Saving His Omega (The Green Mountain Pack #1)

Chapter Five

Cora beamed at Graham and Tripp as she moved the scanner’s wand across the omega’s belly. “There she is. That’s a better picture than we got before.”

Graham released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding at the news. “So, it’s a girl?”

The healer nodded. “A sigma, I’d say. We’ll know better of course after she’s whelped.” She moved the wand away and wiped the jelly off Tripp’s skin. “You can sit up now, dear.”

Graham helped his mate do just that and stayed positioned behind him to give the boy something to lean against. “There’s nothing there to explain why Tripp’s wolf is so buried?”

“No. And I didn’t expect there to be. It’s just always good to check everything, anyway.” She turned her kindly expression toward Tripp. “Your wolf has gone through a lot of trauma, hasn’t he?”

Tripp nodded, misery etched on his face.

Graham’s fury over his mate’s past experiences threatened to erupt again. He clamped it down and reminded his wolf to keep happy thoughts going in Tripp’s direction. “Do you have any suggestions as to how we coax him to come out?” he asked the healer.

“I recommend pushing the issue simply by shifting. I’m sure Tripp didn’t have many occasions when you could do that, living among the humans.”

“No, ma’am. I mostly spent my days and nights in what they call motels while Blake worked. He didn’t dare let me out for the most part, especially as the pup grew.”

Cora nodded at Graham. “There now. Your mate’s wolf needs some exercise. And while he can hide within Tripp in human form, he won’t be able to resist your command to shift. Be as forceful as necessary. We can’t allow Tripp’s wolf to continue to think hiding from his mate is a viable option in life. It’s just not healthy for any of you.”

“I understand. Thank you.” He hated the idea of being overbearing with his mate, not after his previous experiences. But he also had a duty to care for him and Cora was making it clear that this behavior was harmful. “We have a little time before dinner. Come on.” He lifted the omega off the table and set him on his feet.

Taking the boy by the hand, he thanked the healer and made his way to the nearest door to the outside. Because the infirmary was at the back of the longhouse, it let out into a patch of ground next to the woods. He led Tripp over to a large rock and let him go so they could undress. The omega didn’t need to be told what to do. He always kept his attention on Graham. Soon, they were both naked, their clothing piled neatly on the rock. It was impossible not to be hard at the sight of his mate. Moreover, so was Tripp, and knowing that he brought out the omega’s passion did amazing things to his pride. He almost scooped Tripp up to take him back to bed, but part of his duty was to not be selfish. His mate’s needs came first.

“We’re going to go for a short walk in these woods. Nothing strenuous. Understand?” At Tripp’s nod, Graham went straight to it. “Change.” He put sternness into the command to ward off any resistance.

It took a second or two, then a light gray wolf with streaks of white and brown stood on four shaky legs in front of him. The poor thing was shivering. Graham knelt in front of him in human form.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. You’re safe here.” He slowly reached out with his hand.

Tripp’s wolf whined and dropped his head to avoid the touch. Graham kept going, though, and placed his palm lightly between his ears.

“I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.” He wondered if anyone had made false promises in the past. Probably not. From what he knew about Tripp’s first mate, the fucker wouldn’t have bothered to care how his mate or his wolf felt.

Lifting his hand off, he shifted so his wolf stood nose-to-nose with Tripp’s. He chuffed and nuzzled his mate until the poor thing stopped shying away from the contact. Because the point of the shifting was to allow the wolves to get better acquainted, a run in the woods was just the thing. Except the omega was heavy with the pup and couldn’t manage anything strenuous. So Graham took off at a slow, loping pace, taking a path that was relatively clear to walk.

The waning day was a beautiful one, warm with a nice breeze that ruffled his fur. He made sure to keep track of where Tripp was, circling back to check on him. It wasn’t really necessary. The omega wasn’t wandering away. Instead, he stuck close behind him. For the first few minutes of their wandering, the little wolf kept his head down. After a while, though, he lifted his muzzle to take in the scents. Every place had different smells, even forests with the same animals and flora. Graham happened to think that the Green Mountain Packlands was the most wonderful and fragrant place within his relatively small part of the world. He’d done enough traveling to other packs to appreciate how his home smelled sweeter than anywhere else.

