Chapter Four

Remy entered the alpha’s chambers with his eyes wide. He was sure that Wyatt was teasing him, something that made him a little sad. Everyone in his old pack, other than Merida, had found it amusing to play on his natural impulse to believe what he was being told. He liked to assume shifters were honest and didn’t understand why others wanted to fool him with lies.

But he had to change his belief about Wyatt’s words when he saw a boy lying against a mound of pillows, nursing a pup. “Oh!” His shock was so great, he couldn’t pretend not to be so.

The alpha mate grinned at him while settling the pup against his shoulder. “Hi. I heard we had a couple of new pack members. Welcome, and I’m Ethan.”

At Wyatt’s urging, Remy crept closer. The pup’s alpha status was obvious and as big as he was, the alpha mate had his arms full. “Thank you, sir, but I’m very…confused. How was that pup whelped? Surely the alpha has a female mate too?” He didn’t know what he was talking about. The whole situation confused him. Pups were whelped from females.

Wyatt came to stand next to him. Having shed all of his clothing, his rounded belly was easy to see. “There is no female, Remy. Ethan is a male omega, like me and you. That means he can carry and whelp pups.” His tone was kind, except his words made no sense.

Remy blinked back more tears threatening to leak out. He was so emotional these days, more than usual. “That can’t be.” His voice hitched and he swallowed hard to regain control.

Wyatt put his arm around him and helped sit on a large pillow by the pallet. “Here, it’s okay. There’s nothing to be scared about. I promise.”

Remy allowed himself to be settled and wrapped his arms around his waist. “Please don’t tease me.” He really wanted this pack to be different. If even other omegas sensed his vulnerability, then he’d be just as alone as he’d been in the old pack. Only Merida and their parents had ever been truly kind and patient with him. And Dane. I mustn’t forget him. Except it didn’t seem as if Dane would be around to spend time with.

The alpha mate put the pup down on the pallet before sliding over to take Remy’s hands in his own. “No one is trying to make fun of you, Remy. Wyatt and I understand how hard it is to be an omega and we want to help you in any way we can. It starts with being clear on what it means to be one.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Male omegas are bred by dominants and produce lots of pups, just like female omegas do. That is the purpose the Gods have given us. I’m sorry you’re learning this now when you’re so close to your first heat.”

Remy’s heart skipped a beat and he couldn’t hold back a whimper. “Heat?”

The alpha mate’s gaze remained steady. “Yes. You’re going to need to be mounted by a dominant until his seed takes hold. Then you’ll carry his pup inside you until it’s time for it to be whelped.”

Remy was already shaking his head. “No. No, that can’t be right. How is it even possible?” He’d caught glimpses of males mounting females back in his old pack. Many dominants seemed to like showing off their virility. And the females seemed to like it—mostly. He knew how pups came out, too, even though no one had ever explained it to him. Life in a pack held little secrets. But this? A male breeding made no sense to him.

The alpha mate looked at Wyatt. “Why don’t we have a snack and explain while we eat. I bet you’re hungry,” he added to Remy.

At that moment, his stomach rumbled. “Um, I guess I am. Nothing satisfies me for long.” He dared to look the alpha mate in the eye. “Is that part of…all this?”

The nodding response wasn’t a surprise and it made sense that the rest of his weird feelings were as well. Before he could dwell too much on everything, Wyatt pulled free and came back with a plate of dried fruit and oat cakes, as well as a jug of cider. The sudden and urgent need to eat overtook all of his thoughts. He’d stuffed his face before the alpha mate spoke again.

“Let me explain what it means to be a male omega, and please believe me when I say you’ll be fine. We’ll take care of you.”

Remy focused on eating as the alpha mate’s words washed over him. What the boy said was too fantastical to be true. And yet, deep down inside, pieces of his life started to click into place. He’d known he had to have some purpose within the pack. The way his old alpha and the alpha heir had looked at him before Merida had taken him away made sense now. He could finally put a name to the…hunger he saw in their eyes. But with each new detail being explained, he couldn’t help being frightened. He didn’t want these things to be done to him by a dominant…unless…Dane. The mere thought of the beta seeing him through this scary point in his life instantly calmed him. It would all be okay so long as Dane was the one to service him. The beta had to stay now. He just had to.

