Building a Pack is Ruff, Part 1 (The Pack Pets Omegaverse #2)

25. Steve

Chapter 25

I wasn’t expecting that. Part of me is relieved that the girl we saw wasn’t an omega, but that means that the situation with Teddy is an even bigger shit-show than originally anticipated. Seems like the scent that was screaming at my brother and me was his. With luck, this will at least get Garret to stop fighting over making Teddy our omega, though now I have to figure out how to get him to come back with us. There’s no way in fucking hell that I’m leaving without him. Dad and his legacy bullshit can fuck all the way off.

I drag Garret back inside because right now he’s just staring off after that damned truck. I don’t know what the fuck that girl said to him, but by the way Teddy clung to her when he saw us, she’s important to him—which means Garret upsetting her is just going to make this harder all the way around. And that big fucking alpha. Shit. I mean, he wasn’t that much taller than us, but fucker looks like he lifts cows for fun. What the fuck. Maybe that’s why Teddy likes him, he makes him feel like an omega. He could probably pick my boy up and princess carry him if he wanted to.

The kid behind the register—Billy according to his nametag—stands up straighter and glares at me as I walk back into the store. “We don’t want any trouble around here. If you harass anybody else, I’ll have to call the police.”

His back is stiff as a board, but his eyes shift from side to side, and I can admire his conviction, even if I don’t appreciate it. Time to do some damage control, I don’t know how long we’ll be in town, but I don’t want to deal with cops. “Sorry, man. We thought we saw a friend of ours and wanted to say hi.” It’s a thin excuse and he doesn’t look like he believes me. Fuck, I don’t blame him, it was shit.

“Miss Kelly didn’t look like she knew you”—his expression shifts—“but I’m sure if you ask down at the garage where she works, Gabe or Xan’ll be happy to help you out.” He’s outright smirking now, and yeah, I think we better avoid those two at all costs. I wonder if the alpha in the truck was one of them.

Also shit…Kelly from the garage. No wonder she looked ready to bludgeon Garret to death. If it’s the girl who answered the phone earlier, I don’t blame her for wanting to slap him stupid. Of course, as smitten as he seems now, maybe this’ll teach him not to be an asshole to people. Looking back to the still smirking Billy, “Hey, you guys got a deli or anything in here? We came in to find some lunch while our tire gets fixed.”

He looks like he’s actually thinking about it for a few seconds. “Sorry, Sir. We only have prepackaged deli stuff. The diner is a couple blocks down after you pass the garage. They’re about the only place around here to get hot food, unless you want to head towards the interstate.”

Figures.

“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.” I drag Garret back outside into the chill. He hasn’t said anything since Kelly and Teddy rode off with that alpha, with luck they’ll be gone before we get back to the shop. I’d like to avoid these Xan and Gabe guys that the cashier mentioned too, if possible. I’m pretty sure that’s more trouble than we can handle at the moment.

Garret

S he’s gone. I know now that it was probably Teddy we smelled. And, yes , that’s a fucking shock. I need to check in with Steve and see if he’s ok. But I can’t, I can’t seem to do anything. My mind is static right now. I mean, Teddy is…ok, he’s sweet, and he’s like family, but I don’t like him that way. I don’t like any guys that way. I can appreciate how a man looks and decide if he is attractive or not, but I really don’t want anything to do with a dick that isn’t mine.

And Kelly, fuck me. Did I already ruin it? I mean, obviously she has a pack…with Teddy, who’s our omega.

Will they join us?

Can we join them?

There are three of them and only two of us.

How would that work?

Shit, what are the dads gonna say?

Do I really care?

Fuck!

I need to find out more. Spinning on my heel to march back into the store, I nearly run headlong into Steve, who’s coming out the door at the same time. “No dice on the food situation unless you want pre-packed lunch meat or peanut butter. We need to head down to the diner about three blocks that way.” He points down the street, and I see Kelly standing in front of the garage talking to someone inside. Maybe I can apologize. I mean, I should tell her I’m sorry and explain…I mean…Shit. It’s no wonder she was so pissed.

It’s ok, I can figure this out.

First, go catch the girl before she leaves

Second, apologize to the girl.

Third, a miracle happens.

Lastly, she forgives me, lets us court her and Teddy.

Then we join her pack.

Everybody’s happy?

Shit, that’s not gonna work.

Ok, fuck, think of something else. I need to ask Steve about this. He knows Teddy better. I mean, we both know him, but I’ve never kissed the guy, or…anything else they’ve done that I don’t want to know about. That being said, other than apologizing, I think the best way to get Kelly to like me is to win over Teddy.

