I'd been looking at the woman, but it was the man who answered my question. "We're fine. Thank you." His voice was stiff as if he was uncomfortable being there. It was something I was used to seeing from Abraham's wolves. None of them seemed to like him, much less be comfortable around him.
"I'll take you to him then." I turned and led the way through the living room to the French doors that opened onto the patio.
Abraham was there, resting in a chaise. He briefly glanced at me, then pointed off to the side before standing to greet them. I knew to stay nearby but not to interfere in his business or get in the way. I was simply there to get drinks if anyone wanted one.
"Thomas, Helena, good to see you two," Abraham said. He gestured to nearby chaises and they all sat. Then Abraham turned to me. "Owen, tea and muffins for us all. Now."
I nodded and quickly left them. My previous alpha would have demanded a "yes, sir" after every order but Abraham didn't want to waste time with such things. He gave his orders and I followed them as quickly as I could. That was my place in the pack as the omega.
In the kitchen I had a supply of muffins waiting. Most of the pack liked them and Abraham did especially. I'd been told to have at least three different kinds ready at any different time. I warmed up two of each and brought them out with some butter and a cup of tea for each of them. There was a low table beside Abraham's chaise and I placed the tray there. The others would have to come to him to get their snacks, which was fine. Making him move would have been unacceptable.
Once my task was done I stood off the side again, ready for my next order.
"These are really good," Thomas told me. He'd tried the orange cranberry one first. I gave him a nod in thanks.
Abraham took his tea but ignored the muffins for now. I knew his sweet tooth would get the better of him eventually. "How is your child doing?"
I caught the tightness of Helena's expression, and the way she pulled back slightly even though she'd been going for a muffin. She had been eyeing the lemon blueberry ones. "He's fine," she quietly said.
Abraham nodded. "James, Jeremy..."
"Jonathan." Thomas looked a little annoyed, but he hid it well. If I hadn't been paying attention to him I wouldn't have noticed his expression change at all.
I went to get them napkins, which I'd forgotten about unfortunately, and when I came back Abraham was sitting up. I gave him his first.
"He's a year old now, isn't he?" Abraham continued.
I liked children and I wanted to tell them both what a good age that was and how children were discovering so much then, but I knew better than to open my mouth and add my opinion where it wasn't wanted.
Thomas offered Helena his hand, and I saw her hesitate before lacing her fingers with us. They must not have had a happy mating, which was unfortunate. "He is," Thomas confirmed for Abraham, who quickly nodded.
"Then I believe, Helena, that you are recovered enough to have another. After all, what is a good mother like you to do except take care of your children?" He sipped his tea and because I was still watching Thomas, I caught the lifting of his lip before he hid it again.
Thomas spoke for them both, though I could tell Helena wasn't enthralled with the idea either. She'd already begun to pull back from him at just the mention of another child. "Sir, Jonathan is quite a bit of work and even though we have my sister living with us to help take care of him, I'm not sure that even the three of us would be enough to be able to handle having another child. Perhaps when Jonathan is older we could revisit this idea. I'm sure we'd all be much better able to care for a second child then. If we waited long enough Jonathan could even help care for his younger sibling."
I thought it was a reasonable idea, but clearly Abraham was having none of it as he shook his head. Then he snapped his fingers, summoning me forward. "You'll have another. Now. I'll send my new omega home with you," Abraham said, startling the three of us. I had no place to argue with him, but Thomas could have spoken up. It was clear that he wanted to. In the end though he only nodded, accepting that I would become an instant addition to their little family.
Thomas lowered his head. "Thank you, Abraham. You are most generous." It sounded like he was barely able to get the words out through his anger. Helena said nothing.
Abraham just smiled. "Yes, an omega to care for your children is a valuable gift and I expect my gift to be well taken care of and appreciated. There is one more thing as well. On the matter of your sister, Thomas. Lily will be mated to a new wolf. He's a transfer from another pack. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that. It's for her own good. She'll have forty-eight hours to pack her things and then you will bring her here to me."
I didn't miss Thomas's anger. He was quick to look away, but his expression was clear. I thought a mating would have been what Thomas would want for his sister, but it clearly wasn't. And it was even more obvious that Abraham, if he noticed Thomas's objection, did not care as he turned to me and said, "Owen, go get your things and then meet us back down here. Be quick about it."
I was dismissed and so I hurried upstairs to the bedroom I'd been given to gather up what few possessions I had. I'd only been with Abraham's pack for a month, and I knew staying in the alpha's house wouldn't be my permanent place, but I hadn't expected to go be sent to care for a single child. My last alpha had sent me to help out at a house full of children.
I gathered my things, as few as they were, and knew that I'd do my best to care for both this child and their family.
When I came back downstairs Abraham was there to meet me and we were alone. "They're already in the car waiting for you," he quickly explained. "You may be going to live with them, for the time being, but you are still my omega and ultimately you answer to me. There's something going on in that family and I want to know what it is. Once you find out you can come back."
I nodded, though I didn't like being sent to spy on members of my own pack. It wasn't right. He put his hand on my shoulder, pushing me forward and his claws dug into my skin, piercing through my thin shirt. I hid my discomfort the best that I could, but I was definitely eager to leave his house and join Thomas and Helena in the car.