Anytime Tripp slowed to explore something deeper, Graham stopped and sat, watching but not interfering. They didn’t get far, of course. As they entered a small glade that he particularly loved, he led his mate to the shade of a low-hanging tree and lay down. Tripp followed suit, resting on his side to accommodate the bulk of the pup. The omega wasn’t snuggled close to him, but wasn’t too far away, either. He decided to press the matter. His wolf instincts didn’t really permit anything different. Keeping a distance went against their shifter natures. Crawling up to the omega, he stuck his muzzle into the fur of the servient’s neck and lapped, then nipped. It wasn’t merely grooming, which wasn’t all that necessary anyway, given that this wolf hadn’t been outside like this for quite some time. The common activity help forge bonds between wolves.

The omega flinched and quivered at first. Not long into it, though, he relaxed with his head lying on his front paws and his eyes half-closed. Graham concentrated on the throat and head, steering clear of the omega’s face. Every time he buried his nose into the omega’s fur, Graham inhaled deeply. The scent of his mate was even sweeter than the woods. He smelled like…home. It hadn’t taken long for the bond between them to not only form, but strengthen into a connection unlike any other he’d ever known. He chuffed into the omega’s ear.

Tripp whined in response, though not from fear. As Graham neared the omega’s jaw, the servient wolf dared to lift his head to lick Graham’s muzzle. He flicked his tongue along Graham’s face, tentatively at first, then with more vigor. It was an age-old way of their kind to show submission. His wolf took it as his due, chuffing encouragement. His human brain gleefully recognized the action as a breakthrough in their relationship. The healer had been right. Shifting and socializing in wolf form had broken through the omega wolf’s trauma-induced retreat.

Although he could have happily stayed as they were until the sun set, Graham heard the ringing of the dinner bell. His mate needed as much food as he could eat. They had to return, but they would make time for this natural communing every day until the whelping. He gently shook off the omega’s attention and stood. The little wolf did the same and as they returned to the longhouse, he stuck closer to Graham’s side. It was more than a small victory.

Graham made sure to praise Tripp for the success of their walk as soon as they’d shifted into their human skin and were getting dressed. “Your wolf did really well.”

Tripp grinned. “The walk was lovely. Thank you. I know you have a lot to do and spending time with me takes you away from your duties.”

He cupped his mate’s jaw, rubbing his thumb along the soft skin. The bond that came from touching worked both ways. “Right now, nothing is more important than taking care of you.” He dropped his hand to clasp his mate’s. “Come on. Even a slow walk in the woods makes me hungry.”

Graham gave Cora a quick nod as they entered the dining room to affirm that the walk had been a success. Then he led Tripp to a table, sat him down, and filled a plate of food. It was pasta night. He ladled on big scoops of noodles smothered with a hearty red meat sauce and added a pile of leafy greens to one side. Having learned from the previous experience, he gave his mate more than he thought the boy could need. He’d been wrong in the past about the omega’s appetite but also it was better for there to be too much than too little. Tripp should never feel insecure about food and if it looked as if the boy was struggling to clean his plate, Graham could always intervene and eat more himself.

Tripp rewarded him by attacking his meal with obvious relish. “Hmm,” he moaned with the first bite.

The sound hit Graham square in the balls, lifting his cock to full erection, his dumb male parts being unable to differentiate between the sound of pleasure of eating from that of sex. He forced some pasta into his mouth to distract himself.

Blake joined them on Tripp’s right side. “This is such a treat. We first had pasta while in the human world. I hadn’t realized any shifters bought it.”

Graham swallowed. “The kitchen sigmas make it here, as it happens. We grow a small amount of wheat and grind it at our own mill. Have you been up there?” The question was for Blake, naturally. Graham hadn’t taken Tripp that far into the packlands. It was a long distance to make his mate walk and it wasn’t important enough to drive him there. After the whelping, he’d take Tripp on a full tour.

Blake nodded at him over Tripp’s head. “Yes, I have, Beta. It’s amazing.” He nudged Tripp. “You’d like the river that powers it—so pretty and peaceful. And it tastes amazing.” He lifted his glass. “I hated human water. There was stuff in it that nature hadn’t added.”

Seeing the opening, Graham probed for more information about what his mate’s life had been like since they’d fled their old pack. “How did you end up living among humans?”

Tripp froze with a forkful of pasta in front of his parted lips. He flicked his gaze toward his brother before shoving the food into his mouth.

Blake put down his own fork and looked steadily at Graham. “When we first left, we stuck to the woods in wolf form.” He grimaced. “Tripp wasn’t long into his pregnancy so we were able to keep up a fast pace. And we had a good head start before anyone knew we were missing. Still, I knew they’d catch up sooner or later. That’s why I headed to where the humans lived.” He dropped his gaze. “I stole stuff, but it allowed me to wear clothes and find work doing odd jobs. A lot of humans don’t ask questions as long as you work hard and keep your head down.”

