by Penny Bloom
I sat him up and held him close to my body, exuding some of my calming pheromones myself to see if I could ease his pain and suffering.
He calmed down and his arms went limp again. The tensed expression on his face went down as well.
I finished bandaging him up and took him out into my bedroom where I placed him into my bed.
His skin felt warmer now. As soon as he woke up, I'd have a feast for him and fatten him up.
Maybe I'd even be able to work he truth out of him.
He was a shifter himself, I could smell it. Though I wasn't sure which kind.
I watched him rest in the peacefulness of my presence. The bed was helping too. He didn't look like he knew what a bed even was.
I rubbed my forehead, trying to wrap my mind around what happened in the last two hours.
I only braved going into that disgusting town to get some ammo and supplies for our pack's tool house.
Then I met my mate on the way out.
My mate.
The look in his eyes when he saw me.
Doubt.
Someone hurt him. And when he woke up, he was going to tell me so I could show him justice.
I'd find that son of a bitch and pound his face all the way through the back of his skull.
I left him in the room and went out to talk to one of our pack's Betas.
He was in the Beta wing of the house which was relatively close.
I knocked on his door and he sensed my presence, jumping to the door immediately and opening it.
"Hey, Alpha Gun, what's up?" he asked, full of energy. It was approaching twelve A.M.
"I need you to cook me a large breakfast and bring it to my room around eight o'clock. Hash browns, eggs, meat, the whole thing. Then give yourself the rest of the day off and I'll have someone else handle kitchen duties."
"Nah," he said, waving his hands. "You know I'm addicted to cooking. I'll have your breakfast done for you and at your door."
"Bring it in. Don't worry about knocking."
"Okay, sure will."
I grinned and nodded my head, letting him get back to sleep.
I stripped off my clothing and slipped into the bed a carefully as I could so I didn't awake my sleeping mate.
He was resting more peacefully now, and I didn't want to be the asshole that disturbed him.
His presence even brought me peace, and my eyelids grew heavy, closing and sending me off to sleep.
***
The brilliant warm hues of the sun cascaded into my room, creating brilliant silhouettes and beautiful glows.
I stretched and sat up, scratching my head and straightening my back.
When I looked over to the side of my bed. It was empty.
The clock said seven thirty, and I knew he couldn't get too far.
I shifted into my wolf form and smelled his scent nearby. With my guards, there was no way he could get too far.
But then again, he escaped someone holding him in captivity, and the last thing I knew to do was to underestimate anybody.
I ran out into the hallway and followed his scent. It led me to outside. Gabriel, a friend of mine had my mate by the arm. He was busy trying to get away and screamed for help.
"Looks like you have a runaway," he said, bringing my mate back to me.
"Let me go!" he shouted, jerking his arm.
The other Alphas came over and I shifted into my human form.
"Thank you, Gabriel."
I scooped up my Omega in my arms and shook him a little. "Hey, don't be afraid. You won't be hurt here."
He struggled in my arms. "I don't care," he hissed.
Ah, a cat shifter. I could see that pupil in his eyes sharpen down to an almond shaped point.
He didn't have enough energy to shift or bring out his claws though.
"Gabriel, I'll catch up with you later today."
I turned around and walked back into the manor.
This Omega was starting to get his strength back and started making his way out of my arms.
"I don't want to be here! Leave me alone!" he cried, breaking away. I caught him by the wrist.
"Please, you're injured and I can help you."
He narrowed his beautiful light brown eyes. "I don't want your help."
He was still in his boxers, cute. But it reminded me that he was still too unhealthy to roam around.
"Just give me my money and I'll be on my way," he said, pulling at my grip on his wrist.
An independent Omega. I knew how to handle this.
"If you don't want my help, then take a job from me.
I run a cafe, I'm looking for an extra pair of hands. I'll pay you and house you."
That spark in his eye, I knew I got his attention now. His resistance to me settled down and he listened for more.
"Cafe?" he said, his voice breaking.
"Yes. Cafe Gun. But before I put you to work, I need to feed you so you can fill out. You're hurt and starving. I have breakfast about to be brought up. Eat as much as you want."
An Alpha never begged.
But there were always going to be those exceptions to the rule, and he was.
"What's your name?" I said, breaking the silence between us again.
"Adel. Adel Priest."
"I'm Dirk Gunther and I'm the head of the Gunther pack. Please, follow me back to my room."
"Don't you have a dining room?" he asked, skeptical as to why breakfast was in my bedroom.
"Yes, but I told the cook to bring it up to my room last night because I thought you'd at least sleep until eight."
He bit his lower lip, thinking.
He knew he couldn't walk away from this.
His eyes glittered like jewels as he thought it over more.
Let me help rub it in.
"You're an Omega who's independent. With this job you could save while you stay here in--in your own room," it was hard to say in his own room, I wanted him with me. "Then you could lead a life of your own." That wasn't going to happen, his life was going to be with me.
"No sex? You won't harm me?"
My god, it was just as I thought. Some Alpha must've done a number on him.
"None. I won't lay a hand on you. The only people I've been known to hurt are those who unjustly hurt others."
