by Hawke Oakley
“Mornin’,” he said with juice dripping down his face. He quickly wiped it off and shot me a grin. “Sleep well?”
“Yeah,” I said, still feeling a bit embarrassed. “Wait… If I was in the bed, where did you sleep last night?
Jericho shrugged. “The couch.”
A twinge of sympathy ran through me. I didn’t mean to make the guy sleep on the couch.
“Sorry,” I said, lowering my eyes. “I must’ve been really tired. Once I passed out, I didn’t wake up once.”
“Don’t sweat it,” Jericho said. He gestured to the seat across from him. “Go on and sit down. I’ll grab you some grub.”
I sat. Moments later, Jericho threw just about everything from the fridge onto the table. I snuck a peach and sank my teeth into it, enjoying the sweet, juicy flesh. Once again, I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I actually ate something - I guess I did just sleep for 12 hours straight. Plus, I had a baby growing inside me. It was natural I’d be so hungry all the time.
I wolfed down a bunch of fruit before eating some buttered toast with jam.
“I swear, that baby’s gonna be a big one,” Jericho said. The corner of his mouth quirked upwards. “We’re gonna have to go hunting a lot to keep up with it.”
I swallowed the toast. “You go hunting?” I asked.
“Sure do. You ever go?”
I paused. “No, not really. Omegas aren’t allowed to hunt in Scarlet Ridge.”
Jericho frowned. “The more I hear about this place, the more I wish someone’d blow it up.”
I chuckled despite myself. That made Jericho smile.
“Seriously, though, I’ll take you out sometime if you want,” he offered. “Letting your wolf out to run free, hunting in the forest with the wind in your fur… Nothing beats that. It’s just criminal that you weren’t allowed to do that on your own.”
I shrugged and continued eating in silence. I’d never thought of it that way before. My whole life, it was just another thing I was forbidden from doing. I wondered how much different my life would’ve been if I had been born an alpha instead.
“Anyway, when you’re done eating - and take your time, don’t feel like you gotta rush - we’re going to go visit a few friends of mine,” he said.
I raised an eyebrow.
Somehow I had the feeling it was going to be a long day.
***
“So, where exactly are you taking me?”
There was a sarcastic edge to my voice, because we’d passed the main road and seemed to be heading out of town. Did his friends live in the forest or something?
“You’ll see it soon enough,” he reassured me. Within a few minutes of walking, he gestured up ahead. Then I saw what he was pointing at - a log cabin sitting atop a hill.
We stopped on the doorstep - there was a cute doormat that read Wipe Your Paws! - and Jericho knocked. Instantly a flurry of noise sounded on the other end of the door. A moment later, two adults and and a young pup greeted us. There was another pup - just a baby - cradled in the parent’s arms.
“Hey, Flint. Charlie,” Jericho greeted with a nod. Then he kneeled down and ruffled a little girl’s hair. “And, of course, my favorite - Casey.”
The little girl beamed. My heart flickered with warmth.
“And I didn’t forget little James, either,” he said, standing up again to coo at the young baby. The person holding it must have been the omega, I realized.
“Who’s this, Jericho?” a gruff voice asked. It belonged to the man with dark auburn hair - he must have been the alpha.
“This is Mason,” Jericho said. “Mason, this is Flint.”
“Good to meet you. I don’t know you, do I?” Flint held out a hand, but I was reluctant to take it. I just didn’t like touching alphas - especially ones I didn’t know.
“He’s, uh, from Scarlet Ridge pack,” Jericho explained.
Instantly both their eyes flashed with understanding. Flint withdrew his hand, which I appreciated. I guess he knew that I’d have some baggage coming from Scarlet Ridge.
“Scarlet Ridge?” the omega said. Something about his tone made me look sharply at him. Then I knew exactly who he was.
“You’re the omega who escaped,” I said to him.
“Charlie, I was hoping you could talk to Mason for a bit,” Jericho interjected before things got more heated. “Since you guys were from the same pack originally and all.”
