Chapter Two
“Everything looks good.” The kindly healer smiled at Tripp as he sat on a high table, legs dangling.
“Thank you, ma’am.” Tripp kept his head down, as an omega should, but he stole glances around the room.
This Green Mountain Pack had stuff he’d never seen before. It looked far more like what he’d caught glimpses of in the human world than it did his old pack. The healer even had some kind of machine that made a whooshing sound. She’d said it was his pup’s heartbeat, which seemed impossible to believe. The beta who’d brought him here and had leaned against the far wall during the entire exam had smiled at the news. He obviously thought it was true.
The healer turned to the beta. “He’s all set, Graham. You can take him to the alpha and let him know this omega has been well cared for by his brother.”
“Thanks, Cora.” The beta peeled himself from the wall and came toward him.
Normally, an approaching dominant would cause him to fold in on himself, to be as small a target as he could. For some reason, this beta didn’t cause him to feel that way. The other dominants in the pack brought out the usual fear, but not this one. And Tripp’s wolf had peeked out from the deep recesses of his mind to investigate. The reaction of both of them was mystifying, although his wolf hadn’t stayed out for long.
He couldn’t hold back the flinch, however, when those big hands reached for him.
“It’s all right, sweetheart. I won’t hurt you. No one will. Ever again.” The man lifted him off the table and set him on his feet.
The beta didn’t let go of him completely. He slid his hands down from Tripp’s armpits to clasp his waist. The touch was firm but not painful. Tripp felt weirdly safe by the contact and the beta’s voice had an oddly soothing effect on him.
“I’m going to take you to the alpha now to sort out the logistics of your lodging. You have nothing to fear from him, either. Okay?”
It took Tripp a moment to realize he was expected to respond. He could only nod.
“Good.” With a brief hesitation, the beta let go of him.
Tripp missed the touch immediately but before he could ponder that surprise, the beta took his hand again to lead him out of the room. It was easy to stay close to the beta if for no other reason than everyone else made him nervous. Even the sigmas milling about, preparing for the evening meal loomed large and scary in his peripheral. When he did dare to glance at any of them, though, there was nothing except smiles being sent his way. He almost relaxed until the beta led him into a big room dominated by a large round table. The Green Mountain alpha sat at it with a male omega on his lap. It was obvious they were mates and the other boy looked…happy.
The beta stopped them a few feet from the alpha. “Cora says everything is looking good, sir. And she thinks we’ve got another few weeks before welcoming a pup into the pack.”
Relief made Tripp’s knees weak at the beta’s assumption that he’d stay with this pack. He’d assumed he would be because Blake had been so sure. Hearing it from someone else was another matter. This was what they’d hoped for in their long journey. Except…
“Blake.” He said the word out loud before he could stop himself. Something about the feel of the beta’s hand in his made him bold.
“Don’t worry about your brother.” The alpha’s tone implied he wasn’t mad at the almost-question. “He’s already out with the head sigma being shown what work we need from him. He seems to have a lot of skills if what he said can be taken at face value.”
“Blake never lies, sir.” Almost never.
Tripp kept his lips closed so as not to state his stray thought. Blake’s orders had been drilled into him the whole way of their journey. You say nothing. I do all the talking and you just nod like a good omega. Do you understand? Yes, he had. He wasn’t going to betray Blake’s trust in him.
“Now comes the harder part.” The alpha sounded regretful, which was crazy. Alphas always did what they wanted and didn’t care what others thought of it. “What to do about you.”
Tripp tried not to quiver from fear of what the alpha was going to say. He pressed against the beta’s side without thinking about it. They were still holding hands, so why not?
“You’re scaring him, Elijah.” The other omega slipped off the man’s lap and came over to Tripp. “Sorry. You know how dominants are—always too blunt and not taking our feelings into enough account. Even my oh-so-modern mate.” The boy shot a look at the alpha before tugging at Tripp’s free hand. “I’m Wren, by the way. Come and sit down. You can let go of him, now, Graham.”
The alpha mate’s rebuking tone was yet one more surprise.
The beta’s fingers started to unflex, then clamped down again. “No, I don’t seem to be able to do that, actually.”
Wren sighed. “Well, I guess that makes all of this easier,” he said mostly to himself.
The omega and the beta managed to get Tripp seated on one of the chairs. They were made for dominants, of course, tall and wide. It was astounding that a servient was being permitted to occupy one. Tripp’s feet dangled over the floor again, just like always. Nothing was made omega-sized. He sat with his stomach in knots, clasping his belly with his free hand, and awaiting what his fate was going to be.
