luck. People need help sometimes. We did.”
River’s lips thinned. “Thanks for the reminder I was unable to take care of my pack and had to rely on Jax for a place to live.”
“River, that’s not—”
“Some rogues are desperate, and I don’t want my mate near them.”
“The omegas are desperate. For our help. You don’t know them, River. You haven’t met any of them.”
“And why is that? Because you didn’t bother to tell me about them.” The alpha took a step back. “Come to think of it, the subject of rogues came up at the meeting at the Congress. You conveniently didn’t mention you knew all about them.”
Josiah sighed. “Can you blame me when you’re acting exactly like I was afraid you would?”
“I have every right to be concerned about my mate.”
River’s tone was sharp, and Josiah’s inherent omega came to the fore, causing him to offer his neck to his alpha.
Rather than press his nose to Josiah’s skin and lick and nip at it to show his forgiveness, River grasped the back of his mate’s neck with his hand and forced Josiah to look him in the eye. “I’m disappointed in you. I didn’t think you’d deliberately disobey me and keep a secret from me like this.”
Josiah tried to jerk away, but River held firm. “I’m never going to be the kind of mate to unquestioningly obey you! And I’m not keeping it from you; I’m telling you about it right now.”
“Because you have to.”
“I didn’t have to mention Angel Hills to the rogue omegas. I did that because I wanted to help them, and I knew all along that you’d be the one to approach Grey about it. I always planned on telling you. You’re making a bigger deal about this than it needs to be.”
River’s hand tightened on Josiah’s neck. “It is a big deal. You’re my mate. I look after you just as I do my pack and our children.”
“I’m not a child!” Josiah managed to shake River’s grip, and he took a step back, anger and frustration coursing through him. “I’m my own person, capable of making decisions for myself. Just because I mated with you doesn’t mean I gave up my rights as an individual.”
River’s dark brows rose. “Did I ever say that?”
“It’s fucking implied when you act like this!”
“It’s my understanding even married humans expect the courtesy of honesty.”
And hadn’t Josiah said something similar recently to Mark? But he was angry, and he didn’t want to admit River had a point. He was tired of apologizing. “I’ve already said I’m sorry I wasn’t up front with you at the beginning, but I’m telling you about it now. That ought to count for something.”
River’s nostrils flared. “I need some time to think.” He turned and strode across the field, away from the house and away from Josiah.
“I suppose you’re going to disappear for days like you did before!” Josiah yelled after him. “Real mature, River!”
But River didn’t turn around.
With a grunt, Josiah headed back for the house. The familiar tingling had begun in his groin, and it wouldn’t be long until he was desperate to be filled. And his alpha was angry with him. Just great. He knew River wouldn’t leave him to suffer, especially with other alphas around; but Josiah didn’t look forward to angry or disengaged sex. He walked to the house to hole up in his room, glad Briar was watching the children.
Chapter 8: River
River was unaccustomed to being angry with his mate. Walking it off didn’t seem to be working, so the pack alpha stripped off his clothes, shifted, and ran. The wind through his fur and the endless night sky spread out before him spoke to his soul, urging it to find peace.
As an alpha, it rankled that his mate had kept secrets from him. He’d suspected it for the past several days, but hearing it from Josiah’s mouth made it real, and it stung. Didn’t his omega understand absolutely every decision River made was for the good of the pack?
A prickle of guilt ran through River as he reminded himself he’d made plenty of decisions since Josiah’s arrival in his life that probably were not for the good of the pack. Griffin and many others had complained River had allowed Josiah to influence him too much, and since then there had been times River had questioned himself. Undoubtedly, Josiah was River’s weak spot, and River needed to be more careful of how much sway he let his omega have over his decisions.
All his life the pack alpha had heard about the dangers of the city and the cruelty of the humans living there. The pack had avoided humans, and only the threat of war had driven River to actively promote peace between the two species. He hadn’t expected his life to take a twist in the form of one delectable human who turned out to be half-omega werewolf.
His initial mating with Josiah had been a combination of attraction, testosterone, omega allure, and hard fucking. When Josiah had rejected River afterward, accusing the alpha of having used some kind of werewolf magic to make the omega comply, River hadn’t been able to think straight. Josiah had holed up in the omega den to suffer through the rest of his heat, the incredible scent of it taunting River as Danny, the acting first omega of the pack at the time, had prevented the pack alpha from going upstairs to Josiah.
Even after they were properly mated, River knew he wasn’t the first alpha to struggle with the lust fog induced by an omega, and he certainly wouldn’t be the last; but at the time he’d thought he’d been circumspect in his actions. He’d tried not to let his feelings and their unbelievable sex life interfere with his decisions for the pack. Yes, Josiah had been in favor of letting rogue alphas into the pack, and River had listened to him. But David had been in favor of it, too, and River had always valued the opinion of his second-in-command. Had River been so blind in his newly mated status he’d neglected to account for how all the major changes happening so quickly might affect his pack?