Tripp stopped his brother from saying more by placing a hand on his arm. Then the omega turned to Graham. “Blake did what he had to and I never went hungry. Once he was able to buy the truck, we put more distance between us and our old pack. And eventually, he could afford to put me in motels to stay out of site and danger from the humans.”

To reassure his mate that he wasn’t judging either of them for what they’d done, Graham put his arm around his shoulder. “It must have been hard and frightening. For both of you,” he added with a glance at Blake. “Why did you head in this direction?”

It was Blake who answered. “It wasn’t so much that I wanted to come up here. Rather, this was where the path we needed to take led us. We passed through swampland that helped to hide our scent. It made it harder for them to track us.”

The sigma went back to eating, clearly hoping to put an end to the topic.

Graham wasn’t done, though. The details mattered because if the old pack had members still tracking them—and why wouldn’t they, given that there was a murderous sigma and a pregnant omega to find—he needed to be able to tell Elijah how likely it was for those shifters to track the boys here.

“How long has it been since you started mingling with humans instead of living off the land?”

“It’s been months,” Blake answered with his mouth full.

“And have you seen anything of your old pack members tracking you?”

Blake shook his head as he swallowed. “We never caught sight of them, actually. We just assumed they were following us but we didn’t dare try and find out. It was better to keep going. Once we fully integrated with human life, we relaxed a little. Our old pack was nothing like this one. Before we fled, I had had little contact with humans and Tripp had none. We kept to ourselves deep into the forest. We’re pretty sure none of the trackers would dare leave the safety of the woods.”

“The alpha hated humans,” Tripp added. “All of the dominants did.”

“Hate isn’t the same as fear,” Graham felt compelled to point out. “If you’ve got dominants on your trail still, it’s because they know returning without you could end badly for them. It’s easier to face humans than the wrath of an alpha. We have to assume they haven’t given up.”

Tripp turned wide eyes on Graham. “Are you thinking of telling Alpha Elijah to kick us out because of the danger we might bring?”

“Of course not!” Graham punctuated his denial with a brief kiss. “You belong to me now. No one is sending you away or taking you from me.” He was careful not to make promises about Blake, however. Given what the sigma had done, no matter the justification, there was no way Elijah would risk a fight over him if trouble came bounding into the packlands.

The look Blake shot him confirmed that the sigma understood what was not being said out loud, and that he accepted his fate.

Tripp, though, didn’t seem to notice anything. He beamed a smile, then continued eating.

Dessert was carrot cake and the musical sigmas provided entertainment while others finished the meal. Tripp’s obvious enjoyment of both gave Graham a sense of contentment he’d never known he was missing. He could have sat for hours simply watching his mate. But the second time Tripp stifled a yawn, Graham knew it was time to leave.

He scooped the boy up into his arms. “You need to go to bed.”

Tripp didn’t fight him or argue. His expression relayed his feelings, though.

“There’ll be other nights with music, and if you’re hungry later, I’ll bring you any treat you want.”

Those words had the desired effect. Tripp curled into his embrace. Graham’s wolf yipped for the first time since their walk. There was an answering call, faint, but there.

“I guess shifting worked,” Tripp said as he nestled his head in the crook of Graham’s neck.

“It did. We’ll keep at it. Everything is going to be fine.” He was trying to reassure them both.

“I know you’ll take care of me and the pup. And protect us.”

“Always.”

Once they were in their room, Graham set Tripp on his feet and took off his clothes. Then he piled a few pillows against the headboard and settled the boy against them.

“Are you comfortable?”

Tripp nodded and ran his fingers over his belly. “She’s quiet right now.” Lifting his head for a moment, he frowned. “I can’t see my feet and I can’t hold my dick very well when I pee.”

Graham paused in the process of disrobing himself. “Oh, do you need the bathroom?” He should have thought of that.

Tripp shook his head. “No. It’s just…weird. Like I can’t control my body even as little as I used to be able.” He sighed. “I guess I’m going to have to get used to it. This is how it’s going to be for most of the rest of my life.”

The observation and the resignation underlying the omega’s tone gave Graham pause. As he folded both their clothing, he considered the meaning behind the boy’s words. “Not most of the time. There will be years in between your pregnancies.”

Tripp stared at the ceiling, his fingers circling and circling his belly. “How so? I’ll go into heat as soon as I stop nursing the pup and you’re going to make me to ween each of them as quickly as possible to breed again.”

