“Now you,” he said, grabbing Sammy’s hand and showing him how to push the toy along.
Sammy laughed when the train’s horn sounded and let go, watching Eric carefully.
“There’s cars too,” Eric said. “We can race them.”
Thorn divided his attention between keeping an eye on Sammy and watching Daniel. There was a look of relief on the omega’s face, his shoulders sagging when he heard Sammy giggle and laugh.
“Nice to see kids having fun, isn’t it?” Kira said.
Daniel’s reply was so quiet, they all strained to hear it. “Yes. Sammy hasn’t had nearly enough fun in his little life.”
“Well then, we should make this a regular thing while he’s here. We’ll take it slow, introduce him to the others one by one, and let him get the measure of them. You can stay with him, if you like. But there’s always a few adults close at hand, keeping an eye on things. You have to be careful with kids. They can form little packs of their own sometimes.” She was smiling when she said it, but Daniel nodded, a serious expression on his face.
“Sammy’s been bullied by older kids before. They gang up on him.”
“Well, it won’t happen here. Kids learn to play together in our pack, not to fight,” Oliver said.
The door opened, and Brax came in, Cole on his heels. The change in Daniel at the alphas’ arrival was striking to see. He hunched over, sitting right on the edge of his seat, his eyes flicking between the alphas and Sammy. He called to the cub quietly, his voice strained, and Sammy was by his side instantly. The cub clung to Daniel as he gazed worriedly at the new arrivals.
“Daniel, Sammy, this is Brax, our leader. And Cole, one of our Protectors.”
Daniel opened his mouth to speak, with what Thorn guessed would be another rigidly formal greeting, but Brax got there first.
“It’s really good to see you up and about, Daniel. And lovely to get a glimpse of Sammy’s face for once. How are your ribs feeling?”
Daniel seemed shocked at the casual manner of Brax’s greeting. “Much better, thank you. I— We—”
“Daniel is very grateful to the pack for taking care of him and Sammy,” Thorn supplied when the omega’s words faltered.
He reached down and lifted Sammy into his lap, giving Daniel a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
“You’re both very welcome,” Brax said. “We were glad when you turned up, Daniel. It’s good to know Sammy wasn’t as lost and alone as he seemed.”
Daniel nodded, taking Sammy’s little hand in his.
“We were just telling Daniel how he should bring Sammy over to play during the day. I’m sure he and the other cubs would get on well,” Oliver said.
Just like that, the conversation moved on to other things. Daniel stayed tense next to him, watching the two new alphas like a mouse who knew there was a hawk in the sky, but Sammy didn’t seem to have the same fear. After a few minutes, he started squirming in Thorn’s lap, and Thorn let him down. He ran straight over to where Eric was still playing, determined to join back in. Thorn saw Daniel lean forward, ready to call him back, and put a hand on his arm.
“Let him have a little fun, he’s earned it. He’s safe here, Daniel. You have my word.”
Daniel hesitated before sitting back in his seat with a slow nod.
Duke came in with Jack a few minutes later, the little boy running to join the other two while the adults talked about plans for a trip to Cole’s stables later that week. A loud, enthusiastic conversation followed. Thorn joined in now and then, but he was mostly distracted watching Daniel and Sammy. Oliver and Josh had taken Daniel aside, the three of them talking over in one corner of the room. Daniel stayed quiet for the most part, taking it all in, though he answered any question he was asked.
Almost two hours after they arrived, Thorn spied Sammy tiring and could see Daniel was losing steam too. He tapped him on the shoulder. “Ready to head back?”
He got a nod in answer as Daniel got up and went to get Sammy. The cub kicked up a bit of a fuss when Daniel spoke to him but let himself be picked up and carried to the door.
“Thanks for having us, guys,” Thorn called. “We’ll see you soon.”
He took Sammy from Daniel’s arms as soon as they were outside, knowing the omega’s ribs didn’t need the strain of carrying him all the way home.
As they walked back to the house, he gave Daniel a sideways glance.
“So, what did you think?”
Daniel had gone from nervous to surprised, but Thorn wasn’t quite sure why.