Yes, Josiah had been a real factor in River’s decisions, and while none of the rogues who’d joined their pack had been a detriment to it, River knew allowing them in had gone a long way in inciting unrest among pack members who clung to the old ways. No outsiders meant no rogues whether werewolf or coyote, and no humans.
Which included females. The birth of the twins had been the last straw for those who opposed the pack alpha. River mating with a half-human had produced the unheard of in a werewolf pack—females, and the pack couldn’t accept them. Remembering how much of the pack had begun to look at the girls with disdain before they left made the pack alpha’s blood boil in his veins.
River’s loyal friends had insisted on leaving when River was ousted, but what had their loyalty brought them? Weeks of difficult traveling, near starvation, and the deaths of four of their own. Xavier had been right to run away, although River knew
deep down the man had left out of grief, not disillusionment with River.
River couldn’t help second-guessing himself and wondering what he might have done differently had he not mated with Josiah. Would he have listened to David and let the rogues in without thoroughly thinking it through?
All he could do in the future was determine not to make the same mistakes again. The pack might have found themselves living in the city, but that didn’t mean River should let the humans or the rogues infiltrate their lives. Jax was human, of course, but over time he’d proven himself trustworthy, and River felt it up to David to make decisions concerning Jax. As long as the human did nothing to put the pack in danger, River didn’t see any reason why Jax couldn’t continue to stay with them. Jax didn’t appear inclined to ever take the bite, and because of that River had his doubts the relationship would work in the long term. River would rather David come to see that himself than drive a wedge in their friendship by demanding the human leave.
Weary from the run, River slowed his steps to a trot, skirting the tree line at the boundary of their property. After taking a long drink from the creek, he shifted out of his wolf form and sat on the bank. The cool grass prickled his naked skin as he leaned back on his hands and stared up at the moon overhead. It would be full soon, and the pack would run. River knew it would be good for them to shift together and take off. Running as a pack would reinforce their unity and new identity as Cascade City Pack.
He sighed. He had to go back soon. Josiah was nearing his heat, and River didn’t want his omega to be alone, no matter how irritated River was with him. The run had helped; his thoughts had calmed. Part of what River loved about Josiah was his fierce independence, and River had never expected that to disappear after they mated. Still, sometimes the pack alpha wished for a slightly more malleable version of an omega. He chuckled. Who was he kidding? Josiah was irritating, sometimes irrational, and fucking perfect.
A noise nearby had River quickly rising to a crouch. His eyes roamed the darkness, sharp vision immediately picking out a shadow in its depths.
“Who’s there?” he called.
The shadow lengthened into a standing figure and came forward. “It’s Sid. I’ve been for a run. I wasn’t going to disturb you.”
“You aren’t disturbing me.” River sat back down and gestured to the ground beside him. “Come sit with me. I’ve been meaning to talk to you privately, but everything’s been crazy.”
Sid lowered himself to the ground, folding his long legs beneath him. He looked at River expectantly.
The pack alpha cleared his throat, gathering his thoughts. “First, I want to formally say I’m sorry for the loss of your mate. I feel responsible.”
Surprise transformed Sid’s calm expression. “Why?”
“I’m pack alpha. I should have protected you.”
“If Patrick didn’t see it coming while he was on guard, I don’t know how you could have anticipated it while asleep,” Sid said.
River’s heart eased a bit. “I’m glad you don’t blame me.” He took a breath; this was more difficult. “The other thing I want to apologize for is not immediately offering to take you on as mate after Patrick’s death. I know it must be hard on you to be alone. Please understand it’s no reflection on you. Josiah is half-human and not willing to be polygamous. He made that clear from the start, and I have to honor my promise to him.”
Sid looked away. “I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t been difficult being alone, but I was happy with Patrick, and I’m not eager to be with anyone else. I feel safe in our small pack, especially now we’ve moved here.”
“So, you don’t wish to leave us?” River asked. “I wouldn’t blame you if you’d rather be part of a larger pack. I could try to make that happen, if that’s what you want. Perhaps Angel Hills or one of our brother packs.” There were a few branches of the original pack, formed when River’s father’s brothers left the area. River had never considered taking his small pack to one of them. He was born to be a pack leader and knew he wouldn’t function well under the leadership of another alpha. Sid, unlike Patrick, was an original member of River Wolf Pack and would be accepted into any of the brother packs with open arms if the beta so chose.
“I don’t want to leave. I kind of like the city. But I can’t help but think about how I won’t have the opportunity to mate again if I stay here. For now I’m content, though.”
Sid was right about that. Unless he somehow met a wolf from another pack who wanted to mate him and thereby take Sid into his own pack, the beta’s only other option would be to mate with a rogue wolf, which would entail River accepting the rogue into Cascade City Pack. And hadn’t he just talked himself out of making the same mistakes over again?
“Okay. Let me know if you change your mind.” River encouraged Sid to talk a little about Patrick and watched the beta gradually relax as he reminisced.
