Sentinel (The Lost Pack Book 3)

by Claire Cullen

  Sammy didn’t stay quiet for long. Thorn felt him shift around on his back, growing restless, and then he threw himself off and onto Daniel. Thorn turned to watch, shifting back to human form as the leopards rolled around the clearing, chasing and jumping at each other. Daniel would pretend not to see Sammy creeping up on him and then jump in fright. More often than not, that scared Sammy too, and Thorn found himself laughing at the little cub’s antics as he played.

  Sleep didn’t come that night, and after a few hours of trying to force it, he gave in and got up. He had a few projects on the go, but most of them were too noisy for night time. He didn’t want a grumpy cub or a haggard omega on his hands the next day. He sat down at his worktable and pulled the toys he’d been making out of their box. He was almost done with his carving of a leopard. It just needed a few finishing touches, some sanding down, and a polish. Once it dried out, he’d give it to Sammy. The elk was a little more intricate. He had to be careful with how he made the antlers so that they wouldn’t be dangerous. He didn’t think Daniel would appreciate him giving Sammy a toy with sharp, pointy bits.

  He was just rubbing a sharp edge smooth when he realized he wasn’t alone.

  “Can’t sleep either?” he asked softly. He patted the chair next to him, happy when Daniel slid into the seat.

  “I had a dream—a nightmare—about Sammy. I wanted to make sure he was okay.”

  Thorn took a good look at the omega, not liking how pale he was.

  “He’s fine. Was out like a light the second his head hit the pillow. To be young and carefree, huh?”

  “He hasn’t always been carefree. But he is now, here, with you.”

  “He’s doing better,” Thorn agreed. “Especially since you got here.”

  “You got him back to human form. I couldn’t do that, even after months of trying.”

  It was hard to hear Daniel admit that.

  “I don’t think you were the problem. The environment has a lot to do with it, or so Kira tells me. And it sounds like things weren’t all that great where you were before,” Thorn prodded gently, knowing Daniel would clam up if he pushed too hard.

  “It was no place for a kid,” Daniel agreed then fell silent.

  Thorn waited, hoping the omega might say more, but Daniel kept quiet. So, Thorn showed him what he was making.

  “I thought Sammy could do with a few more toys: a leopard, an elk. Maybe having toys of things he can relate to would be good for him?”

  Daniel took the leopard into his hands, turning it over and over.

  “You don’t like it?” Thorn asked, when the omega said nothing.

  “No.” Daniel sounded choked up, and Thorn glanced over, surprised to see tears on the omega’s cheeks. “It’s beautiful and so, so thoughtful. Sammy will love it. He loves to play make-believe.”

  Daniel’s words were at odds with his tears.

  “I didn’t mean to upset you,” Thorn told him, worried he’d put his foot in it.

  “You didn’t,” Daniel promised him, sniffling. “You’ve just made me happy, that’s all. No one’s done that in a very long time.”

  “Oh, well, that’s okay then.”

  “It’s more than okay,” Daniel said, rubbing his hands over his eyes. “Thank you, Thorn. And I don’t just mean for the toys. You’ve done so much for us.”

  “I thought we talked about all the thank yous,” Thorn teased.

  “We did but… I haven’t said it enough.”

  Not knowing what to do, just feeling his way through the situation, Thorn reached over and covered Daniel’s hand with his own.

  “I’m glad you’re here, and that you’re both happy. I didn’t think anyone would be able to stick living with me for so long. I’m not called Thorn for no reason.”

  There was a brief pause before Daniel’s curiosity got the better of him.

  “Why are you called Thorn?”

  “It’s a nickname, from the military.”

  “Yeah, but why Thorn?”

  Thorn felt his face redden but answered nonetheless. “Our hand-to-hand combat instructor used to call me the thorn in his side. Most of our other instructors called me a pain in the ass, so I guess it could have been worse.”

  Daniel giggled. “Thorn suits you. Though you aren’t as bad as all that.”

