Page 17 of Taming The Omega

“Uh, uh,” the gamma admonished. “You need nutritious food first. You can have a cookie after you eat a sandwich and some veggies.”

Seth frowned back at him.

“Okay, then,” Will said, backing up. “I’ll leave you to your meal. Nice meeting you, Seth.”

Seth and Caleb sat with their gazes locked, Seth still reaching for that cookie, and Caleb still holding him back. It was a stupid contest because no way an omega was going to outmuscle a gamma. He really wanted that cookie, and it wasn’t fair that Caleb was stopping him.

The gamma sighed. “I’m only doing what’s best for you. You’re underfed and recovering from the attack. Filling up on junk food isn’t going to help. Please stop fighting me. I’m trying to take care of you.”

Pulling his hand back, Seth gave up and grabbed one of the sandwiches. He made a show of taking a big bite, and Gods, it was delicious. Smoked ham with a grainy mustard on whole wheat. Because he hadn’t had decent human food for a long time, it was really a treat in and of itself. It certainly surpassed the garbage he’d pilfered occasionally from human trash cans and even the stuff Caleb had fed him back in the cave.

He wasn’t about to admit that to an overbearing Caleb, however. “Yeah, I know,” he said around his mouthful of food. “You’re the gamma, so you know better than I do what I need. I’m only a lowly omega, and everyone knows that I’m good for nothing except sucking cock and sticking my ass up for mounting.”

He swallowed and took another big bite. Tears threatened to spill, so he looked away and focused on his food. For a minute or so, the sounds of his noisy chewing were all that filled the shed.

“Hey.” That gentle voice Caleb used when he wasn’t mad was back. “Who says that’s all omegas are good for?” Fingers lightly caressed Seth’s head. The touch caused him to close his eyes briefly to savor it. “Did I ever say that?”

Seth shook his head. “No. It’s implied.” He took another bite to give himself something to focus on other than the soothing caress that was causing his dick to wake up. Shit, he really should have put those jeans on.

“I didn’t mean for it to be. I don’t intend to be so high-handed. I’m only trying to help, and being out on your own so long can make it hard for a shifter to go back to pack life. It’s easy for our kind to turn feral.”

Cramming the rest of the sandwich into his mouth, Seth hung his head. He didn’t know how to respond. Even though he was determined to live on his own, part of him wept at the idea of becoming as Caleb said, feral. Shifters were social animals. Being unable to interact with others of his kind was a frightening concept. But was it more so than having no control over his life within the pack? He didn’t have an answer to that.

“I’m so tired.” It wasn’t only physical. He was worn out from the swing of his emotions and the daunting future he saw looming.

Caleb, however, chose to take him at his literal word. “Of course you are. It’s been a long day already, and you could do with a nap. How about a cookie first?”

The treat floated into Seth’s view. He could smell the sugar and vanilla, such a simple combination and yet so wonderful. His mouth started watering. He plucked it out of Caleb’s hand and bit off half. “Oh.” The pleasure was almost as good as the orgasm Caleb had given him. He moaned as the piece of cookie melted on his tongue.

The next thing he knew, he was leaning against Caleb’s bare chest, the gamma’s arm wrapped around his chest.

“Relax. Let me hold you up.” The gamma’s warm breath tickled Seth’s ear. “Eat some more.”

Seth popped the rest of the cookie into his mouth, but this time, his moan had as much to do with the feeling of resting up against Caleb as it did the food. His cock rose between his bent legs, not completely obvious, yet hardly hidden, either.

“Have some water.” An open container was pressed to his lips, and Seth took a long swallow. “May I have another cookie?” The request came out in a strangled whisper.

“Sure.”

Why am I torturing myself?

As Caleb handed the cookie over to Seth, he gritted his teeth against his burgeoning arousal. Holding this boy was a big mistake. Hard enough to keep his objectivity when they were merely in the same small—make that tiny— shed together. Placing this sweet, soft body up against his was over-the-top stupid. Once again, he was thankful to be wearing pants. The throbbing ache of his dick was a fair penalty for his unwarranted and inappropriate reaction.

The more Seth said about the life of an omega, the more it became clear that he’d been treated badly by his old pack. The fact that he hadn’t been bred yet only confirmed that he was a virgin. But he wasn’t an innocent, not entirely given the expert way he’d sucked on Caleb’s cock. All of the pieces added up to a puphood not dissimilar to what Caleb now knew about Will’s history. And, the knowledge made him furious. No wonder Seth had run away. He’d been abused and had expected worse. It must have been terrible, too, for him to risk living on his own.

He would not add to the boy’s bad memories by taking advantage of him. It didn’t matter if the omega appeared to be aroused, either. That was none of Caleb’s business, and could be purely a mechanical reaction anyway. It meant nothing. If easing Seth’s fatigue meant driving himself mad with unspent need, then tough shit. He was a gamma, and gammas could take any amount of pain and punishment. Although he’d rather be bitten to the bone than suffer his cock mashed up against his fly. Gods, this was a misery.

Seth ate the second cookie more slowly. Each time his lips wrapped around the dessert, it reminded Caleb of how he’d done the same with Caleb’s shaft. He groaned at the memory, only a little before he bit the sound back. Too late, though, for Seth not to hear.

The omega froze. “Are you all right?”

Caleb tried to answer. His voice caught in his throat. He swallowed hard and tried again. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound it.”

“I, ah, want my own cookie.” So saying, he grabbed one and stuffed it into his mouth. Well, at least that would muffle any noise for a moment. They sat quietly munching for a few more seconds.

“Caleb?”

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