Page 23 of Taming The Omega

“Not those kinds of games. They might exacerbate your going into heat. I don’t think we should take any chances.”

Seth hadn’t argued the point. The last thing he’d wanted, the last thing he still wanted, was to go into heat.

So, no warm hand had wrapped around his cock last night, and no climax had helped him get to sleep. Still, with a promise of being a good boy and not tempting Caleb, he’d gotten the gamma to agree to sleep next to him, not simply nearby. It had been hard for both of them. The proof was in the way his own dick stood stiff along his thigh and the bulge he could feel pressed up against his ass.

Far from making him cringe, the contact seemed to make him even harder, and his hole clenched involuntarily. He tried picturing that thick, long gamma dick sliding up his channel. It would hurt, he knew that, and yet somehow he also believed that it would feel amazing. So did his cock because it twitched at the thought. Then something hot and wet dribbled past his hole, and he knew a moment of panic.

Slick. He’d been around older shifters gossiping in the kitchens and gardens. He knew what this reaction was in his omega body. What he didn’t know was if this only happened when one was in heat or could mere arousal cause it.

The fear acted like a bucket of cold water on his cock and his skin. Goosebumps raised on his arm, and his heart started racing. He needed to leave, the shed if not the entire pack lands. With as much care as he could, he slipped away from Caleb’s arms and stood. The gamma mumbled something in his sleep and turned over. Good. Seth needed time to think and some solitude to do it in. He pulled on a pair of jeans before slipping out into the warm early morning.

No one was around, everyone probably just getting up or eating their breakfast. Keeping to the edge of the compound, he wandered farther back. He wasn’t ready to run, not yet. He only wanted to find a place to hang out for a little while to sort out his conflicted feelings. He knew Caleb would wake soon, if he hadn’t already, and when he did, he’d come looking for him.

He followed the sound of running water, hoping to find a stream where he could splash water on his face and slake his thirst. What he found when he walked past a thick grove of trees was indeed a narrow waterway. He also found an omega sitting on a flat rock, with a pup at his pec. The boy looked up at the sound of Seth’s faltering steps and pulling the pup up, slung it over his shoulder.

He smiled brightly at Seth. “Good morning. You must be Seth. I’m Joey.”

Seth stuck his hands in his front pocket and hunched his shoulders. “Yeah, sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

Joey chuckled. “Oh, you’re not. I was looking for a quiet place for an early morning feed, and I find this spot to be really peaceful. We’re having a little bit of trouble with milk production. Aren’t we, little man?” He smiled down at his pup.

Seth stepped backward. “Then I should give you some privacy.”

“No need.” Joey waved him over with his free hand. “I’m done and wouldn’t mind the company.” He heaved a sigh as he patted the pup’s back. “To be honest, everyone is driving me kind of crazy. They all mean well, but come on.” He rolled his eyes. “Every time I turn around, someone is offering me advice or to help.”

Taking a few tentative steps closer, Seth said, “They care about you, I guess.”

That was nice to hear. Some of the members of his old pack had been caring, as well. Only sigmas, of course, and a few omegas that weren’t cranky from breeding. It had been the betas and gamma to watch out for, and naturally the alpha had set the example for the others. Which meant that Lorcan must be the kind of leader who fostered caring in his pack. Understanding that eased some of the strain he’d been feeling.

“Of course, Liam is the worst,” Joey continued, although his tone belied his complaint. He picked up his pup and peered lovingly into his eyes. “Can you say ‘overprotective’, Little Craig? Your sire is a typical gamma, isn’t he?” The pup gave a big yawn, making his father laugh.

Joey placed his son against his shoulder again and slid over to the other side of the rock. “Come sit down, Seth.”

Uncomfortable with the invitation, especially as he wasn’t sure the alpha would want him to get so close to a newly-whelped omega and his pup, Seth gestured toward the stream. “I was only going to get a drink of water.”

“Okay, do that. Then come sit by me.”

Figuring it wasn’t a good idea to gainsay the mate of a gamma, Seth hurried to wash up and drink his fill before heading over to Joey. He slowed his steps as he approached, though, not intending to show even a smidgen of aggression. He sat delicately in the edge of the flat rock and placed his elbows on his knees. Neither of them said anything for a while.

“It’s nice here, isn’t?” Joey asked. “I don’t mean only right here, but the entire pack lands.”

“It is. Were you raised in the pack?” he dared to ask.

Joey snorted. “No, no one was. We’re all a bunch of strays that Lorcan took responsibility for. We were a pretty ragtag bunch until he finally decided that we were a new pack.”

Seth shook his head ruefully at his own denseness. “I guess my first clue should have been the pack’s name, huh?”

They sat quietly some more, the only sounds being the natural ones around them and the occasional snuffling sound from the pup.

“It’s hard being out on your own, isn’t it?” Joey asked in a soft voice. “It was for me, anyway. I wouldn’t have survived much longer if Lorcan hadn’t found me. I bet it wasn’t as bad as staying with your pack, though, was it?”

“It didn’t seem so when I ran away.”

Seth watched a column of ants cross the dirt in front of the rock. When was the last time he’d had the opportunity to appreciate the world around him? He’d been so focused on survival, and in wolf form, everything had been either a source of food or fear.

“It still seems so, I think,” he confessed. “Living in a pack,” he clarified. “Any pack.”

“Give it time. Give us time. We’re not so bad once you get to know us,” Joey added with a quick grin.

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