by Hawke Oakley
He nodded and fiddled with the key. For the second time in one day, I was being saved by an alpha with a key. It was almost funny.
“Indigo Mountain,” he said, then grinned. “That’s whose land you’re trespassing on, by the way.”
My ears flattened against my head. “I didn’t know I was trespassing.”
“No worries,” the alpha said. “We don’t keep the border scent marker as fresh as we used to. Instead, we lay traps to catch any unsuspecting Scarlet Ridge wolves. Like you.”
I grumbled.
“Now, before I let you out of this thing,” the alpha said, waving the key and looking me seriously in the eye, “promise you won’t do anything weird. Like attacking me. Because you won’t win, I can guarantee you that.”
“I’m not stupid,” I growled.
“Good.” He grinned, wide and bright. “Then it’s settled. You’ll come home and live with me until we get this mess sorted out.”
Panic flared inside me. “Whoa, whoa, what? I didn’t agree to anything!”
The alpha blinked in confusion. His questioning glance seemed genuine, and there wasn’t any sarcasm in his voice. “Well, do you have anywhere else to go?” he asked.
“No. I don’t,” I admitted.
“So you’re just wandering aimlessly on a different pack’s territory?”
I flicked my tail irritably. “Yes.”
He smiled. “Tell you what. I’ll let you out of this contraption. You come with me and stay the night. Then we’ll get you all figured out. How’s that sound?”
“I don’t have any money,” I told him.
He just shrugged. “Didn’t expect you to. You’re a runaway omega, aren’t you? Besides, even if you did, I wouldn’t want it. It’s your money.”
Okay, what the hell is going on?
I didn’t understand why this random enemy pack alpha was treating me so decently. Did I have something he wanted? Yes, that must be it. He must want to lull me into a false sense of security and then breed me when my next heat hit. I almost laughed smugly.
“I’m already pregnant,” I told him snarkily. “So I’m no use to you, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
The alpha’s eyes widened, and a strange expression flashed across his face - almost like pity.
“I don’t care about that,” he mumbled. He reached over and quickly undid the trap. It sprang free, and I quickly retrieved my foot, scurrying a few feet away from him. He said nothing, just stayed in his kneeling position and watched me.
Neither of us moved. We just looked at each other.
Finally, something inside me flicked on like a light. I was lost and alone in enemy territory, and this alpha was offering me a place to stay for free while I was pregnant. My pup needed this. If anything, I could take advantage of this alpha for now, and then run away with my pup after I whelped.
But for now, this seemed like the best option available to me.
I bit back my pride and said, “Fine. I’ll come with you.”
A smile as bright as the sun broke out across the alpha’s face. “Thank you kindly. My place is a bit messy, but I’m sure you’ll find it to your liking.” He offered a hand towards me. I shifted back to human form. As shifters, we didn’t have the same taboo about nudity that humans did. But even so, the alpha’s eyes quickly ran over my body before returning to my gaze.
“Name’s Jericho Dawson,” he said.
I returned his handshake, trying not to notice how big and warm his hands were. “Mason Foster.”
“Mason,” he repeated with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you. Come on. Let’s get you and that pup inside.”
As I followed Jericho through the woods, I wondered with a growing sense of awe what the hell I’d just gotten myself into.
Chapter 2: Jericho
The omega was afraid, that much was for sure. Not that I could blame him - he didn’t give me the details, but I already knew he’d escaped from Scarlet Ridge pack and then immediately got stuck in one of my traps. Still, I hoped he would warm up after the initial shock passed.
He was a cute guy. Ruffled dark hair, dark intelligent eyes and a sharp expression. He always on edge, always looked suspicious. I guessed that was his way of keeping himself safe in Scarlet Ridge pack. I’d never been there personally, and I never wanted to, but I’d heard enough bad shit about it from my friend Charlie, who had escaped from that pack months earlier. Mason must have been through a similarly awful experience.
“So…” I began as we entered town. “Scarlet Ridge, huh?”