“Be gentle about this, Elijah. I need to feed our daughter.” Shooting Tripp a quick smile, the alpha-mate left the room.
Or he tried to. As he passed the alpha, the man’s hand shot out and grabbed him. He pulled Wren between his legs.
Tripp couldn’t hold back a whimper. He knew what was going to happen next. Except he didn’t, apparently. Instead of a slap, or worse, the alpha gave his mate a long kiss before letting him go again. The omega smiled and continued on his way.
“The alpha would never hit his mate,” the beta whispered into his ear. His warm breath sent a shiver down Tripp’s spine, although a different kind than he was used to.
It was a fleeting thought as the alpha began to speak, his tone commanding everyone’s attention. “Okay, Tripp. Here’s the thing. I accept as the truth that your mate was brutal and your life in the old pack could have possibly led to your death. I’ve seen enough of other alphas to have no trouble believing your brother. And he’s sure members of your old pack are chasing you. I have no trouble believing that, either.”
The alpha leaned forward, bracing his arms on his thighs. “Blake did a great job caring for you and keeping you hidden among the humans. Now that you’re here, though, you’re my problem. I don’t have a choice. I can’t let you leave. You and your brother have to join my pack.”
Tripp was careful to show his gratitude. “Thank you, sir.” He blinked back tears of relief because no dominant, however kind, wanted to see a servient’s misery unless they were trying to beat it out of them.
“You don’t have to thank me. I’m doing my duty as an alpha, and part of that is ensuring that no matter what, you can’t be taken away. That means you need to mate again—immediately. If anyone shows up from your old pack, you need to be drenched in a dominant’s scent. There’s no other way to keep you safe. We’ll do what we can for Blake, too, but you’re the top priority.”
Tripp indulged in a few seconds of despair before accepting the inevitable. Of course, he had to be mated. Blake had made that clear. Tripp had never labored under the belief that he could get out from under the heavy hand of a dominant. He was an omega. The Gods had made him to submit and breed. At least he’d had a few free months out in the human world. There had been some fun moments to remember for the rest of his life. And so long as Blake had a better chance at life in this new pack, that would be enough for Tripp.
Because there was a pause that implied the alpha was waiting for a response, he said, “I understand, sir.”
“Good. I explained this to your brother and he had no objections. Not that he’s entitled to any. Coming here meant submitting to pack life again. The mating will take place tonight. Normally, we’d have a celebration for it but we don’t have time. I’m not going to allow you to remain another day being unmated. I don’t take chances with my pack members.”
Tripp nodded again. His wolf retreated farther into his place of hiding as he tried not to dwell on what would happen when his new mate claimed him. He’d survived being mounted many times and would again. He had to trust that this pack wouldn’t tolerate his being hurt as he’d been before. At least no more than was unavoidable. Mounting was always painful given the size difference between a dominant and a servient. He couldn’t imagine what the Gods had been thinking of creating his small body to accept a dominant’s larger one.
The alpha continued. “I’m sure you’re curious about who is going to your new mate, but I expect the answer is obvious at this point.”
The beta put his hand on Tripp’s shoulder and smiled down at him when he looked up. The man answered for him, although he kept his gaze on Tripp. “Yes, Alpha it is.”
The alpha barked out a laugh. “Amazing, isn’t it? Like being hit by a two-by-four in the head.”
“Among other places.” The beta laughed, too, although he kept his kind gaze on Tripp and there was no meanness that Tripp could see. “We’ll need a temporary den. I, ah, don’t really want to take him to my parent’s place. The idea of mounting someone with only a wall between me and them kind of freaks me out.”
“I figured as much. Wren’s already having a small storeroom cleaned out until we can build a permanent home for you and your new family. There’s still time before dinner. Show your mate around.” With that, the alpha left.
Then Tripp was alone with his mate-to-be. The man lifted him off the chair and stared at him with hunger in his eyes. Tripp knew that look. He wondered if he would be mounted right there. But the beta surprised him by leaning down and placing a soft kiss on his lips. No one had ever done such a thing to him. The touch sent a little, not unpleasant shock through his body.
“Come and see your new home.”
“Yes, sir.” Tripp could barely speak, his mind still on the quick kiss.
