Page 4 of Monster's Obsession

Returning the stones to their place, I stood and tested the air, searching for signs of another larder. There was an area of disturbed dirt with plants that provided food, something Mel’ar’s mate called a garden, but nothing else I could find.

Claws curled into my palms once again.

I’d known my omega was alone. While there were other scents around her home, none were strong enough to suggest a long presence, and I’d never seen anyone else enter the house. But an omega should never have been left to struggle. They were precious, and in the rare times fate had left one without family to care for them, the entire clan banded together to be sure they were provided for.

The growl that filled the air was unconscious. If I hadn’t already planned to take her, the lack of concern from her people would have driven me to it. Even in hard times, it was inconceivable to make an omega fend for themselves.

They didn’t deserve her.

I’d prove myself a capable mate, leaving my scent on the gifts so she’d know me when the time came.

And then I’d take her.

Chapter Four

Meaghan

Rubbing blurry eyes, I rolled from my nest, holding back the whine that threatened.

I was tired.

The mystery of the mushrooms had kept me up well past the time when I usually fell asleep, the scent of cinnamon and musk haunting me even in my dreams.

Then, at some point during the night, I’d been awakened by something outside. My first thought was that an animal was getting into the vegetables I had stored beneath the house, and I’d been prepared to rush out to protect them…

Until the growl permeating through the wall had me cowering in my nest, pulling the blankets over my head and squeezing my eyes shut. Even after the sound ended and I began to question if I’d really heard it, my body refused to relax, remaining coiled in the center of my pillows until I’d grown too exhausted to stay awake.

Stumbling to the hearth, I stirred the coals to life, groaning when I realized I was using my last piece of firewood. I hada little more outside, but once I used that I’d have to find something to trade for more or get it myself.

Shoulders slumping, a weight settled over me. The winter had been rough, and I’d already traded any unnecessary items for the food and wood I had needed then. The only things I had left were what I used to survive.

Raising my head, my gaze landed on my nest. My heart spasmed at the thought, but the blankets and pillows were all I had left to offer. Each one was special, given as a gift by my family or made by my own hand, and I wasn’t going to let any of them go unless I had no other choice.

There was another option, but my mind shied away from it as well.

If I accepted an alpha, he’d likely do it for me. Even though I wasn’t what any of them wanted, I was still omega, and my heat was so close I was turning heads every time I left my home. I was running out of time to choose, but when I tried to think about the alphas, my brain refused, shutting down and leaving me a mess of tears and misery.

I didn’t want any of them. They’d proven my entire life why they weren’t right for me, and being bonded to any of them would be torture.

Sucking in a deep breath, I stood. I wasn’t ready to give up yet.

Completing my usual morning rituals, I carried my wet dress outside to hang on the line, but stopped short when I noticed two bundles already attached to the thin rope. Blinking, I tried to process what I was seeing, but it didn’t make sense.

As I moved closer, I realized the two bundles were fur, but what it was didn’t hit me until one of the herd dogs wandered around the back of its owner’s house and came racing over, jumping to try to reach them.

“Shoo! Leave it!”

I rushed to the bundles, flapping my wet dress at the dog to distract it. Ignoring me, he kept jumping until his owner came around his house and noticed, whistling to call the dog away.

My fingers shook as I worked to untie the fur from the line. An entire rabbit was more meat than I’d seen so far that spring, and two was more than I’d had through the winter.

The height of the line meant I had to reach a little to work the knots loose, the bundle directly in my face, assuring I caught the scent of cinnamon and musk again. My belly quivered, mouth watering at both the scent and the thought of having meat for dinner.

I’d tossed my dress over the line before trying to get the meat loose, and I held the first bundle to my chest as I worked on the other. I got it free just in time to spot the dog running toward me again, eyes locked on my arms.

With a squeal I turned, stumbling along the side of my house to the door. Short but fast, it gained on me, and I’d have had no chance of outrunning the thing if its owner hadn’t whistled again, distracting it long enough for me to get inside and slam the door.

My chest heaved as a thud echoed through the house, the wood shaking in its frame but holding. High pitched barking followed, the dog irritated by losing its treat.

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