Mason shot me a glare. “What about it?”
“You escaped, right? How’d you do it?” I asked, hoping that wasn’t too forward.
He shrugged and looked away. “It was just pure luck. This weird guy I’d never met came up to me in the middle of the night and said he could unlock my collar and let me free.”
“Your collar?” I asked.
He paused and looked around the street. People were milling around, going to coffee shops and taking pictures of themselves.
“I guess you don’t have them here,” Mason mumbled. “In Scarlet Ridge, every omega had to wear a collar that electrified us if we set foot off the territory.”
Shock ran through me. “What? That’s crazy!”
“It’s life in Scarlet Ridge,” he muttered. “Our top alpha went nuts after he lost an omega a few months ago. One that escaped to this very pack.”
My eyes widened as realization hit me. “You must mean Charlie,” I murmured. “He’s the only omega I can think of that fits that bill.”
“You know him?” Mason asked. An impressed expression crossed his face.
“Not only do I know him, but he’s a good friend of mine,” I said with a grin. “I should take you to meet him and his mate some time.”
Mason made a noncommittal noise. “Maybe.”
We continued to my house, which was in a small suburb behind the main streets where all the shops were. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Mason as he looked around. His eyes flickered with awe, even though he didn’t say anything. I’d heard Charlie often remark how different Indigo Mountain pack was from Scarlet Ridge - I supposed Mason was going through the same thoughts right now.
We came up to my front steps. It wasn’t a huge house - a cozy townhouse on the corner of the street in front of a ravine, just big enough to raise a family. Not that having a family was even on my mind right now. It’d be nice in the future, but right now, I was content with my life. Besides, I didn’t even have any omegas in my life to raise kids with.
Except Mason. But there was no way I was starting a family with him.
“This is the place,” I said, holding the door open for him.
“You didn’t unlock the door,” Mason said suspiciously, eyeing the keyhole. “Don’t you lock your door?”
I blinked. “No. Course not.”
We stared at each other for a moment like we were speaking two different languages.
“Why?” Mason asked bluntly.
“Don’t need to. In this pack, we’re all a family. It’s like stealing from a brother or sister. No one’s gonna break in and steal anything.” I bared a toothy grin. “And if they do, we just find them and smack some sense into them.”
Mason stared at me like I was the biggest idiot alive. “Okay,” he said simply, then entered the house. I followed him in and let the door close behind me.
“It’s not much, but it’s home,” I said, gesturing down the front hall. It lead to the kitchen, where large windows let in golden sunlight. Mason walked onto the tiled floor and stared around.
“Not much? Really?” he said sarcastically. “You should have seen the dump I lived in.”
I raised a brow and smirked. “You lived in a dump? Like with garbage?”
He glared at me as if to say no, asshole. “It was a government assigned apartment. These windows are like, three times the size of the ones I had. And look at all this actual space you have. You’re not cramped like sardines in
a tin can.”
I frowned at the mental image. “It’s really that bad, huh?”
He sighed and looked away. “You don’t know the half of it.”
I didn’t want to pry, but I also didn’t want Mason to keep his feelings walled up. He was bound to explode one day if he didn’t tell anybody anything.
“You can tell me, if you want,” I said gently. “I mean, you don’t have to. And not right away. But if you ever need someone just to listen to ya, I’m here.”
Mason’s suspicious expression softened, just for a single moment, before his protective shield went back up. “Thanks,” he said. “I’m okay right now, though.”
I nodded. “Fair enough.”
In the awkward silence that followed, I was suddenly aware of how dirty and naked Mason was as he stood in the middle of my kitchen.
“Do you wanna, uh, take a shower upstairs?” I asked, gesturing with my thumb.
He must have realized the same thing too, because a blush crept across his face. “Sure. Um. Thanks.”
