Alpha's Solace

by Hawke Oakley

  I listened in silence, but rage bubbled up inside my chest like a volcano preparing to erupt. It was abhorrent to me to hear about some grown alphas harassing a lone omega. An anger I’d never known before gripped me. I’d only felt something similar before when we found Hector, a Scarlet Ridge alpha, trespassing on our lands to try and steal Charlie away from us. As Mason told me his story, I wish I’d been there to knock some skulls in.

  He sighed. I noticed now that he seemed less tense, like recalling the event to somebody eased a weight off his shoulders.

  “I’m so stupid,” he mumbled. “Nothing even happened to me. I just got so scared over nothing. I’m pathetic.”

  I growled. “No, you’re not. You were just trying to defend yourself and your pup. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

  “Worse things have happened to other omegas,” he muttered. “And they get through it just fine. Like that Charlie guy. He had Gunner going crazy looking for him. Hell, he even sent that alpha to trespass here and try to kidnap him. And look at Charlie - he’s still kind and generous. Nothing like that’s happened to me. I’m just some random omega nobody cares about. I don’t even see anyone chasing after me.”

  “That’s enough,” I said, my tone gentle but firm. “You’re wrong when you say nobody cares about you.”

  Mason slowly turned to look me in the eyes.

  “I care about you,” I told him. “Charlie and Flint do, too. And in this pack, we’re all a family. I told you that. I bet Shadow cares for you, too, even though he only met you for two minutes.”

  He lowered his gaze. “Thanks.”

  “I mean it,” I growled affectionately. “I’m not just blowing steam.”

  A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “I’ve never heard that before. Who says that?”

  I grinned. “I do.”

  “You’re funny, Jericho,” he mumbled. “But… I guess I’m glad that you’re the one who found me in that trap.”

  I smiled at him. “I’m glad I set the trap and caught you in it, then. Well, even though it wasn’t exactly intended for you specifically. Oh - and by the way? If any Scarlet Ridge idiots do come here looking for you, don’t doubt the fact that we’d all rip them to shreds for you.”

  Mason blinked in surprise. “You’d really fight them?”

  “Of course.” I puffed up my chest. “I know I don’t look like much, but I’m scrappy. I’ll tear off some Scarlet Ridge alpha faces, just for you.”

  Mason chuckled, and my chest felt warm.

  “Thanks,” he said. “Although, to be honest, I don’t think it’s ever gonna happen. But I appreciate the thought anyway.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Mason sighed, less heavy than before. “Sorry for making a scene.”

  “No worries. You’re fine,” I told him as we both stood from the bench. “Do you wanna head back to the house, or are you okay to continue?”

  He shook his head. “I’m okay. I might be a pregnant omega, but I’m not that sensitive.”

  I let Mason take the lead. Down the street, we passed the movie theatre and a few other boutique stores. I noticed there was more of a sparkle in his eyes this time. I’m just glad he was in a better mood than before. It was good of him to tell his problems to somebody instead of just bottling them up.

  Suddenly Mason stopped. He peered up at the storefront - only this place wasn’t a store. It was the pack community kitchen.

  “What’s this place?” Mason asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

  “It’s sort of like a food bank for the pack,” I explained. “Basically, everyone pitches in to donate food, if they can. Me and Flint are part of a hunting guild, so we donate meat, for example. It’s mostly for new alpha and omega couples who are raising a family, but everyone’s welcome to partake. No one goes hungry in this pack.”

  Mason stared at the building in awe, as if he was seeing a unicorn or something.

  “That’s… amazing,” he said slowly.

  It had never struck me as strange before. I’d always taken the food bank for granted, since it had always been here since I was a pup, and because I even donated food to it myself. But I realized they probably didn’t have anything like it in Scarlet Ridge.

  “Can we go inside?” Mason asked, like a pup asking if they could go inside a candy store.

  “Sure.”

