Lost Omega
Page 1
Table of Contents
All Rights Reserved
Lost Omega
Blurb
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Author Notes
Credits
Lost Omega
Noah Harris
Contents
All Rights Reserved
Lost Omega
Blurb
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Author Notes
Credits
All Rights Reserved
Published by Books Unite People, 2017.
Copyright © 2017 by Noah Harris
Proofreading by Author’s Pride.
All registered trademarks in this book are the property of their respective owners.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. All resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
This book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and may be considered offensive to some readers. Please don't read if you are under eighteen.
All rights reserved.
Blurb
Dylan has the perfect life. He’s married to the love of his life, his best friend and lover. His alpha, Blake, is strong and would willingly give him the world. They have a nice home. They have two packs. They have good friends and good family around them. They don’t want for money, allowing them both to spend as much time as they want together at home. They have a beautiful daughter and another child on the way. Every way he looks at it, Dylan has everything an omega could ever want.
By all rights, he should be happy. So why isn’t he?
Restless and anxious, Dylan must try to find balance and happiness in his life before guilt and his instinct to run ruins everything he’s worked so hard to build. Unfortunately, there’s no time to put things right when Arulean comes to them with news of Rajiah’s kidnapping by a rival dragon, and once again Blake and Dylan find themselves across the other side of the world on a mission together.
Dylan must find a way to complete the mission and fix the cracks in his life before it shatters completely.
1
“Man, it’s good to be home.” Mason said, stretching his arms high above his head. He looked paler than normal, usually a sign that he hadn’t eaten in a while.
Dylan glanced at him, rolling his eyes, a small smirk tugging at his lips. “You’re just hungry.”
“You bet your furry ass I am,” he said with a sigh, body slumping as his arms fell to his sides. “You have no idea what it’s like to starve on a plane for hours just because humans won’t let me take food aboard.”
“With the food they serve on those flights, I might as well be starving,” Dylan said dryly. He turned his head, eyes trained on the baggage claim carousel as it slowly turned. He reached out and lightly hit Mason’s arm with the back of his hand. “There’s your bag.”
Mason glanced at the large, military duffle bag making its way toward them, one eyebrow raised. “How’d you know it’s mine? Could be yours.”
Dylan shook his head, gesturing with a vague wave of his arm. “There’s a big stain on the side.” The stain was dark and muted, but clearly a different color. It was an old blood stain, from when Mason had a few packets of blood in his bag as a snack and the bags broke. It ended up staining everything in his bag.
Mason shrugged. “Fair enough.” He strode forward, grabbing his bag off the moving conveyor belt before stepping back to stand next to Dylan. “So…”
Dylan cocked an eyebrow. “So?”
“You excited to be home?”
Dylan looked away, his eyes returning to the moving bags. “Of course I am.” He didn’t sound convinced, even to his own ears.
“Mmmm,” Mason hummed, scratching his chin. As a vampire, the man didn’t grow a beard or even stubble, but it didn’t stop him from acting like he did. Dylan envied him on that front. As a shifter, he grew hair quickly and his omega genes only slowed the growth a little, they didn’t do much to stop it. Even now, he had a few days worth of copper stubble covering his jaw.
He hadn’t even bothered to shave. If he was being honest with himself, he knew it was because he was enjoying it while it lasted. In a couple month’s time, his pregnancy would be so far along that the hormones raging through his body would temporarily put a stop to his masculine hair growth.
“Gonna be here for a while, aren’t ya?” Mason asked, his words slow and wary.
Dylan grunted, crossing his arms over his chest.
“At least you’ll have time to relax, right? Make your mate pamper you. Spend time with your family. Plenty of people would kill for that kind of opportunity.”
Dylan pressed his lips together tightly, choosing not to say anything besides another wordless grunt of acknowledgement. Mason was right, Dylan knew he was. Plenty of people would love to have the opportunity to stay at home with their loved ones. The problem was that Dylan wasn’t one of those people. He was tired of having to stay home for months on end. He’d tried the whole retirement thing. He’d tried being a stay-at-home dad. He very quickly found that he didn’t like either. Staying home just didn’t suit him. He became restless and anxious. His inner wolf crawled, paced, and howled beneath his skin when he wasn’t able to let it out as much as it wanted.
Not even the allure of his daughter and his husband could keep him satisfied with just staying at home, and that was the problem. That was the underlying cause of the twisting, clenching ball of guilt that coiled in his stomach. Unfortunately it was a sensation that he was becoming increasingly familiar with.
Despite his restlessness and feeling trapped, Dylan loved his family. He really did. He loved Lily, and he refused to regret being a parent. He loved Blake, even if things between them weren’t the same as they used to be. Things changed. Life changed. Life moved on. There was nothing wrong with that, right?
