Omega in the Middle (The Rogue Pack Book 5)

by Samantha Cayto

  Lorcan nodded. “You can see him now and stay the night. After that, we’ll talk about what comes next.”

  “Thanks.” He bolted to the door and threw it open.

  “Oh, dear,” the healer said behind him. “I suppose that means we don’t have a plan for the omega’s breeding.”

  Not yet. Damn, what was the matter with him? Ben’s breeding was not his concern. He reminded himself of that, and once more, told his wolf to shut the fuck up.

  Chapter Four

  Carr ignored the irritating Loki lurking in the corner of the kitchen being cossetted by besotted sigmas. He couldn’t for the life of him understand what Bard, a normally sensible shifter, saw in the brat. Carr found the dark-haired beauty and docile nature of Ben much more alluring. So did the beta who’d brought the boy, something that pissed him off for no good reason. It wasn’t that he held the beta’s aggression against him. That actually spoke well of him. Being willing to fight for the protection of a strange omega was the kind of duty one expected of a dominant shifter.

  No, it was something else. His wolf hadn’t settled down, either. He paced and sniffed under Carr’s skin and egged him to get closer to the new omega. Ben had been eating at the kitchen table when the beta burst in. No one had batted an eye when the guy had gone right to the omega and placed his hands on the boy’s face. The tenderness and concern were obvious, so the kitchen staffed had gone about their business. Only Carr, who had followed the beta, stood watch over the reunion.

  “You’re sure your fine?” The beta looked the omega over as if the boy had come in from a battle or something. The concern was annoyingly admirable.

  “Yes, sir.” The shy boy kept his gaze down and his voice low. A perfectly biddable omega.

  Who calls the shifter who rescued him “sir” and not “Daniel”?

  That information pleased Carr for some reason. He padded closer on his bare feet, ignoring the way the sigmas gave him a wide berth. Adorable, little Loki might be welcome, but Carr was still someone the Rogue’s were leery about. That was okay. He and the other ferals were used to being on their own. They didn’t need anyone else.

  Except…This omega, Ben, tugged at him. He got close enough to catch the boy’s attention. Ben looked up at him, alarm flashing across his face, before he dropped his gaze again and hunched closer to the beta.

  Daniel glared at Carr. “Back off. Please,” he added in a tone that indicated he did so only out of a sense of propriety and not genuine sentiment.

  Carr couldn’t blame the guy. If he had an omega mate to protect, he’d probably want to keep the boy locked away from prying and predatory eyes. Not that Ben officially belonged to Daniel, or anything. Quite the contrary. The beta had made clear his plans to leave the boy behind. That meant Ben was fair game. In fact, given that the boy’s going into heat was only a matter of time, courting him for mating was urgent and necessary.

  Rather than leaving, he pulled out the nearby chair and sat down. He smiled at Ben. “Hi, my name is Carr. I’m very sorry we met under frightening circumstances. My duty was to protect Loki, and that’s why I was chasing him. I was trying to get him to a safe place.” He flicked his gaze toward the beta. “I didn’t realize Daniel wasn’t a threat.”

  He broadened his smile when Ben didn’t flinch from the direct conversation. Back when he’d been in his birth pack, before following Destin in becoming feral, he’d been told that he could be very charming when he tried.

  He tried now for the first time in over three years. “Do you forgive me?”

  Daniel rolled his eyes and sighed. Carr kept his focus on the boy.

  Ben peeked up at him from under his lashes, but unlike when Loki did it, this didn’t seem like a ploy to get his way. “There’s nothing to forgive, sir.”

  “That’s kind of you to say, Ben. I disagree, however. I frightened you, and that’s not acceptable. I’m a gamma.” He tensed the muscles in his arms as he said it to make them ripple and catch the boy’s attention. “Protecting weaker pack members is my duty. Please say you’re not scared of me.”

  Daniel made a noise in the back of his throat like he was gagging. Once again, he ignored the guy and kept his gaze on Ben.

  The omega’s cheeks had turned pink, a charming indication that he was embarrassed. “I’m not, sir. Truly.”

  “That’s good to know. And, please call me Carr. The Rogue Pack is a casual one, you’ll find. We don’t stand on formality as much as others.”

