Page 31 of Wild Omegas
Luke
I knowwhat an animal backed into a corner looks like. Josie puts on a good show of not being afraid, and for much of the time, I believe she isn’t. Not when we’re around. But she is scared of someone. She’safraid. Which is something she should never be with us around to protect her.
But we can’t protect her if we don’t know what’s going on.
I do believe Josie will tell us when she’s ready. She’s our omega. She knows she can come to us for help and support and we’ll provide anything she needs, even if it’s a shield. No,especiallyif it’s a shield.
But she’s also used to being alone. I can sense that, too. Creatures that are used to being alone don’t accept help well, and if they do, it’s always far too late.
I will not wait until it’s too late for Josie.
I finish up work for the day and seek out Brooks. For a minute I’m concerned the foals won’t let me leave. They’re playful and loving, but god they’re exhausting. A flash of having my own pups with Josie fills my mind. It freezes me in my tracks.
I want it. I want this reverie to be reality so badly.
Having a family, apack, with Josie is… Everything.
It’s my childhood dream come true, and the only thing standing in the way is this thing Josie refuses to talk about. The frustration of her secret sits in my throat like a hot, heavy stone.
There’s not a whole lot I can do to find out what happened except talk to Josie’s grandparents, and while that may work, I think that’s a little further behind her back than I want to go. Putting her family in the middle won’t help anything. But Brooks has connections from his time in law enforcement. He has ways to find information on people that I can only dream of.
When I find him Brooks is also finishing up for the day. Our work is never truly done when animals are involved, but by now they’re fed and taken care of.
He nods as I make my way over. “Finally free of the foals?”
“Saw that, did you?” I chuckle. “Little tyrants, all of them.”
Brooks laughs. He removes his hat for a moment to smooth down his hair. “At least you get a break from the wild mares.”
All but one.“Speaking of, can I ask you a question?”
Brooks’s smile falters. “What’s up?”
I cross my arms and look to the mountains for a moment. “It’s Josie. Whatever she’s running from. It feels dangerous, and her not telling us feels off.”
“It’s her business,” Brooks says but even I can tell he’s not accepting that information.
“It could put the pack in danger,” I argue.
Brook’s shrugs. “You’re not wrong, Luke. But if she doesn’t want to tell us, there’s not much we can do about it but be ready in case danger strikes.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “You don’t really believe that.”
“What if I do?”
My jaw sets hard. “She’s our omega. We’re supposed to protect her no matter the cost. But we can’t do that if we don’t know what we’re protecting herfrom.” I point back at the main ranch house where Josie is probably sitting in her grandparents’office going over their paperwork. She was really dizzy this morning and generally not feeling well, so I can’t imagine she wandered far from the house. “She just showed up here clearly running, Brooks. You cannot argue that it’d be better to not know.”
Brooks’s lips press into a thin line. “No, I can’t. Fine. Come with me.”
We hurry back to the main house and duck inside the back door. Brooks has me follow him upstairs into his room and we crowd around his laptop.
“I still have access to some things,” Brooks admits while he logs into some official-looking system. “Means my sergeant is probably hopeful I’ll come back to the force, but that’s not going to happen.”
I stand behind him while he works. “What made you leave in the first place?” Brooks never talks about it.
Brooks stops typing for a moment. “A really bad case. It was too dark for me and I couldn’t do the job after that.”
I’m not sure what to say to that so I simply place a hand on his shoulder for a minute to let him know I heard him.