Ok, this is a plan, or at least the start of a plan.

Shit, like...eight percent of a plan?

My mind spins as Steve drags me down the street. The truck with Kelly in it pulls out and drives away, and I feel like someone stole all the air out of my lungs. I need her.

What the fuck?

She isn’t even an omega.

My instincts are going fucking crazy right now, they don’t care that she isn’t an omega.

I’m in a daze as we make it to the diner and sit down. I stare out the window as Steve orders us each a burger and fries. You can’t really go wrong that way. Even if a place has shit for food, burgers are straightforward. I don’t mean gourmet shit, just plain meat, cheese, bun…maybe if you’re feeling frisky, get some tomato and onions on there. Easy.

I watch the cars pass the window where we’re sitting. The truck doesn’t pass by again, so I don’t think she’s going back to the garage today. There goes my plan to catch her there to apologize, or at least talk. I can’t stop thinking about her. Every time I try to think about something else, it circles back to her. Teddy? Yeah, apparently, they’re together. The car at the shop? Oh yeah, no she works there. Home? I don’t want to go home without her. And how’s that for fucked-up since I don’t know the first fucking thing about her. I mean…she’s a beta for fuck’s sake, I shouldn’t be this obsessed.

Fuck!

Our food finally arrives and I stop looking out the window long enough to take in my surroundings. It’s not a huge place, less than twenty tables to be sure. They have an old style counter with barstools, which make everything feel kitschy. Picking up my burger, I take a bite. Maybe it’s because I was super hungry, or because my whole fucking worldview was recently turned upside down, but it’s a damned good burger. Slightly crispy edges, toasted bun, the whole nine yards. There’s a pile of toppings off to the side, and some very frozen tasting French fries, but the burger itself is solid.

We finish our food, neither of us really talking, or even making eye contact. Steve looks about as desolate as I feel, and I get it. Seeing Teddy today must have thrown him for a loop. Pain and frustration are coming off him in waves. I should have noticed it before, but I’ve been kind of preoccupied with my own world crumbling over a stranger.

Sorry, Bro, bit mentally preoccupied.

Fuck, I really am just an inconsiderate asshole.

Now that I have something in my stomach, self-reflection is more of a thing.

What the Hell is wrong with me?

Seriously, first I bitch at the girl.

Though in my defense I didn’t know who she was.

Then I follow her around the store and chase her outside.

Even if I hadn’t been an asshole, that would be enough to freak anybody out.

Steve is the one staring out the window now, so I guess it’s my turn to get him moving. Walking up to the register, I pay for our food and ask for a couple of to-go cups for our drinks. I get Steve up and he seems broken, empty as we walk back towards the shop where we can hopefully pick up our vehicle, and then see about finding a fucking hotel in this damned town. We need to regroup and make a plan. As much as I want to, I don’t think I’ll be able to get more information about Kelly from the shop where she works.

It’s only a couple blocks back to the shop, but the temperature seems to be dropping fast and the wind has picked up. What the fuck is it with this town? If it fucking starts snowing, I’m done with this shit. Just put me on a goddamned plane back to fucking L.A. I don’t fucking do the cold.

Lie!

I know, I can’t leave. Steve won’t abandon Teddy again, and I can’t go without Kelly, even if she isn’t an omega. I just fucking found her, and I don’t care if it was Teddy that we were scenting on her, I need her. Holding Steve close, I lean forward in this stupid fucking wind as we trudge towards the garage. We don’t have time for this shit. I need to find Teddy to snap Steve out of his freaky zombie state. Will that help me find Kelly? Ok, yes. But I’m trying to be at least someone altruistic, considering the shape that Steve is in. He seems to have shut down now that he has food, I don’t know why the delayed reaction, but I got this. We count on each other…We used to count on Teddy too, until…

I don’t want to fucking go there. I don’t. I don’t hate him, I mean, yeah, I feel kind of betrayed, but it wasn’t his fault, he had no way of knowing he would be an omega, I just…I can’t always be on the outside looking in. I can’t always feel like the odd man out. It’s exhausting. I was never opposed to sharing an omega with the two of them, they were my brother and best friend. A tiny voice in the back of my mind whispers that it might not be too late for that. I mean, not Steve, I love the guy but turns out he isn’t into women. At all. If it was an omega heat situation, I think he would be fine. From what I’ve heard the pheromones mean you basically stay hard whether you want to or not.