  Inside the building were long rows of wooden tables with bench-style seating. At the back and sides were counters with both fresh and packaged foods behind them. Some folks were sitting in the middle, enjoying a meal, and others were lining up at the counters to take home something for their family.

  Mason stared around in awe. “I’ve never seen anything like this.” He looked towards one of the counters. A young omega was asking the shifter who worked there about various food items, gesturing and pointing to the ones he wanted. A moment later, the employee brought them out from the freezer and handed them to him in a large sturdy bag. I noticed one of the foods was a hunk of venison wrapped neatly in butcher paper.

  “I think that was from last week’s hunt,” I told Mason, nodding at the meat currently exchanging hands. “Real big boy. Took all of us to finally battle it to the ground and give that killing bite.”

  “You caught that?” he asked.

  “Sure did. Me and the guys from the hunting guild.”

  “I’m impressed,” he said. “It looks like it was a big animal.”

  “Huge buck,” I confirmed. “I think I mentioned this before, but if you ever want to come with us and hunt, we’d all be happy to have you.”

  He nodded. “I’ll think about it.”

  We walked around a bit more as Mason took it all in. This was the most excited I’d ever seen him. He examined everything - the tables, the counters, the menu, the items on the menu. Finally he turned to me with a cautiously optimistic expression.

  “Hey, Jericho,” he began. “Do you think… they’d let someone like me work here?”

  “Someone like you?” I asked.

  He shuffled his feet uncomfortably. “An omega. From a different pack.”

  “Well, why don’t we go ask?” I offered with a grin.

  Mason shyly walked behind me as I strode up to the counter. A woman - a beta shifter, judging by scent - stood there with a smile.

  “Hey, guys,” she said. “How can I help you?”

  I spoke quickly before she had time to make an assumption about Mason and I’s relationship, since I knew that bothered him.

  “I’m looking for information about working here for my friend,” I said, gesturing to Mason beside me. “He’s a newcomer to the pack.”

  “That’s not a problem,” she said, turning to Mason. “You’re the friend, I presume?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “I’m Mason.”

  He extended a hand, which she shook. That seemed to ease Mason’s anxiety a little.

  “I’m Beth. I’m actually from a different pack, too. I came here a few years ago,” she said with a smile. “So you’re looking for a job here?”

  He raised his chin, looking a bit more proud. Although Beth still outranked him as a beta, he seemed to have an easier time speaking to her than with an alpha male - especially since she was similar to him in the sense that they were both once outsiders here. It would be good for him to have a friend who wasn’t originally from Indigo Mountain, I thought. I wondered which pack Beth came from, but I didn’t know her well enough to ask, and I didn’t want to interrupt their conversation.

  “Yes,” he confirmed.

  “Well, we’re always looking for new people!” she said. “The food bank gets new families to feed every day, and we also supply food to the grocery stores, so we always have a ton of work to do. You’re welcome to join us. It’s actually lucky for us that you asked right now, because with all the new couples and pups popping up, we’re a bit understaffed.” She chuckled and lifted the divider on the counter. “Here, come on through. If you have time, we can start training
right away!”

  Mason gazed from Beth to me with wide eyes, as if he couldn’t believe this was happening so fast. “Um - okay.” He shuffled through to the other side.

  Beth reached underneath the counter and pulled out a fresh white apron before handing it to Mason. “Here you go! We’re allowed to wear anything we want under it, but this is our ‘work uniform’, I guess.”

  Mason slipped it over his head. I grinned. He already looked like he belonged here. And he did look pretty good in the apron, too, I had to admit.

  “So, do y’all get paid here?” I asked, leaning on the counter.

  Beth laughed. “We actually get asked that all the time. The food bank is funded by the pack, so yes, we do actually get paid.”

  I had the feeling Mason would want to work here even if it was just a volunteer position, but hearing that he’d actually get money for it made his face light up.

  “Wait… There is one thing,” Mason began cautiously. “Is it okay that I’m… pregnant?”

  Beth almost started laughing. “It’s fine. You wouldn’t be the first pregnant omega to ever work here. Just let us know when you’re close to your due date so we can arrange shifts, okay?”

