Page 6 of Claimed By the Alpha Pack

Griffin releases my hair and bends down to kiss my forehead in thanks. Carefully, I slide him back into his pants. “When she arrives, we will watch over her. Do not directly interact with her. If she seeks us out, that will be different.” With that, Griffin turns and leaves without another word. He’s the strong silent brother of the three, control is his best friend, without it he’s lost. Not having control for an Alpha is a problem.

Heading to the bathroom, I brush my teeth and use the mouthwash just in case Elinor comes to check on me. Returning to my painting is very difficult to concentrate. My balls ache and my erection is unwilling to go away. Several hours pass and I finish my work and smile at how beautiful it turned out. On one wall I painted a scene from the path to the lake, hoping to awaken her memory of that night and of us.

At the end of my job, I text Elinor, letting her know the work was done. She expresses how pleased she is at how quickly I completed the task given to me. A ping later and I see my payment arrived via the payment app.

Locking up the front of the house, I head into the woods to walk home. The stream seems to sing to me today, as do all the birds. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to being excited about Gracie’s return.

Hopefully, even though she’s human, she’ll accept me and my alphas. We’ll be a complete family unit, finally. There’s only so much that an Omega can do for their Alphas. I can’t give them heirs. Absently, my hand goes to my stomach as I hold it regretfully, feeling inadequate suddenly. That is the only insecurity that I have. I cannot and will not ever be able to provide them with pups.

A firm smack on my ass makes me scream and I leap forward, holding my poor ass cheek. Spinning to face the offender, I find a smiling and laughing Conrad. “Hey hot stuff! What’s got you so lost in your thoughts?” Tilting his head to the side, he studies me. Damn it to hell, I can’t hide shit from my alphas.

“Remember that summer solstice over twenty years ago…” I leave the sentence hanging, watching a myriad of emotions pass over his normally stoic visage. Unlike his brothers, he’s more in touch with his feelings than that of others.

Pausing, he stares blankly at me. “Yes? What does that have to do with anything? She’s long gone.” Sadness engulfs his once jovial attitude. His heartbreak is palatable in the air and it makes my heart ache in time with his.

“Elinor says she’s in trouble and she’s coming home. She’s moving into old man Michael’s hunting cabin.” Motioning back in the direction that I had come from.

“What kind of trouble is she in?” Conrad’s voice holds an anxiety to it that rivals my own.

“The sperm donor is abusive. According to Elinor, he hated she bore him a daughter.” Arching a brow, I try to get him to connect the dots.

His jaw drops and his eyes open wide as he stares at me. “Fuck, is the father an Alpha?”

“I have no clue. His reaction says rogue Alpha. If he’s truly packless, having a son is of utmost importance.” Conrad strokes his chin, thinking about everything I just told him. His fingers move from the stubble of his chin to the longer hair on the top of his head, then down to the back of his neck, cupping it.

“If she’s dealing with a rogue Alpha, their lives are in danger.” Conrad’s tone has changed as he straightens up, looking around. “You and I will take turns watching over the cabin. Nothing will happen to our mate.” His tone breaks and wavers as his emotions are laid out before us.

Nodding, I glance from Conrad, then back in the cabin’s direction, then back at him. “We’ll do what we have to. Hopefully, she seeks us out sooner than later.” He glances down as we head back towards the pack lands. With the village in sight, our discussion of she who shall not be named ends abruptly. Griffin wasn’t pleased. I’m sure Ethan has heard by now and probably just as set against it as well. Even with as award-winning of a blow job I had given Griffin, I knew that wouldn’t sway the stubborn Alpha.

I’m not good at keeping secrets from my Alpha’s, but this is the one I need to keep. If they are going to be happy and find our mate, I need to let all the pieces slip into place. For the pack and the Alphas sake, they need their mate to steady them as well as strengthen them.

Leaving Conrad’s side, I head to the Luna’s hut to seek her advice. Knocking on her door, it only took a few moments to answer. “Barrett, sweetheart, come in. Are you hungry? Can I get you something to eat?” Smiling, I nod and the pack’s Luna steps into the kitchen to find several snacks and lays them out. “What brings you here?”

Drawing in a deep breath, I ponder how I wish to phrase my question. “Do you remember the summer solstice twenty years ago? The one where Conrad and I took Gracie to the viewing pond?”

All emotion faded from her face, and she stares at me. The faint glow of her wolf surfaces. “I do.”

“Our mate is escaping an abusive relationship. Conrad and I suspect she unknowingly had a pup with a rogue Alpha.” Wincing at admitting to our left field suspicion by what Elinor has told us.

Nodding along the Luna listens to what I’m telling her without judgement. “If you are correct, he will hunt her down and try to force her to breed again since she bore him a child already.” Sadness filled her eyes as she looked up at me. “He can turn her and it may kill her. It’s rare for humans to survive having pups. It’s even more rare to survive being turned.” She taps her chin, then gets up and starts pacing.

“That explains why Elinor needed you to work on the cabin so desperately. It’s close to pack land and if he crosses the border, we would know about it. I’ll alert the Betas when the time comes to have them run her property line at night.” She looks down for a moment, then back over at me. She reaches out and rests a comforting hand on my shoulder and smiles, trying to soothe me.

I’m borderline ready to go into a panic, thinking about the things that could happen. “Conrad and I are going to take turns watching over the cabin. We won’t leave her alone.” My heart thunders in my chest as I look at my Alpha’s mother. Our Luna, a widow herself, knows the heartbreak of not having her mate. How she survived after her mate’s death is beyond me.

“You’re a good man Barrett, and an even better Omega. I’m glad my boys have you to take care of them.” Exhaling a rough breath, I take my leave to head home and ponder my next steps.

Watch the cabin, keep my distance, hope for the best.

Chapter 5

Grace

~Another Life - Motionless in White~

September

Weeks of almost perfect isolation are shattered when three bodies are found mere blocks from my cabin. Flesh rended from the corpses in ribbons strewn all over the countryside, stopping close to the edge of the woods near my home.

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