by Kiki Howell
“Oh, dip!” I exclaimed and hurried over to the stand to try the various dips they had. They were the most popular booth because they sold seasonings to make dips with. Their dips were the best anywhere, even from restaurants.
It took me an hour to get through all of the vendors and by the time we were leaving the building, I had several bags full of new things.
“When you make that crab dip, you call me,” Marco ordered me.
I laughed, but nodded my head and said, “You got it.”
“By the time you get to the house, it will all be gone,” Tysen informed him with a devilish smirk.
“I’ll make an extra bowl and hide it,” I promised Marco.
“How many packets of dip did you buy?” Lucas asked.
“Not enough,” I complained, “but Tysen made me stop before I purchased all of their stock.”
“What next?” Kevin asked me.
“Animals! I want to see the baby animals!” I said and tugged on Tysen’s arm.
“Uh oh. You guys were just mated, but she is already focused on babies?” Khaim asked, his eyes bright with mischief.
I felt my eyes widen and stammered, “Nn...no! I am so not ready for babies!”
Tysen laughed and hugged me against his side. “Don’t worry, we won’t talk about that until you are ready, if you ever are.”
I doubted I would ever be ready for children. Children were great to watch, but not to have myself. The barn where the animals were kept was warm, but most of the agriculture groups had fans blowing on the animals to help keep them cool. The instant you entered the barn, you were bombarded with an assortment of scents that overpowered everything else. Hay, manure, animals, and sweat all mixed together into a strange combination that I loved. Tysen didn’t understand it, but there was something about the hay and animals that made me relax. I approached the first row and squatted down to pet the baby pygmy goats. They wiggled their tails and leaned into my scratches.
“I wish we could have a goat,” I whispered as one of the babies butted his forehead against my hand.
“They’d get too worked up every full moon. It would be too stressful for them,” Tysen reminded me.
“Doesn’t mean I can’t still wish for one,” I muttered.
A girl no older than eight years old with pigtail braids held out her hand filled with grain. “You can feed them if you want to,” she offered and indicated an older couple of goats she was sitting near.
I took the grain and smiled. “Thank you.” I squatted down and held out my hand flat, so the goat could get the grain without getting my fingers. The large goat nibbled the grain happily from my hand.
“Is this one yours?” I asked her.
She nodded, her braids swinging as she did. “Yep. I’ve had him since he was born.”
“Did you win any ribbons?”
She shook her head. “Not yet. Showing starts tomorrow.”
“I’m sure you’ll win. He’s the most handsome goat I have ever seen.”
She beamed from my praise and then smiled wider when she saw Tysen. “Alpha Wolf!” she exclaimed happily and walked up to him with her arms out. Tysen picked her up and she hugged him.
I looked at the two in disbelief. There were very few female werewolves and it was very rare to encounter a child.
Lucas walked forward hesitantly, but as soon as the girl saw him, she held out her arms for him to take her. Lucas took her from Tysen and the two stared into each other’s eyes silently.
“What’s going on?” I asked Tysen as softly as I could.
“She’s a werewolf,” Tysen said, stating the obvious.
“I know that. I meant with her and Lucas.”
“They’re talking. Lucas has an ability that lets him talk telepathically with children. He doesn’t get to use it often.”
After several minutes the girl leaned back with a wide smile. “You’re funny!”
Lucas smiled and kissed her forehead. “Be good, Tara.”
Tara leapt out of his arms and walked up to me. “Jess, take care of them.”
I laughed. “I try, Tara, but it’s a full-time job.”
She laughed and then a tall woman with bronze skin walked over to us with a scowl. “What’s going on, Tara?”
“Alpha!” the girl exclaimed and then put her hands over her mouth and her cheeks reddened. “Mama, it’s the Alpha,” she whispered.
The woman stilled and swallowed nervously.
“No need to be worried. My mate likes to see the animals and we just happened to run into Tara. We mean you no harm,” Tysen explained.
Her shoulders relaxed and then she looked at me. “A human? But...you feel like pack.”
“She’s my mate,” Tysen explained.
“And an Omega,” Tara said like I was a goddess.
“How did you know?” I asked her.
She wiggled her fingers at me. “You glow purplish.”
“She’s an empath,” Lucas explained. “She can see auras.”
“Mama, can I visit them sometime?” Tara asked.
“That’s rude,” her mother chastised her.
“Can we talk?” Tysen asked her mom.
She nodded and swallowed, her throat bobbing nervously despite her immediate agreement. Was she just agreeing because he was Alpha? Why would she be nervous? Tysen was not known for being cruel, unless something had changed the past couple of years.
Tysen took her off to the side and talked with her quietly. I tried to use our bond to figure out what was being discussed, but by the end of it the mother was smiling and returned to us. Tysen draped his arm around my shoulders and said, “Well, we have to go, but it was very nice meeting you, Tara.”
Tara jumped up and wrapped her arms around both Tysen and I. “I hope to see you soon.”
Tysen patted her back and said, “We will.”
She beamed with joy, her cheeks reddened again, and then leapt to her mother’s arms.
“Bye,” I said and waved at the pair as we went to the next aisle.
