Ethan poked his head inside the weaving hut. “Mind if I join you?”
A half a dozen friendly faces turned his way in greeting, although he focused only on the one that counted.
The alpha mate waved him in. “Sure. All servients are welcome. It makes for a nice escape from all those dominant scents.”
Ethan wasted no time accepting the invitation, shutting the door against everything going on outside. The hut was surprisingly cool and cozy. While two looms took up a lot of the space, there was still plenty of room for the omegas inside to lounge about in comfort. One corner in particular was filled with large, fluffy and colorful pillows. That’s where the alpha mate sat crossed-legged and working on a quilt square. A few others ranged out around him—Seth, Reed, Ben, Ryan and Loki. Mabel and Will worked the looms. Only Joey was absent. Ethan had made a point of learning everyone’s name that morning. He wanted to get along with the host omegas so that Elijah wouldn’t worry about him while he did alpha things.
He grinned over at the pups on the opposite corner, where they crawled over each other and chewed on various toys. Only the very smallest of them were with their fathers. He allowed himself a few seconds of longing before he joined the others on the pillows. There was a spot open right next to the alpha mate, so he plopped down and opened his bag.
“What do you have there?” Reed asked. He was nursing his pup while crocheting. The way he multi-tasked was impressive.
Ethan pulled out his lengths of cotton rope. “Macramé. It’s great for making all kinds of useful things, like slings for hanging pots of flowers.”
Ben leaned over Kyle to look. “Oh, I’ve heard of that. I’ve always wanted to try it.”
“I’ll be happy to teach you,” Ethan offered, pleased with how easily he was being accepted into the obviously tight group.
“Here,” Kyle said, picking up his stuff. “Let’s switch places. As much as I’d like to learn something new, I know I won’t have time.”
With a modicum of movement, the alpha mate switched with the other omega. Ben put his own stitching down on his lap and peered over at what Ethan was doing. He didn’t mind. In his ex-mate’s pack, he’d taught this skill to others. The reminder of that time caused a sickly feeling to rise up and kill his mood. He forced it aside. He’d spent far too long crying over his loss. The memory of how he’d begged his mate not to cast him aside still made him cringe. No way he’d ever debase himself in front of anyone again. Maybe an omega wasn’t supposed to have such prideful ideas, but tough. He did, and he wasn’t going to feel bad about valuing himself.
He fell into the rhythm of his craft, answering Ben’s questions and enjoying the banter of the others. Instead of focusing on the words, he let the sounds wash over him. It felt good to be part of a group of omegas. There weren’t so many in his pack, only two others, both cousins and destined to become members of their mates’ packs once they were old enough to breed. They were fun but being around so many mature ones was different. Everyone in the hut knew what it was like to be mounted, and only he was ignorant of breeding. It set him apart, for sure, but he wasn’t going to focus on that.
“So Ryan, what’s up with Griffin?” Seth’s question penetrated Ethan’s concentration. He hadn’t missed how is brother had chatted up the omega earlier.
Ryan’s head popped up from what he was doing. “What do you mean? Is something wrong?” His tone was laced with obvious fear.
“No. No,” the other omega was quick to reassure him. “I only meant that I noticed you ate breakfast with him.”
“Oh.” Ryan lowered his gaze. A flush crept up his cheeks. “Yeah, he was just being friendly. You know because I, ah, asked him to stay close. All these strange dominants make me a little nervous. No offense,” he added with a glance at Ethan.
He grinned back. “None taken. The Strongbloods give me the shivers.” He let the implication be because of their obviously almost feral nature, hiding the real reason Graydon in particular disturbed him. He went back to concentrating on his task while keeping his ears open to the conversation taking place across the sitting area.
“Oh, okay,” Seth continued. “He was only making you feel safe. And the fact that you made special omelets was your way of paying him back in advance?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Ryan replied rather primly. Those cheeks of his got even redder.
Loki piped up. “Don’t tease him, Seth. Ryan likes Griffin, that’s all. There’s nothing wrong with it.” There was a collective gasp from the group, everyone eyeing the boys around them. “Is there?” Loki challenged.
