Sentinel (The Lost Pack Book 3)

by Claire Cullen

  He saw the moment his words got through to Daniel, the omega’s eyes softening as he took in Sammy’s shivering form.

  “Okay.”

  Guessing that was as much of an answer as he was going to get, he started walking toward the house. Daniel fell into step behind him. When he focused, Thorn could hear the omega’s heart thumping hard in his chest. His fear was genuine, and Thorn didn’t have to look far to find the source of it. Who hadn’t heard the stories and rumors about modern-day packs?

  “It’s true,” he told the omega as they walked. “I am part of a pack. And so is the children’s home. The two merged about a year ago when Brax, the leader of our pack, mated with the director of the home. That’s Oliver, by the way. He’s our Defender.”

  He glanced back at Daniel, but the omega stayed silent.

  “I don’t know what you’ve heard about packs, but there’s nothing to be scared of.”

  “Then why didn’t you tell me? Why did you hide it?”

  Thorn winced at the frank accusation.

  “You’re right, I should have been upfront about it. But you were already so scared when you got here, and Sammy had only just started staying in human form.”

  The cub huddled tighter against him with a soft sigh as Thorn got the front door open and ushered Daniel inside. He made sure not to lock the door after them. He didn’t want Daniel to feel trapped.

  He walked straight into the workshop, knowing that was where Sammy would feel safest. As he settled on the couch, Daniel hovered next to him.

  “Sit,” Thorn encouraged.

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “I’m not lying,” he said firmly. He didn’t know how to prove that to Daniel, but he wouldn’t be called a liar.

  “But you’re not being honest, are you? About why you didn’t tell me you were part of a pack?”

  Thorn sank back into the couch with a sigh. He knew what Daniel was getting at.

  “No, you’re right. We haven’t been a pack for very long. Or, at least, it’s only very recently that the world knows the truth about our pack’s existence. I guess we couldn’t hide it forever, but I wish…” He trailed off.

  “What do you wish?” Daniel prodded.

  Thorn just shook his head. “I never wanted this, never wanted to be part of a pack. I see the way people look at me now. The way they watch me when they think I don’t notice. What they say about me when they think I can’t hear.”

  Daniel sat down next to him.

  “You’re ashamed of being pack?”

  Thorn forced out a laugh. “Well, I’m certainly not proud of it.”

  “I don’t understand. You weren’t always a pack?”

  Thorn shook his head. “We were a military team. We’d worked together for years before we became a pack.”

  “But you must have chosen to form a pack, right?”

  “Some packs form by choice, others by necessity,” he told the omega. “We were the latter. A mission from hell. It brought us together, helped us escape with our lives. And forever bound us to one another.”

  He stroked a hand through Sammy’s fur, feeling the cub’s claws loosen their grip as the little leopard calmed down.

  “So you’re not like those packs in the news?”

  “The ones started by crazy ego-maniac alphas? Or the practically feral isolationists? I hope not. If we were, I doubt we’d still be allowed to shelter omegas like Sammy.”

  Daniel reached over slowly and stroked his fingers across Sammy’s head. The cub let out a little purr of contentment.

  “He feels safe with you. I was scared, and I scared him. And he ran straight to you to keep him safe.”

  Daniel didn’t seem too happy about that. Thorn thought he understood. It can’t have felt good for Daniel to see his own kid run to someone else for protection, especially a strange, potentially dangerous pack alpha.

  “Sammy is safe with me. You both are. Just give me a chance to prove it.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Daniel watched as Sammy fell asleep in Thorn’s arms, and the alpha settled him into his little nest box.

  “Out like a light,” the alpha murmured. “Come on, why don’t you and I grab some coffee and talk?”

  Reluctantly, Daniel got up and followed Thorn to the kitchen, slipping into a seat at the table.

  “Does it still feel strange?” he asked the alpha. “Being part of a pack?”