****

It felt wonderful to be back in the long house again, more than Dane would have expected. He’d convinced himself that living feral suited him just fine. That had been a lie. He was as much a creature of a pack as any other shifter. Sitting in a corner of the great room, sipping mulled cider with his alpha brother was as close to pure happiness as he’d ever experienced. Without the constant fear of his sire’s volatile nature, the longhouse was a place of peace. It made him extra glad that he’d brought Remy to this sanctuary.

He drained his mug. “I accept whatever constraints you put on my being here. I only want to make sure Remy is settled in before I return to my den.”

Graydon eyed him over the rim of his own mug as he drank. Setting it down, he said, “You’ve brought me an omega nearing his first heat, trusting me with him. I think I can extend the same faith to you.”

Dane grimaced at the reminder of how he’d once been so damaged by their sire’s way of life that he’d believed their brother, Wren, was better off away from the pack. “It is I who has come to believe in you, Alpha. I know now that you will take good care of the boy.”

“I will certainly give him a safe home, but his more urgent need of being mounted I expect will be met by you.”

Dane didn’t even try to hide his startlement at that statement, said so casually and as if there was no doubt. “I’ve never known you to joke around, Graydon.”

His brother grinned. “You must know I’m not. The boy needs servicing…and soon. I don’t have to tell you that. He might not even last the night under my influence.”

Dane sputtered, lost for words for the first time in his life. “That may be true, but I’m not the one suited for the responsibility. He needs a steady pack member, someone who will mate with him.”

“I don’t disagree. Are you so sure you can’t meet that requirement?”

For a few long seconds, Dane allowed himself to imagine what it would be like to be back in the pack and Remy’s mate. Oh, his wolf liked that image very much. He preened beneath Dane’s skin and his dick hardened. It had been a long time since he’d had that kind of reaction around others. Embarrassed, he covered his groin with crossed arms.

Graydon chuckled. “I see you’re intrigued by the idea.”

“Of course I am!” Dane hadn’t meant to snap but this whole discussion was becoming akin to torture. Remy was never going to be his because the boy deserved a better dominant. “I’m feral now, ruined for pack life. And I’m ugly. What omega would want to be mounted by me?” Normally, his disfigured face didn’t bother him. Seeing himself through Remy’s eyes forced him to accept that he was never going to be the desirable beta he’d once been.

“You don’t seem to be having any trouble acting civilized at the moment. You haven’t forgotten how to drink from a mug, for example.” Graydon’s baiting tone and words made Dane bristle but he said nothing. “And as for your face…? I’ve seen how the boy looks at you. It’s obviously not an issue for him.”

Dane’s wolf chuffed at that statement and he had to stop himself from running his fingers over his scarred eye socket. “He’s been out of a pack for a long time. Gratitude for a dominant taking care of him explains his interest. If there really is any,” he added with grumble. This notion of his servicing Remy was a dangerous one. He couldn’t allow that kind of hope into his life. It was doomed to die.

“I’ve seen how you look at him, too.”

Dane waved away that observation. “He’s beautiful. How could I not want him? The omega needs a mate and that’s not going to be me.”

Graydon sighed. “I’d forgotten how stubborn you can be.” He shrugged. “Very well. There are other dominants who would welcome the opportunity. Conan, perhaps.”

Dane and his wolf immediately rebelled at the idea. He had to force them both to settle down. “Conan seems like a fine shifter.” He nodded once as if to convince himself more than anyone else. “I think Remy would like him.”

“I suppose it’s settled then. But it’s clear the omega wants you to stick around as he gets comfortable here, so I expect you to stay until his heat starts.”

“Of course.” Dane swallowed back the bitterness that threatened to make him take back his words.

“You should see our mother now.”

Various emotions swamped him—guilt and longing chief among them. “Yes. It’s been too long.”

“I’ll bring her here. Take care of that first, though.” Graydon flicked his gaze downward.

Dane ground the heel of his hand onto his dick. “I will.” Even as he said the words, he couldn’t help picturing “taking care of” his erection any way other than sinking it into Remy. “Give me a little time.” He all but choked the words out as he rose and fled the longhouse to find privacy.

It had been so long since he’d lived in a pack, he’d forgotten how difficult it was to find an isolated spot to take care of business without the concern of some shifter stumbling upon him. And he felt ridiculous squatting behind a bush, tugging his cock with hard, irritated strokes until his seed spilled. Release of this kind had been few and far between over his long time in exile. The opportunities for doing so had been endless in his solitude but his interest in doing so had waned. There’d been no one to stimulate his appetite and pleasure always paled in the face of survival. Now since stumbling upon Remy, his strong sexual drive had come roaring back. No surprise there. He really needed to get away from the boy and back to his den before he embarrassed himself or took the disastrous step of making the omega his.

