Page 36 of Hunting Their Omega

A familiar hand brushed against my knee. I’d become accustomed to Alaric’s touch already. At first, I thought he couldn’t help himself, but then I noticed the kindness behind theaction. Each tender graze was an assurance that I hadn’t slipped away.

It soothed a part of me that was aching for care and starved for affection. Even my wolf seemed to love Alaric’s simple touches. Bishop was the same, casually stroking me whenever I was near, but Wynn kept his distance.

“I’m sure you have,” Alaric said.

Bishop laughed, and his deep tenor vibrated down the table.

Not wanting the conversation to stall, I asked, “How long have you known each other?”

“All our lives,” Alaric answered between forkfuls of his meal. “We grew up together, trained together.”

My curiosity got the better of me. “Have you always known you’d be a unit?”

“No. Units aren’t created until after we’ve hit puberty. That’s around the time our wolves begin to emerge.”

“When did they emerge?”

“Thirteen for me and Alaric, eleven for Wynn,” Bishop said.

He liked that I was taking an interest in them. I felt joy shoot down our bond.

I looked at Wynn. “Eleven?”

He jerked his chin in a nod.

“Alpha wolves emerge earlier than most,” Alaric explained. “When did yours appear?”

“My wolf was lazy. She was perfectly content to wait until I was fifteen.”

That got Wynn’s attention. “What do you mean she waited?”

I looked between the three males. “She has been present since I was fourteen but never wanted to cross the barrier.”

“Why?”

I shrugged. “She hated the boarding house. We all did, really. She finally shifted when there was no other choice.”

Wynn waited, expecting me to continue.

I pushed some lasagna around my plate and hardened my resolve, praying they believed me.

“Latency is unacceptable in the boarding houses. Any wolves suspected of it are taken for emergence therapy in the detention cells. My wolf was uninterested in that, so we shifted.”

The table was quiet for a moment. No one knew what emergence therapy was, not really, but the screams from the cells kept us up at night. No Omega who went in ever came out the same.

“What does it feel like to be a bonded unit?” I asked quietly, not wanting to think about the boarding house.

When I looked up, Wynn’s eyes were still on me, and Alaric gripped his fork so tight I was surprised he didn’t bend the metal.

Mercifully, Bishop allowed me to change the subject. “It’s like we were always meant to be together. We are part of each other, andwhen we met you, we found the anchor we needed—the final tie to settle our restless souls.”

***

The rest of dinner was filled with laughter as they told me stories of the mischief they got into as children. Even Wynn seemed calmer, small smiles twisting his lips as his unit shared fond memories. I was astonished by how much of a family they were—how well they knew each other’s joy and pain. They trusted each other implicitly and didn’t worry about intentions.

My chest squeezed at the thought of being accepted by these males.

It wasn’t until we were all standing in our bedroom that the weight of my new life set in. I would never be alone again.

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