Page 9 of Omega's Breed

But, that hadn’t happened. Finn had stuck to his side of the bed, always retiring after Will and rising to run before even Annie had woken. The restraint was all the more remarkable given that Will could see the occasional telltale bulge in the beta’s jeans. The guy was aroused more often than not. Maybe this was all a good sign that things would be different in his new pack.

The one he was about to meet.

They’d snuck back into the United States through back roads that barely qualified as such—narrow, unpaved tracks of mud—all the previous day. Now, Finn raced down a wide dirt path that he’d said was the entrance to the Rogue Pack’s compound. Will’s heart raced with trepidation. He glanced at Annie, who happily chewed on some jerky. Soon he would know for sure whether she’d be accepted into the pack. If the alpha wouldn’t take her, if he tried to get rid of her…

“Hey!”

Startled, Will jerked his gaze up to meet Finn’s in the rearview mirror.

“Everything’s going to be fine. I promise.”

Will gave a curt nod and tried for a smile. Apparently his nerves were showing. He resolved to calm down. Nothing the beta had said or done led Will to believe he was lying to him. Why bother? No beta cared what an omega thought or felt. He would trust him. Instead of worrying, he forced himself to look out the window and admire the lushness of the pack lands. As they approached a clearing filled with various buildings, he saw rows of crops and even chickens scratching around the ground.

The longhouse loomed in sight. It stood beautifully crafted, neat and shiny with new coats of varnish. A wrap-around porch held a big swing and even a portable crib much like the one for Annie. Inside that, Will could make out two squirming pups. He put his hand on Annie. She’d have at least a couple of playmates. If she lived. No. Finn had said not to worry, and the beta had proven himself to be trustworthy in many regards. Will would choose to believe him about this most important thing of all.

As soon as the beta parked his truck, shifters appeared from various places and approached them with obvious glee. His hands shaking, Will unbuckled himself and Annie and drew her into his arms. Typical of Finn, the guy was at Will’s door before he even opened it, helping him down. This time, he really appreciated the courtesy because all these strange shifters around his daughter sent his wolf into a frenzy of protectiveness and worry. He tried to hold her more tightly to his chest, but Annie was having none of it. She squirmed against the confines of his arms to look around at her new surroundings and pack mates. Of course, being a baby still, she had no idea what was truly happening, wouldn’t understand the danger until it was too late.

“Easy.” Finn’s softly-spoken word was accompanied by his palm pressing lightly against Will’s back in welcome comfort.

Shifters, mostly male, swarmed around them as they approached the longhouse. Each one greeted the beta warmly before eyeing Caleb. They seemed to be assessing him, and he did the same to them. Will worked to keep his gaze up even though he wanted to stare at the ground. The expressions on the others’ faces as they gazed back at him seemed friendly enough, even welcoming.

Then the crowd parted as the alpha came out and strode toward them. It had to be him, given his height and the basic way he carried himself. Alphas were always obvious. This one was bigger than Magnus in every way, although with muscle, not the fat that his old alpha had started to accumulate. He was younger, too, and virile-looking. Will realized with a skip of his heartbeat that this was the kind of alpha who would trigger a heat quickly. Will had to blink back sudden tears at the thought of once again, being thrown to all the betas and gammas for breeding.

No, he wouldn’t worry about that. He had more immediate concerns. He tried to face the approaching alpha with confidence, but failed miserably. Fear swamped him once more and he again tightened his hold on Annie. And, as with before, Finn pressed his palm against the small of his back to reassure him. Gods, in just a few days, the beta had become really good at reading Will’s emotions.

When the alpha stopped, he didn’t give Will any mind at all, Instead, he focused on Caleb, who stood on Finn’s other side. “Welcome home, Finn. I see you’ve succeeded in bringing our pack a new gamma.” Sharp, assessing eyes raked Caleb from head to toe.

“Yes, sir.” Finn clapped his hand on the gamma’s shoulder. “This is Caleb. Caleb, this is your new alpha, Lorcan.”

A subtle jerk of the alpha’s chin had Caleb stepping forward. He immediately cocked his head to expose more of his throat. “I’d like to join your pack, sir, if you’ll have me.”

Lorcan reached out and clasping the back of the gamma’s neck, stared into his eyes. “I’m happy to have you so long as you are willing to place your allegiance with this pack and be willing to sacrifice your life in defense of it and all of its members.”

“I am, sir.” Caleb’s voice rang loud and true. Even a lowly omega like Will could appreciate the sacred vow.

The alpha nodded once and released his hold. “Then I gladly accept you into the Rogue Pack. You’ll be on six months’ probation, however. If during that time you screw up, I’ll kick your shifter ass out of here. And, of course, you’re free to change your mind before the six months are up, too. No hard feelings.”

“Thank you, Alpha, but I won’t change my mind. And, if I screw up, I’ll insist you kick my shifter ass.” He grinned broadly.

Surprisingly, the alpha grinned back. Then he turned his eyes to Will. “What do we have here? I sent you for a gamma, Finn, and yet you’ve returned with someone extra.” His gaze homed in on Annie. “Two someones.”

Finn cleared his throat and increased the pressure on Will’s back, easing his rising fear. “Yeah, their old alpha made it a package deal.”

The alpha knit his eyebrows. “Interesting.” He moved closer, and but for Finn’s hand, Will would have taken an involuntary step back. “What’s your name, Omega?” The question came out low and soothing, nothing like the robust tone the guy had used with Caleb.

“Will, sir.” The words were almost at a whisper, his constricted throat squeezing them back.

“And, this little sweetie?” the alpha asked as he raised a finger and caressed Annie’s cheek with it.

Will’s breath froze in his lungs. “Annie.” He could barely get the name out, so great was his fear that any moment now, the alpha would turn his gentle touch into violence. Magnus had excelled at such abrupt changes in mood, and Will had no way of knowing how common that was in shifter leaders.

But his pup didn’t understand the potential danger she was in. Popping the jerky past her lips, she gave the big, scary alpha a sloppy grin. “Da!”

Now, every fiber of Will’s body seized up in anticipation of how the alpha would react. Until the guy broke into laughter that was echoed all around them by the other pack members. The sound of merriment cut the tension inside him like a knife. For the first time since they’d arrived, he took an easy breath.

Stepping back, the alpha half-turned. “Kyle?”

A dark-haired omega with a strange streak of white on one side of his head threaded his way through the crowd. He carried a bundle of sleeping pup. Lorcan wrapped his arm around the shifter’s waist as soon as he stood beside him.

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