I stared at the omega, Charlie. I couldn't believe I was standing right in front of the omega who started it all - the horrible, snowballing effect of how omegas were being treated at Scarlet Ridge pack. Part of me knew I shouldn’t be angry with him, and that it wasn’t his fault - he was only trying to save himself and his family, just like I would have - but at the same time, he represented more than that. He was the reason I’d had to wear a humiliating shock collar for the past five months. He was the reason omegas at Scarlet Ridge kept having more and more rights taken away from them.
“Mason?”
Jericho’s voice jarred me out of my thoughts. I shook my head and headed inside, where the rest of them were already waiting.
I forced myself to behave, since Flint and Charlie were treating me hospitably. They filled the table with delicious foods, just like Jericho did for me earlier. Even though I ate recently, I found myself hungry again, and appreciative of this miniature feast.
“So…” Jericho looked around the table. An awkward silence hung in the air. Somehow I felt like this friendly meet-and-greet wasn’t going exactly the way Jericho planned.
“You’re from the bad place,” Casey said suddenly, looking me dead in the eye. There was no malice in her words. Her expression was a mix of awe and respect.
“I am,” I said.
She nodded. Her expression was bright and serious. She seemed wise beyond her years. “We were from the bad place, too. But we live here now.”
My eyes flickered from Casey to Charlie to the tiny baby cradled in his arms.
“Has much changed since I left?” Charlie asked slowly.
“It’s gotten worse,” I said bluntly. “After losing you, Gunner implemented shock collars on all the omegas. They’d zap us if we set one foot out of bounds.”
Charlie gasped, then his expression filled with sadness. “I didn’t know… I didn’t want this for anyone.”
Flint put a firm arm around his shoulders and pulled him close. “It’s not your fault, Charlie. You didn’t know this would happen.”
“Still…” He looked up at me, his eyes watery with sympathy. “I’m so sorry that happened to you, Mason. You don’t deserve that. None of us do.”
I knew by us he meant omegas. But as I sat there, I felt my skin prickle. I didn’t want to be lumped in with Charlie. We were totally different. He was an omega who decided to settle down with the first alpha he found, from the looks of it. He had this picture perfect life, with an alpha on one arm and a baby in the other. Charlie seemed like a nice guy, really - but this wasn’t the life I wanted.
“It’s okay now,” Jericho said. His green eyes were gentle. “You’re free from that place, and you don’t ever have to go back.”
“That’s right,” Flint grunted. “Indigo Mountain is very welcoming of outsiders. We learned that when Charlie settled here. I’m sure you’ll be treated with the same respect.”
I forced myself not to flinch at his words. Why did he automatically assume I would be staying here? Typical boneheaded alpha.
“Thanks,” I forced myself to say.
Charlie smiled at me. “In any case, you’re safe here now. Scarlet Ridge hasn’t tried to launch an attack on us for a long time, and we have measures to make sure they won’t ever try it again.”
“That’s what you landed in, by the way,” Jericho said to me.
“The trap?”
“Yup.” He grinned. “And as you can see, it’s pretty effective.”
I grumbled. I didn’t want the whole pack knowing about how I’d gotten stuck hum
iliatingly in an animal trap, but thankfully none of them pressed the issue any further.
“So, do you have any ideas of what you want to do here?” Charlie asked.
Truthfully, I hadn’t at all, considering I had no desire to stay in this place. But I quickly realized that I had to make something up if I was going to keep up this charade.
“I, er, want to get some kind of job, I guess,” I said. “Since I wasn’t allowed to have one at Scarlet Ridge.”
I didn’t really care for the sympathy that flashed across their expressions. For some reason, being treated like a victim was really irritating me. I wanted to get out of here and back to Jericho’s place, if only for some peace and quiet.
Charlie nodded. “I’m sure you can easily find work somewhere in town.”
“We can help you out, if you want,” Flint offered.
“Thanks,” I said. “I’ll probably lay low for a few days and get my bearings before looking for a job, but I’d appreciate that.”
