Page 23 of Hunting Their Omega

She shook her head. I knew she couldn’t bear anyone’s pity, so I dropped it.

“Anyway, tell me about your mate,” she said with a playful smile. “What’s her name?”

“Isolde.”

“What’s she like?”

I paused, wondering how to describe her. “She’s quiet. And she doesn’t know much about pack life.”

When I didn’t continue, she stared at me with a mixture of disbelief and disappointment. “Wynn, you did talk to the girl, didn’t you?”

“It was a bit difficult to chat with the Council breathing down our necks.”

She snorted. “I bet you still found time to bed her.” I narrowed my eyes, and she laughed. “All I’m saying is if you want the girl tobe comfortable around the three of you, you should actually get to know her.”

“I know that, and I will.” It wasn’t a complete lie, even if I was contemplating how to avoid her until I could figure out the whole mating thing.

“Good. I’d hate to see you fuck this up because you’re too busy brooding over things that don’t matter.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” A thought struck me. “Hey, Winnie. Would you do me a favor?”

“Depends on what it is,” she said suspiciously.

“Isolde didn’t bring much with her. I doubt she’ll have anything to wear to the pack welcome.”

Winnie’s face lit up. “And you’re just telling me this now?” She checked her watch and said, “Shit, I only have half an hour, you prick. What size is she?”

“How the hell am I supposed to know?”

“Guess.”

Another tremor of fear shot down the bond, and my wolf growled, urging me to find my mate. The need to ensure she was safe burned through my limbs, but I didn’t know how to soothe her frazzled nerves. I thought of my mother and how isolated she’d been, how she recoiled from my father’s touch. I wasn’t a comfort to anyone, much less an Omega.

But Winnie could be.

“She’s about your size,” I said through gritted teeth. “And, Winnie, could you . . . could you . . .” I cleared my throat as my claws dug into the armrests, the depth of my cowardice cutting me to the quick.

She was my mate, and this was my first failure.

Winnie eyed the gouged wood. “What is it, Wynn?”

“Isolde isn’t doing so well. Can you check on her when you bring the clothes? Make sure she’s all right.”

“I can do that,” she said hesitantly. “You’re not Father, Wynn. What you’ve done with this pack is proof enough.”

“It doesn’t change anything,” I muttered.

“It changes everything, and now you have someone who will listen to you and lighten the load. Just ask any of the females—hell, ask the units who have a real hope of finding mates now.” Winnie shrugged her delicate shoulders. “Maybe Isolde just wants someone to understand—someone whocares. That was the one thing Father never did. Mom was always just an Omega to him.”

Winnie retreated from the office, promising to return with clothing for Isolde. In the subsequent silence, her words echoed through my mind, tearing into old wounds and leaving me raw.

The problem wasn’t thinking of Isolde as more than an Omega—it was knowing that if she’d been given a choice, she wouldn’t have bonded with us.

Her words sank into my chest cavity, lodging between my ribs and my heart.

Work for her affection and earn our mate’s devotion. It’s not too late, my wolf insists.Fate gave her to us, and I won’t let her go.

I paused, lifting a hand to my sternum as if I could feel the woven cord of our bond.

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