by Penny Bloom
I went into the room, much to the chagrin of the maid, and I sniffed around. His scent went out the damn window.
I growled and ran back out to my car. If there was another Alpha with him I'd rip their spine out. He belonged to me.
I drove back home and if it weren’t for the slushy, icy streets, I would’ve risked every speeding ticket to get home.
I slammed my car into my parking space on the street without hitting anyone else’s car and got out.
I saw my family waiting on my porch. It was my brother and younger sister, and they didn’t look too pleased.
“Gildar, what’re you staring at, get up here, we need to talk!” Arla said, stomping her feet. The she-wolf in her growled, when was she ever in a good mood?
“Arla, Dylan, this is not the time!” I said, wading through them to open the door.
He was here, I smelled him. At least he came back home.
“Hey! We came all this way to talk to you! We need you!” Arla said, grabbing my arm.
“Yeah, Render is getting crazier by the day! He’s got a whole damn harem of Omegas now, and I think he’s trying to get the state to pass law that are unfair to Omegas.”
“Loren?! Are you here?” I called out, looking up my stair case.
“Are you listening to us?!” Arla shouted. “Hey, look at—huh?!”
Everyone fell silent at the sight of Loren, stalking down the steps, looking fine as fuck. Tight leather pants, laced up boots, and his hair was neatly done.
“I found my room. Don’t worry, I didn’t take yours,” he said in a seductive voice.
“Holy shit!” Arla cussed out, “is that your mate? Did you get a mate?!” she asked, jumping up and down.
“Arla!” I scolded, “no cursing, you’re only fifteen!”
She rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth. “And?”
“No, darling, I’m not his mate. Just his roommate,” Loren said, walking through us. He smelled terrific… like dessert. A dessert I could rut and sink my teeth into.
He wore heels on his boots, and each clack made my cock twitch, fuck.
“Wait, where are you headed all dolled up like dessert,” I said, grabbing his arm.
He gave me a death stare and bit his lower lip. Bite me, pussy cat.
“Out.”
Arla and Dylan stayed silent and off to the side, carefully watching our exchange. Like hell I wanted to let Loren leave up out of here looking this fine.
“Don’t forget this cat has claws…”
Anything to get touched by him. But I didn’t want to aggravate him too much, it’d dampen my chances of getting him to see that I was his mate. He moved in, so that was step one.
I let go of his arm and he cat walked out through the front door.
“What is this?!” Arla growled. “If that’s not your mate—”
“He is my mate. He doesn’t see it yet. But he’s my fated mate.”
Dylan butted in, “A mate that’s gonna give you an heir in about two months or less?”
“What the hell are you two talking about?” I asked, walking into my living room to sit down on the couch and sulk.
Arla threw herself in the recliner across from me and frowned.
"Render is trying to undo everything that our family has done. You know he killed our parents!" she cried.
Dylan spoke up, "Arla, stop it, if you say that around Render or if anyone over hears--"
"I don't give a damn! He's going to make our pack look like a pack of pervs," Arla screamed.
Looks like things did get worse. I was just hoping Render had an appetite for Omegas, but he wanted more. He wanted dominance over more than just Omegas and our pack, he wanted dominance over everything, and anything walking.
"That cute Omega you have prancing down the steps," Arla continued, "you need to knock him up and give us an heir. That way you can take over and--"
"Arla, it isn't that simple."
"Why?!" She pounded her fists on the arms of my chair.
I leaned back in my sofa. I didn't tell Dylan about this either.
"It's a health thing, Arla. I can't give anyone kids."
Tears welled up in her eyes. "You can't?! But you have to. You have to find a way or else our pack is doomed," she cried.
Dylan rubbed over his face with his hand and my inner wolf whimpered in disappointment.
"I hate you!" she screamed, running out of my house.
Dylan stayed. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, keeping himself calm.
"Because... I just didn't. I'm sorry."
He sighed and walked towards the door. "Call every so often. You know Arla and I still love you."
"I know."
Dylan left, closing the door behind them.
The doctors told me about a year ago that my chances of having a kid was five percent. I was a failure as an Alpha. But I still wanted my mate.
Within him was redemption. I didn’t know why, but there was something great to be seen with him.
And I needed that in my life after all the shit that had hit the fan.
Now that Arla and Dylan were gone, heading back home across town, I thought about that second scent I smelled.
It was here.
And it was upstairs. I jumped to my feet and crawled up the stairs like a wolf on the hunt. The smell wasn’t of another Alpha, but it was feline. Different from his and for some reason I couldn’t tell if it belonged to an Alpha, Omega, or Beta.
I sniffed around some more and the scent grew thicker.
Then small cries were heard down the hall.
Were those baby kittens I was hearing? I went down the hall and opened the room Loren took for himself. The sounds of meowing got louder, and I pinpointed it under the bed.
There was a box where the meowing came from and when I pulled it out and moved the covers to the side, I saw three baby kittens. They must’ve only been a few days old because their eyes were still shut.
They wriggled around on their bellies, crying for—for Loren! That scent! No wonder I smelled another scent. These babies were kittens, they carried his scent. Made sense, he was a cat, and of course he’d be able to have kittens.