  “I though you weren’t officially a pack member,” Daniel snapped.

  “It’s complicated,” Carr replied, flicking his gaze to the beta for a short, dismissive second.

  “So, I’ve heard.” The beta’s tone was equally disinterested. “Have you had enough to eat, Ben?”

  The omega nodded, his eyes darting between the two dominant shifters. “Yes, sir.”

  “Daniel, remember? No more ‘sir’, okay? Come on,” he added, straightening. “You should get some rest. I had you up early this morning, the trip was long, and our entrance to the pack lands more stressful than I’d expected. Or wanted,” he added with a baleful look at Carr.

  Ben stood, too. “Yes, sir. Daniel.”

  Carr also got up, not yet ready to leave the enticing omega. Now that he wasn’t in protecting-Loki mode, he had a chance to get a good look at Ben. He was the perfect omega, pretty and slender, with shaggy brown hair and golden skin. It was the first time since leaving his pack that he’d been close to an unmated omega. His cock had been trained to lay low given that Loki was a constant presence and not quite ready for mating. It had only been allowed to come out and play with Carr’s hand on rare occasions when he was in the woods and alone. Destin would tear both Carr and Bard to pieces if he sensed any arousal. Fortunately, the brat held no appeal for him. He had no idea how Bard managed to keep his needs on lock-down. Poor bastard.

  But, Ben was a different story. This omega was both of breeding age and unattached. A desire to mount and claim blossomed furiously within him at just the thought of it. A low growl caught his attention—it caught everyone’s attention, actually. The sigmas halted in their tasks, and even Loki froze with a cupcake mid-way to his always-hungry mouth. Ben shied away from the beta’s arm draped over his shoulder, his brown eyes wide as he looked at Daniel.

  Still stimulated from the earlier confrontation, Carr’s wolf snarled in response. He tamped him down because there was no value in creating a scene in Lorcan’s longhouse. Instead, he arched an eyebrow at the beta. “I’m sorry, is there something you wanted to say?”

  “Knock it off.”

  “I’m not doing anything.”

  “The fuck you aren’t.”

  Daniel’s gaze flicked down to Carr’s groin, where his dick strained the integrity of his borrowed jeans. Still living feral, he didn’t have any clothes of his own. The Rogues were generous in making some available any time he or the others of his group spent time in the longhouse. It wasn’t strictly necessary to cover their nakedness. Lorcan preferred it, though, and they lived by his rules.

  At that moment, Carr would have liked to have been able to display his erection. Primitive though it may be, that kind of thing was almost as good as a physical fight when dominant shifters squared off. He’d seen what the beta had between his legs, and while impressive, it wasn’t as long and thick as his own. So many of his baser shifter instincts lived close to the surface for him now that he felt the need to show the omega what he could offer. He tried to stare the beta down, but the guy wasn’t flinching.

  “What’s going on?” Out of the corner of his eye, Carr saw the omega named Joey enter the kitchen with his pup in a sling. The boy came to stand between him and the beta. He looked back and forth between the two of them before shaking his head and his finger.

  “Oh, no. None of that now. Not in my kitchen, especially when we’re trying to get dinner on the table.” He pointed at both their crotches with a grimace. “You take that nonsense outside.”

  In
Carr’s old pack, an omega would never have dared to speak to dominant shifters that way. The Rogues were different. And Joey was mated to one of the pack’s original gammas, Liam, who was especially protective of his mate now that he’d whelped. Even if Destin hadn’t demanded that he be on his best behavior always with this pack, he didn’t want to upset a newish father or enrage another gamma.

  He bowed his head to Joey. “My apologies. I didn’t intend to disrupt your meal preparations. I will take my leave, although I was hoping to show Ben around the compound. Daniel, too, of course,” he added, knowing it was the polite thing to do and wanting to mollify both omegas. “Do you suppose that would be acceptable to the alpha?”

  Rubbing his hand along his pup’s back to sooth it, Joey pursed his lips. “I think that’s a great idea. I don’t think Lorcan would object given that you have free rein of the place. I and the other omegas would do it if we weren’t busy or on bed rest.”