  “No?” Thorn grinned back at him. “I’m glad to hear it.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  After a few days of short visits to the packhouse with Sammy, Daniel found himself invited to spend the morning with Oliver, Josh, and all their cubs. The older kids were in the playroom next door with Kira and Alice, and Sammy ran in eagerly to join him. For the first while, Daniel hovered anxiously near the door, keeping an eye on him.

  “You’ll make him nervous, hanging around the door like that,” Josh said. “If he sees you’re happy and relaxed, he’ll be happy and relaxed.”

  With one last glance at his cub, Daniel went to sit down with the others.

  “You’re right. I just can’t help it.”

  “It’s not easy to let them out of your sight in a new place,” Oliver said kindly. “Some days, I don’t even want to leave the pack with them. If I could keep them here forever, wrapped in cotton wool…”

  “What a boring life they’d lead,” Josh joked. “You can’t do anything fun swaddled in cotton wool. And it’s so hot all the time.”

  Daniel laughed, tickling one of the cubs who was crawling over his lap, intent on stalking his sibling.

  “I can’t believe you have so many kids between you. How do you keep track of them all? One is hard enough.”

  “It’s not so bad,” Oliver said. “They mostly stick together. And there’s so many people around to help, there’s always someone watching. Almost always.”

  “It’s a little different for me and Cole, out at the stables,” Josh said. “But we’ve only got the three, so that makes it easier. And they do stay together, most of the time.”

  It was strange to hear how the two omegas spoke to each other. In Harrison’s pack, they’d been constantly snapping at each other, doing their best to show the others up or get attention from the alphas. Daniel, on the other hand, had done his best not to be noticed. But that had just made him their target. When they wanted to feel better about themselves, it was easy to pick on him.

  “It must have been scary, being separated from Sammy,” Oliver said quietly.

  Daniel ducked his gaze, shame washing over him.

  “You must think I’m a terrible father.”

  “No,” Josh said immediately.

  Oliver’s reply was slower, but his words were kind.

  “Thorn explained your difficult situation to us. I believe you didn’t mean for Sammy to be left alone like that.”

  “No, never. But there was so little time, and I couldn’t let them—”

  He forced himself to be quiet.

  “You couldn’t let them take him away?”

  “He’s my cub. He belongs with me.”

  “You’re right, cubs need their fathers. And omegas especially need their omega fathers.”

  “They need an alpha too, don’t they? And I don’t have one of those.”

  That was one of the reasons why his family had refused to let Daniel stay with them and have Sammy, and why they’d sent him back to Harrison. Cubs, omega or otherwise, needed their alpha fathers.

  “There must have been an alpha at some point, though,” Josh said. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have little Sammy.”

  “There was,” Daniel admitted. “But it wasn’t… he wasn’t…”

  He struggled with what to say without getting further entrenched in his lies.

  “You got pregnant, he cut and ran?”

  Daniel glanced up to see understanding on both omegas’ faces. He hated lying to them when they were being so kind, but he couldn’t risk the truth.

  “Something like that. He stuck around, for a while, but he… he never wanted to be a father.”

  “
But he was more than happy to get you pregnant and leave you holding the baby. Charming gentleman,” Oliver said.

  “He wasn’t a nice guy, really,” Daniel said. “At first, he was charming. Said all the right things. But later, he changed…”

  “He hurt you?”

  Daniel nodded slowly. “And he’d use Sammy to get me to do what he wanted. I thought my family would help me take care of Sammy, but they didn’t want to know. They thought I needed to go back to my alpha and make a go of things.”

  He’d never forgive them for that. They’d seen the bruises, they knew how scared he was of him, and they still called Harrison to come get him.

  “Well, you’re here now, and so is Sammy. You’re both safe, you’ve got a roof over your heads and food on your plates.”

  Daniel waited with bated breath as Oliver spoke. Was this it? Was this when they’d finally explain what the catch was, what they wanted from him?

