Page 14 of Taming The Omega

Leading the omega out of the cave, he reluctantly let go. “Okay, time to change.”

Amazingly, his quietly spoken words caused the omega to quickly shift. In the blink of an eye, the small, black wolf stood in front of him. The omega shook once as if wet, then whined. Caleb bent to pat the poor thing on the same spot he’d kissed moments before.

“Everything’s going to be all right. Don’t give me any trouble now. You know if you take off, I’m going to chase after you.”

It was hard to be stern with the weaker shifter, but he forced himself to do it for the omega’s own good. The little wolf peered up with moist, brown eyes and a human-looking frown. It was so cute, Caleb couldn’t help laughing. He was still doing it even as he shifted, so the sound ended on more of a growl. He stretched his neck, appreciating as always the awesome power of this more primitive form. Then, with a nudge of his snout, he urged the omega into moving in the right direction.

He kept the pace slow so as not to tire the still-recuperating Seth. Any time he felt the omega balking at his fate or looking in the wrong direction, he nipped at his heels to keep him on the right track. It didn’t take long to return to the compound, and he felt a sense of relief when he spied Deidre watching them from her higher vantage point on the perimeter.

The sense of coming home was particularly strong. He hadn’t been away for even a day since joining his new pack. He hadn’t realized how much he’d acclimated to his situation until his heart sped up at the sight of the longhouse. For the first time, he felt keenly the need to finish up his probationary period and be welcomed in as a permanent member of the Rogue Pack.

First, though, he had to sort out Seth. The omega’s steps started to falter, his reluctance to enter the compound obvious. Not entirely sure if he’d done the right thing bringing the strange shifter back anyway, Caleb decided to park him on the edge of the yard until Lorcan’s permission could be secured. Trotting ahead, he herded Seth over to an area by the outbuildings and stopped him. Then, he shifted.

“Good job, sweetheart.” He didn’t know why he kept using the endearment. He really had no business calling Seth anything so intimate—blowjob and handjob, notwithstanding. But, there was no taking it back, and there seemed no point in calling attention to it with an apology.

“I want you to stay here while I go talk to the alpha.” He squatted down and ran a soothing hand along the back of the omega’s head. “You’re safe here, I promise, and I’ll be back in a flash.”

He could have easily stayed there all day, petting the boy, but that would be stupid and presumptuous. So, he hefted himself back up and went looking for the alpha. Naked as he was, he wanted to first put on some pants at least. He didn’t have that kind of time, or rather Seth didn’t. The omega might decide to bolt any second. Putting aside his modesty, he elongated only his snout in order to sniff the air for Lorcan. Scenting him, he shifted back to his human nose and jogged into the longhouse’s back yard.

The alpha was easy enough to spot, sitting on the grass with his mate. Their baby girl crawled between them. It was a happy family moment, and he really hated to interrupt. If he didn’t tell Lorcan soon about a strange shifter being in their midst, someone else would. It was a security issue even though Seth was only an omega and not much of a threat. None at all to the adults, but there were pups to consider.

“Hey, Alpha, got a minute?”

Lorcan looked over his shoulder and jumped up to meet Caleb halfway. “Is this about the omega?” He didn’t wait for an answer. Tipping his head up, he mimicked Caleb’s earlier effort to sniff the air. “Kyle, take Hope inside.”

The alpha mate didn’t argue. He simply scooped the pup up and did as told. Lorcan trained his gaze on Caleb, waiting for a response.

“Yes, sir. I healed him up as best I could and brought him back here. I didn’t know what else to do.”

Clapping him on the shoulder, Lorcan said, “It’s fine. I’m not taking any chances, though, with my family until I meet this boy. Come and make the introductions.”

“Of course. You’ll find, sir, that’s he pretty skittish. I kind of pulled rank on him to get him here.”

“No surprise. You did the right thing. A feral omega is hardly going to be in a position to make sensible decisions. How are his wounds,” Lorcan added as Seth came into view.

The omega had stayed put, although he cowered near a large rock, his head moving back and forth in a constant scan of his surroundings. Off to the side, Deidre stood, keeping an eye on him. Caleb waved at her in appreciation, and she loped off back into the woods.

The closer he and the alpha got to Seth, Caleb felt a nameless agitation steal over him. It took a few seconds for him to recognize it as his gamma sense of protection rising up. The feeling became so acute and so clearly focused on Seth, that he found himself pulling ahead of the alpha to get to the omega first. That breach of protocol barely registered in him. His need to guard the omega from harm overwhelmed everything else.

As he put himself not by Seth’s side, but more in front of him, he understood the folly of his actions. What did he think he was protecting the omega from? Or whom? Lorcan? He was the alpha, the ultimate decider of who got to be in the pack and who was a risk that had to be driven off. If the guy believed that it was best for the pack if Seth were killed, he could give that order and no one had the right to gainsay him. Least of all Caleb—a gamma, on probation no less.

And yet, the alpha hadn’t reached within five feet of Seth before Caleb heard the low growl rumbling out of his own throat. His canines descended as well, and he bared them without thought. Lorcan stopped in his tracks, stared at Caleb with eyebrows raised, and said nothing. The look in his eyes started out as surprise, then morphed into curiosity, before settling on quiet amusement. He didn’t admonish Caleb in the least, merely stood waiting until Caleb finally pulled himself together.

Appalled at his weird lapse, he hastily pulled his wolf teeth back and swallowed the aggressive noises still trying to come out. He was pondering what he could possibly say to his alpha in way of explanation and apology when a whine caught his attention. Looking down, he saw Seth cowering against his legs and hiding between them. The omega made another pitiful noise of fear.

Caleb forgot Lorcan in an instant. He bent down and ruffled Seth’s furry head. “Oh, sweetheart, it’s okay. Nothing to fear. The alpha won’t hurt you.” If he tries, I’ll rip his fucking throat out. Whoa, where had that thought come from?

“Caleb’s right. You have nothing to fear. This is a safe place.” Lorcan had crouched down, and he tried to peer at the omega. “I need to talk to you, though, so you have to change now.”

Just like that, Caleb’s hand went from petting fur to petting hair. Seth still hid behind him, but now in human form. He made no attempt to stand, and neither Caleb nor Lorcan pushed the matter.

The alpha smiled. “Thank you. What’s your name?”

When the boy didn’t answer, merely pressed his face against Caleb’s leg, he answered for him. “This is Seth, Alpha.”

“I’m pleased to meet you, Seth. Can you tell me where you’re from and how long you’ve been out on your own?”

Once again, Caleb had to do the talking. He gave what information he had about Seth having run away about a year prior. “I think he must be from one of the western tribes,” he added. “Is that right?” Seth nodded shyly, still hiding from Lorcan and still not saying a word.

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