"We live a bit far away, so I hope you don't get carsick," Thomas said as I got into the backseat.
"I'll be fine," I assured him.
I caught Helena watching me through the side mirror. I smiled at her, but she didn't smile back. "How old are you?" she asked.
An omega had no secrets from their pack, even if I had wanted to hide my age. "Thirty-seven."
"Have you ever had children of your own?" she continued.
I shook my head since she was still watching me. "Omegas serve the pack. We aren't usually paired off."
"That sounds like a nice luxury right about now," she grumbled.
I saw Thomas give her a dark look, but it wasn't needed. "I understand that arranged matings can be difficult."
Helena turned around and I smiled at her. She pursed her lips at me. "Difficult is one way to put it, but we make it work. We must all do what we can under Abraham's rule."
She'd gone too far in her tone, suggesting that her thoughts were treasonous even though her words could have been benign, but I wasn't going to be the one to point that out to her. Thomas should have but he was driving and looked a bit lost in his own world.
"Can you tell me about Jonathan and his needs? I have experience with all ages of children." I thought talking about her son would get her to relax around me some. After all, caring for him was to be my purpose in living with them.
I saw the distrust in her gaze though, even if she never said a word of it. She had every right to be protective of her child.
Thomas spoke up. "He likes when you shift and let him play with your ears."
I smiled at that. I wasn't good at shifting, not generally anyway, but I could force a shift if I needed to. "Does he enjoy being read to? Or being told stories?"
Helena's expression softened. "Yes, he does."
They were
good places for us to start at least. We were all quiet after that but when Helena turned around she pulled out her phone and began texting someone. I was curious about the important people in this family's life, but it wasn't my place to ask about such things. If they wanted me to know I had to trust that they would tell me.
*~*~*
About an hour later Thomas pulled up to a little house out on the plains. There were few trees around but plenty of room to run. The nearest neighbor looked to be a few acres away giving them lots of privacy.
Once the car was off we all got out. If they'd brought anything with them I would have helped them carry their things in, but they had nothing, and I only had my bag. A young woman carrying a baby came out of the house and I went to her. I knew my place and what I was there for.
"This must be Jonathan," I said, reaching out for him.
The woman pulled him back though. I looked to Thomas, hoping he'd make the introductions for me and assure her that she had nothing to fear from me. But he only took the baby from her and headed into the house, leaving me looking at her.
"I'm Owen, the omega," I said. I wasn't used to having to introduce myself to anyone.
"Lily. Thomas is my brother and Helena is... She's my friend."
I saw her look to Helena and then she quickly looked away. She looked like she was hiding something, but if it was some simple secret or something Abraham would want to know I had no idea. I didn't want to bother him for something small and most likely it was nothing. I didn't know these wolves and had no reason to believe it was anything else.
Thomas came back to the porch, still carrying Jonathan. I looked to the baby curiously. Then I turned my attention to him. His scrutiny was as close as Abraham's ever had been, but I felt none of the fear that I normally experienced in Abraham's presence when Thomas looked at me. Instead it was the simple realization that another wolf was sizing me up.
"I've never met an omega older than me," Thomas said.
Helena snorted. "You've got no tact."
Thomas didn't look to her, instead he kept his gaze focused solely on me. I knew he was expecting me to say something, so I answered his unspoken question. "I told you my age. Abraham can verify my identity if you're worried that I might be lying to you all."
Helena took Jonathan from his arms then pulled Lily into the house with her, leaving Thomas and I alone on the porch. "I'm twenty-two," he explained.
I nodded. I'd expected that he was somewhere around that age. "Most alphas like to have their best wolves mated young. That gives you the most fertile years to breed and have children for the pack." I knew the reasoning and the more I spoke the darker I saw his expression get. Until I finished speaking and he was showing me his teeth. I backed down, lowering my gaze. The truth should not have upset him so much. I'd never faced that kind of reaction before. "I'm sorry." Though I had nothing to apologize for.
"Don't worry about it. You're just reciting the same rhetoric I've heard all my life."
I looked back up at him. He seemed calmer now, but I didn't know where his instant anger had come from. "Did you not want to be mated?"
He cocked his head to the side as if he was considering my question, or maybe how much to share with me. After all, I was a stranger and he had no reason to trust me. He shouldn't have trusted me either. Not really. Only just over an hour before Abraham had ordered me to report back to him about the goings on within this house.
"Everyone wants to fulfill their place in the pack," he told me flatly.
It wasn't a real answer. It was the same rhetoric, as he'd called it, that I'd also heard from birth. As an omega I'd always known where I belonged in the pack, and it was one step behind wolves like him. Or under them. But never their equals. I helped raise the pack's children and I made sure they were well taken care of and that everyone had food and tea when it suited them.
"Bring him inside!" Helena called from within the house.
I caught the slight lift of Thomas's lips.
"I can go back to Abraham if you want," I offered. I didn't want to be where I wasn't wanted.
