Page 26 of Omega's Breed

“I see.” Andrea stood silently for a moment, her gaze fixed on the pup. “Please get the alpha,” she said to Finn, and the seriousness of her tone struck a new fear in him.

“On it.” Tossing a reassuring look to his mate, he rushed out of the room.

****

Will paced around the healer’s room, trying not to panic. Andrea was giving Annie another examination, and while he could hear and see for himself that his daughter was fine at that moment, he still couldn’t stop worrying about her future. This was something that he’d buried deep in the back of his mind. Compared to the daily challenges of caring for the two of them while still in their old pack, Annie’s future ability to shift hadn’t even rated. Now that their basic needs were being met, and the constant fear of hunger and safety had been lifted from him, this last problem took to the forefront.

He stopped and stared out the one window. The day was so beautiful, and he’d been enjoying his walk with Finn and Annie. His new pregnancy hadn’t seemed scary in the least. Why had he started in on Annie’s lack of vocabulary? His obsessive worrying had led them to this point. What if Annie’s inability to shift caused Lorcan to change his mind about her? The alpha might refuse to let her to stay in the pack, and now that Will carried Finn’s pup, he wouldn’t be allowed to leave with her. She’d be killed, and then he’d die along with her because he couldn’t survive that kind of loss. He pressed his palm against his still-flat abdomen. The new pup would also die before it had a chance to live.

His lungs froze with terror, and for a moment he thought he might collapse right there on Andrea’s floor. Then, just as suddenly, the fear washed away. He was being a silly, little omega. Finn would never let anything happen to Annie. The beta would protect her and Will. They were his family now, and that male had proven himself over and over to be trustworthy and protective. Annie’s inability to shift was troubling. Of course it was. Andrea had failed to hide her concern, as had Finn, although both had probably tried to for Will’s sake. No matter what, though, it was a problem the pack would handle as a whole. That’s what being in one meant. He understood that for the first time in his life.

Relief coursed through him when Finn returned with the alpha on his heels. The beta shot him another reassuring look before joining Lorcan over at Andrea’s exam table. Will shuffled toward them, not fearfully, but with restraint. He didn’t want to interfere with whatever the healer and the alpha wanted to say to each other. His feelings didn’t change, either, when Lorcan plucked Annie out of Andrea’s arms and held her up to gaze into her face. He trusted that Finn would protect her.

“So, Finn’s filled me in.” The big shifter shook his head. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

Perhaps sensing the concern of the adult, Annie began to fuss. Before Will could reach them, the alpha handed the pup over to Finn, who promptly held her close and reassured her with some nonsense words. It worked like a charm, as it always did. Annie settled down immediately and sticking her thumb in her mouth, dropped her head on his shoulder.

Finn patted her on the back. “The question is, what do we do? Can Lorcan change her now?”

The healer gave them all a troubled look. “It’s possible.” She nodded. “I’m sure he could, actually. He’s a strong alpha and probably can break through her still-limited consciousness enough to call her wolf out and force the shift.”

“But?” The beta had obviously heard the qualification in her tone, the same as Will had.

“But, it would come with risks.” She heaved a sigh. “In infancy, pups’ bones and tendons are malleable. They can shift without danger that first time. Afterwards with each passing day, everything starts to firm up, and they don’t become flexible again until puberty hits. The change in hormones makes the skeletal frame and everything that connects it pliable enough to shift back and forth from humanoid to wolf without causing any harm.”

She stepped closer to Finn and touched one of Annie’s feet. “I’m afraid these toddler bones may already be too firm. If Lorcan forces her to shift, they could break. She might become crippled for life. Or, even die,” she ended with a hitch to her voice.

It took a second for the full import of her words to sink in. Once it did, Will rushed forward with a cry and threw his arms around his mate and daughter. “No!” The loudness of his denial startled Annie, and she began to cry.

Finn immediately patted both Will and Annie on the back. “Hush, now. It’s okay. It’s okay.”

The reassuring touch worked. Annie settled her head back down on Finn’s shoulder, and Will did the same on the other side. He felt like a pup himself at the moment and didn’t care. He’d been cheated out of a fair amount of his pup-hood. Most of the time, he had to act grown-up because he had no choice. With Finn, he could let go and hand the worry and decision-making over to the beta.

Except, he couldn’t do that entirely. Not about something as serious as Annie’s health and even her life.

“I don’t want anything to happen to her.” With his mouth pressed against Finn’s shirt, his words came out muffled.

Finn hugged him close with one arm. “It won’t. I promise.”

“That’s right,” the alpha chimed in. Will dared to turn his head to look at him. Lorcan gave him a reassuring smile. “Nothing has to be decided right now. And, it will be your mate’s decision, not mine. He’s Annie’s sire now.”

Finn’s fingers pressed into Will’s hip. “No, sir. It’s Will’s decision. He’s her father, after all. I won’t force him to risk her if he doesn’t want to.”

The idea that his mate would hand that kind of power off to him, astounded Will. He’d understood from the beginning that agreeing to mate with Finn meant putting himself and Annie under Finn’s authority. Shifters were hierarchical by nature. Sure, some sigma couples lived in an equal partnership, but as a beta, Finn was far above Will. The most he’d hoped was for the guy to hear him out about this. He wasn’t even sure he wanted the final say about something this important and complex.

With his gaze fixed on his now-sleeping daughter, he gave a small whimper. “I don’t know what to do. She’ll hate not being able to shift when she’s older, and yet the idea of risking her life…” He buried his face in the crook of Finn’s neck and wrapped his arm around Annie.

“It’s okay, baby. We’ll talk it over. You’re not in this alone. How long do we have to decide, Andrea?”

“I have no experience with this problem. Soon, though. The longer you wait, the riskier it becomes. Every day, her frame solidifies more.”

“We won’t wait long, then. Something this important has to be thought out.”

“Indeed. In the meantime, I’ll look in my book of healing arts. It may contain something that will be of help.”

“Great, thanks. And, you know what,” Finn added with a nudge of his chin against Will’s head. “A run might clear our heads. We’ll do that right after dinner.”

Will’s wolf pricked up its ears at the proclamation and uttered a little whine.

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