Page 27 of Omega's Breed

Naturally, Finn heard it. “You don’t like that idea, baby?”

Pulling away enough to look at his mate, Will winced. “It’s not a full moon.”

Finn frowned and shrugged. “We don’t need that to take a run.”

Licking his lips, Will focused his gaze on Annie. “I know, it’s just…” He hated shifting, the memories of what that meant to him in his old pack ensured that he did. Just one more thing that Magnus had robbed him of.

“Will, what’s wrong?”

He pressed his lips together. Even if they hadn’t been in the presence of the alpha and the healer, Will wouldn’t have explained his feelings. This last shameful part of his past needed to stay buried. He felt only a small amount of guilt in lying to his mate.

“Nothing.” Forcing a fake smile, he added, “A run sounds great.” The stress of the last few minutes, added to his pregnancy, took their toll, making him yawn loudly. “Sorry.”

Finn chuckled. “Nothing to be sorry about. Let’s go back to our room. You and Annie both need a nap. She’s already got a head start, so we’ll get you down for yours quick as a wink.”

“Will you join us?” he asked shyly, surprised by how much he wanted the answer to be yes.

Guiding him to the door, Finn gave him what he wanted. “I’d like nothing better.”

Chapter Ten

Nerves worked against Will’s appetite. He picked at his dinner and tried to feed most of it to Annie. The rest he moved around his plate, making a show of eating without consuming much of it. Naturally, he failed to fool Finn. The beta started holding up forkfuls of his own food to Will’s mouth in silent invitation. It was either accept the offering or risk appearing to be a stubborn pup who was refusing to eat his vegetables. He chose the more mature path, even though it was hard to force the mouthfuls down into his uneasy stomach.

Leaning over, Finn spoke softly into Will’s ear. “What’s wrong? Morning sickness?”

Will could have lied, the pregnancy giving him an easy out. It didn’t sit any better with him than the food, though. Finn didn’t deserve such disrespect. Instead, Will went with the truth. Mostly.

“It’s our run tonight. I, um, haven’t shifted since well before Annie was born.”

Finn reared back in obvious shock. “You haven’t? Why not?”

Will licked his lips and found he couldn’t look his mate in the eye. “Well, I found shifting when I was heavily pregnant uncomfortable. And, after Annie was born, there was no one willing to watch her while I ran.” He shrugged. “So, I didn’t.”

“Oh, baby.” Finn gave him a one-armed hug and nuzzled the top of his head. “No wonder you were so reluctant to run with me. Your poor wolf must be going stir-crazy.” Pulling back, he nudged Will’s chin up with a finger, forcing him to lock gazes. “You know that won’t happen here, right? I’ve already asked Joey to watch Annie for us. He says he’s happy to get in the practice,” he added with a chuckle.

Will offered up a shy grin. “That’s very sweet of him.”

“It’s what pack members do for each other. Every full moon, the sigmas rotate watching the pups so that everyone gets to run.” Shaking his head, he took a long pull of his beer. “Magnus really fucked up where you and Annie were concerned.”

Will didn’t say anything in response. What was there to say anyway? Finn had no idea how badly things had been with Magnus, and Will was determined that his mate would never know the full extent of the old alpha’s behavior. No good would come of it, and besides, Will wanted to leave it all behind as best he could. And, that meant running tonight.

He made a better effort at finishing dinner, and with only a small amount of trepidation, handed Annie over to Joey. The heavily pregnant omega hung the pup on his hip and beamed liked he’d been handed a great prize.

“Thanks, I’ll take good care of her. I promise.”

Will patted his precious girl on the head. “I know you will and thank you.”

“Hey, it’s no problem. I’m sure I’ll be asking for the return favor soon,” he added, putting a hand on his belly. “You need to have some alone time with your mate. Enjoy your run, and don’t worry about a thing. I’ll put her down in her own crib and watch her until you guys return.”

A million pieces of advice popped up about how Annie liked to settle down with her favorite stuffed wolf and a bottle of water. Before he could voice any of those details, Finn came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Will’s waist.

“Thanks, Joey,” the beta said. “And, don’t worry, Will. I’ve given Joey all the deets on how our girl likes her bedtime to go. She’ll be fine. Come on.”

Joey gave them a friendly wave as Finn steered Will out of the great room, through the kitchen and out the back door. They headed to the edge of the woods, and Finn stopped them once they were shrouded by tree cover. Letting go, the beta started stripping down.

“I figured you’d want some privacy during the shift.”

Will drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yes, thank you.” He was still getting used to the idea of how thoughtful and protective his mate was with him. After only a moment’s hesitation, he took off his own clothing.

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