“Of course not.” This from the alpha mate, and naturally no one was going to contradict him.
Ryan’s lips moved as if he were trying to say more. Before any words got out, a wail from the pups’ corner caught everyone’s attention. It was Milo. His face was screwed up in misery and fat tears were already streaking down his chubby face. The cause of his distress was obviously a big, alpha pup who sat next to him, chewing on a plush toy.
“Hope!” Kyle scrambled off the pillows and hurried over to the pups. An anxious Ryan was hot on his heels. The alpha mate scooped up his daughter and tugged the toy out of her hands. “You know better than that. A pack leader doesn’t pick on servient members.”
This amazing fact was undoubtedly the biggest shock of the gathering. The Rogues had a female alpha in their future. It was mind-boggling, but seeing her even from across the room, Ethan had no doubt of her status. Surely she wasn’t the first of her kind, merely the first one who’d had a sire and a pack willing to recognize her for what she truly was. Others before her must have been blindly relegated to sigma status, forever frustrated with a limited role that went against their nature.
“It’s okay,” Ryan assured the alpha mate as he picked up Milo. “He needs to get used to bowing to her will.”
“No!” Kyle’s vehemence caused Ryan to shrink back. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that so forcefully. It’s only that Lorcan and I feel strongly that she has to be the kind of leader he is—dominant without being mean. Considerate even as she keeps control over the pack. Taking Milo’s toy away from him when there are so many others that she could play with definitely goes against what we’ve been teaching her.
“And,” he added with a huff, “she’s not listening to me today, so I’m going to make her Lorcan’s problem. I’ll be back.”
With that, the alpha mate strode out of the hut with his pup wiggling incessantly in his arms. Ryan returned to the omegas’ corner and plopped back down with his pup. He settled the little guy’s hissy fit by lifting his shirt and giving him a nipple to suck on. That did the trick. The tears dried instantly and Milo melted against his father’s chest.
Once again, the sight of an omega doing what nature had allowed sent a pang to Ethan’s heart. He forced his concentration back to his macramé and tried to make light of the situation.
“Is that really going to work—Kyle dumping his pup on your alpha?”
Ben spoke for all of them. “Sure. Lorcan’s a real hands-on sire.”
“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised by that,” Ethan remarked. “Elijah will likely be the same.”
“Doesn’t he have any pups yet?” Reed asked.
Ethan shook his head. “No. He hasn’t been alpha for more than a few years, ever since our sire died from an accident.”
Ben put his hand on Ethan’s arm. “That must have been hard, losing him that way. Or, was it? I mean, not all alphas are good ones, even when it’s your own sire.”
“Mine was. I miss him. So does Elijah.” The pain from the loss wasn’t as sharp as it had been. It was still there, though. “Anyway, Elijah has been busy finding his way in his new status and he’s pretty picky. He wants to love his mate.”
“Oh,” Reed exclaimed. “That’s sweet. We can all understand that.”
“Yeah, so can I, only…” he eyed Ryan, wondering if he dared butt in when he knew Elijah wouldn’t like him to. “He hasn’t
found anyone in our pack. Other than this gathering, he hasn’t been in contact with other packs long enough to get to know anyone whom he might fall in love with.”
He didn’t mention how a pretty sigma in Ethan’s mating pack had caught his brother’s attention. It might have gone somewhere if his barrenness hadn’t caused friction between the packs. No, he wasn’t being fair to himself. It was his mate’s reaction to that lack of fertility that had caused the enmity. At least, that’s what Elijah had said, and given that he’d nearly gone to war over the insult of Ethan being returned, he was inclined to believe him.
He decided to take the plunge into matchmaking because he wanted his brother to find the kind of happiness that Ethan could never have. Although he knew there was also an attraction between Ryan and Griffin, maybe the omega would still be open to an alternative.
“You know he really likes you, Ryan.”
“What?” The omega lifted his gaze from his pup to stare over at Ethan.
“When you bumped into each other this morning? The way he stopped to chat? That’s Elijah flirting. While he’s always friendly, he wouldn’t have made the other alphas wait like he did unless he was truly interested. Trust me.”