I still couldn’t tell about that other scent though. Was it possible their father was a regular cat?
I rubbed their furry backs and bellies, they were hungry. I fostered baby kittens before, so I knew exactly what to do.
***
I took them with me to the store where I could buy more formula. I didn’t know how Loren was feeding them, but replacement milk wouldn’t hurt them. I had about five bottles to feed them and a bottle holder so they could all eat at the same time, I only needed the milk.
As I rolled the cart down through the store, people would hear the meowing and looked to see one of the baby kittens trying to escape the box. People took out their phones to take pictures, but I had to decline them since Loren didn’t even know I had them.
Chances are he was going to be pissed at this whole thing, but the babies sounded starving and it wasn’t like he gave me any means to feed them. It was even safe to bet that he wasn’t even going to tell me about them the way he had them hidden in his room.
“Let’s get you guys back home or else Papa cat is gonna tear me a new one.”
There was one more detail left now.
But that would have to wait or else I might just scare Loren away.
I returned home and put the milk into three of my older bottles and placed them in the bottle holder. It held the bottles at the perfect angle and was strong enough to resist tugging and kneading. His kittens were smart and latched onto the nipples quick. They sucked away silently, their small ears moving back and forth as they ate.
Adorable.
Since Loren was a cat shifter, I thought about who he looked closer to. The calico? The white one? Or the black one with the little white chest?
My pet wolf paced around back doors and pawed at the window to be let back in. He probably smelled the kittens and wanted to see them. I kne
w I could trust him around the kitties, but Loren would pop a vein if he found out.
One of the babies stopped sucking, and the other two followed suit. They were full and ready to go to sleep. I cuddled them close to my chest and brought them to the living room so I could place them back in their box.
The door knob to the front door jiggled around and I knew to brace myself for a very angry cat.
He stepped through the door, wiping his boots off. Then I heard him sniffing really loud. Oh shit.
Well, at least he was a cute cat when he was mad.
He popped his head around the corner and saw his box full of kittens and charged after me.
“What are you doing with my babies?!” he hissed, flying over the table.
I caught him and shifted his weight so he landed on the couch with me on top of him.
“Calm down! I heard them crying in your room!”
Loren had his claws out, damn he was sexy angry. I had his arms pinned down, but he wrapped his legs around me. “You know I like the way you got your legs around me. But that’s not gonna help you much. Your babies were hungry, you didn’t even tell me you were bringing—”
“It was none of your business!” he protested.
I leaned in, keeping his trembling arms down. “You’re my mate, this is my house, it’s my business. Your babies are fine. They just drank some milk and they’re off to sleep. Alright? No harm no foul.”
The tension in his arms went down and his claws went back in. Phew.
Loren looked over at the box then back at me. He pursed his lips then tugged at his wrists. “Let me go, I’m not gonna turn you into Linguine.”
“Don’t worry, these muscles are made of steel. You wouldn’t be able to,” I said winking and easing off of him.
“Was that a challenge?” He rubbed his wrists.
“How about no? I still don’t like cat claws.”
I was still hovering over him, my knees parted with him between them.
“Can I move now?”
“Sure,” I said, moving out the way. I wasn’t fast enough for him, so he helped me, by shoving me with his heels.
Sexy. A snarky Omega with bite. I liked that.
Loren was waking up the inner Alpha in me that was laying dormant. Maybe it was time to reconnect and stop lazing around.
Loren stroked his babies and kissed at them. The tenderness he showed them was exactly what I remembered with my parents when they had Arla.
Too bad I couldn’t have any kids. I guess I’d have to use Loren’s babies to make up for that.
“Th… Thank you,” Loren said, his voice breaking.
Chapter Three
Loren
My babies were fed and asleep.
Gildar took the responsibility to help them and didn’t do anything funny with them. I didn’t expect that from an Alpha at all. His wolf scent had a hint of pine and whiskey. If I wasn’t so focused on getting an income so I could be more responsible for my babies, I’d have loved a one night stand with him.
And only a one night stand.
No strings. Meaningless sex. A good stress breaker. But uh-uh, that Alpha was dangerous. Not in a safety kind of way. More like a, taste it, fall for it kind of way.
“So, where did you go out to? You look…”
“I look what?”
“Good,” he said, swallowing. God, Alphas were pathetic. They couldn’t hide it when they wanted an Omega. They weren’t supposed to. If anything, they were taught that they could have anything over the age of eighteen that could walk. And without a fight.
Me? I was a fighter. But that still seemed to arouse Gildar to no end.
“I was out looking for milk,” I began to explain, feeling heat crawl up my cheeks. What was I doing explaining anything to him? “I couldn’t get there… no where else had milk and then I began to worry about my kittens… and…” my voice began to break.
Who was I kidding? I only had a few bucks left on me and I still had the pride of a rich man, needing no help.
“I see. Are you in trouble?” Gildar asked, moving next to me.
The kittens started to wake up and squirm around the box. They were growing so fast in one day. I was glad to see them fat and warm.