I crooned to some large pigs who were on their sides sleeping.
“What was that about?” Lucas asked Tysen behind me.
“Seems that a small pack of males has been harassing them. Tara’s dad is dead and so it leaves it to Misty to defend them. She’s worried that she won’t be able to keep them away much longer,” Tysen responded angrily.
“What are we going to do?” Marco asked.
“I told her that she could move into one of our duplexes so we could watch after her and Tara. I also told her to give me descriptions of the males so we could find them and have a talk with them.”
Lucas smiled, all of his teeth showing, and I knew exactly what he was thinking without the pack bond. He wanted to tear those males apart.
“So, another female being added to the pack?” I asked as I pet another pig who was drinking from what looked like a giant hamster water tube.
“Jealous?” Kevin asked with a smirk.
I shook my head. “Tysen’s mine, we’re mated, so I have no need to worry.”
“You didn’t have a need to worry before,” Tysen muttered.
I chose to ignore Tysen. “I’m just worried what a single female might do to the pack,” I explained. “I don’t want you guys fighting over her.”
“Dibs,” Lucas said immediately.
“Dammit!” Marco growled.
“What? Seriously? Dibs? This is a woman and her child. You can’t call dibs. She may not even like you,” I snapped at them.
“Babe, they’re teasing you,” Tysen whispered and everyone laughed.
I rolled my eyes at them. “Real mature.”
I stormed down the aisle to the next one and pet some sheep and lambs. I wasn’t really mad at them. I just didn’t like when men acted like women were a piece of meat or something they could ro-sham-bo over.
It was interesting to me that Lucas was the one to show interest. Yes, I knew he was a man and all that, but he was so quiet all the
time. Maybe it was Tara? He did have a soft spot for kids and he and Tara seemed to click instantly.
“I’m hungry,” I complained as we past the birds, the one type of animal I did not care to see.
“What do you want?”
“Everything!” I shouted as we headed towards the vendors selling burgers, rice bowls, deep fried desserts, and everything in between. The smell of deep fried food filled the air. There was the sugar and spice filtering through from various vendors, but the one scent above them all that I could smell was the barbecue.
“I’m going to get a tri-tip sandwich,” Kevin said.
“Oh, that sounds good!” I exclaimed. “I want that too.”
“I’m going to get some burritos,” Tysen said. “Why don’t you go with Kevin while I get my food and we can meet in the center where they have the tables under the netting for some shade?”
I kissed his cheek really quick and then linked arms with Kevin as he, Lucas, Khaim, and I went to get some barbecue.
“Your soul is very bright today,” Lucas commented.
Kevin nodded his head. “It’s healed a lot today.”
I hugged his arm and said, “That’s thanks to you guys. It’s great to be back with everyone.”
“We need more days like this,” Kevin agreed. “Our pack has been separated and not spent much time together.”
“Is that my fault?” I asked softly. It seemed like it had happened right after I broke up with Tysen.
Kevin hugged me and shook his head. “No, not at all. We are like other people, we just got busy with our lives and weren’t making time to be with each other.”
We stood in line and Dave sauntered over. “Well, hello again.”
“Hi, Dave,” I replied with a forced smile.
“Here without your mate? Isn’t that a bit dangerous?” he asked with a smirk.
“Not at all,” I replied before the guys could. “I’m here with my pack and my mate is just a scream away.” I smiled wide at him and squeezed Kevin’s arm where Dave couldn’t see to try to calm him down.
“Well, if you were my mate, I would never let you out of my sight.”
“Which is yet another reason I’m not your mate,” I snapped. I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. I didn’t want to get the guys riled up just because he was making me mad. “It was great seeing you, Dave, but I’m here with my pack and I’d like to be left alone to enjoy my day.”
“I may not be Alpha of everyone, but I’m still an Alpha. You better show some respect,” he snapped.
“She outranks you even though she is a human,” Khaim reminded him. “I suggest you show her some respect.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked Khaim.
“You’re an equal to Tysen, as his mate. Which means that boy-o here is a lower rank than you.”
“Even though I’m an Omega?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yes.”
Well, there was a twist I had not seen coming. I outranked other Alphas.
“One shot at your Alpha and he wouldn’t be leader any longer,” Dave threatened.
I was tired of his mouth. I took a deep breath and pictured a cool wind spreading out from me to Dave to calm him. I had zero idea if it would work and about ten percent belief that it would.
Dave’s shoulders relaxed and he exhaled slowly. “What?” He backed up a few steps and his eyes widened. “What did you do?”
“She’s an Omega,” Lucas reminded him. “It’s her job to calm us down.”
“She shouldn’t be able to touch me,” Dave growled. He was acting tough, but I could see his hands shaking.
“Please leave,” I ordered him.
He turned and fled towards his pack who were eating at a table in the distance.
“Holy shit,” I whispered in disbelief. “I didn’t think it would work.”
“I’m impressed,” Khaim said. “I had no idea an Omega could touch others outside of her pack.”
“That’s going to prove really useful,” Kevin said.
We got to the front of the line and after ordering, stood off to the side to wait for our food.
“So, Khaim, what have you been up to this last year?” I asked.