He’s not for me.As he reminded himself of the cold, hard facts of his life, he gave his dick one more vicious squeeze. Then he rose to go the outdoor cleaning trough to make himself more presentable for his mother. The few pack members that he encountered kept their gazes down and gave him a wide berth. He could only imagine how nervous his presence made them. Any shifter who rebelled against the communal way of life was to be viewed as aberrant and a possible danger. That the alpha had blessed his being there only served to keep them from running away. No decree from an alpha was going to override the instinct to distrust him. Only time would make the others welcome him and he wasn’t going to stick around long enough for that to happen.

By the time he returned to the longhouse, he was presentable again, but also very nervous. Seeing his mother again would be a test of his courage. His love for her had never diminished. She would have every right, however, to resent if not hate him for running away when she and her other children had needed him the most. The thought of her rejecting him was too painful to contemplate. He could only hope that she would dress him down for his cowardice yet still welcome his return, no matter how temporary.

Dane stopped and gaped at the sight of her. She stood beside Graydon, gloriously naked as she should be. The sack-like dresses she had taken to wearing to hide her scars right before he’d left were gone. The sight of her lovely skin marred by the violence of her mate was hard to see. She deserved the dignity of baring her past without being gawked at, so he stared into her eyes instead as he approached her. His wolf pranced with the excitement of a pup at the reunion. The beast part of him didn’t care about the past. He was just happy to be in the presence of the shifter who had whelped him. Because Dane didn’t know what to say, he remained silent, allowing her to speak first.

And she did, in a heart-breaking way, not with words but with a soft gasp and tears welling up. Celia closed the gap between them, standing within reach. She lifted a trembling hand and ran her fingers lightly over his scar. Dane had forgotten his own marks of violence. He could see the horror in his mother’s eyes.

He clasped her raised wrist. “It is nothing, a long ago wound that made me stronger more than anything else.” His voice was rough, as if he hadn’t spoken in a long time. He knew, though, it was emotion that clogged his throat.

Celia cupped his face. “As are mine. We both survived what we couldn’t avoid and nothing more needs to be said about it—about anything in the past.” She stepped even closer, her eyes still moist but no tears were being shed, holding them back being a lesson she’d learned long ago. “I’m just so happy to have you back again, for however long you choose to stay.”

Dane let that last bit go unaddressed. He didn’t know how much time he’d spend in the pack, although he would visit more for his mother’s sake if nothing else. “We can spend as much time together as you wish.” He flicked his gaze over to Graydon. “And as much as the alpha will permit.”

His brother sighed heavily. “You may stay as long as you like, as you well know.”

Dropping her hand, Celia took a step back. “I’m sure it is hard for you to return, my son. There shall be no pressure for you to do anything you aren’t ready to.”

Pack life had indeed changed if his mother felt free to speak so boldly. He gave her a smile that he knew didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’m here to help the new omega settle in and of course, I can’t wait to feast on whatever evening meal you have prepared.”

The idea of feeding her children had always pleased his mother. It was the right thing to say. Her smile was warm and generous. “Then, I should get back to the kitchen to see how it is coming along.” She turned, paused and looked over her shoulder. “Remy is a sweet boy. I’ve only spoken to him briefly, but it’s obvious he needs a gentle hand when his heat begins. I’m glad you are here for him.”

Dane opened his mouth to explain that he wasn’t in charge of servicing the boy. Graydon’s steely glare and quick shake of his head cut him off. Resigned, he waited until Celia was out of sight and beyond hearing before he went to his brother.

“I really shouldn’t stay after the evening meal.” Even as he said the words, his wolf growled with displeasure.

Graydon shrugged. “You’re free to make that decision, of course. Good luck explaining that to the boy and our mother. In any event, you will eat with the family, naturally,” he added before Dane could summon a retort.

“Will Remy be joining us?” Dane could have kicked himself for asking the stupid question. Since meeting the sweet omega, his tongue seemed to have a life of its own.

“No. Why would he? He’s not a member of my family, is he?” With that he strode from the room.

Dane stood staring at nothing in particular, unusually flummoxed. His entire life, he’d known what he wanted and needed to do, however miserable those decisions had been. At the moment, however, he felt unsure of himself. Part of him wanted to flee that very moment back to his den and the solitary life of a feral shifter. But he couldn’t quite make himself do it and his wolf had dug in his paws over the matter. If he shifted to run away, he had no doubt, the beast would simply turn around again. One thing was certain, however. He was in the way as sigmas started their chore of setting up for the meal. So he retreated to the outdoors, appreciating the cold sting of the air and trying not to warm himself with thoughts of seeing Remy again.