“Everyone was so nice,” he said. “And your omegas, Oliver and Josh… they were very supportive.”
“Did you think they wouldn’t be?” Thorn asked, bemused.
Daniel gave a sheepish shrug. “I thought they’d spend the whole time sniping at each other and competing for the alphas’ attention. But it wasn’t like that at all.”
“I should hope not,” Thorn said. “Maybe it’s like that in other packs, but not ours.”
Daniel tensed at that, and Thorn wondered what he’d said wrong. But the moment passed, and Daniel smiled at him.
“Sammy had a lot of fun, didn’t you?”
“Uh-huh,” the cub said, his head on Thorn’s shoulder. “Play with Eric n’ Jack again?”
“We can go over there on Saturday, if you like. Brax invited us for lunch.”
Thorn watched Daniel’s reaction to the invitation. There was a brief look of panic before the omega sighed. “That’s very kind of them. Maybe I could cook something to bring with us?”
“You don’t have to,” Thorn said immediately. “But if you want to, sure. Let me know what you need.”
Daniel beamed at him. “Do they like spicy food? I know this recipe…”
Thorn found himself grinning back at the omega as Daniel chattered excitedly about food and the pack. He wasn’t sure why the omega found simple kindness a surprise, but it made him all the more determined to prove to Daniel that not everyone was like the people from his past.
Chapter Sixteen
Daniel found himself back at the packhouse sooner than expected, invited over by Oliver. This time it was just the omegas and the cubs. Sammy was happy to play with Eric once more, running over to join his new friend. Daniel followed him over, waiting until he was sure the cub was settled before returning to sit with Oliver and Josh. It was only then that he realized something strange about Josh. He’d been so anxious the previous day that he must have missed it.
“What?” Josh asked, catching him staring.
“Nothing, sorry. Just… you look really familiar.”
Josh grinned. “We met yesterday, remember?”
“No, I mean, I feel like I’ve seen you before.”
Josh’s grin grew wider, and Daniel felt a sudden spike of anxiety. What if the connection was through his pack? But that worry faded almost instantly at Josh’s explanation.
“I did a bit of acting before I joined the pack. That’s probably why I look familiar.”
Daniel turned his head to the side, his eyes growing wide as he figured it out. “Wait, you’re Joey Karsley?”
“One and the same. Though I go by Josh these days.”
“And you left acting to join the pack?”
Daniel wondered if Josh’s decision to join the pack had been anything like his—someone else’s choice forced upon him.
“Acting was never really something I enjoyed. I came here and met Cole and…”
“It was love at first sight?”
“More like mutual dislike. The love came later.”
Despite Josh’s grin, Daniel had the sense he wasn’t really joking.
“So you don’t miss it? Being a movie star?”
“Not even a little,” Josh admitted. “But I still get a lot of attention through my work for the pack.”
“Oh? What do you do?”
Thorn had explained Oliver’s job, which seemed like an important one, but he’d assumed he was an exception. He had no idea omeg
as could have roles in the pack beyond being a mate and a parent.
“I’m trying to raise our profile and bring attention to pack rights. It has its ups and downs.”
“I don’t understand. Why would you do that?”
Josh looked torn between bemusement and irritation at the question. Oliver chimed in, answering before he could.
“Well, packs don’t exactly get a fair hearing in the media. And it’s spurring laws that would unfairly restrict us. We need to change hearts and minds in order to stop that, which means people need to see the reality of packs like ours.”
Daniel thought if people saw the reality of Harrison’s pack, they’d want to lock them up and throw away the key.
“Is that your role in the pack? As well as being Cole’s mate, of course.”
That was most important. Omegas supported the roles the alphas played.
“That’s more my unofficial role. Officially, I’m the pack’s Keeper. I make sure the alphas play nice together.”
Daniel blinked at that. “You’re sleeping with all of them?”
There was a pause before both Josh and Oliver burst into laughter.
“No,” Oliver said, trying to calm down. “Pack roles have nothing to do with sex. Sex is between mates. Roles are part of the pack hierarchy.”