  “Not as strange as it did at the start. These were people I trusted with my life, so being closer to them made sense, but knowing that closeness is permanent was a hard thing to get used to. There were good parts, of course. Otherwise, packs wouldn’t even be a thing. But it took a lot of getting used to. And then…”

  The alpha trailed off, staring at the coffee pot. Daniel stayed silent, waiting for him to continue. Thorn didn’t seem to have any suspicion of the truth about Daniel’s fear of packs. He’d assumed it was just a general fear, like a lot of people had, and not that Daniel had personal experience where packs were concerned.

  “…we lost some people. Our Leader. Our Keeper. Our Linker. I thought that would be it, that our pack would collapse, that I’d… that I’d be free again.”

  Thorn poured two cups of coffee and came to join Daniel at the table. Daniel was more curious than worried on hearing Thorn’s confession.

  “But you’re still here?”

  “It turns out packs don’t fall apart that easily, even when half of you are dead. Since then, we’ve had the military sniffing around, looking for any excuse to take control of our pack. It’s part of why we had to go public. We’ve seen them off twice, got court injunctions, done whatever we had to for our pack’s freedom.”

  Daniel took a sip of his coffee, taking it all in.

  “All of that fighting for your pack’s survival and you don’t even like being part it?”

  Thorn snorted. “Most of the time it feels like I’m not part of the pack. I’m out here, on the edge, and they’re all in there, with mates and cubs and…”

  Daniel had already figured out that Thorn was a Sentinel, but he couldn’t say that outright. It would make it too easy for Thorn to guess that he knew more about packs than he claimed.

  “Why are you out here?”

  “It’s my role. I’m the pack’s Sentinel. It’s like being a glorified guard dog.”

  The bitterness was so heavy in Thorn’s voice that Daniel felt drawn to him, reaching out to cover the alpha’s hand with his. He froze on realizing what he’d done, but Thorn just smiled at him.

  “Here’s me wallowing in self-pity when there are real problems in the world.”

  Daniel managed to smile back at him, realizing that the truth was far simpler than he’d suspected. Thorn was his pack’s Sentinel, and he was lonely.

  “You protect your pack?”

  “Yes and no. We have two Protectors, Cole and Duke. As Sentinel, my role is to watch for danger from outside. It’s a tough line to walk. I can’t be too close to the pack, too enmeshed, because then I’ll lose perspective. But if I’m too distant, too far removed…”

  “You’ll lose sight of who you’re supposed to be protecting.”

  Thorn pressed his free hand to Daniel’s. “Exactly. Like walking a tightrope: too far either way, and I’ll fail.”

  Daniel hadn’t expected such frank honesty and felt guilty about how much he was hiding from the alpha.

  “I’m sorry I tried to run instead of talking to you.”

  “Well, I should have been upfront about our situation. You wouldn’t have panicked and taken off if I’d just sat down and talked to you.”

  Daniel shrugged a shoulder. “It’s not always easy to be honest.”

  “No, it’s not. Look, if you don’t want to stay, if you want to leave, then give me a day or two to find somewhere for you and Sammy to go. Oliver can help with that. He’s an Omega Advocate. There are places out there, shelters, supportive housing. Somewhere you and Sammy would be safe, and you’d have a ch
ance to get back on your feet.”

  A feeling of warmth sprouted in Daniel’s chest at the alpha’s kind words.

  “You’d do that for us?”

  “Of course. Everyone deserves a helping hand.”

  Daniel swallowed and asked, “Would it be easier for you if we left? You’d get your house back to yourself, and you wouldn’t have a cub waking you up at the crack of dawn every morning.”

  Thorn shook his head. “If you wanted to go, that would be one thing. But Sammy is really coming out of his shell here. It doesn’t seem right to move him again so soon. Besides, I’m enjoying the company. I hadn’t realized how sick I was getting of staring at the same four walls day in and day out. It’s nice to have someone else around to talk to.”

  Daniel couldn’t hide his smile at that. Thorn wanted them to stay. Not just Sammy, but Daniel too.

  “Plus, you’re an amazing cook. Who knew oatmeal could taste so good?”

  Daniel didn’t just smile, he beamed at the alpha. Harrison never said anything good about his cooking. He liked to take Daniel down a peg or two when he could. Or pit him and Jaxon in competition with one another. Thorn seemed genuinely pleased when Daniel made an effort. Maybe he just didn’t know any better.