Despite his own reservations about parenthood, he and Blake had been trying for another child. It took some coaxing on the part of his alpha, but in the end, Blake’s enthusiasm had been contagious. Dylan found that deep down he wanted to have another child, even though he still wasn’t sure about the whole parenthood thing. So they had tried, time and time again. Nothing stuck. Dylan had gone to the doctor, and after prodding and poking him in places he really didn’t want to be prodded and poked they had pronounced that he was perfectly healthy. They suspected his years of taking heat suppressants and birth control while in the military had done a number on his body. It hadn’t made him infertile, but it had made it harder to conceive. He still could, though. Lily was proof enough of that.
When the powers that be called Dylan and asked him to accompany his old navy SEALs team on another mission, Dylan and Blake decided to put their plans for a second child on hold. The call wasn’t out of the ordinary. Dylan was called back into action several times a year, and while he could tell Bl
ake wasn’t necessarily happy about it, he did nothing to stop him from going. Perhaps he could see how much Dylan needed it. Blake, at least, could work from home.
Dylan left for this mission months ago, same as he had many times before. He’d said goodbye with lingering kisses from his husband and promises to Lily that he would be home soon. Soon, however, was always relative. Heavy missions tended to take months, and this one was no different.
One month in, he had a bad reaction to his suppressants. A quick trip to the doctor revealed he was pregnant. He stayed on the mission, of course. Dylan was a soldier. He didn’t give up. he refused to let it affect his work and get sent home in the middle of an assignment. He was only in the early stages anyway, and it would be a while before his body went through too many drastic changes. He could still keep up with his team, no matter how many odd looks they gave him. He just had to grit his teeth and bear it, proving himself time and time again. Most of them forgot he was pregnant altogether, save for the mornings he woke up sick.
He had managed to get a message to Blake, telling him about the pregnancy. Needless to say, he hadn’t been exactly happy. He had wanted Dylan to come home as quickly as possible, but Dylan just couldn’t bring himself to do it. He had begged and pleaded with his alpha but eventually he simply had to tell Blake he wouldn’t be coming home. He stood his ground, and Blake had eventually caved.
He had no illusions about it, however. He knew Blake had been keeping an eye on him throughout the mission, as he always did. Hacking into satellites and cameras around the world just to make sure he was safe. As long as Blake let him keep doing what he needed to do, Dylan was fine with the intrusion.
Now, he was home. The mission was over and he wouldn’t be called away on another one until long after their child was born. He would be stuck in their home again, in the town he grew up in. It was the one place he had never really wanted to end up, and neither had Blake. Yet here they were, simply because they were goaded by their families after Lily was born.
When his bag came around, Dylan was so deep in thought that he almost missed it. After he retrieved it, he slung it over his shoulder and trudged through the airport with Mason at his side. They talked about trivial, meaningless things: The weather, food., the mission, and their teammates.
By the time they cleared airport customs, Dylan was a bundle of nerves. He put on a show of listening to Mason, but he wasn’t sure he was entirely convincing. He was excited to see his family. They were his sense of home and his anchors to normality, his heart and soul. However, he was anxious. He hadn’t seen them in months. How much more had Lily grown without him being there to see? Would Blake still look at him the same way despite near radio silence for months, despite the last conversation they’d had being almost an argument over the phone?
Even though his thoughts were running in circles, shadows clawing at his mind, the omega within him was already searching for his mate. His senses extended out through the bond they shared, feeling Blake close by. Dylan was reaching for him, desperately and incessantly. The moment their senses connected was like a punch to Dylan’s gut, taking his breath away and leaving him weightless for a second before the warmth he craved filled his chest. A combination of warmth, affection, excitement,and almost childlike enthusiasm with an underlying hunger, sent shivers down his spine.
It was contagious, and Dylan found himself smiling. Blake always seemed to do that to him.
He glanced around, eyes searching the crowd that was gathered, looking over the faces of those waiting to pick up loved ones. The entire time, his omega chanted in the back of his mind.
Blake. Blake. Mate. Mine. Mate. Blake. Alpha. Mine. Mate.
“Daddy!” The sound brought his head around, gaze zeroing in on a familiar little girl held by a familiar man.
His breath shriveled and died in his throat as his eyes settled on his mate, his alpha. Tall and strong, his build lean with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. White blonde hair swept back from his forehead, blue eyes glistening as they locked with Dylan’s. Blake’s smile was blinding. His mate was beautiful. His heart beat painfully in his chest, his feet coming to a stop as he was left simply standing and staring.