“No… just alone, you know? Anyways,” I got up with my box, “don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”
I heard the sound of a door opening from the back and looked down the hallway that led to the kitchen to see a wolf bouncing down the hall as if he were a regular house dog. I hissed, and he stopped right in his tracks.
“Whoa! Wait, he won’t hurt anyone, not even your kittens!” Gildar said, running to my side.
“Then what the fuck is that?!” I said pointing to the white rabbit dangling in his mouth. The rabbit flinched its ear.
“It’s alive, what’s the problem?” Gildar asked, shrugging his shoulders. He went to his wolf and bent down.
“Hey buddy, what’s this?” he asked, holding his hand out so he could hold the rabbit.
The wolf barked, and they held a small conversation.
“What?! With the rabbit? Are you sure?”
The wolf barked some more and murmured. I wasn’t surprised, all shifters could talk to their animal counterparts.
“Look, I have to go job hunt. Keep my kittens away from that dog of yours,” I said, placing the box in the living room where the fireplace crackled. It was warmer than the room, plus they wouldn’t be as lonely.
“Okay, I’m glad you don’t mind leaving them here with me.”
I turned around at the door. “I’ve only known you for a few hours. But this will be temporary until I get on my feet. I will pay you, but only when I get paid. I won’t be out for too long.”
“Don’t worry about it, I don’t mind helping—”
“No, don’t go giving me all this… help. It’s un-Alpha of you.”
He placed the rabbit down on the ground and it hopped over to his wolf who licked it gently.
“Maybe I don’t want to be seen as an Alpha…”
“You’re weird.”
“You are too,” Gildar said with a coy crooked smile, showing off that delicious stubble. Goddamnit, my heat was just around the corner too…
“Well then. I have your number in my phone. I’ll call to check up on you—I mean the kittens. Just the kittens.”
I left out the door, tripping over the bottom of the door frame.
“Hey, be careful.”
“I’m fine!” I said, waving my hand.
I grabbed his shirt and pulled him down to give him a kiss on the cheek. “This is only a thank you, don’t get carried away, canine.”
“You mean Gildar, and don’t worry. I was already carried away when I saw you.”
“Cheesy. Bye.”
I got down the stairs and followed my footsteps out to his gate. Based on what I heard from a few of the Omegas around here, there was good money on waving your ass in front of an Alpha. Being an ex-stripper before I lost my mind and shifted into a cat for a while, I knew all I had to do was look for a club.
“Okay, Google, find the nearest strip club,” I said into my phone.
“Sorry, but there is no internet connectivity right now. Please try again later.”
Fucking duh, I had no data plan. I used the hotel phone to call Gildar. Damn.
This was why money was important. Babies and communication.
Urgh.
This town was a mid sized town with a small city center. The main population seemed to be Alphas, then Betas. There was only a smattering of Omegas around.
I went to a local bar and used their internet to look for the nearest strip club.
Oddly enough it was only another five minute walk from here.
Following the directions, I noticed that a lot of Alphas looked my way as I headed down the street.
Some whistled, and some gave me their number. Pathetic, they only wanted a good fuck. Not that it was wrong, but at least be honest. Most Alphas held that
fated mate trick over an Omega’s head to trap them into monogamy while the Alpha would fuck ten different Omegas in the blink of an eye.
We had hearts too.
“Damn baby, let me be your mate!” yelled one Alpha, wagging his tongue.
“Hey, sexy,” one growled, grabbing my ass. Welp, here comes the cat claws—huh?!
The man who grabbed my ass was flung through the air, and when I looked to see who did it… well, let’s say I wasn’t surprised to see Gildar dusting his hands off and walking over to me.
“You okay, babe?”
“Call me babe again and I’ll turn your ass into linguine too.”
“Ouch.” We began to walk when it hit me.
“Hey, who’s watching my kittens.”
A goofy grin went across his face.
“No…”
“Don’t worry. It’s my sister, the one you saw earlier. She’s good with kittens and she’s a Beta. Calm down.”
For a second there, I thought he left that mutt to watch my beautiful kittens.
“Where you headed?”
“None of your business land. Go home. I’m fine.”
“Can I get another thank you kiss?”
“No. Bye.”
“Fine fine. Call me if you need anything.”
“Whatever. I’ll see you later.”
***
The club wasn’t that far from where Gildar left me. It was a black dome with golden accents and palm trees. It was severely misplaced compared to the homey look of the town. But hey, it was a strip club, so what else was it going to look like? A library?
At these hours, a club wouldn’t be open. But if I knew a thing or two about clubs, it was that there was always someone inside.
I knocked in a certain rhythm. That was a good way to attract someone. Usually clubs did that for when employees needed to come in at off hours.
I heard someone come up to the door, and they slid open the eye box to look at me.
“I’m an Omega. I need a job. My ass is fine and I can work a pole.”
“Damn. Nice pitch,” the Alpha said behind the door. He opened it and I slid inside.
“So,” he said, sniffing my scent. “How about you take those clothes off?”
“How about no? I’ll do it for the pole if that’s what you meant.”