“Well, I passed the Bar exam,” he said with a smile.
I leapt up and hugged him. “That’s great! Are you opening your own firm?”
He hugged me back and then shook his head. “No, I’m going to work for Tysen. I might in the future, but for now I’m going to work with him and learn the ropes. Just because I passed doesn’t mean that I am ready to go out on my own. There’s so much to learn about running a business.”
“I’m proud of you! This was a dream of yours since you were a kid, right?”
He nodded. “My parents were ecstatic.”
“I bet!” I said and beamed.
“I broke the record for most hot dogs eaten in an hour,” Kevin bragged.
I smiled up at him and patted his arm. “I’m proud of you too.”
“I didn’t kill anyone this year,” Lucas mumbled.
I laughed loudly and hugged him. “That’s quite an accomplishment too. It seems I missed out on a lot of stuff.”
They didn’t reply and I realized it was a touchy subject for them all. Had I hurt them when I’d left Tysen?
Our orders came and we went to meet Tysen and the rest of the pack. I stole a garlic fry from Kevin as we walked and munched on it happily. Tysen waved at us from a table they had saved and I quickly took my seat beside him. He stole one of my fries and I stole one of his chips. That was what life was about, being with the people that I loved and being happy.
I leaned my head against Tysen’s shoulder and he turned his head to kiss the top of mine. “I love you,” I whispered.
“I love you too,” he replied.
There was a stage not too far away and several kids went on stage to participate in a talent show. We ate our food and cheered for the kids. After a second trip for food, the pack decided it was time for dessert. They got two of every type of dessert and everyone shared.
I leaned back and patted my stomach. “Ugh, no more for me. I’m stuffed.”
Tysen leaned in for a kiss right as I yawned. I covered my mouth and then smiled sheepishly. “Sorry.”
“I think it’s time to go home,” Tysen said.
“I could go for a nap,” Khaim agreed.
Chapter Five
I LOVED SLEEPING with Tysen’s arms wrapped around me, his body spooning mine, with our legs intertwined. While we did not stay like that throughout the entire night, it was incredibly relaxing and made me feel loved, to wake up with him holding me like that. He hugged me tightly, making me feel incredibly safe and so warm. Waking up with Tysen made it so that I did not want to get out of bed, which made going to work even more difficult.
“What do you mean she’s not moving in to the duplex now?” I asked Tysen as we lay on the bed cuddling. We had just talked to Tara and Misty about moving in two days ago and now they were already backing out? Was she scared that our males would hurt her or Tara? I had actually really been looking forward to spending time with Tara.
“It seems that Lucas has been spending some time with them, ensuring they were safe, and he and Misty hit it off,” he explained.
“He did call dibs,” I said with a laugh.
“Plus, no other male has been as good with Tara as him, that’s what Misty said anyway.”
“Well, I hope it works out for them because that girl is too sweet to have anything bad happen to her. Did you find the males yet?”
He shook his head. “No, but Lucas may have scared them off. We are contemplating having him leave and making it look like they broke up so they come back. At the same time, I don’t want to endanger them unnecessarily.”
“Do you think they would really hurt them?” I asked softly.
He pulled me into a hug and whispered, “There are a lot of bad people out there who do things I would never expect anyone capable of. I am w
orried they will hurt them.”
I burrowed into his chest and said, “We can’t let them hurt Tara.”
“I know,” he agreed. “I think Lucas being there is the best defense they have. He is one of our strongest fighters.”
“I just hope he doesn’t get hurt,” I replied. I didn’t just mean physically either. He had a tough outer shell, but he was a softy inside and he deserved to be happy. I was still worried that Tara might get hurt. Here she would be safe and I wanted that for her and for her mother.
“Did the guys tell you that I used my Omega powers on Dave at the fair?” I asked him. I had forgotten to talk to him about it, but had assumed the guys had.
“What!” he yelled and pulled away from me. He grabbed my shoulder and pulled it backwards and down so I was lying on my back and looking at him.
“During the fair when we were getting food, he approached us and was trying to start a fight. I was able to calm him. I don’t really know how I did it, I just visualized a calming wind blowing into him and it worked.”
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” he growled. “This is important news.”
“Why is it important news? And I assumed one of the guys would have told you.”
“Why? Because now he knows that you can affect other werewolves. You are human. This could be bad.”
“You are freaking out for nothing. All I can do is calm people. It’s not like I can kill you guys.”
He rolled his eyes at me and plopped back down on the bed. “You are such a handful.”
I pinched his side and said, “I could say the same for you.”
“So, what are we going to do tonight?” he asked and kissed the side of my neck. “The pack members are all busy elsewhere and we have the entire house to ourselves.”
“We could go on a date?” I suggested despite enjoying the idea he was suggesting with the long kisses on my neck.
He pulled back from kissing me and asked, “A date?”
I nodded. “Food and a movie.”
“You want to go on a date with me?”
“Just because we are mated now doesn’t mean that you get to stop taking me on dates,” I grumbled.
He chuckled and wrapped me up in a tight hug. “I would love to go on a date with you. We should make it a monthly, or weekly, event.”