  “Now’s the time for you to do some thinking. To decide what you and Sammy will do from here. There’s no rush, you can take your time. Thorn seems happy to have you at his place, but if that isn’t working out, you can come stay in the packhouse. I have plenty of information about sheltered housing for omegas and their kids. And there are education and work programs that we could get you into, if you wanted to make a go of things by yourself.”

  Daniel gave an enthusiastic nod at that. “I’m a hard worker. I just want a chance to make a life for me and Sammy.”

  “Of course you do. For Sammy’s sake, though, you need some stability. That doesn’t just mean a place to stay and a warm meal, it means a steady alpha presence in his life. Right now, that’s Thorn. If you leave here, you’ll need someone else. A lot of the shelters have alphas who volunteer with the kids, like big brothers or grandfathers. That should fill that gap for you. So you don’t need to go rushing to find another alpha mate. A lot of omegas end up in trouble doing that, because they think they’ll lose their kids to foster care if they don’t.”

  It didn’t escape Daniel’s notice that Oliver said ‘if’ he left the pack, not when.

  “I didn’t know that. And you’re right, Sammy’s doing so well since he met Thorn. I haven’t seen him stay in human form for this long in months. And he laughs all the time now.”

  He was no longer the quiet, scared leopard who hid at the slightest sound of raised voices. Because there were no raised voices to hide from, not here.

  “I didn’t think Thorn had it in him,” Josh joked.

  Daniel felt a little defensive of the alpha. “He’s so good with Sammy. Gentle and kind, but firm when he needs it. Sammy’s dad would yell so much, and Sammy wouldn’t know what he’d done wrong. It’s never like that with Thorn.”

  “You like him,” Josh said suddenly.

  Daniel didn’t know where to look. Would that bother them? He didn’t think he was worthy of joining their pack. Maybe they thought he had designs on Thorn?

  “He’s been very good to us. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay him.”

  “He’s not looking to be repaid,” Oliver said firmly. “If you liked him though, that would be different.”

  “I do like him. I like him a lot. But it’s not that simple.”

  Harrison hadn’t found them yet, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t. Or that Daniel wouldn’t slip up and reveal the truth.

  “Because of Sammy’s father? Daniel, an absentee father is definitely grounds for annulling a mating bond. We can file an amendment to the bonding paperwork easily.”

  Daniel glanced up at Oliver, surprised at the omega’s words.

  “But there was no paperwork. We never bonded, not officially.”

  “Well, then. That makes it even easier. No paperwork means there was no bond. You’re free to date any alpha you choose.”

  “But Thorn wouldn’t want to date me.”

  Josh laughed. “Have you seen the way he looks at you? Cole says he’s been raving about your cooking all week. Won’t shut up about it.”

  Daniel felt a spark of warmth at that, but still… “Maybe he just likes me for my cooking.”

  “And maybe the way to a shifter’s heart is through his stomach,” Oliver said with a smile. “It means more than you think, Daniel. Thorn’s not a people person. If he didn’t like you and Sammy a lot, you wouldn’t still be living at the house with him. We offered to move you to the packhouse or the stables twice already. He says you’re both better off where you are.”

  Daniel couldn’t hide a smile at that. He felt it too. Where Thorn was, he wanted to be. And Sammy felt the same. But could it really be that easy?

  Chapter Nineteen

  Thorn found Brax carrying supplies into the clinic the next day. He hefted a box into his arms and followed the alpha inside.

  “Thanks,” Brax said, taking the box from him and stacking it with the rest. “I wasn’t expecting to see you today. Aren’t you on shift?”

  “I switched with Jimmy. It’s his girlfriend’s birthday, and he wanted to take her out for brunch.”

  “Speaking of brunch, Oliver mentioned something about us going to the cottage this weekend?”

  They headed outside to get more boxes.

  “Who’s us?”

  “Me and Oliver, you and Daniel.”

  Brax was watching him closely, and Thorn had an idea why.