  Carr jumped at the opportunity given him. “Naturally, you shouldn’t disrupt your routine. I’m the only one who has nothing to do at the moment.”

  He shot a look at Loki, who’d continued to eat. Where the boy put it all was a mystery to him. It probably meant he was getting ready to enter his first heat. He inwardly shuddered at the idea. Destin would be beside himself, given that he saw the boy as still a pup. Bard, though, would be delighted to finally have a chance to show his interest.

  “My only duty at the moment is watching over Loki, and given that he’s in here, I don’t have to worry about his safety.”

  Joey grinned. “We’ll keep an eye on him. He can help with dinner.”

  Carr didn’t bother to look at how the brat was taking that news. Loki was used to doing nothing more than run around and eat. Destin had spoiled him rotten since leaving the pack. “Thank you, Omega.” He turned to Ben. “Shall we?” He gestured toward the back door.

  Ben didn’t respond. He looked at Daniel to do it for him. Damn, that was going to be a problem unless and until the beta left the pack lands.

  Seeing that he had no choice, the beta nodded. “Sure. Put your jacket on first, Ben.” Grabbing the thing from the back of the omega’s recently-vacated chair, he helped him into it. “Sorry for the fuss,” he added to Joey before placing his hand on the small of Ben’s back and ushering him out.

  Carr’s wolf didn’t like the proprietary way the beta treated the omega, either. But, Carr kept him in check so as not to offend anyone more than he had, and with a brief, stern look thrown at Loki, he followed the pair onto the back porch. He hurried to come abreast of them, flanking Ben on his other side, yet not touching him. That kind of provocative action would lead to his wolf tangling with Daniel’s. He knew how to be patient, and didn’t want to scare the omega.

  “I know my way around the compound pretty well at this point. Although my feral brothers and I aren’t officially part of the Rogues as of yet, we’ve been welcomed as unfettered guests for a while now. Is there anything in particular you’d like to see first?” He asked the question as they walked down the short flight of steps.

  “Oh, um.” Before the omega could say more, Destin came bounding out of the woods. The omega let out a squeak before cowering against Daniel.

  “Don’t be scared. That’s my beta, Loki’s brother.” Carr touched a comforting hand on the boy’s arm without thought. He felt little more than the layers of clothing the boy wore, but some of his warmth seeped through. The proximity alone sent a shiver of delight down his spine and sparked his dick and balls.

  Destin shifted before he reached them, his unusually large beta body morphing into a human while still moving. The guy had grace and beauty to spare. If he hadn’t left their old pack, he would have rivaled their alpha in the eyes of both male and female members. That had been part of the problem, of course—the alpha seeing him as a threat. That and the horrible future the alpha had planned for Loki.

  “Destin,” he called out. “Come meet the newest Rogue Pack member, Ben.”

  At the man’s approach, Ben shrunk back. He pressed against Daniel’s side, and surprisingly, also placed his hand on Carr’s knee. That show of trust made Carr happy. He couldn’t hold back a grin and ended up greeting Destin with that expression.

  Destin eyed him with confusion before turning his attention to Ben. “Hello, little one. I’m happy to meet you and hope you’ll enjoy living with this pack. For what it’s worth, I think Lorcan is an excellent alpha. He’ll take good care of you.”

  The man turned his attention to Daniel. “Who are you?”

  “Daniel. I brought Ben here.”

  “You’re not Ben’s mate, are you.” It wasn’t a question. Destin’s sense of smell was keen even in human form.

  There was a slight hesitation before Daniel answered. “No.”

  “I see. If you’ll excuse us, I need to speak with Carr.” Destin’s tone was never what one could call warm. Right now it was glacial, as was his expression.

  Knowing he needed time to explain why he was out there without Loki in tow, Carr said, “Please start the tour without me. There’s a vegetable garden over to the right that has some impressive pumpkins.”

  Ben’s face lit up. “Oh, I love gardening. Thank you,” he added with a shy smile that was like a punch to Carr’s dick.

  Destin waited until Daniel and Ben had left before he turned on Carr. “Where the fuck is my brother?”

