Page 14 of Such a Fierce Omega
We agreed on an early morning after his next night off so we could see the sunrise, and I was so eager to see him again, away from work, that I had a hard time sleeping and no trouble being up an hour before dawn to drive over and pick up the omega.
In the wolf world, alphas were considerably larger than omegas, but I didn’t know if that would be the case with a tiger. Although he was half wolf, he’d been clear that his tiger side held dominance and was the animal he carried.
“You’re right on time.” Blaze opened the car door as soon as I pulled up in front of his apartment building. “I can’t waitto see where we’re going. I’ve only been shifting in the little wilderness park near my home after they put the chain up across the parking lot, ensuring humans will not be there.”
“Couldn’t they duck under the chain like you probably do?” I asked, rejoining the flow of traffic. It seemed like a no-brainer.
“I suppose, but they don’t.”
“Silly humans.”
We continued along for about twenty minutes before we came to our destination. “We’re here.” I unhooked my seatbelt and glanced over to see Blaze’s reaction. “What do you think?”
“I think we’re in front of a row of tall buildings. What are we going to do, run up and down the escalators?”
I chuckled. “We’d have to come back in a few hours to do that. The buildings are closed now. Come with me.” I led him between two of the towers. “I think you’ll be surprised.”
“I doubt…whoa!”
“Yep.” As we emerged from between the buildings, we faced a forest right in the middle of the city. “Nice, huh?”
“It is. But the trees look like old growth forest. How did they get them to grow so fast? The structures can’t be more than a few years old.”
“You’re about right on the construction being new, but the trees didn’t grow fast. They are old growth. The people behind this development, one of whom is a business partner of mine, specifically planned to protect this forest. Fraser says that it was the one project, while he was still working with developers, he is truly proud of.
“I see why.” Blaze pulled his T-shirt over his head. “My tiger is losing his mind.”
“Then let’s get to it.” I stripped my clothes away and tucked them under a bench just short of the tree line. “We have got a couple of hours before we are in danger of discovery.” Some humans knew about us and others did not or preferred topretend we weren’t real. In any case, we were not here to have someone calling animal control or wildlife.
I didn’t stare at him before he took his fur, although I wanted to, but once the tiger emerged I was struck dumb with awe. “You’re magnificent,” I murmured. “May I touch you?”
If alphas were larger among tiger shifters, they would be immense. When the regal beast lowered his head, I reached out and buried my hands in his thick, coarse hair. A second layer underneath was much softer, and the tiger stood patiently allowing me to appreciate his form for a few minutes before twitching less patiently.
I took my fur and joined him in exploring the forest that had stood there far longer than people or maybe even shifters had been in the area. Although Fraser had brought me here once, it had been a quick run with a couple of other owners of Cuffed before I bought in. This time I was with Blaze, and those two hours went so fast it felt like minutes.
Another breakfast together and then I dropped him off at home, but not until he agreed to a dinner date.
Progress.
Chapter Thirteen
Blaze
Darsh came to pick me up, even though we were going to his place for dinner. I called him old-fashioned. He called it being a good alpha.
I hadn’t ever known a good alpha. Couldn’t say that anymore.
He even came to my door with flowers. Insisted I not bring anything but myself.
I dressed in my best jeans and a light sweater. I’d gotten my first paycheck and, while most of it was being saved for rent, I had a little left to buy meat on sale and the sweater I was wearing from the secondhand store.
“I hope you’re hungry,” he said. “I went a little nuts with the food.”
I patted my belly and chuckled. “I’m always hungry.”
On the way to his home, we talked about his day and how I was doing at work. He asked about what I was reading and if I’d gone to the library. He’d been on the lookout for that movie I really wanted to watch.
Darsh sincerely was interested in me.