  “That’s actually why I’m here. That’s what I wanted to talk about.”

  “Brunch?” Brax asked with a hint of a smile.

  “Daniel.”

  “I figured you might. Daniel’s been saying lots of good things about you to Oliver and Josh. They think he’s a little smitten.”

  “Well, it’s not one-sided.”

  Brax set down the box he was carrying, frowning. “Seriously? I thought you were coming for advice on how to let him down gently. He doesn’t really seem like your type.”

  “And just what is my type, Brax?”

  He’d always been someone who kept to himself, rarely spending more than a night with the same person, seldom dating. Since becoming pack, even the one-night stands had become a thing of the past. If he had a type, he’d long forgotten what it was.

  “Okay, you make a good point. When you say it’s not one-sided…”

  “I like him. A lot. Sammy too. I never thought I was the kind of guy who’d like kids hanging around, but with Sammy, it’s just… easy.”

  “And Daniel? Is that easy, too?”

  Thorn snorted at that. “The opposite, at least at the start. He was so on edge, he’d literally jump if I so much as looked at him. But now… he likes my attention.” He reminded Thorn of a cat basking in the sun whenever he praised or encouraged him.

  Brax picked his box back up. “Are you sure this isn’t some sort of Stockholm infatuation?”

  “I didn’t abduct him, Brax.”

  “That’s not what I’m saying. He was in a bad situation, he got out of it, and he found himself here. Suddenly there’s this alpha being nice to him, kind and gentle, which are obviously two things he doesn’t expect from an alpha. Is it any wonder that he’s falling head over heels?”

  Thorn felt his irritation growing.

  “And what about my feelings? Are you saying they’re not real either?”

  “All I know is that you’ve been pulling away from us ever since my kids were born. It’s gotten worse since Cole got together with Josh. It’s obvious you’re lonely, but I’m not sure the solution to that is taking in an omega and a kid who’ve obviously been through a really rough time.”

  Thorn didn’t want to hear it, and the urge to turn around and walk away was almost irresistible.

  “How do I prove to you that it’s not? Hell, how do I prove that to myself, and to Daniel?”

  Everything he was feeling seemed real. But what if Brax was right, and it was just two messed-up souls getting entangled in a way that was only going to end up hurting them?

  “Maybe talk to Kira about it? And take it slow. Don’t rush into anyth
ing. I’m not saying you should reject Daniel outright or send him and Sammy packing. But don’t go signing any mating bonds just yet, hey?”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. It’s only been a few weeks, and most of that time Daniel would barely look at me, let alone talk to me. Thanks, Brax.”

  “What are friends for, if not to drag your head out of the clouds now and then? And for what it’s worth, Thorn, I really hope this thing between you and Daniel works out. I’d like to see you happy and settled. We all would. It’s not easy being our Sentinel, out there alone, watching our backs. We’ve got your back too, okay?”

  “I never doubted it.”

  Daniel took Sammy over to the packhouse for story time that evening, and Thorn took advantage of the quiet to head out and patrol the border. He walked it every few days. Some nights, he chose a spot to sit and watch things. It served the purpose of marking their territory, his Sentinel scent telling any shifter who came near that this was pack land and protected. It also soothed the part of him that was constantly alert and searching out danger. He was the first to know if anything changed out there and what it might mean for his pack.

  He stayed in human form as the rain started, settling under a copse of trees as he listened to the patter of rainfall and watched the animals go about their evening. There was a den of foxes nearby. They’d had cubs only a few weeks before, but Thorn had yet to see them venture outside.

  He’d been sitting there about an hour when he heard rustling in the bushes nearby. On alert, he crouched and turned toward the sound.

  “Thorn?”

  He relaxed and stood up, spotting the top of Daniel’s head through the leaves.

  “I’m here, Daniel.”

  The omega pushed his way through, coming to stand next to him. “I was hoping I’d find you. I wasn’t sure if you were walking the whole border or not.”