After some more awkward but friendly chatter, Jericho finally decided to leave. Although Flint and Charlie were nice enough, I felt strangely out of place. I appreciated their help, but my situation wasn’t anything like Charlie’s - I didn’t want to live the rest of my life here after getting knocked up by some alpha. Besides, I already was knocked up.
As we made our way back to his house, my mind was a mess of anxious thoughts.
What was I going to do in this pack until my baby was born?
And how long could I keep up this facade?
Chapter 4: Jericho
I could tell Mason was a bit agitated, so I tried to leave him alone for a while. I didn’t want to bother him by asking what was on his mind, especially since I didn’t think he would tell me the truth anyway. I decided to try a different approach.
“So,” I said, plopping down at the table while Mason ate lunch. I reached into the well-stocked snack bowl in the middle of the table and popped a pretzel into my mouth. “This job thing. What kind of work were you thinking about?”
Mason shrugged, not taking his eyes off the food that he was currently shoveling into his maw. After swallowing, he said, “I dunno. I haven’t really thought about it. This is the first time in my life I’m actually allowed to have a job.”
That annoyed me so much. I couldn’t believe how ass backwards Scarlet Ridge pack was from everything I’d heard about it. But I didn’t want to let my negativity show on my face - I forced myself to keep a smile.
“That’s okay. We can look for one together.”
Unfortunately, Mason didn’t look thrilled about my suggestion. He didn’t refuse my offer, though, and once we were done having lunch, we headed out into town.
A few pack members must have noticed Mason wasn’t a familiar face, because a few of them turned to stare curiously. But every time someone did that, Mason grew increasingly agitated. I tried to walk a little faster to get past them. Mason kept stride with me.
“Why’s everyone staring at me?” he muttered.
“You probably still have a hint of that Scarlet Ridge smell,” I said. “It’ll fade soon enough.”
He didn’t look pleased about that, but he didn’t say anything. We walked on and I let Mason set the pace. He stopped every once in a while to look at the storefronts, then shook his head and kept moving.
“What about the ice cream place?” I said as we passed it. I was half-hoping Mason would relent and we could go in for a quick bite, but he looked the storefront up and down before shaking his head again. I sighed. “Maybe we should’ve left the house with a game plan.”
Mason prickled. “Sorry. I don’t know this pack very well, if you recall.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled, scratching the back of my head. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
We had left the main road and were now exploring the entertainment district - or at least, that’s what everyone called it. There was a movie theatre - humans had come in to build that one - and a club for lonely alphas and omegas.
“Wanna take a look at the theatre?” I offered.
Mason shrugged. “Sure.”
But to get to the theatre, we had to pass by the front of the club. Even though it was midday, a low beat still thrummed from inside its walls. There was no downtime for shifters in search of a mate, I guessed. I briefly toyed with the idea of going there later by myself. I was a lone alpha, after all. But then I remembered Mason was staying with me right now, and it probably wouldn’t be the best idea to bring some random omega home. I wrote off that idea for now.
As we passed the front, the alpha bouncer protecting the door stepped out of position and cut off our path. With curiously raised brows, he looked down at Mason.
“Well, I’ve never seen you around before,” he said. “What’s your name, little omega?”
“None of your damn business,” Mason snapped.
The alpha’s eyes widened.
I recognized him now. He was a guy named Shadow. He put up his palms to show he wasn’t a threat. “Whoa, now. Fiesty little guy, aren’t you?”
Mason glared at him. Then I noticed something else. It was minute, and probably only noticeable to me because I’d spent time with Mason, but a slight sour tinge of fear radiated off of him. He wasn’t just angry - he was afraid.
“Shadow, hey,” I said. “I don’t know if you remember me. Jericho? I’m part of the hunting guild.”
He paused for a moment, and then a big grin spread over his face. “Jericho! My man! I haven’t seen you in ages.” Suddenly he gasped. “Oh, man, this isn’t your mate, is he?”