Harrison explained it very differently. He’d told Daniel time and again that an omega’s role in the pack was sex. The different roles depended on who that omega was having sex with. He’d impressed on Daniel how lucky he was to be the pack alpha’s second mate.
“Oh. I didn’t realize.”
He felt himself flush as he realized how stupid he must sound to the two omegas. What would they think if they knew he’d been part of a pack too, but his role had been nothing more than bed warmer for their alpha leader when he got bored of his first mate?
“Why would you?” Oliver said warmly. “But this is exactly why we need to raise awareness about packs. Too many people have the wrong idea. They see us as cults or places where aberrant behavior is encouraged. We want them to see us as we are—a family, bound by pack, not blood.”
It sounded much nicer than how Harrison’s pack looked from the outside. Much more civilized. And there was no sign of the competition between omegas that he’d seen firsthand between Jaxon and the others.
“Ollie, can we play outside?” Eric asked.
That was the cue for them to move out into the garden, carrying blankets and toys.
Daniel sat on a blanket, one of Josh’s cubs in his lap, and watched the kids play. He stroked a hand across the little hedgehog’s spines, casting a quizzical eye at Josh.
“You’re a hedgehog shifter?”
Josh grinned at that. “Yep. I’ve finally come to terms with it after years of hiding it. You’re a leopard, right? Just like Sammy.”
“Right.”
“I played a leopard once. In that film about the prince who gets thrown off his horse and washed downriver. I’d have given anything back then to really be a leopard shifter.”
“It’s not so special,” Daniel murmured. Sure, hedgehog was a little unusual, but he thought it was nice being different, being small.
“But people respect it, more than they respect hedgehogs.”
“I don’t think that’s as true now as it used to be,” Oliver weighed in.
“You can’t talk,” Josh teased. “You’re a fox.”
The two started to bicker, but there was no heat in it, no malice. Daniel was distracted when he caught sight of two people walking through the woods with a little boy. The little boy was Jack, and with him was his father, Duke. But who was that other man?
“That’s Corin,” Oliver said softly, following Daniel’s gaze. “He was Duke’s omega mate. He left Duke for another alpha and took Jack with him. The alpha was bad news, and Corin wound up in some trouble with the law.”
“Duke’s a good guy,” Josh added. “Managed to see past his hurt and anger and asked Oliver if he could help Corin. Oliver got him out of jail and back on his feet.”
“And they’re back together?” Daniel asked.
“They’ve been slowly reintroducing Corin back into Jack’s life,” Oliver explained. “As for Duke and Corin… I don’t know if that’s something that can be mended.”
“They’re certainly spending time together,” Josh said. “But there’s a lot of healing to do.”
Daniel couldn’t imagine Harrison taking him back if he left him for another alpha. In fact, he was sure Harrison would kill him and any alpha he took up with. But Harrison was far away, with no idea where he and Sammy were. He couldn’t hurt them, not now.
Sammy padded over in his leopard form, yawning widely.
“I think someone’s ready for a nap,” Daniel said, lifting him into his arms and searching around for his discarded clothes. “I should take him back.”
“Come visit again,” Oliver encouraged. “Tomorrow or the day after.”
“I’d like that,” he said shyly. “Thank you.”
Their pack was nothing like Harrison’s. Far from wanting to get as much distance from them as possible, Daniel was curious to learn more. Just who were Thorn’s pack and how had they all come to be here?
He mulled on it and what he’d been told already as he walked back to the house. Sammy slept soundly in his arms, the little leopard’s face tucked into his neck. As the house came into view, Daniel became aware of something in the woods, shadowing them on the path. He tightened his grip on Sammy, prepared to make a run for it as he glanced through the trees, searching for what was following them.
It was an elk, standing tall and majestic among the trees. Daniel stilled and watched, curious as to why the elk’s attention was on them. As the animal approached, the wind carried its scent forward, and Daniel got his answer.
“Thorn,” he murmured.
He stepped off the path toward him, and the elk matched him step for step, narrowing the gap between them.
“I didn’t realize,” he told the alpha quietly. “I’ve never seen an elk shifter before. You’re magnificent.”