****

Dane stood impatiently by his spot on the alpha’s dining mat, ostensibly waiting for Graydon to arrive with his mate and pup, but really using the time to catch sight of Remy when he entered. The two things happened close together with Graydon coming into the great room carrying his mate, who in turn cradled the new alpha heir. His brother’s joy was obvious, even more remarkable because it was visible for all to see. Being mated and a sire had cracked Graydon’s hard fa?ade. The sight of him was the best indication yet that the Strongblood Pack had changed for the better.

And right behind the alpha family came the newly-found lost omega brother, Wyatt, and Remy. The boys split up quickly, Wyatt following Graydon, while Remy hurried over to his sister. Merida was beaming, not only at seeing her brother, but in general. That was what happened when one found the right place in a pack, he supposed. Dane followed the pair as they went to sit with a couple of other families. Celia must have decided that was better than having Merida eat with the unmated dominants given that she was all the family Remy had. Dane couldn’t help noticing that the female nevertheless stole glances in the direction of where gammas sat with their usual boisterousness barely contained. Or more to the point, at Conan. The gamma male did the same with her. Maybe he was really catching glimpses of Remy given that he was all but assured to service the boy’s heat. The very thought caused his wolf to rise up with anger. He tamped him down before he made a scene.

“Hi!” Wyatt grabbed Dane into a tight hug, taking his attention away from Remy. “I’m so glad we’ll have a chance to catch up.”

Cupping the back of the omega’s neck, Dane grinned. “As am I. You seem to be adjusting to pack life well.”

Wyatt blushed and cupped his growing belly with his free hand. “I am. The alpha lets me play most evenings and the pack has been really receptive to my music.”

Dane nodded. “That is good. And your human parents?”

“They’ve visited a few times and Graydon has made sure that they get as much help as they need with the farm. I don’t have to worry about them at all.”

“That is also good.”

Because Graydon had settled his family down to eat, Dane pulled away and made to do the same. Wyatt started to sit beside him but was plucked up by his mate.

“You will sit here on my other side.” Kael’s tone was firm enough to worry Dane that the beta had changed since mating.

Wyatt looked unconcerned, though. “He’s my brother.”

Kael gave the boy a hard look. “Other. Side.”

With a roll of his eyes, Wyatt obeyed. Before his ass hit the rug, however, Kael had him in his arms and lowered him as gently as if he were made of blown glass. Then the beta sat heavily between his mate and Dane, giving Dane an even harder look.

Wyatt peeked around his mate’s large body. “He’s become intolerable as my breeding has progressed.”

With a grunt, Kael snagged a juicy piece of meat and held it to the omega’s lips. Wyatt took the offering with a delicate bite of his teeth. Kael watched him until he’d finished chewing and swallowing before handing him a hunk of bread.

Then the beta turned to Dane while getting some food for himself. “So, Remy, huh?”

Dane glared at the man as he also grabbed bits of the succulent pork. It had been a long time since he’d eaten anything other than what ran in the forest. He savored the taste before giving Kael any kind of reply.

“I stumbled upon the boy and his sister and have delivered them here for safety. That’s all.” He belied his own words by stealing a glance at Remy. The omega was laughing at the antics of a pup sitting with him.

“Uh, huh.” Kael handed Wyatt a mug of cider before saying anything more. “How often do you hear his wolf?”

In the process of taking a long swallow of his own drink, Dane sputtered. Wiping his chin, he snarled at the beta. “None of your business.” He kept his voice low so as not to disturb anyone else in the family.

Kael held up his palm. “Sure. Sure. It’s just…well, finding my fated mate and breeding him has been the best thing to ever happen to me. All dominants should be so lucky.”

Dane tore off a hunk of bread and chewed his way through his anger. “Yeah, you look real relaxed to me,” he said just as Kael lunged to get some more meat for Wyatt before the omega could manage it for himself.

Shaking off the uncomfortable encounter, Dane turned to his mother and started asking her questions about pack life. All the while, though, the sound of Remy’s voice filtered through all of the other noise in the great room. The sound skittered across his skin, making him twitch, and his wolf pranced and howled in conflicting responses. Worse, there was that answering call from Remy’s wolf.

Damn, Kael anyway.