  Carr tilted his head to expose his neck because he respected Destin and understood why he was so touchy about Loki. “He’s inside the kitchen, sir.”

  That mollified the beta some. “Oh. Why is he there while you’re out here sniffing around an unmated omega?” He held up his hand. “I mean, I get why you’re interested in the omega. How come you’re not doing it on your own time?”

  “I’m sorry, sir. I figured Loki was safe in the longhouse, and I wasn’t going far.” Looking away, he huffed out a breath. “I know I don’t get to feel this way, but I needed some space from the boy, too.”

  Destin winced. “He was that bad today?”

  “He was irritating, yes. I had to chase him around the woods because he wouldn’t stay in one place. That’s not unusual, and he is young. I get that he’s frisky and bored.”

  Carr pounded a fist on his thigh. “The thing is, Destin, when the alarm was sounded about intruders, he still ran from me. It turned out to be only Ben and that beta who brought him here for sanctuary. But, that doesn’t change the fact that Loki ran right into the possible danger.”

  Destin closed his eyes. “Fuck.”

  “Yeah, that. And, when Daniel saw me chasing an omega, he shifted and put himself between us. He was trying to protect Loki, not understanding that I was his guard, not his attacker.”

  “That speaks well of the guy,” Destin said, looking over his shoulder where Daniel and Ben had disappeared a minute ago.

  “It does.” The fucker. That was Carr’s wolf talking because he only saw a rival, not an ally or a good protector of their species. “We almost got into a fight, and that pissed Lorcan off.”

  “I bet.” The guy stood staring at Carr for a few seconds before saying, “So, you’re interested in the boy, huh?”

  Carr grinned. “Yes, I am. He’s the first unattached omega to cross my path since we went feral, and you know, my tastes have always run toward male. None of Lorcan’s female sigmas, however nice they are, have attracted me or my wolf. Ben is different.”

  “Yeah.” Destin glanced down. “I can see that. You might want to find a larger sized pair of pants before you scare the boy.”

  Carr tugged at his jeans to loosen the death grip the fabric had around his cock and balls. “I’m afraid it’s too late for that.”

  “Well, if it’s any comfort, that beta is equally aroused, which makes no sense if he was only bringing the boy to drop him at Lorcan’s door.”

  Carr gnawed at his lower lip. “I know. I think his feelings about the boy must be conflicted.”

  “Yours aren’
t.”

  “No, sir.”

  Clapping him on the shoulder, Destin moved past him. “I’ll go tend to Loki and make further amends to Lorcan.” He paused. “I’ll also clear it so that you can stay here for the next few days. Bard and I can handle Loki and the perimeter on our own.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “You can thank me by treating that omega with care. Remember that Lorcan does not force matings. You want the boy, you earn his acquiescence.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  With his duty to his beta settled, Carr took off to join Ben. And Daniel. That was something he was going to have to accept. Until he managed to woo the omega to his side, he had to play nice with his potential rival.

  ****

  “Oh, this is lovely.” Ben knelt on the grass by the edge of the garden and peered at the array of gourds and other vegetables still waiting to be harvested.

  He tried not to look at the set of strong legs standing beside him or the bulge straining between them. Tried and failed, which mystified him. Given his experience with Kurt and all of the humans he’d serviced, he’d thought he’d developed an aversion to hard dicks. And yet, a few minutes ago, he’d found his gaze flitting to take in both Daniel’s impressive package and Carr’s.

  The white-haired man who’d squared off against Daniel earlier was disturbingly appealing. It wasn’t merely his physical attractiveness. The way he’d smiled at him in the kitchen and the soft, cultured way he had of speaking had made Ben’s skin tingle. Far from being afraid, after the initial automatic spurt of fear, Ben had felt a pull toward the guy. And, the gamma’s interest in him and the arousal it had caused didn’t disgust him. His body had reacted with a surprising interest. Even his wolf had pricked up his ears and hung on the silky sound of Carr’s voice.

  It was perplexing.

  “You like growing food?”

  Ben looked up at Daniel. “Yes, it’s something I’m good at and haven’t had a chance to do in a long while.” Not since Kurt had spirited him away from pack life. He didn’t add that bit because the beta already knew his past.