Ryan blinked back at him. “Oh. Really?”
Ethan nodded enthusiastically, more comfortable in his role now. “Yeah, absolutely, and he’s a great guy.”
“You’re his brother,” Loki interjected. “You’re biased.”
“Sure,” Ethan conceded because he did pride himself on being fair-minded. He was also right, however. “It’s still true. We wouldn’t be here if he weren’t a good alpha.”
“He’s right,” Reed chimed in. “Daniel vouches for him, and he wouldn’t if Elijah didn’t have a good reputation.”
Loki rolled his eyes. “I’m not arguing that point. I’m only saying that Ryan deserves a mate that he can love. Right?” he asked directly to the boy in question.
Ryan ran his hand down his pup’s head. “It would be nice to love my mate, sure. But what matters most is what’s best for Milo and my future pups. Being mated to the right kind of alpha would be ideal, I guess.”
Loki turned to face the other omega. “Except all teasing aside, you don’t simply like Griffin, you love him.”
The room went absolutely still at that remark. No one moved. Even Mabel and Will, who were across the room and focused on their looms stopped what they were doing. Only the pups remained unaware of the bomb that had been dropped in the middle of everything. Ethan wasn’t sure what the issue was, either, but he could feel the instant tension.
Looking around, Loki threw up his hands. “What?”
“Gods, Loki,” Ben said with a shake of his head. “Being mated and breeding hasn’t given you a filter yet, huh? You have a thought, then blurt it out. You might try thinking it through before you speak.”
Loki furrowed his brows. “I don’t understand. What did I say that was so terrible? It’s true, isn’t it?” He directed his question toward Ryan.
And, of course, every pair of adult eyes fixed on that poor boy.
Who promptly burst into tears.
****
“Would you care for anything else, Alpha?”
Lorcan shook his head. “No, thank you, Joey. These chocolate pastries along with the fresh coffee and juice are more than enough.”
The omega smiled. “I hope you like them.” He stepped away from the conference table and glanced over it one more time. “I’ll leave you to your meeting.”
Graydon was careful not to stare at the boy as he left. Respecting an omega, especially another’s mate, was something ingrained in him. Being dominant didn’t have to mean being stupidly domineering. One didn’t act confrontational without a plan as to how it would prove beneficial. His own sire had pounded that lesson into him—literally—early on when Graydon had gotten too big a head over his status as the next alpha of their pack. Of course, that had mostly been true when his actions threatened his sire directly.
“Please help yourself,” Lorcan offered, sliding the tray nearer to him.
“Thank you. I must confess chocolate is one thing I wish my pack had more access to.” He hated admitting to the weakness, but damn, the sweet was amazing.
“We can put it on the list of traded goods,” Deirdre, Lorcan’s female beta said.
Although it was still hard to believe he sat in a trading meeting with a female, he couldn’t deny her status as a beta. He inclined his head in agreement before sliding the tray across to Elijah.
The Green Mountain alpha grabbed two pieces of pastry, giving one to his beta, Graham, before sending the tray toward Kael. “We have access to a fair amount,” Elijah said. “It may be a special treat to us, but the humans have it in abundance. They’re happy to trade for it even though they don’t understand why I want it so much.” He took a big bite of the pastry and grinned around his mouthful.
His beta, Graham, did the same. The guy was quiet, saying practically nothing, yet his sharp gaze took in everything. These Green Mountain Pack members were so unlike his own people, although they were no less excellent examples of their kind. They simply had a more relaxed way of presenting themselves. Many might take that for weakness. Graydon knew better.
Everyone in the room took more coffee or juice, to suit their taste, while they ate. They’d be meeting for hours and wouldn’t take a real break until the midday meal. Lunch, he reminded himself. They’d continue afterward, as well, hopefully having made real progress toward lasting trade treaties that would benefit all of their packs. Each of them brought value and strengths that the others needed. Although he didn’t consider this kind of negotiation to be his strength, he felt that he and Kael were holding their own. It helped that the Rogues and the Green Mountains didn’t appear to be trying to take advantage, either. Both packs seemed genuinely trustworthy.
