Page 10 of Omega's Breed

“This is my mate.” He smiled down with obvious love in his eyes. Will had never seen Magnus look at anyone like that, not even his new pregnant mate. “I think we’ve just found another beta for our Hope when she grows up,” he said with a nod toward Annie.

Will didn’t understand. Was the alpha really saying that his pup, a girl if the name was any indication, would someday be the alpha? And, was he also predicting that Annie, another female, would be a beta for the pack? Was that even possible? He’d never heard of such a thing. Females were sigmas and omegas. They cooked and cleaned and bred and raised pups. They didn’t lead or plan. Did they?

The alpha mate leaned forward and smiled at Annie. “She’s adorable.”

His fear having come down a notch, Will managed a tentative smile back in fatherly pride. “Thank you, sir.”

The omega giggled. “It’s Kyle.” He rounded on his mate. “And, no more talk of new alphas or betas. You’re going to be around a long time.”

Will held his breath, waiting for the alpha to either chastise his mate or even smack him. The big guy did neither. He only gave Kyle an indulgent look before scanning around the crowd. Being as tall as he was, it was easy for him to do, although who or what he was looking for was a mystery.

“Andrea must be in her room, brewing up potions no doubt. Sweetheart,” he said to Kyle. “Would you please take Will and Annie to her? I want our healer to check out the pup,” he added, directing the comment toward Will.

New fear rose up. Was this the alpha’s way of deciding whether Annie would be allowed to live? “She’s fine,” he blurted out and stepped back right into Finn. The beta’s solid body offered comfort, but also effectively blocked him. He cringed against the male waiting for a blow for daring to gainsay the alpha.

None came. Instead, some kind of communication passed between him and Finn. The alpha frowned. “It’s okay, Will. I only want to make sure the long journey didn’t hurt her. Andrea, our healer, will be very careful with her, and you can stay right there the whole time.”

Kyle reached out and clasped Will’s arm. “Come on, I’ll show you. It will be fine, I promise.”

Neither the assurance of the alpha nor of his mate were enough to break through Will’s worry. When it came to Annie, no amount of vigilance was too much. He remained frozen in place until Finn pressed the small of his back.

“Trust me,” he murmured so low probably only Will heard him.

That did the trick. He couldn’t have said why, but the beta had wormed his way into Will’s confidence without his even realizing it. He found himself nodding in agreement, then putting one foot in front of the other, following Kyle to the longhouse.

Finn watched Will’s retreating back, the poor omega’s fear a palpable thing. Hopefully, in no time, the boy would realize that he and Annie were safe.

Lorcan clapped his hands. “Okay everyone, show’s over for now. Back to work.” As the pack members dispersed, the alpha called out. “Oh, Joey? How about a big celebratory dinner for Finn’s return and to welcome our new pack members?”

The omega grinned. “Sure thing, Alpha.” He disengaged from his mate and headed back to the house. His stomach had rounded even more since Finn had left, yet one more pup who’d soon join them.

“Council meeting, now.” Lorcan said. “That includes you,” he added with a nod toward Caleb.

Finn joined Deidre, who gave him a hip-check in way of greeting, and the three gammas in following Lorcan into his new office. Since the alpha’s bedroom had turned into a family one for him, his mate and their daughter, a new room had been added to the longhouse to create a real office. A large table, lovingly built by their two best millworkers, dominated the space. Finn took his seat at Lorcan’s right and waited for his alpha to start grilling him. It didn’t take long. As soon as the last butt hit a seat, Lorcan turned to him.

“An omega and a pup? What the fuck!”

Finn shrugged. “Their alpha, Magnus, insisted that if I wanted a gamma, I had to take Will and Annie, too.”

“Who the hell gives up a breeding omega and a female of any kind without a treaty or trade?” This from Deidre.

“Magnus said that Will was disruptive.”

“That’s a lie,” Caleb interjected.

Lorcan held up his finger. “I’ll get to you in a second.” He looked at Finn. “Did he say in what way?”

“Something about Will offering himself up to anyone during his heat.” Finn felt dirty even repeating the claim. Not only didn’t it jibe with what he’d seen of the shy boy, he didn’t think that was any kind of reason to kick an omega out of the pack. Shifters low in pack hierarchy were only expected to be monogamous once they mated.

“Who’s Annie’s sire?”

“Unknown, again, according to Magnus.”

Lorcan shifted his attention to Caleb. “Not you, I assume.”

“No, sir.” The gamma’s mouth turned grim. “I was the only one to turn down Magnus when he offered up a chance to service Will during his heat.”

“Magnus made the offer?” Finn couldn’t keep from jumping in.

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