  “I could cook more.” He’d only made a meal here and there.

  “You’re focused on healing, remember? We might need to get Brax to check on your ribs after all that running this evening.”

  Daniel gulped at that. He wasn’t sure he was ready to meet the leader of Thorn’s pack. What if he decided he wanted Daniel for himself? Or what if he recognized him somehow? Harrison was friends with other pack leaders. He’d never heard Brax’s name before, but that didn’t mean they didn’t know each other.

  “They’re not hurting much. I’m sure we don’t need to bother him.”

  Thorn regarded him carefully, and Daniel felt like the alpha knew what he was thinking.

  “He’d like to meet you and Sammy. Why don’t I bring you up there tomorrow? Brax can take a look at your ribs, make sure they’re healing right. And you can meet Oliver, and Sammy can play with the other kids.”

  Daniel wasn’t sure about that last idea either. The other cubs in Harrison’s pack had always bullied Sammy. When Daniel tried to intervene, Harrison had stopped him. He’d told him it was character-building. Daniel didn’t believe that for a moment.

  “I—”

  “We don’t have to decide now. If you’re not up to it, I can ask them to come here. Just Brax and Oliver. Might be easier to handle two than a crowd. Though I know the others are curious about you. They’d like to meet you.”

  Maybe it would be better to get it all over with at once. And if they went there rather than them coming here, he and Sammy would still have a safe haven in Thorn’s house.

  “You’re right. We should meet them. We’re staying on pack land, eating pack food. It wouldn’t be right not to.”

  “Brax doesn’t care about that. He’s not really a stickler for that sort of stuff. He just likes to get to know people. If you two are going to be staying for a while longer, it’d be good for the others to meet you, and for you to see there’s more to this pack than one grumpy, antisocial Sentinel.”

  Daniel giggled at that. “I don’t think you’re supposed to be so nice to strange omegas who invade your house, sleep in your bed, eat your food, and leave you with the lion’s share of the childcare for a week.”

  Thorn grinned. “Yeah, you’re quite the Goldilocks, aren’t you?” He reached out a hand and tugged at a lock of Daniel’s hair.

  “Does that make you a bear shifter, then?”

  “Can’t you guess?”

  Daniel bit his lip, considering the question. “Not a bear. Something else. Tall, proud, watchful.”

  Thorn’s smiled faded. “Right on all counts.” He checked his watch. “Time for bed, I think.”

  “Aren’t you going to finish your patrol?”

  The alpha shook his head. “I’ll go out tomorrow. After we visit the packhouse.” He carried their cups backs to the sink as Daniel pulled himself to his feet and stumbled toward the door.

  “Goodnight, Thorn.”

  “Night, Daniel. Sweet dreams.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Thorn called Brax that morning to arrange their visit. He decided to keep it short, since Daniel seemed so hesitant and was likely to tire quickly. Sammy was another matter entirely, and he wondered how the cub would cope with being back there again. He hadn’t seen much of the place on his first visit, too busy holding onto Thorn for dear life.

  “We’ll head over there once we’ve finished breakfast,” he told Daniel.

  They weren’t having oatmeal, but pancakes made out of oatmeal, which was an ingenious way of doing something different with the same ingredients. Daniel’s cooking continued to grow in Thorn’s estimation, and Sammy wasn’t the only one who cleared his plate.

  “You’re sure they won’t mind us dropping in on them like this?” Daniel asked him as they walked over. Thorn had considered driving but decided the exercise might help Daniel work out some of his anxiety over the visit.

  “They’re expecting us. Besides, they like visitors.” Most of the time, anyway. And they were particularly curious about Daniel, given the circumstances under which Thorn had found Sammy. Thorn knew Kira was keen to see the father and son interact.

  He hadn’t told them about Daniel’s attempt to run with the cub. In truth, he was afraid that they’d want to take drastic steps to prevent that from happening again until they were sure Sammy was safe with Daniel. Thorn suspected that was likely to erode both Sammy and Daniel’s trust in them, which was fragile at best.