After quickly showing him where the bathroom and all the shower-related items were, Mason shut the door. Soon I heard the faucet turn on and steam began seeping out through the bottom of the door. While he did that, I rummaged through the closet to find some clothes for him. Couldn’t let him walk around naked. I mean, not that I would mind if he did, but…
The faucet shut off. I waited in the hall, leaning on the banister. In a haze of steam, Mason stepped out of the bathroom with one towel wrapped around his waist and another draped lazily across his hair. His skin seemed to glow - I didn’t know if it was from being freshly cleaned, or from the pregnancy, but he looked amazing. I had to rip my eyes off of him before I looked like a drooling idiot - which Mason probably already thought I was.
“Got you some clothes, here,” I said, nodding to the banister where I’d laid them.
“Oh. Thanks.” He put them on while I tried not to watch from the corner of my eye. It was only a casual t-shirt and jeans, but he rocked the outfit.
“Come on downstairs,” I said. “I’ll whip you up something to eat.”
His stomach growled as if on cue. He blushed.
“Looks like you need it,” I said with a grin.
Grumbling, he followed me back into the kitchen. “What d’you like?” I asked as I opened the fridge door. “We got… Well, actually, I gotta go grocery shopping sometime. But I do have some Japanese style beef curry.”
Mason bit his lip. “I’ve never had that before, but…” His stomach growled noisily again, and Mason groaned. “At this point, I’ll eat anything.”
I quickly warmed it up for him, along with a side of rice. The rich, sweet and spicy scent of curry filled the air. When I put the bowl in front of him, he instantly starting wolfing it down. Within minutes the bowl was bone-dry.
His eyes glittered greedily. “Is there any more?”
I grinned. “Course.”
He ate two more bowls before I finally ran out of it. By the time he was finished, contentedness radiated off of his body. He was clean and fed and safe. I couldn’t help but smile, knowing I’d had a part in making him feel so happy right now.
“Um…” Mason looked up sheepishly from the third empty bowl. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I think… I want to lay down,” he mumbled. “I suddenly got really tired.”
“No worries. You’ve had a long day. Come on.”
My house had a spare room, since it was meant for raising a family - like most of the homes in Indigo Mountain - but I’d been using it as a game and hobby room, so it lacked a bed. Instead I led Mason to my own bedroom. He sat on the bed and sighed.
“This is your bed, isn’t it?” he asked with a strange expression.
“Yeah,” I said. “What of it?”
“Nothing. I didn’t really feel like sleeping on the couch, anyway… Thanks, again.”
“No problem. I want you to make yourself comfortable, you hear?” I said. “Don’t be a stranger.”
Mason gave me a long, strange glance. Finally he said, “You’re a weird guy, Jericho.”
I shrugged but gave him a smile. “I get that a lot. You sleep as long as you need to, alright? I’m gonna go out and run some errands. Gonna need more food, for one thing, if you’re going to eat like that all the time.”
Mason blushed again. “Sorry. I mean, I probably will, because of the baby and everything, but…”
I shook my head. “I said don’t worry about it. This isn’t Scarlet Ridge pack, alright? You don’t have to apologize for everything.”
“Okay.” Mason laid down and pulled the covers over himself. “Goodnight, I guess.”
It was only the afternoon, but I knew Mason would probably crash until morning from the long day he’d had. “Goodnight.”
Just as I was about to leave, he called out, “Wait.”
“Yeah?”
Mason looked embarrassed. “I know you said it’s not like that here, but… do you mind locking the door when you leave anyway? Just for my peace of mind?”
My heart broke for him a little. I couldn’t imagine living in a hellhole pack that made me as paranoid as Mason was. I nodded and said, “Of course.”
“Thanks.”
I closed the door quietly behind me and left Mason alone. He needed time to rest and recuperate after what he’d been through. After locking the front door like Mason asked me to, I left the house behind and headed for the store. I already knew I would need a lot more food for Mason and the growing pup inside of him.
Chapter 3: Mason
I laid there in bed for an hour, just staring at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep. My eyelids were heavy and my muscles ached; but for some reason my body just refused to sleep. I tossed and turned, and every time I moved it kicked up Jericho’s scent in the bed and made it waft around me.