He rubbed his bandaged arm. "Did you bandage me?" he asked, his voice was low like a whisper of air.
"Yes, I did. I didn't do anything else either."
He lifted his sharp gaze at me and narrowed his eyes. "I know that. I would've been able to tell."
When I get my hands on the fuck face who did this to him, to my mate, I was going to torture him.
"Who did this to you?!" I demanded, grabbing his hand.
He yanked it back. "None of your business. Just show me to my room."
"After you eat. Follow me."
I guided him back to my room where the buffet of breakfast was waiting for him. I looked over my shoulder to see him scan over the assortment of breakfast foods before him.
I smiled. He was going to enjoy this.
Went, my head Beta chef did a hell of a good job as usual. The fragrance of breakfast permeated the air. Adel. His name rolled off of my tongue like melting chocolate. He'd fit in perfectly at the cafe, but I'd have to watch over him since he was an Omega with a very exotic, strong scent.
"Go ahead, eat as much as you want. You don't have a time limit. I'll have someone bring you some clothes."
Adel walked around me like a cat stalking into new territory. He sniffed at the food and examined it. Did he think I'd poison him.
Then came the moment he lifted a piece of food to his mouth. A happiness welled up inside me. It was the start of him being able to heal. Anticipation ripped through me to see him filled out all healthy and strong.
He chewed on his food and threw me a couple more cautious glances.
As much as I wanted to stay, I left the room so I could have things prepared for him.
His room wasn't going
to be far from mine, and I'd always keep an eye on him.
My office was right down the hall, and on my way there, I knocked on Triela's door so we could talk.
She didn't answer.
"Triela, answer the door or else I'm coming in."
No response.
I opened the door and her room was empty. Fuck! She knew how I didn't like her running off without telling me where she went. Did she forget that her baby sister died like that? Running off and getting herself hit?
"What do you want?" she said, standing behind me.
"Triela! You have a curfew! If you don't want to be grounded--"
"Last time I looked, you weren't my father!" she growled.
Gunthers, we were the edgy type and always snapped back. But I still suffered from the loss. Arianne was our youngest baby wolf, my baby sister, and she strayed too far...
That day always ran on repeat inside my head.
"Look," Triela sighed. "I'm not gonna get ran over by some truck, so calm down."
I slammed my fist on the wall. "I don't care! It's my job to make sure you don't!"
Triela backed up. It wasn't a dent in the wall, it was a hole. And we had cement and steel enforced walls too.
"You're tripping. Cool your temper before you act like some maniac!" Triela said, running off.
"Where are you going?!" I called out after her.
She didn't say a word.
All this anger from this morning was still bottled up inside me. Triela didn't deserve such a cruel outburst.
Adel stood behind me. "Alphas, you can't control your anger, can you?"
Chapter Three
Adel
"Adel," Dirk said, a disappointed look on his face.
He tried to be nice, good, and kind. But that wasn't the way of an Alpha, and it never would be.
The breakfast was good, but I reminded myself not to get too comfortable. He was still an Alpha, and all Alphas had needs.
Especially since heat season was rolling around again.
"Show me to my room now. Or where this cafe is..."
"Have you eaten enough?" he asked, folding his arms and examining me.
"Yeah. I did."
"I want you to eat more,” he said.
I sneered. "I'm not hungry." I was free now. I wasn’t his slave, and I didn’t have to do a damn thing he said.
He picked me up and hauled me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing. What was with this fascination of scooping up Omegas like balls of ice cream?
I struggled on the bulges of his muscle. He was wearing a T-shirt with no sleeves and I could see the cuts on his arms. I was so busy staring at them that I didn't struggle against him.
He sat me down on his plushy bed and Dirk shoved a plate of food in my face. "Eat. I want you strong and well."
I was so used to eating little that eating moderately was eating too much. My stomach was probably the size of a pea now.
"I'm not hung--"
Dirk shoveled some food and brought it up to my mouth. His scent hit me like an explosion. Wow, he was really trying to butter me up. No chance at hitting this, bucko. Keep acting like an idiot, I'll only take your money and bounce.
He wasn't going to give up at trying to make me eat more, so I leaned forward and took a bite off the fork.
He had different types of food on it. I forgot you could do that; shovel different food onto each other than put it in your mouth.
I was surprised I even remembered what food was these days.
My cheeks began to burn, but it was nothing. Truly nothing at all.
He gave me a few more forkfuls of food and then he was satisfied that I had eaten enough.
"There. You need more rest now," he said, standing up.
I got a good look at his face again. He had whitish hair cut in a sort of military style with a rugged face and a mean jaw.
He was handsome, even my stubborn ass had to admit that. But he had a temper too. And Alphas with tempers were dangerous.
"No. Just put me to work. What's the pay?"
He cocked an eyebrow and chuckled. "I'm not putting you to work like this. You're still bruised up and as malnourished as a stray cat."
No he didn't just take a jab at my shifter.
"Excuse me?"
"I don't overwork people. I want my crew to be strong, well, and happy."