Warmth passed through their bond, fond affection that was light and teasing, but with heavy undertones that were lingering, unyielding, and spoke of forever. Dylan had forgotten how intense it was to feel Blake’s emotions. He hadn’t realized how empty he had felt without him, without being able to sense his presence nearby. He always forgot when he was away, and although he was physically back, feeling the bond again was like coming home emotionally.
Lily called out for him again, louder and more insistent, arms waving frantically.
He smiled, unable to fight the tug at his lips, and lifted a hand, suddenly feeling strange and awkward. He shouldn’t. This was his own daughter and husband. Despite that fact, a shyness still gripped his chest, making it hard to breathe, and preventing him from taking that first step toward them.
Turns out, he didn’t need to. In the next moment, Lily was squirming in Blake’s arms, saying words that Dylan couldn’t quite hear. He saw Blake laugh though, saw it light up his whole face and shake his shoulders as he lowered Lily to the ground. As soon as her feet touched the floor, she took off, weaving through the crowd at full speed, a small unstoppable force making a beeline straight for him.
Dylan reacted instantly, more out of habit and instinct than anything else. He dropped his bag to the ground, squatted down, and held out his arms. She collided with him a moment later, her small body moving at full force and nearly sending him flying. Her arms instantly wound around his neck, and he scooped her up, standing and using her momentum to spin them around. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, laughing, and Dylan sighed, feeling his body relax into the familiar sound.
He hadn’t realized how much he missed this until he felt her weight in his arms again, her tiny, warm body pressed against his. He couldn’t tell if she was bigger than he remembered or if that was simply his imagination, but either way, he didn’t care. Lily was here, Lily was with him, and Lily didn’t seem to hold a grudge against him for being away for months. Quite the opposite, in fact. She was talking a mile a minute, filling him in on everything he had missed while he was away. She talked animatedly and quickly, hands gesturing wildly.
It was too much for him to take in, but he smiled and paid attention anyway, feeling some of the ice of his anxiety melt from around his heart.
He glanced up when he saw Blake moving toward them, with his hands in his pockets, and a relaxed smile on his face as he navigated the crowd with easy, slow steps. He watched them fondly, warmth radiating through their bond. The heat rose up the back of Dylan’s neck, settling on his cheeks, and he turned back to Lily to try and hide it. How Blake managed to still make him blush after all these years, Dylan would never know.
“Hey, Blake,” Mason said as Blake reached them, holding out a hand to him.
They clasped forearms and moved into it, pulling each other into a half hug. “Hey, Mason,” He patted the man on the shoulder before pulling away. “Thanks for bringing my husband home in one piece.”
Mason smiled wryly, dropping his bag to the floor and putting his hands in his pockets. “I should be saying that about him. He’s the one who saved my ass this time around.”
“Yeah, he has a tendency to do that.” Blake’s eyes held a fond expression, wrinkling at the edges, as he glanced over at Dylan.
It made Dylan’s heart stutter in his chest. He glanced back at Lily, fixing his gaze there and refusing to let it wander again.
“He’s good at it, too. One of the best on our team. You need to stop knocking him up so he can run with us more.”
Blake laughed at that, unable to contain his grin. “Yeah, no promises on that one.”
At the mention of his pregnancy, Dylan stiffened. Thankfully Lily didn’t seem to notice. Both he and Blake had agreed to wait until they were together before telling her
the news, and now wasn’t the right time. He wasn’t ready. He was starting to think he might never be ready. The thought of his looming pregnancy, and the changes that were slowly starting to take over and alter his body, made his stomach twist unpleasantly. He didn’t want to talk about it, and he didn’t want others to do so, either.
“Alright, come on, little girl,” Mason said, taking a step forward and holding his hands out for Lily. Her rambling stopped as she turned to Mason, confusion coloring her features for only a second before her face lit up again. He made impatient hand motions at Dylan. “Come on, dude, stop hogging the princess.”
“Uncle Mason!” She twisted in Dylan’s grip, reaching out for him.
He grinned, stepping forward to take her out of Dylan’s arms. “Come on, darlin’, why don’t you tell me all about your new school while your dads get gross,” he said, chuckling as she was already in full flow, filling him in on all the details. The two of them stepped a few feet away, giving Dylan and Blake plenty of space.
Dylan turned to his husband, feeling a small smile on his lips and hating how he felt shy. He shouldn’t be feeling that way just because he had spent several months away when he had been married to the man for years. Still, he couldn’t help the fluttering in his chest as Blake stood there, taking a moment to look him over, eyes trailing up and down his body, lingering and appreciative. Dylan could feel the crackle of the heat, of desire, sparking through their bond.
Eventually, Dylan started to feel antsy being in the spotlight like that. It was like an itch beneath his skin. Impatiently, he held out his arms, silently reaching for Blake with a quiet command.