Maybe that was what was making it so hard to fall asleep. His scent was a constant reminder of the weird-as-fuck situation I was in. Just this time yesterday I was in my small, cramped apartment at Scarlet Ridge, newly aware of my pregnancy, and wondering dimly what the future would bring.
Now I was in an enemy pack’s territory. Not just that - I was in some strange alpha’s bed.
Out of the many things that surprised me about Jericho, the biggest one was that he hadn’t made a move on me yet. Wasn’t this normally an omega’s worst fear? Being captured by an enemy alpha? Although, I guess captured wasn’t really the correct term. Jericho had made it clear that I wasn’t under any obligation to stay - hell, he was about to leave the front door unlocked if I hadn’t said something to him.
Plus he fed me, clothed me, let me use his shower and even his bed. So I guessed this wasn’t so bad.
Still, I had no intention of staying. Once I’d gathered my strength and figured out a place to go from here, I would leave and never look back.
A strange itch took over me. I rolled my shoulders and head, trying to knock it off, but it didn’t go away. For some reason I felt profoundly taut and uncomfortable. I tried every single position I could think of, but it didn’t go away.
Finally I realized what it was - and only because I laid face-down on the pillow and the front of my body brushed against the mattress. My cock twitched inside my borrowed boxers. I bit my lip. The split second of friction had felt so good. I tested it again, wiggling my hips. As my cock brushed against the bed again, warmth shot up my spine. I almost let out an embarrassing moan. What was going on with me?
Almost instantly, my cock grew hard to the point of being painful. I knew omegas’ hormones went haywire during pregnancy, but this was ridiculous. I was only a couple of weeks pregnant. Surely it was too soon for any of that?
Nevertheless, I couldn’t fight the wave of arousal that crashed on me like a tsunami. Biting my lip, I snaked my hand down the boxers to grip myself. My cock was hard and hot already, and I found it easy to settle into a pleasurable rhythm. The intensity ramped up until
soon I could barely take it anymore. My hole felt slick and wet, much to my embarrassment. I wondered if I was this desperate because I’d been artificially inseminated to get pregnant and not actually mated with by an alpha.
I closed my eyes and kept touching myself. My cheeks flushed and my breaths came out choppy. I imagined a big, burly alpha pinning me to the bed, stretching my entrance open with his rough fingers, pushing inside me with his huge cock, knotting me.
I imagined the alpha gripping my hips hard, digging his nails into my sensitive skin, as he fucked deep inside me one more time, spilling his seed and claiming me as his own…
With a gasp, I came - hard. I caught the spilling liquid in my palm, making sure none of it got on the bed. That would be mortifying.
But what was even more mortifying was that after I came, I realized the faceless alpha in my fantasy did have a face.
Jericho.
I groaned out loud and stormed out of bed to go clean myself up. I was being stupid. Of course the only reason I would imagine him is because he was the last alpha I saw - and I was sleeping in his bed right now, surrounded by his scent. Obviously I would have him on my mind.
That still didn’t make me feel any better about having his face burned into the back of my eyelids.
This time I laid down though, sleep came easier. My whole body relaxed as the post-orgasm fatigue hit me. Finally, when my head hit the pillow, I didn’t wake up for a while.
***
When I woke up the next morning to sunshine filtering in through the tiny window above the blinds, I realized with horror just how long I’d been asleep.
“Crap,” I muttered as I threw myself out of bed. Checking the clock on the bedside table, I discovered that I’d slept nearly 12 whole hours. My body must have really needed the rest.
I crept down the stairs, trying to be quiet in case Jericho was still asleep. I realized he must have come back sometime while I was unconscious. A tiny voice in the back of my head wondered if he messed with me while I was asleep, but the majority of my mind squashed that thought down. As much as I hated alphas, Jericho didn’t seem like the type of guy to do something evil like that.