“Call me Graham. I bet you’re not used to familiarity with your mate. Things are going to be different this time, Tripp. I’m going to be different than what you had before in a mate. I know it’s hard to understand that, but I’ll show you later.”
Tripp followed the beta—Graham—out of the room and not only because obeying was in his nature. He actually wanted to believe Graham might be speaking the truth even though he knew the hope was foolish.
****
Graham couldn’t go two seconds without holding Tripp’s hand. It was weird but true that from the first moment he’d clapped eyes on the omega, he and his wolf had turned into an unrecognizable whirlwind of possessiveness dressed in human skin and fur. It took more willpower than he’d ever had to call upon to keep up the tour of the pack’s compound instead of dragging Tripp to somewhere private and claiming him. Patience! Mine! His logical human brain was in a constant state of war with his wolf’s primitive urges. He’d always prided himself on being level-headed and under control, thoughtful and deliberate. Being on edge was unknown to him and the reason for it waddled obediently beside him, testing his ability to remain in check as nothing in his life ever had.
Fated mate.
Yeah. He’d been mostly open to the idea given how his equally rational alpha had lost his Gods-damned mind at the first sight of Wren. Elijah had put his need for his mate over any other consideration. Moreover, the primitive omega strived hard every day to fit into his new pack. Their love and devotion to one another was joyful to behold and it was a more compelling tale about finding the one true shifter for oneself than even the example set by Graydon and Ethan. The fact that the Strongblood alpha, with his close ties to nature, had lost his mind from the moment he’d clapped eyes on Ethan didn’t really signify. Old-fashioned shifters stuck to the views of the past. Modern ones like the Green Mountain Pack members were supposed to rise above that and conform to a way of life that allowed better integration with humans when the time came. And that time would come. He was certain of that.
The fact that some deeply imbedded part of him could take over his beta brain was disturbing. And yet, as he stared down at the pretty boy by his side, he couldn’t muster up any effort to fight against his needs. He wanted Tripp more than his next breath and in a few short hours, he would have him.
A waving hand caught his attention as they passed the weaving shed. Graham changed course. “Come and meet my mother.”
The omega stiffened briefly. Because of their hands being clasped together, Graham could feel every emotion and most of the boy’s reactions weren’t happy ones. It was as if he expected at any moment to be confronted by something frightening. Graham’s wolf growled lowly with fury. This omega’s past must have been horrific for the boy to be this damaged. Graham resolved to make it up to him as best he could once they were mated.
He shoved aside his anger and forced a grin on his face. “Mom, this is Tripp. We’re, ah, going to be mated tonight.” Whenever he’d thought of his eventually mating, he had pictured a courtship and a celebration by the pack. The stark haste of this situation embarrassed him on some level, as he stood before his mother while holding hands with an already breeding omega.
His mother must have sensed his unease because she smiled broadly and came out to hug first him, then a startled Tripp. “As if this is news to me.” She stepped back. “It’s all anyone can talk about. Not much work is getting done this afternoon.”
“Tripp, this is my mother, Carol. She is the head crafts sigma.”
“Ma’am.” Tripp’s voice was barely a whisper and his gaze remained fixed on the ground.
His mother focused her attention on Tripp. “Welcome to our pack and our family, Tripp. Graham’s father and I are delighted by his mating, and having a grandpup coming so soon? It’s wonderful. My mate looks forward to formally meeting you at supper.” She swiped at tears forming at the corner of her eyes.
Graham had always loved and appreciated his parents. The way they were accepting Tripp and another dominant’s pup into their lives with such obvious ease almost made him want to cry himself from gratitude. Not that he’d doubted their kindness, but the sheer speed with which their son’s life was changing would have justified any apprehension they might have felt. He sensed no hesitation in his mother and his father always followed her lead in family matters, so he wasn’t worried about Tripp meeting the man.
Tripp didn’t say anything, although he huddled closer to Graham’s side. The omega’s seeming trust in him was a good sign. Even though the boy tended to flinch at sudden movements, he wasn’t so damaged by his past that he and his wolf didn’t recognize the protection Graham afforded them. It made him hopeful that they would be able to settle into their new lives without a lot of effort and drama.
“Well, I should get back to work.” His mother backed away. “Be sure to show Tripp what his brother is doing.” She shot Graham a stern look that always meant she was giving him an order, hierarchy be damned.
“Thanks, Mom. That’s our next stop.” With what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze of his hand, Graham headed for the woodworking barn where he spied Blake. It was past time for them to have a little talk about Tripp’s future.