“I can’t help but regret we hadn’t had a child yet,” Sid said. “I would have liked to have a part of him with me.”
Talk turned to the twins, and River had no trouble expounding on the virtues of his baby girls. He wasn’t sure how much time passed before the conversation wound down, and they stood, brushed themselves off, and started for home. River stopped where he’d left his clothes and pulled them on. Sid had undressed in the stables and headed that way.
When River entered the house, all was dark. He grabbed half a sandwich from the refrigerator and ate as he climbed the stairs. As soon as he reached the landing, the scent of Josiah’s heat hit him, sending hot longing through the pack alpha and making his cock uncomfortably stiff in his pants.
Jax opened the door to the bedroom he shared with David and Brooks, expression dark. “Where the fuck have you been? Josiah’s scent woke up David, and we’ve had a terrible time distracting him. You’re lucky Kane’s a heavy sleeper, and Leo’s with Sam in the stable with the sick cow.”
River didn’t stop to reply and had his clothing half off when he opened his bedroom door. Josiah lay trembling on the bed, hard and leaking. As soon as he saw River, he flipped onto his stomach and spread his legs.
As River quickly shucked his jeans, the alpha took a deep breath of the fragrant omega slick.
“I thought you weren’t coming,” Josiah said into the pillow as River climbed onto the bed and nestled between the omega’s legs.
“I lost track of time. I’m sorry. I just needed to cool off.” He pressed a kiss to Josiah’s shoulder as he slid inside.
With a loud, drawn-out groan, Josiah began moving, fucking himself on River’s cock before the alpha could fall into a rhythm. River growled and pressed a hand to his mate’s back. Withdrawing almost all the way, River sank in, growing knot nudging at Josiah’s opening. Josiah gasped, and the pack alpha began thrusting in earnest.
Their coupling was hard and fast, and within minutes River had knotted inside his omega. River rolled Josiah to his side and pulled him close.
“You didn’t really think I wouldn’t come back, did you?” he murmured into his mate’s ear.
“I thought you were punishing me.”
The words ate at River’s heart. “I wasn’t. I ran for a while, and then I was talking to Sid.” River felt Josiah tense.
“Why were you talking to him?”
Amused at the jealousy in Josiah’s voice, River said, “I haven’t spoken to him privately since his mate died and felt I owed him some kind of acknowledgment. I wanted to know if he was happy with us or if he’d rather go to a bigger pack where there are werewolves he might mate with.”
Josiah visibly relaxed. “And what did he say?”
“That he preferred to stay with us for now.” River kissed Josiah’s temple. “Did you think I asked him to mate with us?”
Josiah turned his head, pursing his lips in a way River found ridiculously appealing. “I know you feel he’s your responsibility.”
“I do. But I’ll stand by the promise I made to you.”
Josiah’s eyes flashed
over his shoulder. “Does that mean you want to mate with him?”
River sighed. “I don’t think you fully understand how it is. Werewolves act on instinct, not love.” He brushed the soft, brown curls from Josiah’s neck and pressed his lips there, tasting the salty sweat. “Love comes later. You have to admit you and I didn’t fall in love until after we’d mated physically.”
Josiah gave a mirthless chuckle. “We didn’t exactly know one another until then.” He wiggled a little to get more comfortable.
River bit his lip when the tug on his sensitive knot sent shivers cascading down his spine. “So, to answer your question…no, I don’t personally have a desire to mate with Sid, but I do feel an obligation; however, he understands why I haven’t offered, and he’s content where he is for now.”
River’s knot swelled to near bursting, and he let out a moan before rolling atop Josiah, sensitive gonads pressing against the omega’s plump ass cheeks. Josiah whimpered, further inciting the fire in River’s loins, and with an explosion of pleasure, the knot burst. River’s seed released in a gush that sent all the blood in his head southward. Josiah cried out, shuddering, every jerk of his body magnifying tenfold the sensations passing through River. The alpha reached around his mate and squeezed Josiah’s stiff cock, wringing it dry while Josiah sobbed into the pillow.
When they’d settled down in each other’s arms, River was almost asleep when Josiah spoke quietly into the darkness.
“It’s not that I don’t feel for Sid—I do. I want him to be happy, and it tears me up to see how lost he is.” There was a brief pause before Josiah spoke again, voice losing all gentleness. “But you’re mine, River.”
River chuckled against Josiah’s back and pressed a kiss to his omega’s shoulder. “Yes, I am.”
Chapter 9: David
David wiped down the horse’s flanks. He’d ridden Smoke hard that afternoon, and the gray Arabian looked healthy and happy as it tossed its majestic head and whinnied. David had to admit, Smoke was his favorite of the three horses they’d acquired, and he’d love to breed the stallion to a good mare someday. Winning the horses over hadn’t been easy; the animals had a natural fear of werewolves. But it had been so worth it to David. Every moment he spent with the horses gave him pleasure.
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