  Mason nodded, relieved. “Okay.”

  “Come on!” Beth said to Mason. “I’ll show you around the place.”

  A tiny smile tugged at Mason’s lips. His eyes shone. I’d never seen him so happy.

  “Do you mind if I - ?” he asked me, gesturing to Beth.

  “Go for it,” I said with a grin. “I’ll be waiting for ya outside.”

  He nodded quickly before following Beth as she toured him around the building. I had the feeling it would take a while, so I grabbed an ice cream cone from a nearby store before sitting on the bench outside. It was late afternoon when Mason finally got out. He looked haggard and exhausted, but he was beaming. Joy radiated off his whole being. I grinned up at him.

  “Ready to go home?” I asked.

  He nodded. “Yeah.”

  “So? How was it?”

  Mason sighed contentedly. “It was… awesome.”

  Chapter 5: Mason

  I was two weeks into my new job when the illness hit.

  In the beginning, it wasn’t so bad. I would spend a few minutes hunched over the toilet, then forget about it and go on with the rest of my day. I didn’t want Jericho knowing I was sick, so I kept it as quiet as possible. He didn’t notice. I just assumed it was related to my pregnancy, like morning sickness or something, and would go away in time. I could bear with it until then.

  But that was before the pain exploded.

  This time, I woke from a deep sleep in a sweat. Stabbing pain wracked my whole body like a sword was being driven through my stomach. I knew I would be late for work, but I couldn’t move. I collapsed on the floor, halfway from the bed as I attempted to crawl to the bathroom.

  I cried out. A moment later Jericho’s footsteps hurried up the stairs and he burst into the bedroom, eyes wide in shock.

  “Mason?” he asked, panic across his face. “What’s wrong?”

  “Everything hurts,” I whimpered, curling into myself. I could barely speak.

  He put a hand on my back and rubbed in soothing circles. “Come on. I’ll carry you to the bathroom.”

  He gently scooped me up and laid me down in a kneeling position in the bathroom a moment later. Nausea and pain wracked my body. I doubled over the toilet and spilled my guts. Jericho stayed with me the whole time, holding back my hair and rubbing my lower back soothingly. When I finally felt like I couldn’t empty my stomach anymore, I leaned back. Jericho already had a wet paper towel ready, and he wiped the corners of my mouth. He was frowning and his expression was etched with concern.

  “Do you feel better?” he asked.

  I leaned, dizzy, on the side of the tub. Sweat rolled down my temple. “I don’t know,” I said, breathless. “I think so. I don’t think... I’m going to throw up again. Not soon, anyway.”

  Jericho reached out to hold my hand. Then I realized he had been touching me this whole time, and that I didn’t hate it.

  Although I didn’t have much time to dwell on that though before another sudden wave of nausea hit me and I doubled over the toilet again.

  “Okay,” I said, leaning back after it was done and wiping my mouth off again. “That was for sure the last time.”

  “Take your time,” Jericho said. His thumb rubbed the back of my hand.

  “I’m going to be late for work,” I groaned.

  He frowned. “I don’t think you should go in today. You look awful. No offense.”

  “I feel awful,” I mumbled. “But I can’t just leave them…”

  I thought about all the families and single shifters in need of a meal. In the past two weeks, my work had become a passion. Not being able to show up for my shift made me incredibly upset.

  “Look,” he said. “You can’t help anyone if you don’t help yourself first.”

  “But - “

  “No buts. Look, you’re totally pale and sweating buckets. You’re not going anywhere today,” he said firmly.

  I wanted to argue, but a wave of exhaustion hit me and I sighed. “I know you’re right,” I mumbled. “It just sucks admitting I can’t do the things I want to right now.”

  “I know,” he soothed. “Soon you’ll be back on your feet before you know it. Besides, the morning sickness is actually a good thing.”

  I raised a brow and half-glared at him. What part of throwing up and feeling generally like shit was good? “Really?”