Thomas slowly blinked at me. "Abraham wouldn't like me returning his gift of an omega. Also, we're not around anything and I don't feel like driving back there right now."
"You looked angry..." I didn't need to point that out. And I really shouldn't have.
"Yeah, I don't like when she orders me around," Thomas said. He gave me the barest hint of a smile. I knew there was more to it than that, but I didn't push him for the truth. It wasn't my place to demand the truth from a wolf that was higher than me in the pack. I was only there to observe them and report back to Abraham after all.
CHAPTER THREE
Thomas
I brought Owen inside and instantly took him to the spare bedroom. It had been an office, but Helena and Lily had done a good job of tossing the pull-out sofa in there while I'd been talking to Owen on the porch.
"This will be your room," I explained with an unnecessary nod toward the sparse bedroom.
"Thank you. It's more than enough." He moved past me and put his backpack down on the couch.
I'd lived with omegas before, but always in a pack situation, never where there were so few wolves in the house for them to take care of. "How long have you been with the pack?"
"Only a few months. My previous alpha thought I was too old to perform my duties adequately anymore, though I assure you that isn't the case when it comes to helping with children. Jonathan will be in good hands with me."
I didn't doubt that, but I knew Abraham had to have some kind of ulterior motive to send him with us. I didn't trust either of them for a second. "What was the duty you were too old to perform then?"
"Activities in the bedroom," he explained for me.
I looked away from him. "You won't be expected to do that here," I assured him.
He shrugged me off. "If Abraham had wanted that to happen he would have said so. I must assume that Helena is being kept satisfied and therefore I am not needed in that regard."
I had to walk away soon before I started laughing. "Yes, well, please feel free to join us whenever you want to." I headed out back, where I found Helena and Lily on the grass with Jonathan. They were looking at a centipede. I sat down beside Helena and rubbed my hands through my hair.
"It's unnecessary to have him here," Lily whispered. She'd been crying so Helena must have told her of Abraham's decision.
"I'm sorry," I told her.
She shared a look with Helena before giving me her attention again. "Then do something about it."
Lily quieted down instantly as Owen came out to join us. I nodded to him and he gave me a smile though it looked forced. We didn't want him here and he was only with us on Abraham's orders. It was an uncomfortable situation for us all.
"He's a beautiful child," Owen said as he sat down near us. Not close enough to invade our space, but definitely nearby.
"Thank you." I shared a look with Helena and Lily. She moved to pull Jonathan toward her, but I shook my head. Doing that might have been offensive and we had no reason not to trust Owen with the baby.
"I can make us food," Owen offered. "If any of you are hungry."
I didn't want food. I wanted a solution for our problems.
*~*~*
That night Helena and I lay beside each other in my bed so that Owen had no reason to suspect we had ever done anything else since we'd been mated. We'd only shared it once before, and it was as awkward now it had been back then. I hated it. And I hated Abraham for insisting that we create another child. We both loved Jonathan, but I never thought about the day he'd been created. I thought about all those wonderful moments when he'd grown inside of Helena and I remembered midnight ice cream runs while Lily had laid beside her, rubbing Helena's aching feet, but I never went back to when we'd laid together in bed just like we were now. I especially hated that Lily would be leaving us for some unknown life where we would likely never see her again. When she'd been mated before I'd h
ad no contact with her. I didn't expect it to be any different now.
"Helena?" She wasn't asleep. I knew that by her breathing, even if she wasn't already texting Lily.
"Don't speak to me right now."
I snorted and turned over to face her. "I'm sorry."
She glared at me, then went back to texting. "You should be," she said between angrily typing on her phone. "You should have killed Abraham today, not quietly accepted his fate for us all."
I was angry too, but not at her. I didn't lash out at her like she'd done with me. I landed heavily on the floor with none of the grace that a werewolf should have had. I didn't care though. Helena was still glaring at me as I went downstairs. I needed a drink, and I needed some space from her.
When I went downstairs I was surprised to see Owen there in the kitchen, and he had Jonathan in his arms. I froze between wanting to snatch my son away, and letting the omega do his job. When I saw him rocking Jonathan there at the table, I decided to let Owen take care of him. Jonathan was in a house with three werewolves who all loved him, there was no way Owen would ever be able to do anything to him.
"Hello," Owen said, glancing at me and then back to my son.
I nodded and came up beside him. "I can take him if you want."
Owen gave Jonathan to me, and I handled him clumsily as I went to the fridge to get a soda. Before I got three feet from the table Owen was taking him from me again. "Do you want anything while I'm up?"
He looked from me to the drink in my hand. "One of those too?"
"Sure." I got him one and put it down in front of him. He was back to sitting at the dining room table. "Was he fussy?" Jonathan looked like he was wide awake as he stared between us.
"He was restless," Owen corrected me. "I know you don't want me here, but I'll try not to intrude too much. I just want to help."
Owen wasn't looking at me so I smiled down at my soda. "Thanks." There was no reason to lie and tell him that he was wrong. We really didn't want him around. We didn't want Abraham knowing our secrets and there was no reason that Owen wouldn't run and tell our alpha what we were doing the second he found out that Lily and Helena were together.
Unwanted Omega Page 2