I scoffed. "Really? That girl in the hallway didn't look too happy."
"That's because she broke her curfew. There's a lot of history about this family you don't know yet. You will soon though."
"I don't know if I'll care to find out," I said, braving another bite of food.
He smiled and my cheeks burned like a stovetop again. Why did he have to look so mean and kind at the same time? Why did my stomach feel like a butterfly house? Was this my heat?
Maybe some heat meds would help. I did have some money.
"Where are my pants? I had money in my pockets."
He folded his arms. "Ah, those. The money was put in a sort of dryer and your clothes were thrown away."
I gawked. "What am I going to wear?"
"Don't be nervous. I have some men here your size. You'll have clothes to wear in a few."
There was some knocking on the door and from the scent of it, I could tell it was an Omega.
Good, it was about time I saw another fellow Omega around.
"Come in."
In jumped a guy with long hair and a happy youthful face. I used to look like that too...
"Here we go! I ran to the store and bought some clothes!" he said in a chipper tone.
"Thank you, Loris."
He skipped in with bags of clothing and sat them by my feet.
He looked at me and put a finger on his lips. "Yep, guessed right. These clothes are gonna look awesome on you!"
Dirk peeked inside the bags. Pervert.
"He's going to be working with you at the cafe soon."
He turned around like a happy rabbit on hop. "Really?! Cool!"
I butted in. "And how soon is when?"
"When you're healthy and have gained at least twenty pounds."
"Make it five."
"Make it fifteen," Dirk shot back, grinning. "I want you to represent my cafe as a healthy Omega. All my employees enjoy working there and I have a good reputation. I won't let your ribs poking through your skin squander that."
Okay, he had a point. No one wanted a bag of bones working around people. It would give him a bad name if he truly had a reputation to hold. Plus, this Omega seemed happy being here.
His name was Loris, huh? If I could talk to him alone...
"Let the Omega show me to my room."
Dirk frowned. He wanted to keep me around, that much was obvious, but I had questions that needed to be answered and those answers weren't going to come from him.
"Fine. Loris. There's an empty room two doors down to the left, show him to it."
"Sure!"
He picked up the bags, and I carried one too. Might as well try to build some muscle back.
Walking down the hall, I took in the scenery through the ceiling to floor windows. The views were stunning. Trees, flowers, and even a pool.
Oddly enough it dawned on me that Loris wasn't chained up and was free to walk around this huge home. I wondered why.
"Excuse me, if I ask you questions. Could you answer me honestly?" I asked.
We got to the room, and he sat down the bags. "Of course, what would you like to know?" he asked, shinning a bright smile.
Maybe I'd be able to do that too one day...
"Well..." I looked around me and opened the door so we could talk in the room privately.
He shuffled the bags in and I closed the door.
"This Alpha of yours. Dirk, is he okay? Does he harm the Omegas here in any way?"
Loris shook his head. "Alpha Gunther isn't like that. Even the other Alphas here aren't allowed to act crazy. Everything is peaceful here. There might be an argument here or there, but us
Omegas here are no slaves. We go and come as we choose. Though they don't particularly like it when we're too alone. They want to make sure we're safe."
"Are you a Gunther too?" I asked. He didn't share the same scent as Dirk and the other girl in the hallway.
"No, I'm not actually. I lost my apartment in a fire while I was working at the cafe. When Alpha Gunther found out, he offered me a permanent place here. I don't want to move either. They've taken me in like family."
He pulled me in for a hug. "You'll be family too! I can tell, I think Alpha Gunther especially likes you!"
Gurgh, he was smothering me in his giddiness. I wasn't used to seeing an Omega this happy under the rule of an Alpha. I broke the hug and dug into the bags of clothing.
These clothes… this was authentic Marc Devallier clothes.
"Wow, designer clothes." And Loris had taste too.
"Yeah, I had a feeling you'd like them."
He helped me pick out an outfit, and I slipped it on.
Looking at myself in the mirror, I saw a glint of the future. I could save money, savor more of my freedom and live the rest of my life in peace.
But then the heavy black cloud of reality set over me. Bartley was probably going to put a huge ass reward out for me. So I'd have to probably hide for the rest of my life.
Step one. Dye my hair the minute I get the chance to.
***
A part of me didn't necessarily trust what Loris said, then a part of me did.
It was okay living here so far. One week flew by fast and I filled out some more, packing on an astounding ten pounds.
Dirk thought it was acceptable, and now I was ready to begin my new job.
I was walking in the garden, sniffing the flowers and watching the other Gunthers playing around at the pool.
I just kept my head down and ghosted by. People were probably curious about me. Loris always made sure to keep me company every so often, and I even got to meet a few of the other Omegas that lived here. It was nice being surrounded by other Omegas.
There was only one difference, they were wolves, and I was a cat. Canines and a feline.
Still, they didn't mind me being around and showed me the ropes.
I wasn't a fool though. Dirk didn't keep his space. He always loomed around me like a cloud, not necessarily a black cloud, but he always had his eye on me.
He'd weigh me and look at me personally and would give me small presents like cologne, or a watch.