  He smiled. “It just means your pup is growing.”

  My face softened. “I guess you’re right about that, too. Again.”

  My pup - they were the entire reason I was going through all of this. If I didn’t have a pup to worry about, I never would’ve gone with Jericho and let myself live with him. I probably would’ve ran and ran, and ended up some place completely different. I wondered what kind of life I would be living right now if I hadn’t gotten caught in that trap...

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “No, nothing.”

  “Pain again?”

  I paused for a moment then nodded slightly. “Yeah, that’s it.”

  I knew I was still lying to him, but I couldn’t stop now. I was in too deep. Once this pup was born, I could leave this place and never look back...

  “Come. I’ll carry you back into bed,” he said. He scooped me up again. My skin was hot, but I was also shivering - classic symptoms of being sick. Gently, he placed me back into bed and pulled the covers over me. I wondered if Jericho noticed that after almost a month of living here, his bed smelled more like me than it did like him. I wondered if he cared.

  “Stay here,” he said softly.

  “Where are you going?” Imumbled.

  “Just getting some stuff to make you feel better,” he explained. “I’ll be back in a minute. Call if you need me.”

  “Okay…”

  On a tray, he assembled a cup of plain black tea, soda crackers, and ginger ale and put it on the bedside table. Then he offered me a nice hot water bottle.

  “It’ll feel better if you put it on your tummy,” he said.

  I took it and pressed it against my lower stomach. It was warm, and the sensation of pressure was pleasant. “That does feel nice.” I glanced sadly at the tray beside me. “I don’t know if I feel well enough to eat any of those crackers, though…”

  “That’s okay. They’re there in case you do want them eventually. There’s tea and ginger ale, too.”

  I nestled back in the pillow. My forehead glistened with sweat and my eyes must have been bloodshot. I probably looked disgusting. As Jericho stood over me with a warm expression, I wondered if any alpha in my old pack would have ever gone out of his way to take care of me like this.

  Probably not.

  As much as I hated alphas, I had to admit Jericho was… different. He didn’t act like an alpha - at least, not th
e kind of alpha I was used to. He wasn’t pushy or bossy or rude. He actually listened to me and took care of my needs. He helped out his pack, donated food for other families, and thought of his packmates as brothers and sisters. He truly was one of a kind.

  I caught myself staring at him and quickly wrenched my gaze away.

  Hopefully he didn’t notice.

  He sat down carefully at the edge of the bed. “How do you feel now?” he asked.

  I nodded my head from side to side. “A bit better. Not enough to stand, or do anything useful, though.”

  He chuckled. “You don’t need to be useful all the time. You’re useful just laying here and recovering.”

  “That doesn’t even make any sense,” I mumbled, but I was smiling.

  “Do you want me to bring you a book, or a game or something?” he offered.

  “I kind of just want to go back to sleep, I think…”

  Jericho nodded. “Fair enough. You need your rest.” He got up and moved the blanket, tucking me in like one would tuck in a child. “There. I’ll leave the stuff on the bedside table, just in case you wake up and want to eat or drink.”

  “Okay.”

  He shot me a sympathetic glance. “Do you want me to stay on this floor, just in case you need me again?”

  “No, it’s okay,” I mumbled. “I don’t think I’ll be sick again soon… I’m just gonna sleep.”

  He nodded. “Okay. Call if you need me.”

  “I will,” I promised. “Um… That reminds me. Can you call the food bank and tell them I won’t be able to come in today?”

  “You got it. Sleep well.” Jericho gave me one last big smile before he left the room.

  I laid there in bed, already feeling myself drift off.

  ****

  Jericho continued to take care of me like this for the next few days. Work had given me plenty of time off, since nobody knew when my sickness would hit next time. They were surprisingly accommodating of my pregnancy, which I appreciated.

  The morning sickness eased, much to my relief. I was tired of spending hours in front of the toilet. But now a different ailment plagued me. I was tired and sore all the time, and could barely walk downstairs without getting fatigued.