  The house came into view, and Daniel made a little sound of surprise.

  “What?”

  “It doesn’t look how I expected.”

  Thorn watched him bemusedly.

  “What were you expecting?”

  “Less like a big, old house and more like a… fortress.”

  Thorn was puzzled by that but did his best to explain. “This was Brax’s family home. It was originally a packhouse. One of the last packs in the county. Seems fitting that it’s become a packhouse once more.”

  They went around to the front door, and Thorn let them into the hall, making plenty of noise to warn the others they were there. He heard footsteps coming their way and gave Daniel his most reassuring smile. The nervous glance he got in return didn’t do much to ease his concern.

  Oliver was the first to appear, a squirming cub in his arms.

  “Good morning,” he said. “We’ve just finished breakfast. Some of the little ones decided throwing their food was preferable to eating it, so the clean-up is taking a little longer than normal.”

  He smiled at them, his gaze landing on Sammy who was in Daniel’s arms, silent and wide-eyed. Daniel wasn’t much better, from what Thorn could see.

  “Oliver, this is Daniel, and you’ve already met Sammy. Daniel, this is Oliver, our pack’s Defender and Brax’s mate.”

  He was surprised when Daniel managed to stutter out a greeting that sounded awfully formal.

  “I thank your pack for caring for us in our hour of need.”

  Oliver blinked at that, glancing at Thorn, then back at Daniel.

  “We were happy to help.” He waved them forward. “No need to stand on ceremony. We’re not that kind of pack. Have you eaten?”

  When Daniel didn’t reply, Thorn answered for him. “Daniel made oatmeal pancakes. We’re stuffed.”

  “Sounds delicious. You like to cook, Daniel?”

  “Yes,” the omega said. “I like it a lot.”

  Thorn kept pace with Daniel as they followed Oliver through the house. They were headed toward the living room.

  “There’s only a few people here to meet you. We didn’t want to overwhelm you with everyone at once. Eric is about Sammy’s age. There are two other boys a bit younger, and a whole bushel of toddlers and babies, but he can meet them later.”


  Daniel held Sammy a little closer as Oliver pushed open the door to the living room and ushered them inside.

  Thorn stepped through first, relaxing when he saw that they really had kept the group small. Josh was there, as were Zane and Kira. Eric was playing with some toys on the floor, and he barely looked up as they entered.

  Oliver did the introductions while Thorn stuck close to Daniel and Sammy. Sammy didn’t react too well to seeing lots of strangers, huddling close to Daniel before deciding to hedge his bets by reaching out and latching onto Thorn’s shirt.

  “Hey, now,” Thorn said. “There’s nothing to be scared of, Sammy. These are my friends. Will you come say hi?”

  It took a little coaxing, but Thorn managed to get Sammy sitting on his lap when he and Daniel took seats on the couch.

  Oliver asked Daniel about how he was feeling and if he was settling in. Kira asked a few broad questions about Sammy. Thorn could see she was itching to ask more but didn’t want to do so in front of the cub. He felt that was only right. Sammy might have been small and nervous, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t listening to every word.

  Daniel answered their questions with the air of someone afraid that one wrong word would lead to disaster. His nervousness was so apparent that Oliver switched tack entirely, telling him all about the origins of the omega home instead. Thorn felt Daniel relax next to him, inch by inch. And as he calmed down, so too did Sammy. More and more, the cub’s attention was drawn to Eric, who was still playing nearby.

  “Do you want to play too?” Kira asked him, seeing how fascinated he was.

  Sammy managed a shy nod, pushing off Thorn’s lap and onto the floor. He took two steps toward Eric, then looked back at Daniel and Thorn anxiously. They both encouraged him on.

  “We’ll be right here,” Daniel told him. “Go play.”

  All the adults in the room tried to pretend they weren’t closely watching the two kids as Sammy sat on the floor next to Eric.

  “Eric, show Sammy your train,” Kira called.

  The little boy grinned at Sammy, then pushed the train around the track.