Page 40 of Taming The Omega

Having finished his treat, Seth toyed with his glass of milk. “I don’t think they’re on Andrea’s list of nutritious things for me to eat.”

“No, but the milk is,” Kyle observed. “Drink up.”

Seth resisted the urge to stick out his tongue. As easy-going as this pack was, he still didn’t think showing such disrespect to the alpha mate was a good idea. Instead, he took a deep breath and downed the rest of his milk. It wasn’t so bad, really, and it was good for him and the pup. He palmed his belly at the thought, an automatic gesture that had become a habit in only a few days.

Kyle nodded. “Good. We want you nice and healthy for Caleb when he returns.”

“If he returns,” Seth muttered, being unable to curb his tongue.

The other omegas went quiet. Seth kept his gaze on the table, feeling awkward. He didn’t want their pity.

“Oh, honey.” Joey came over and hugged him from behind. “You’re not really worried he’s not coming back, are you?”

He shrugged. “I guess not. I mean, I know he can take care of himself and that he’s committed to the pack.”

Joey’s grip tightened. “He’s committed to you, too.”

“And your pup,” Will added.

Kyle joined them at the table. “Of course he is. Why would you even doubt your mate?”

“No reason.”

He tried to avoid their stares of disbelief. The three of them proved impossible to ignore. “Okay. It’s just that I know he had a tough puphood because his dam died whelping his little brother, and his sire kind of went off the rails. If I hadn’t wandered into the pack lands, I don’t think he intended to mate with anyone. I kind of forced his hand.”

Joey ruffled Seth’s hair before sitting next to him. “Look who you’re talking to. Like we don’t have similar stories. Liam was drafted into stud service when I turned out to be an omega.”

“Finn ended up stuck with me when my old alpha kicked me out of his pack,” Will chimed in.

“And Lorcan was handed me in order to seal a treaty, except my sire really intended for me to be a spy.”

Joey put his hand on Seth’s arm. “The point is, sweetie, we all ended up being in loving mated pairs even though our relationships had rocky starts.”

“What we’re also trying to say,” Kyle added, “is you should give your relationship with Caleb time. You two might fall in love the same way we did with our mates.”

Tears pricked at Seth’s eyes. Oh damn, there he went again. He tried to hold them back. “I think I already have. I just don’t think he’s ever going to feel the same way.”

There was a chorus of sympathetic noises, which only served to make the tears fall.

Joey jumped up. “Don’t cry. Have another cupcake.”

Will headed to the refrigerator. “And a second glass of milk. May as well get the dairy requirement over with for the day.”

Seth sniffled and rubbed at his eyes. “Thanks, guys. You’re all great friends, and I am happy to be part of this pack.”

Kyle nuzzled his sleeping daughter and shot Seth a wan smile. “You simply want your mate to love you. It’s not too much to ask.”

Seth mustered up a smile in return. Although he didn’t want to gainsay the alpha mate, he wasn’t so sure about that. Wanting Caleb to love him seemed like reaching for the stars when he was lucky to have the land beneath his feet.

****

Spending days in wolf form, running through thick forest, catching game on the fly and slaking his thirst in cold running streams, made Caleb feel more alive than he had in a long time. It allowed him to shut down his intellect to its barest minimum and simply allow his senses and instincts to guide him through his day. He ran until his muscles burned, then loped along, experiencing interesting scents that delighted his canine side like watching a good movie would his human one.

It was invigorating and soothing in equal measure. It well-explained why one might turn feral for the rest of their days. Only finding sweet release embedded in Seth’s body could compare. And that was the answer as to why most shifters wouldn’t take to a solitary life roaming the woods. In the long term, his kind needed the social contact of pack life and the emotional support of family, including mates and pups.

This primitive journey surpassed the mating experience in one way—he had only himself to worry about, and that freedom was a welcome gift. If only for a short while. Out in the wild, he could put aside the complexities of his feelings for his mate and the worry about taking care of him and their future litter. He only had to focus on putting one paw in front of the others and seeking out those who might join him in the Rogue Pack.

Returning to the land of his birth was easy to accomplish. He basically headed north before turning right. He avoided human settlements and other packs’ lands, including his old one’s. Once he’d reached the right general vicinity, he ramped up his thinking mind and skirted Magnus’ territory to begin his search for the ferals based on what he recalled from his old pack member’s story.

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