He was: tall and proud, his antlers showing off his strength. The elk came right up to them, and Sammy woke, mewling sleepily as he reached out a paw and just tipped the elk’s nose.
Daniel was prepared to pull Sammy back if the alpha snapped but all Thorn did was nudge the cub gently. Daniel stepped back to get a better view of Thorn’s animal form.
“The watcher of the forest. Keeping your pack safe.”
Thorn made a chuffing sound, and Sammy, fully awake now, insisted on being let down. He ran around Thorn’s legs, seeming oblivious to any potential danger the alpha posed. Whenever Harrison had shifted, Sammy had run straight to Daniel and clung to him, hiding from the monster showing his true form. It just proved to Daniel that the two alphas were nothing alike. And if the alphas were different, then so were the packs.
Thorn’s nose nudged Daniel’s hand, drawing him away from his turbulent thoughts.
“Could I… touch you? Would that be okay?”
Some alphas were unapproachable in their shifter forms, acting like the wild animals they mimicked. Harrison had been like that. More than once, Daniel had wound up with the claw marks to prove it. In answer, Thorn nudged Daniel again.
Daniel stepped closer, reaching a hand out slowly. There was a tremble in it that he couldn’t quite hide. It didn’t stop him wanting to do this, wanting to touch Thorn, to connect with his majestic shifter form. Elks were aloof, just like Thorn seemed sometimes. Daniel touched the tip of Thorn’s nose, then stroked up along it to his head. He scratched behind the elk’s ears, earning him a chuff of contentment from the alpha who leaned into his touch. Daniel stepped around to the side and ran his hand along Thorn’s flank. He could feel the alpha’s strength beneath his palm.
The alpha turned and nudged Daniel pointedly, nodding to where Sammy was playing nearby. “I… I don’t understand.”
The elk did it again, catching Daniel�
�s sleeve between his teeth and tugging gently. “Oh, you want me to shift too?”
Daniel hesitated only a moment before slipping behind a tree and shedding his clothes. It wasn’t like Thorn hadn’t seen his shifter form already. What did he have to hide?
Chapter Seventeen
Thorn was always careful when there were cubs around. Being the pack’s Sentinel made him hyperaware anyway but that went doubly so when he was in his elk form and there were little ones underfoot. At first, he thought Daniel wasn’t going to join them but then the omega did. It was worth it just to see the way Sammy’s face lit up with excitement as he raced over to his dad. The two scented each other, and Daniel made a half-hearted attempt to groom some of Sammy’s unkempt fur before the cub darted under Thorn’s legs to escape. Daniel waited a moment before giving chase, winding around Thorn’s legs as he stalked the cub. Sammy clearly loved being chased as the little cub squealed and darted around, running this way and that. He always came back to use Thorn as a shield.
Both he and Daniel were surprised when Sammy leaped into the air and managed to cling to Thorn’s side. Thorn, afraid the cub would lose his grip and fall, eased to his knees on the ground. It would make for a softer landing if the cub did lose his grip. But Sammy didn’t seem interested in getting down, instead climbing higher and settling in the middle of Thorn’s back. The cub curled up tightly, and Thorn let out a snort of amusement.
Daniel moved closer, eyeing Thorn cautiously. Thorn suspected he was worried that Sammy was annoying him. He grunted softly and relaxed against the ground, doing his best to show Daniel that he and Sammy had nothing to fear from him.
Daniel came to stand by his head, crouching down low on the ground. He ducked his chin and nudged under Thorn’s head. It was a very submissive gesture, and at first, Thorn thought it was done out of fear. But there was nothing else in the leopard’s body language to suggest he was afraid. In fact, it was the opposite. Daniel seemed more at ease than he had been since he’d arrived. Maybe they were finally making some progress.
When Daniel settled down on the ground next to him, Thorn made no attempt to discourage him, happy with the omega huddled closer. See, this wasn’t so bad. They were just an alpha, an omega, and a cub, out enjoying the pack’s forest. There was nothing to be afraid of, least of all him.
Sentinel (The Lost Pack Book 3) Page 8
