Page 15 of The Feisty Omega

I hesitated.

Fuck it. I was an independent omega. I was gonna do what I wanted.

And I wanted to join that game the young ones were playing. They were having so much fun. I slipped away from the guys and wheedled my way into the game. It was easy to do. The young pups were pretty happy to have one of the older guys paying them some attention. Even if I was only a few years older, it still counted. Very soon, I was laughing and running and throwing badly aimed balls at fleeing pups as we played this crazy game of hide-and-squeak… a variation on the old hide-and-seek but involving throwing a ball to hit your target.

A pup darted out of his hiding place and scampered across the playing field. I threw the ball and missed him (might have been on purpose, might not, I’m not saying), and as the ball hit the ground and rolled to a stop, Tal came charging across the yard, picked it up and launched it at the pup.

“OW!” yelled the pup, who copped it fair in the ass cheek.

I blinked in surprise. What I saw – what I didn’t expect – was Tal and his friends had joined the game. Suddenly everyone was playing together, there was no more of the divide by age or attitude. Everyone was laughing and shouting and having fun. The young ones were thrilled to have the older boys, who they admired so much, joining in their game, and the adolescents – the ‘too cool to have fun’ gang – were having the time of their lives.

We were running around, noisy and wild, when I saw a sedate group walking past us. It was my parents, accompanied by the Alpha and his family, including Mer, Mar, whatever his name was. From the sour look on his face, Mer/Mar didn’t look to be having the best time, and I wasn’t the sort to hold a grudge, so I ran up to him.

“Wanna join us?” I asked, my face prickly with heat, sweat dimpled on my forehead. I probably didn’t look the best with my hair plastered flat to my head and the patches of sweat staining my t-shirt, but I could feel the wide grin splitting my face.

He looked me up and down, and just about then I heard someone – Tal, from the scent of him – come to a sliding halt right behind me.

Yes, it was Tal. The warm, husky, musky scent of him flooded my nostrils and I unconsciously leaned back into him.

“Nah, running around is for kids,” Mer/Mar said, and walked away.

Chapter 07

TAL

While we were running around, Alpha and his guests emerged from the dining shed, slowly walking up in the direction of Alpha’s house. Mar was with them, looking sulky. He could’ve joined us, but we didn’t call him over. We weren’t friends. He looked bored too, trailing along after his parents, while we were all tearing around having fun. That was what you got for being the Alpha’s son… and an asshole.

The group had already passed us when I saw Alpha turn back and cuff Mar around the ears, saying something. Mar dipped his head and even from here I could see the pink stain of embarrassment on his cheeks, as his dad went off about something. I strained my ears to hear what was being said, but I only caught snippets… idiot… too young for… what were you thinking… I kinda felt sorry for Mar. He was an asshole and a bully, but maybe that wasn’t surprising given how his parents treated him… and especially doing that in front of visiting alphas.

There was a dullthudin the middle of my back, and Irian ran past laughing as the small rubber ball bounced off me and rolled underfoot.

He looked like he was going to chase down another victim – one of the cheeky pups darting out from between two obstacles, but he checked his stride and then headed off in the opposite direction – to Mar. Uh-oh, looked like he might be going to invite Mar to join in the game.

I headed over that way too. I might have felt sorry for Mar, but I didn’t trust him either. Some irrational primitive part of me thought he might try and snatch Irian away.

I arrived in time to hearNah, running around is for kids!

…what the ever-loving fuck?

Mar was a prick, but I supposed I didn’t really care. He was just making it easier for me to keep my Christmas present close.

I conveniently ignored the fact that until Irian had joined the game, none of us adolescents were doing anything more exciting than standing around and talking. Figure it took a sassy 16-year-old omega to show us what’s what.

I quickly forgot about Mar. I wrapped an arm around Irian’s slumped shoulders, the firm curve of his shoulder fitting snugly in the hollow of mine, and murmured “Forget him, he’s an asshole”, as we turned away.

I had to admire his spirit. For an omega, he was bold, seemingly unafraid to go for what he wanted. Maybe that was the result of having two alpha parents, or perhaps because he was an only child and he’d had to stand up for himself and be independent. It was unusual for an omega, but it made me warm inside… I was proud of him.

As the day drew to a close, the sun set and darkness crept in. The yard grew quieter as the younger ones became tired and one by one disappeared inside their packhouses for the evening. We adolescents withdrew to the tree again, but it wasn’t long before people began leaving the group and headed to their respective homes for dinner. Lunch did seem a long time ago, and gurgles rumbled through my gut. It reminded me I had spent most of my lunch watching Mar try and stake a claim on Irian, instead of filling my belly with roast venison, roast beef and chicken. I scowled.

Another growl from my belly, and Irian’s hand flew over his mouth as he tried vainly to contain his laughter.

“Didn’t you eat lunch, Tal?”

“Actually, no. I was too busy watching that idiot Mar trying to seduce you.”

“What? No!” he protested, looking shocked. “He wasn’t… Oh!”

His voice trailed away as the realization finally hit home. I stayed quiet, giving him time to process it. Clearly it hadn’t occurred to him, though he would have known about mating behaviors. Everyone did. From the moment shifters could talk, they were talking and thinking about these things. “Surely not.Surely, surely not. They wouldn’t… would they?” he muttered to himself.

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