I flattened my ears once more, disgusted with myself. What would Parker have thought if he'd heard what was going on in my head? What if I found him, raped and hurt because he'd run off into the night charged on nothing but terror?
Then he deserves what he gets, a meaner side of my mind said. Doesn't he? He should have bowed your wisdom, stayed where he was. He should have rolled over and shown you his belly, then begged for forgiveness.
I snapped at the air, trying to banish the thought. This was what had gotten me here in the first place, trying to find my pregnant mate across so much sand and rattlesnakes. If I'd just bothered to listen to him more than I had, would I be surrounded by the enemy--
I scowled. How could I consider people who threw down everything to help me, 'the enemy'? I tried to concentrate on my mate's scent, but it was no use. What had Jenard's awful bias done to me over all these years? I'd grown up with a best friend that was an omega. How many years had I spent sending him chocolate against all the rules of the camp?
What if I hadn't picked Parker? What if I'd seen him rolled out of a Roll Over therapy center drooling all over himself?
Maybe I was the one who needed to be deprogrammed.
Being an alpha came with a lot of perks, but it didn't mean that I needed to shove them down everyone else's throat. I grumbled. What kind of a role model was I going to be for two omega sons? What if it was one of them wheeled out of a therapy center?
I shivered.
A pack alpha could change the world in ways that the average alpha couldn't. We were given the world on a silver platter. The president was a pack alpha, though not related to Sassagoula. We owned the world.
Look at what Jenard had left in his wake.
What would I leave when the sun set on my reign?
The scrabbling of paws brought me back from my thoughtful stupor. Stronger than ever, I smelled Parker in the distance. I picked up the pace and heard a familiar yelp. It was the same one he made when he missed the tomato he was cutting. I howled, long and hard, and the whole group of us broke into a run.
Parker's yelp echoed the blackness surrounding us.
Sandspurs bit into my paws, but I ignored them. My mate was just ahead, close enough now that I could hear him. The mixed pack around me broke off to tend to their wounds--all except Kyle, who clenched his jaws but ran after me anyway. I didn't know this part of the desert, and if not for Kyle, I'd have gone head over ass into the canyon hidden in the night. He grabbed my scruff and hauled backward on it.
The silence was deafening. Had Parker slipped and gone over the edge into the ravine? Where was my mate?
I looked over the side, my ears plastered down, my eyes wide. I didn't see him down there, but I could barely see the moon reflecting in the thin stream trickling, insistently, through the craggy rocks.
"Why did you help him find me?" asked the most miserable voice in the world.
I yanked my fur from Kyle's mouth and ran to greet my mate.
18
Parker
"Why won't you leave me alone?" I whispered. "You broke my heart. You want to break me. Just let me stay out here. I won't bother you."
Graham hobbled toward me. He left tracks of blood behind. Had I hurt him when I escaped? Despite my best efforts, I couldn't silence the worry within me. I'd love him until the day I died, but I couldn't let an arrogant pack alpha ruin our sons. And I couldn't risk him hurting me. Some part of me wanted to let him take the parts that wanted this endless rebellion. The rest of me knew better than to let him too close.
I scooted back toward the rim of the canyon.
"It's not what you think," said a voice to my right. "He's a pigheaded alpha, but he's not out here to hurt you."
Kyle, the guy from the hot dog stand, stared back at me in the dim light. I blinked at him. Of all the people in the world, he was the last I expected to have teamed up with my mate.
"His feet are covered in sandspurs, but he wouldn't stop until he found you," Kyle said. "Shift back. Make your own case, Nell. I'm not your lawyer."
And in the next moment, a battered and bruised Graham, slick with sweat, sat before me on the hard ground. I sank down beside him, my resolve steeled by the presence of another omega. He may not be capable of overpowering Graham, but he would warn me if my mate tried something fishy.
I hoped.
Graham busied himself picking thorns from his hands. I didn't dare to help him.
"It was Jenard who spent all his time trying to create omega misery, love," Graham said. "I didn't know he was after all that. He was an idiot. It took me too long to see that, and the commercial got out as it did."
I shivered. "So you're upset the commercial got out? It figures. How could I expect an alpha to see that kind of treatment as horrible as it is? It's not your head on the plate. It's not you getting electrocuted just to show you how much it hurts."
"Someone electrocuted you?"
"They do it at Talewah on your seventeenth birthday, just as a reminder of where you fit into society. It's a quick zap, the electrodes on your head. Just a little bit of something extra special, because you aren't miserable enough behind their walls," I answered.
Graham pulled a face and tossed the last sandspur onto the ground. There was blood smeared everywhere on his thighs and around his ankles, where he'd been pulling them out of his feet.
"That's disgusting," he said.
I frowned at him.
"I gave Jenard free rein on the commercial project. He said it'd be stunning, an attention-getter that would put us so far above the rest similar companies that we'd never have to advertise again. I had no idea he intended to start lobotomizing omegas. I took him down. You're pack omega, now," Graham said.
I wanted to believe it so much. Yet...
"But the rest of it, the pills and the electrical shocks, the brainwashing--you're alright with all of that? How does that make you any better than Jenard, Graham? How does it help people like me?"
