Page 11 of Ascendant Moon
Bruce’s oily smile and aroused scent made Lincoln queasy.
“Omegas like you don’t need a mate to have pups, ain’t that right? All them heats you had weren’t for nothing after all. I could help with that…”
“BALLARD!Not now.”
Both Lincoln and Bruce winced at the power emanating from Alpha Richmond. The man’s irritated expression wasn’t hard to miss either, as he spoke first to Lincoln.
“See to the Tinley family while I deal with my Second. Go!”
Lincoln bared his neck, abandoning his partially filled plate, and went to see what the Tinleys needed. Melva joined him, muttering an apology.
“I’m sorry. I was on my way to help, but Alpha got there first. We’ll talk at home, all right?”
Lincoln nodded, relieved to have gotten away from Bruce and his disgusting proposition. Luna! Why couldn’t he be left alone?
############
Later, at home
“… and I overheard them talking about male Omega pregnancies! I didn’t know it was possible, but I suppose that explains why you have heats. Ballard wants pups, but no females in the pack will mate with him, so Alpha Richmond told him he could try it with you and see what happens. Did you and Rosalee talk about this before she died?”
Lincoln couldn’t withhold the tears and Melva pulled him close with a comforting hug. Too bad his own scent didn’t affect him the way it did others, and he suddenly wished he wasanyshifter type except Omega. Once he’d regained control of himself, Lincoln tried to explain the whole thing.
“Nobody knew male Omegas could carry pups until a couple years ago. Rosalee said that one of the True Elders learned about it and then shared it with Alpha Sheppard. He only told the packs he trusted, and because Alpha Richmond sided with Lyle Wilburn, our pack never knew. Rosalee and I agreed that it wouldn’t be safe to mention it, so I don’t know how they found out.
“If I understood what she told me, the Omega becomes something called a Change Mate during sex in the light of a full moon. It’s kind of a complicated process, but if the Omega conceives, he won’t be able to shift again until after the pups are born. Besides male Omegas, only an Alpha and his mate can produce pups this way.”
Melva pondered the situation for a moment before shock registered on her face.
“Oh, no! Alpha Richmond will begoneduring the next full moon and Ballard will be in charge! We’ve got to get out of here before then, and I know just the place. Do you have one of those travel apps on your phone?”
Lincoln grabbed his device, and at Melva’s suggestion, uploaded a map of Michigan’s upper peninsula. Though surrounded by water on three sides, the western portion was actually connected to Wisconsin. Lincoln adjusted the view so that Eagle River was on the far left side of the screen, with the central part of the U.P. on the far right. Melva pointed at a particular Michigan city.
“Gladstone! It’s a big pack with lots of land, and they even have True Elders. You would be safe there, I know it. You can see it’s almost due east of Eagle River, with Iron Mountain at the halfway point, just across the border. Looks to be about a hundred and forty miles, so you could be there in four or five days in wolf form, if you have to make a run for it.
“Meanwhile, I want you to pack up your belongings so I can take them down to Ginny’s house in Newald for safekeeping. Everybody knows I visit her at least once a month, so no one will think anything of it. Then, after Alpha Richmond leaves for the conference, you and I will get in the car to run an errand and never come back. If you’re not happy at Gladstone, I’m sure they can help us find another place where we can start over.”
Lincoln teared up again, unable to accept his friend’s sacrifices.
“I love you, Melva, but I can’t expect you to uproot your life for me.”
She held up her hand to forestall any further protestations.
“Nonsense! With Rosalee gone, you’re all I have. There’s nothing left for me here, and I refuse to live under Alpha Richmond’sthumb for another minute. We’re going to do this, and I’m going to help. End of discussion. Now let’s get started on that packing.”
Chapter 7
Gladstone, Ben’s home office
With only a few days left before the annual meeting, Ben struggled to clean up his “to-do” list. Nolan had seen to their travel details, taking a large portion off his plate, but he needed to finish a custom home design for a new customer before they left for Missoula. Working steadily, he made terrific progress on the plans and should finish them just in time. The man’s creative flow halted abruptly, however, when his cell phone rang with a call from Adam Sheppard.
“Good morning, Sir. How may I help you?”
“Hello, Ben. I have a special favor to ask of you and Evan. Is he available at the moment?”
“I believe so. Give me a moment.”
Ben opened the mind-link and asked Evan to join him in his office for the call. Moments later, he was sitting on Ben’s lap with the phone’s speaker activated.
