Page 20 of Rome's Mate: Hunted Omegas

“Yes, Alpha,” he finally stuttered.

“You asked me to change her when she was ready. To allow you to bring a former human onto our lands into our pack. We both know the risk. What did I say to you?”

“When Luna blesses you with a mate, it is sacred.” Darren’s voice got stronger. “You said you would do anything to bring us together as long as she agreed. That meant telling her first what I was. It would put the pack at risk because she could decide to cry wolf.” Part of the pack chuckled at that.

“Forgive me, Alpha. I wasn’t thinking.” His eyes and shoulders slumped.

“There’s nothing to forgive. I’m proud of the courage you showed. You’re not the only one to wonder, but you were brave enough to ask. Any other questions?” He took his time looking at his pack, meeting their eyes. No one else came forward. “You’re all dismissed. Go about your day but remember the new rules.”

Amelia watched as the pack left. She wished she could trust them, but she knew that there could be a rotten apple buried at the bottom of the pack.

Chapter Eleven

Rome helped her intohis truck. It was dark blue and designed not to bring any attention to him. Unless you loved trucks. Then this one was a truck lover’s fantasy. He had it reinforced. The doors were heavy, and the truck sat high, but she could see that it was too heavy for a car to hit and push off the road.

“I could have gone to town with one of your enforcers or a brother.” She didn’t want to put him out when he had a pack to manage. She was used to being in the background and not seen since her father was the alpha.

He turned his head and the first thing she saw was that his eyes were a striking gold. The wolf was close to the surface. Those gold eyes made her want to fan herself. The way being his mate made her feel was exhilarating and terrifying. She wasn’t sure which one she wanted to lean into.

“Mate.” The sound of his voice hit her in the privates.

She didn’t have time to think about that because Rome’s wolf spoke through him using his mouth. If she doubted that thegoddess Luna was real, Amelia was a believer now. Only Luna could imbue a wolf with enough power to speak.

“Close your mouth or you’re going to catch flies.” She snapped her mouth closed. “What my wolf said. You’re our mate. Why would we send you with another when we’re free to take care and watch over you?”

Why indeed? “Rome, I need you to tell me what’s going on. I’m spinning in mental circles.”

“We’re going to go to the next town. It’s bigger, and you’ll have a better selection of clothes.”

She made herself comfortable as she waited for him to speak.

“Many centuries ago, my brothers and I were out hunting meat for our village…”

Amelia gasped when Rome pulled into a parking spot in front of a mall. The story had her spellbound. She wanted to hear more. The details and the nuances of it were authentic enough for her to place herself at his side. The realization that her life was being threatened because of a vindictive goddess. It felt like it was too much to bear.

Hearing his story told her two things. She couldn’t leave him alone. The pain and suffering he went through, combined with the loneliness, may have broken her. The next, she wouldn’t give the goddess a victory by dying at the hands of her hunter. She understood better now why the hunter needed to die. Before, she thought the hunter may have been misunderstood or tricked into believing something false. That may still be the case, but he was responsible for his actions. The fact that he hadn’t drawn the line at killing an infant signed his death warrant.

“We can talk more on the way home. Let’s get you some clothes.” He waited to get out of the truck until she noddedin agreement. Amelia waited for Rome to open the door and place his hands on her waist to help her down. Could she have jumped? Yes, but having his large hands on her waist felt much better.

She stepped close to him, holding onto his thickly muscled arm. Hers. She was sending a message to the woman, who started drooling the minute Rome stepped down from the truck. Hopefully, Rome was getting the message too. As she listened to him talk about the past, she and her wolf found peace within their soul. He was theirs, and they belonged to him and his wolf.

He gave her a smile that made her heart beat faster before they went into the mall.

“Rome, is this really necessary?” Inside, her teenaged self was dancing with her wolf. He’d taken her to a store that she thought was too fancy to buy jeans and t-shirts at. Then he’d sat down and asked for a personal shopper. She hadn’t even known those existed. Her bank account was healthy, but she would never have asked for a personal shopper. Diane took one look at Rome and tried to break her neck doing whatever he asked.

Now, she was giving Rome a personal fashion show. Diane had redeemed herself by showing Amelia some sexy steps to rev his engine. She was enjoying every minute. It felt like all her worries had disappeared.

“The last outfit.” She hurried back to the fitting room and changed into what could only be a ballgown. Where would she wear this off-the-shoulder empire waist gown? She had no idea, but oh, it was pretty. It was ice white, complementing her hair with black accents that reminded her of Rome.

She took her time walking out and then spun around slowly so he could see the whole gown.

“Beautiful.” She turned to look at him and realized he wasn’t talking about the gown.

He turned to Diane, who was hovering. “We’ll take it all.”

“Perfect.” Diane hurried to the dressing room to start putting clothes on the rolling rack.

Amelia stared at him. This wasn’t a couple of hundred dollars on jeans. He was spending thousands of dollars on her. Not just clothes, but there was lingerie and heels. Diane had settled for putting her in kitten heels. When she was ready for something higher, she was to come back, and Diane would take care of her.

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