"You have to understand that when I built Roll Over, I intended it to be a good thing," Graham sighed. "I just wanted to help omegas and alphas stay together, through the hard times. I was.. influenced, by Jenard and his awful views. I thought it was the only way to make things run smoothly between the different alignments."
"And I was wrong," he continued. "I was wrong, and it nearly cost me the most important person I've ever had in my life. It's going to take time to change the way things are, but we're in a position where we can make an impact. And we have plenty of people willing to help us do that."
His words sounded so honest. Graham? Admitting he was wrong? But it was so hard to trust after what I'd seen him support on that commercial.
"I believe him," Kyle said.
My head snapped to Kyle and boy, did I frown at him. The bright white "RISE" letters on his shirt gave me no real surprise. I had assumed he was, at least, a fan of the group. They’d done so much for him, after all.
"No alpha does what he's done in the past few hours, just to show their omega that they're sincere. Your brother said he was beside himself when he lost you. And beyond that, I heard how much he tried to fix that awful commercial," Kyle said. "He's misled. You can show him a better way, now that he's receptive to change. He's trying. Give him another chance."
"Please," Graham said.
"I want to," I admitted. "But we've been so up and down through all of this. What if you fall back into the same spot Jenard was in? What if you start agreeing with him as we get older?"
"I won't," Graham promised. "Not after this. I could have lost you forever. I won't risk that again. You're too important to me to play hard and fast with stuff like this."
He held his hand out for me. Most of the wounds had already closed. How had I avoided all those thorns? I took the back of his hand in my palm and kissed the top of one new scar.
"If you do," I said. "I'm feeding you to the lions at the zoo."
"That seems fair to me," Graham agreed.
I moved
across the distance between us and buried my head against his shoulder. My belly kept us ever-so-slightly apart. Graham wrapped his arms around me in a bear hug. Was it just me, or had he gained muscle in the time since I'd run from him? There were legends about pack alphas being imbued with something extra, a blessing from the moon on high. It was the sort of thing you told your pups when they were small enough to believe it.
For my part, I tucked my head safely in the hollow of his chin. My eyes slid shut. How long we remained there, I don't know. As far as I was concerned, we could have stayed like that until I gave birth.
"Lions," I murmured.
"I haven't done anything wrong, yet," Graham blinked.
"I want lions in the nursery. And monkeys. The colors can stay the same, but I want jungle-y stuff in there. I loved zoos when I was a pup. You did, too. We should pass that on to them," I said.
"And where are you going to find lions, and monkeys, and tigers, and bears, that won't eat our puppies?" Graham asked.
"Stuffed animals. Wall clings. God damn it, Graham," I said as I laughed.
My silly, loving, wonderful alpha smiled down at me and kissed the tip of my nose. I felt warm all over like I'd been dunked in a hot spring.
"After the pups are born, and you've had some time to heal, I was thinking," Graham said. "Roll Over has to change. We need to progress with the times if I'm going to change, too. You wanted to work."
I pulled my head back to look up at him. Graham shrugged.
"My secretary deserves a better position than she currently has, and, weirdly enough, the vice-presidential chair just became available. She's been there since the beginning. She knows the business side of it, as well as how to talk to the press. I think it's time I moved her up in the world," Graham said.
"You'd think you'd offer the position to your husband," I smiled.
"My husband hasn't worked a day in his life," Graham replied. "Not for lack of trying, but it takes time to learn the ropes in a corporation. You'd be in a comfortable place to learn and move up in position as you did. And you'd be there to advise every day, right alongside your brother's new advisory division."
"You're bumping up Scott, too?" I asked.
"He's been with us since day one, too. Before, really. We became friends after you ended up in Talewah, through college. While you finish schooling, he and I can help you get the experience you need to become executive material, in time. Then nobody can say you got there because we're a mated pair. If I make you earn everything twice over like I have everyone else? You'd be the first legitimate omega CEO that I'm aware of," Graham said.
"You're CEO."
"Things change as an alpha gets older. He wants to settle down, be a stay-at-home dad, let his omega husband bring in the big bucks. If you're interested, in due time," Graham answered.
"It'll take years," I said.
"And lots of hard work," Graham nodded.
I ran my hand over my belly and imagined my boys working, really working, outside of the house. Being worth more than incubators to the alphas at large. I could do that for them, with their father's help. And now?
Now he was willing to listen.
"Only if I don't have to wear high heels," I yawned against Graham's chest.
"High heels, pantyhose, and a little frilly maid uniform," Graham said.
I growled at him.
"You'll deliver pink frosted donuts every morning at nine a.m. sharp, and if your garter belt isn't tight, I'm giving you a spanking," Graham said, with a wriggle of his eyebrows.
I rolled my eyes at him. "You don't even like strawberry frosting. You're allergic."
"I noticed you didn't say no to the spanking."
"You're a complete pig," I snorted.
"I can't agree more with that. If the two of you have made up, is there any way we could start getting back towards civilization?" Kyle asked. "I need to find the rest of the Rise pack, make sure they're all alright. It is kind of why we hurried out here so fast to find Parker, here."
