Page 24 of Omega's Breed

The scene was so intense, so private, that Finn had to look away or risk letting tears fall. He busied himself by shutting the door and arranging the basket of food beside the pallet. He took out first the water bottle, then a couple of blueberry muffins, a bowl of cut fruit, and finally a plate stacked with scrambled eggs, bacon and hash browns.

When he was done, he sat cross-legged and waited from his mate to come up for air. Will finally did, sitting Annie on his lap. He turned to look at the feast.

“Oh, my. Is that all for me?”

“Of course. Annie and I have already eaten.”

Annie immediately belayed that observation by reaching for the food. With a laugh, Will grabbed a muffin, pinched it in half and gave her one of the pieces.

He stuffed the other half into his mouth. “I’m starved, but that seems like a lot for one small omega.”

Finn scratched the back of his head. “Well, you are eating for two now.”

Will stopped mid-chew, before swallowing with an audible gulp. “That’s right. My heat has ended.” He pressed his free hand against his abdomen. “That was fast.” He blinked rapidly, as if holding tears back. “I shouldn’t be surprised. It happened even quicker the first time.”

That observation struck Finn as odd. With the revolving door of shifters Magnus had allowed during Will’s first heat, Finn had assumed that meant the impregnation must have taken days. He didn’t prod his mate on the matter, however. What difference did it make? This time, the boy had been treated right, even if Finn’s wolf had gotten a little overly enthusiastic. The only reason Finn didn’t feel guiltier about it was that Will had responded with such ardor. The boy had clearly derived pleasure from his breeding and had even encouraged Finn.

Sitting back on his hands, he let himself enjoy the sight of Will scarfing up just about everything Joey had prepared. The rest had gone to Annie. Their obvious happiness at being back together made Finn glad he’d thought to retrieve the pup that morning.

“Wow,” Will exclaimed after downing a fair amount of water. “That was wonderful.” He kissed the top of the pup’s head. “Wasn’t it, Annie?”

“Da,” she said in agreement before sticking the last bit of a slice of strawberry past her pretty pink lips.

Will sighed. “I guess I need a shower. Although,” he added with a shy smile. “You did a wonderful job of cleaning me up last night.”

Finn shrugged. “I figured you were feeling a little grubby and not up to an actual trip to the bathroom.”

“You were right.” The omega focused his attention back on his pup. “It was very kind of you.”

The awe on the boy’s voice, as if he still couldn’t believe he was entitled to that type of consideration, plucked at Finn’s heart. “I’ll always take care of you.”

They sat in somewhat awkward silence for a few minutes while Annie played with the last bit of her food. He supposed they needed time still, having known each other only for a little over a week. Matings often started out like that, between strangers whose families or packs had thrown them together for social advantages and treaty purposes. Mating for love was a newer and rarer concept. Even he and Ashley hadn’t known each other well for all that they’d been smitten at first sight of each other. He and Will would find their way eventually. They had time before the new pup came.

He sat up straighter. “Why don’t you hand Annie over to me and go catch a shower.” He frowned when Will hesitated. “You do feel up to it, don’t you?”

“Oh, sure. It’s just hard to let her go. It’s been the two of us for so long. I’ve even gotten used to bathing with her. Does that sound weird?” he asked with a worried look.

“It sounds like you weren’t given the kind of help a pack is supposed to provide for its members.” Sensing that his mate needed firmness still to change his life for the better, Finn got up and simply plucked Annie from her father’s hands.

The pup didn’t seem to mind in the least. She’d already started adapting to her new situation, the young being more malleable than adults no matter the species. She patted Finn’s cheeks with her sticky hands. Catching one, he pressed his lips to her palm. Once again, his heart did that slow roll. He was in deep with these two, no denying it.

“Go wash up,” he ordered with a jerk of his head. “Then we can spend the day together. Just the three of us. Would you like that?”

As he got carefully to his feet, Will nodded. “Yes, I’d like that very much.”

Trying not to be distracted by the fetching sight his nude mate made, Finn gave thought to what they could do. Hanging out in the room was out. They needed fresh air. “How about we go into town?”

In the process of grabbing clean clothes for himself, Will turned and gave him an alarmed glance. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather not. Humans make me nervous, and Annie hasn’t been exposed to them except during our journey here.”

Finn knew the boy would have to get over that fear. Shifters lived in a human world. No matter that their species had evolved side-by-side, humans had reached a stage of intelligence and innovation faster than shifters. And while many packs still tried to live in hiding in the wild, most had chosen to adapt and live alongside the upright apes, albeit in a secretive way. Someday, they’d live in the open. It might not happen in Finn’s lifetime, but probably in Annie’s. He decided not to press the point at the moment, however. As a newly breeding omega, Will didn’t need extra stress.

“Let’s go for a walk in the woods, then.”

Will smiled brightly. “That sounds wonderful. I won’t be long.” Wrapping a towel around his waist, he hurried out of the room.

Finn watched him go, the sight of the pert ass covered in thin cotton making his dick get bad ideas. To distract himself, he walked over to the cubbies holding Annie’s clothes. “Let’s surprise daddy by getting you dressed in something appropriate for a day grubbing around in the dirt.”

“Da,” Annie agreed, with a kick of her legs.

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