Before they could continue with their discussions, however, there was a knock on the door before it opened again. The alpha mate entered with a squirming, fussing pup on his hip. His expression was both grim and determined. Lorcan was already rising from his chair by the time his mate reached him and held out the pup.
“Sorry for the interruption, but you need to take her.”
Surprisingly to Graydon, instead of admonishing his mate for the assertive behavior, he took the pup. She settled down immediately. “Has she stretched your patience, my love?”
“To its absolute limit,” the omega confirmed with a huff. “She was being a bully with Milo and poor Ryan had to stop what he was doing to calm the pup. That boy is exhausted as it is. I’m going back and watch Milo to give Ryan some more down time.”
That got Elijah’s attention. “Is he all right? Ryan, I mean?”
The alpha mate turned an assessing eye on the Green Mountain man. “He is, thank you for asking. It’s simply that Milo doesn’t sleep well and Ryan seems chronically under-slept himself.”
“I’m sure Ethan would be happy to help out with the pup while we’re here.” He paused and frowned. “Or, maybe that’s not such a good idea, given his circumstances.”
“He’s actually already been doing that, I’m told. And, he’s teaching macramé to one of the other omegas. We’re happy to have him with us.”
Elijah smiled. “That’s good. He likes to stay busy.”
If he were my mate, he’d be busy caring for our pups. The certainty of his thoughts didn’t surprise Graydon. While he supposed a barren omega was technically possible, he couldn’t shake the certainty that he would be powerful enough to trip the omega into heat and breed him. He certainly intended to try regardless and never give up until the day he died. First, of course, he needed to convince the omega to give him the opportunity.
“I’ll leave you to your meeting,” the alpha mate said. “Sorry again for the interruption.” He shot Lorcan a smile.
“Not to worry, my love. It will be good for Hope to experience what it means to be an alpha even at her tender age.”
Ther
e was merit to what the man said. Training for alphas started early. Graydon could feel the girl’s eyes on him. When he turned to look at her, he saw intensity and a confidence that could only exist inside a true alpha pup. It was fascinating. If he hadn’t been told what she was, would he have given her a second glance? Probably not.
He wasn’t bothered by this upending of tradition. He wasn’t feral and so hide-bound in shifter ways that he was unwilling to learn, to reassess what he knew of life. That was why he’d agreed to the gathering in the first place. He might not ever be ready to embrace the human world the way this pack and the Green Mountain one had. Still, he wanted to move his people forward in any way that benefitted them.
As he and the pup locked gazes, she grabbed what was left of her sire’s pastry and shoved it into her tiny mouth. Graydon laughed out loud at the audacity of the effort. No wonder her father had lost his patience with her. Feisty didn’t begin to cover it.
“Hope!” Her sire tugged the remnants of the treat out of her fist, tossed it on the plate, and shoved everything out of her reach. “Show some manners, young lady.”
The pup didn’t cry at the admonishment, testament to her alpha mettle. Instead, she stuck her thumb in her mouth and rested her head against her sire’s chest. She still stared at Graydon.
He shook his head. “A female alpha. Amazing.”
“Yes, well, sorry she’s such a distraction,” Lorcan replied. “Let’s get back to work, shall we?”
Elijah cleared his throat. “Before we do, my I ask a favor, Lorcan?”
“Certainly.”
“I’d like to join your family for lunch, if you don’t mind. It will give me a chance to court Ryan properly under your supervision.”
“You may, yes, so long as you don’t make Ryan uncomfortable. No undue pressure.”
Elijah held up his palm. “I promise to be gentle with him.”
That was the appropriate response, naturally. Even so, Graydon couldn’t help thinking that when it came to his pursuit of Ethan, things would be different. He wouldn’t force the boy. He wasn’t that kind of alpha. But neither was he the type to woo an omega with pretty words. Or, sit with the boy’s family and make small talk. No, he would bide his time for the right moment.
Omegas Unchained (The Rogue Pack Book 8) Page 5