"Can you walk it?" Graham asked.
"I ran it like a terrified deer. I'm sure I can walk back," I said.
And I was so wrong. Apparently, when you're running away when you're full of adrenaline and terror is much easier than walking the four-and-a-half miles back to civilization. Halfway, I shapeshifted and padded the rest of the way back in wolf form. My legs ached, my back was killing me, and I thought I would starve to death before we reached my brother's house.
It turned out the rest of Rise's members had found themselves full of stickers, too. The poor wolves had spent the two hours it took us to get to them prying the sand spurs from their feet, coats, and in one case, even their gums. By the time we reached them, I was already a wolf. I couldn't possibly express my gratitude or my sorrow, and I was too tired to shift back. I hoped cookies would be enough to thank them.
At the edge of town, Kyle and his group got another call. An omega needed their help finding his daughter, an alpha who had told her omega father where to stick it. Once they left, Graham picked me up and carried me the rest of the way.
"I'm calling a board meeting tomorrow," Graham said as he kick-knocked my brother's door. "I want you to be there."
I sighed in response, neither a no or a yes. I was too tired to consider his request. The morning would come soon enough, then I could make the decision. As it was, my first glimpse of my brother-in-law was from my mate's arms when I was half asleep and sore from the run.
Business could wait until I was conscious.
19
Graham
I woke up before the stars parted the skies. No one ever mentioned how pretty the desert was just before the dawn. I stood at our bedroom window, watching the moon sink behind the hills in the distance. How many times had Jenard said I was the future? His replacement? It'd all seemed like some shady, far-off dream when he'd retire and I'd have some silent omega standing beside me, nodding his head at everything I said.
Then Parker came along.
My mate still slept, silent and dreaming of a brighter world all his own. How many alphas could say they had the same amazing creature waiting for them at night? Carrying their pups?
Willing to speak before an audience of alphas that were likely to disagree with him?
Today was going to be a long day, no matter how well the board meeting did or didn't go. Even if Parker managed to win them over, we had a long struggle ahead of us. He was worth it. Our pups were worth it.
And if it was the last thing I did, I'd make the world understand.
I walked into the bathroom, grabbed my shaving kit, and started to sharpen my straight razor. Those shave-a-month clubs weren't for me. There was nothing that could beat the smooth jawline of a classic kit. I was halfway through my shave when Parker appeared in the mirror behind me.
"Morning," he said.
The razor slipped, coming far too close to my throat for comfort. Parker gasped, I choked, and the razor ended up on the floor.
"I sincerely hope that's not a sign of the day to come," I said, wiping my chin with a towel.
"Are you bleeding?" Parker asked, pulling my head away from the mirror to look for himself.
"If I am, will you kiss it better?"
Parker inspected me like the professional he was. "You're fine. You can get kisses after we do this whole ridiculous thing that we're doing today."
He grabbed his toothbrush and went to work scrubbing. I could only guess at what he'd eaten last night, if he'd eaten anything at all. I just knew that it smelled like he'd been in a dumpster. The poor guy.
"We'll be fine," I said. "It just takes a little practice when talking to the public. You did well when you spoke to Mindy, back on WTV. That segment got fantastic ratings."
"What if I screw it up?"
I looked back at him, adorable as he was. He stood there, toothbrush sticking out of his mouth, smelling of cinnamon. There was a fretful look in his eyes, one I hadn't seen before. Or had I just never noticed it be
cause I'd been too busy trying to force him to be something he wasn't? Conforming to certain laws was one thing, but he'd stuck with me despite the fact that some part of me wanted to change who he was on a distinct level.
"You won't," I told him. "Because you don't screw things up. That's me. They say there's always only one person who screws stuff up in a relationship. That means you're the one who fixes all the things I do wrong."
"Sounds like an omega's job."
I grinned at him and finished wiping off. "Are you stereotyping yourself?"
He huffed and pushed past me to use the sink. The two of us finished getting ready in record time, deciding to skip breakfast to hurry out the door. I dithered about it, everyone knew it was in poor taste to let a pregnant omega skip any meals, but I wasn't going to try to force him to do anything anymore. Surely that meant that I wasn't going to push food into him, either.
A cab picked us up. There were so many minor things that I hadn't realized were undermining my husband on some level. Every time I told him he would be in danger, every time I tried to push care on him that he didn't want, all I was doing was telling him that he wasn't smart enough to realize what was best for him.
Looking back on it like that, I was astounded the omegas hadn't gutted all us alphas. Now, I was going to be part of that change, and I was glad to be in on it.
We walked into Roll Over together, turning a few heads as we did it. I'd called Samantha last night, telling her about the promotion. Scott, too, knew of his new role in the company. I didn't like starting Parker so low on the food chain, but he was new. It was only fair to let him learn as we had, with the careful mentoring of those who loved him.
Parker grabbed the door into the boardroom and I let out a sigh, pushing my nerves down with it. It was go-time.
There was almost no one in the room, despite the fact that Parker and I were a fashionable five minutes late.
Furbitten Falls Alpha's: A Wolf Shifter Mpreg Romance Bundle Page 47