Mason’s jaw dropped. Even though I didn’t say anything, I flinched anyway. He looked angrier than I’d ever seen him. I knew I had to diffuse this situation, and fast.
“No, no,” I said quickly. “He’s definitely not my mate. Just a - “ I paused. “A friend.”
I wasn’t even sure if we were friends, to be honest, but right now it was better than nothing.
“Oh,” Shadow said before turning back to Mason. “Then how come I’ve never seen you around before?”
I gave Mason a quick glance. I didn’t know if he wanted me to explain it, or if he wanted to speak for himself. But right now he looked too upset to speak. I wondered why such a small encounter with Shadow had agitated him so badly. I decided to take the heat off him and explain.
“He’s from Scarlet Ridge pack,” I told Shadow. “He escaped a while ago and he’s staying with me to recuperate.”
“Ohh.” Shadow nodded. “Good for you, man.” He squinted and murmured, “You sure you’re not together? I’ve never heard of an alpha and omega living together if there wasn’t anything - “
“We’re not together,” Mason snapped. “And by the way, I’m already pregnant, so none of you alphas have any use for me anyway.”
Before Shadow or I could react, Mason stormed away.
“I gotta run,” I told Shadow quickly before chasing after him. I caught up to Mason. He was trudging down the street, now far away from the club.
“Easy,” I said gently, putting a hand on his shoulder. But he instantly shrugged it off.
“Don’t touch me.”
I retracted my hand like I’d been burned. Mason glared at me, then turned and continued storming away. I caught up with him again, more carefully this time.
“Mason, wait,” I said. “Please wait.”
He stopped but irritation came off of him in waves. He didn’t even turn to look at me this time.
“I’m sorry,” I said softly. “Can you tell me what’s bothering you?”
Mason was silent. His face was taut, almost like he was trying not to cry. Finally he let out a shaky exhale. “Everything,” he mumbled.
We walked to a nearby bench and sat down. Mason stared at the ground. I waited for him to start. I didn’t want to push him anymore than I already had.
“I’m sorry I snapped at you,” Mason mumbled, still not looking at me.
“Nah, it’s okay,” I said. “I
should’ve known not to do that. I’m just too touchy-feely for my own good.”
Mason offered a tiny smile of appreciation. He sighed. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Nobody in this pack has been rude or aggressive to me, but I still feel afraid. Like something bad could happen to me at any moment.”
I frowned. “That’s because you spent your whole life thinking it could.”
“I know. I guess it’s still second nature to me. I still don’t like it when people just assume we’re together just because we’re an alpha and omega walking down the street, though.”
“I hear you,” I said. “To be honest, I think us shifters have pretty one-track minds.”
He smiled. “Yeah, we do.” He sighed again, and I noticed it was less shaky this time. He smoothed his hair back. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to cause a whole scene. And I was kind of a jerk to your friend, too.”
“Who, Shadow? He’s a big boy. He’s fine. Don’t worry about him.”
Mason’s eyes were still glazed over, like he was deep in thought. I stayed quiet and let him take his time.
“When he jumped out in front of us like that, it really startled me,” Mason began. “Something similar happened to me just before I escaped from Scarlet Ridge and I guess it triggered something in me. Like a fight or flight response.”
My brow furrowed in sympathy. “What happened? If you don’t mind me asking, I mean.”
He shot me a sarcastic smile. “Well, I’m already telling you the story, aren’t I?” The smile faded. “Well… when I found out I was officially pregnant, I went out to grab a snack. It was late, but still not past curfew.”
My eyes widened in surprise at the idea of there being a curfew for adults, but I didn’t interrupt.
“At the store, I ran into a couple of alphas. They cut me off and started… harassing me. They were so big and strong, kind of like Shadow. I tried to talk my way out of it, but they just made a big fucking scene. They threw their drink on my shirt and that was when I panicked. I didn’t know what else they would do to me, so I did the only thing I could do - I ran away.”