Ugh, I don’t want that for my brother either. Dad’s gonna be pissed regardless. I’m not ruling Kelly out to have kids, if she wants, but she’s not an omega, and that was an integral part of Dad and Grandpa’s plan. Fucking legacy bullshit. Break up our fucking pack. We went to the fucking college they wanted, got the fucking degrees they wanted, looked for a fucking omega that we were never going to agree on because Steve only wants Teddy, and I want someone to want me for me.

The short distance back to the garage seems to take forever. Steve and the wind have slowed our pace considerably, and there is sleet coming down by the time we arrive. I open the door and shove Steve into the warm air. The bell overhead jingles loudly, but no one comes out. I expected Sal to be here since Kelly left, but there’s no sign of her. We don’t have any jackets, so I lead Steve over to a waiting area and wrap my arms around him, trying to help stop his chattering teeth.

It takes a while, but once I regain feeling in my fingers, I walk back over to the counter, staring out the window into the garage proper. I see our vehicle jacked up, and the flat front tire off on the ground beside it. Sal isn’t working on it. A younger looking guy with white-blond hair in a ponytail is pulling down a tire off the wall, so hopefully that will be for ours. Sal seems to be having a heated discussion with a jacked looking beta. He has a small raggedy looking car up on lifts and I wonder briefly that it still runs at all; it looks more rust than metal at this point.

Then I chide myself because whoever owns the little rattletrap probably drives it more out of necessity than desire. In a town this size, you probably need a car just to get around. I don’t imagine they would have a plethora of sidewalks once you get out of the main drag.

After a few more minutes Sal throws her hands up and marches back into the front office. She pulls up short when she sees me, and her friendly demeanor from earlier is gone. Shit. I can’t say I blame her, but I am curious about what Kelly told her. Does she know about Teddy and Steve? Does she know that I followed her out of the store like a man obsessed?

Her eyes flick from me to my brother—still looking catatonic in a plastic chair—and back before she speaks. “Yeah, so…Xan wants to talk to you before we finish your car. You might have guessed but Kelly already left, so he’ll need to run your paperwork for AAA.”

I offer a smile and try not to show that I’m screaming inside because I want to have the pretty beta here again. Go back in time a few hours and not be such a complete and utter bastard. Before I can formulate a response, the beta Sal was arguing with earlier walks in. He’s only a few inches taller than her, and I’m almost knocked over by the waves of dominance and anger roll off of him as he glares at me.

Wait, the cashier at the store mentioned a Xan.

Oh...Fuck.

Yes, Kelly definitely told them what I did.

What we did?

Doesn’t matter.

“This is Xan, one of the owners of the garage, and my boss. So, I’m just gonna go help finish up your tire so we can get you guys outta here before the weather gets any worse.” Sal beats a hasty retreat back to the garage while Xan continues to glare at me.

“Listen, man, I don’t know you, and I don’t want to fuckin’ know you. My original plan when Kelly stopped by earlier was to get your tire fixed and get you the fuck outta this town ASAP. But it don’t look like that’s happening in this weather.” His hard stare flips between me and my brother who still hasn’t responded. “Kelly’s worked here for years now. She’s a good person, and she makes my job a hell of a lot easier than it used to be.” He slams a handful of paperwork down on the desk. “Also, I don’t know what you dipshits did to Teddy, but he made my omega smile, and she doesn’t like people in general. So lemme give you a piece of advice. Stay the fuck away from Kelly’s pack.”

It finally registers that this man is an alpha. I’ve never seen one that was this short before, seriously, he can’t be over six feet, if even that. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, trying to focus so I can stop thinking of him as an “alpha: now in fun-size”. He looks like he might actually kill me if I make that comment.

If he could reach.

Shit…Garret, don’t laugh.

Don’t fucking do it.

A small snicker escapes my lips, and his response is immediate as a tire tool lands firmly on the top of the desk, his hand closed tightly around it. Fucking hell, I must be hysterical, because I feel like giggling again at his display of anger.

Pull it together man!

Do you want to be beaten to death in the middle of bumfuck nowhere with a goddamned tire iron because you couldn’t stop laughing at the miniature alpha.

Shit!

What the actual hell is wrong with me?

His fist is still clenched around the hunk of metal, and his eyes squint as they glare over at me. Finally, his hand relaxes and he pulls the keyboard out on a sliding tray. Releasing a loud breath, he starts typing. “Fuck my life, I hate this part. Ok, I’m going to need your AAA card, payment information, and ID so I can get this shit done and get you the fuck out of here before our office manager comes back and I have to either stop her from beating you to death or help her hide bodies. Neither one sounds like a fun afternoon, and I just want to get home to my mates.”