Graham sat across the bed, back against the wall with the last pillow behind him, and lifted Tripp’s feet to lie across his lap. “No, I won’t. You can nurse our pups as long as you like. This isn’t a race to see how many pups I can sire off you.” He started massaging the boy’s small feet. They were a bit swollen, he thought, and assumed having to support so much extra weight made them sore.

The omega moaned softly, the sound once more giving Graham’s eager cock selfish ideas. With his clothes off, the shaft had no trouble springing to life. He mashed it against his body with an arm.

“Is that what you’re used to seeing, sweetheart, omegas endlessly whelping?” He kept his tone quiet and as non-threatening as possible. He wanted his mate to trust him to reveal his experiences and his fears so that he could deal with them.

Tripp didn’t answer right away. His expression clearly conveyed he was wrestling with something. Finally, he answered, although he kept his gaze on the ceiling.

“My sire was the alpha of our old pack and my mother an omega.”

This information didn’t come as a surprise. It was rare for anyone other than an alpha to sire an omega and even rarer that a pack would trade an omega and a sigma. The fact that Tripp and Blake were brothers made it likely they’d run from their birth pack. He waited for his mate to tell him more.

“She gave him thirteen pups. I’m the last, and whelping me killed her.”

Graham’s heart stuttered at the news and he had to be careful not to squeeze Tripp’s feet with his distress over his mate’s obvious sadness and guilt. “That wasn’t your fault. Mothers and pups don’t always survive.”

The boy shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Blake said she wasn’t an attentive mother. She was withdrawn from everyone and everything, just doing her duty and submitting to her mate’s mounting.” He moaned again and wiggled his feet. “That feels wonderful.”

Graham pressed his thumbs into the boy’s insteps and was rewarded with more sounds of pleasure. His arousal was becoming painful, yet he did nothing to entice his mate into mounting. He sensed the boy had more to say and that was far more important than his own gratification.

“Two of my older sisters were omegas but I didn’t know one of them and barely remember the other. Our sire sold them off as soon as they were ready for breeding. The rest were dominants, except for Blake. Gods, our sire hated having a sigma son. He saw it as failure. Blake suffered his…disappointment,” he added in a voice laced with misery. “But he protected me as much as he could.”

“Who was your first mate?” It was a delicate question, yet information was the key to making sure his mate would be finally happy.

Tripp made a face. “A gamma, Victor, who joined the pack a few years before we mated. My sire liked taking in feral dominants because they were ruthless and devoted to him in exchange for re-entering pack life. Victor proved to be everything my sire wanted and became fiercely loyal to protecting the alpha and enforcing his laws. My sire took pains to make the gamma happy in his new home. He wanted me from the moment he saw me. I could tell.” He shuddered. “My sire was only too happy to hand me over as a bribe to keep Victor loyal. I hadn’t even gone into heat yet, but my sire decided I was old enough.”

Graham softened his touch, running his palms soothingly over the tops of the boy’s feet. He kept silent, hoping the boy would reveal more.

“He, um, mounted me a lot each day and that triggered my heat pretty quickly.”

Graham could only imagine how brutal that must have been. Without his heat to ease the way, the omega would have needed coaxing to become aroused, and it was clear from everything that had been said by Tripp and Blake that Victor had made no effort to please his mate. Only himself.

He lifted the omega’s right foot and kissed his instep. “That’s not how it should have been.” He licked the foot this time, covering the arch. Then he sucked and finally nibbled.

“Oh!” Tripp squirmed. “Why are doing that?”

“Don’t you like it?” He knew the answer already. The scent of the omega’s slick tickled his nose. He had to hold back a groan so as not to startle his mate.

“I-I don’t know.”

“I think you do.”

Graham didn’t probe his mate any further. The boy’s body told him everything he needed to know. He kissed his way up to the ankle, then the calf. To get better access, he moved to place Tripp’s feet flat on the bed, angling his legs apart. He grabbed the pillow he’d been leaning against and tucked it under Tripp’s ass. The angle allowed the scent of the boy’s slick to waft even more strongly toward him.

Now Graham had to let his ardor out. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply. “Gods, you smell wonderful.” He opened them again. “You want me, do you understand that?” It wasn’t only the boy’s channel getting ready for mounting. His slender cock peeked out as much as the belly would permit, hard and waiting for attention.

Graham resolved to give his mate’s body as much as it wanted. Crouching between the legs, he focused on continuing his lips’ journey up the omega’s leg. He flicked his tongue against the back of the knee, then licked a stripe all the way up the thigh. Small, tight balls beckoned him. He had to lie out flat on his stomach, his own legs bent, in order to reach them.

Tripp’s breath caught as Graham sucked the balls into his mouth and wrapped his tongue around them. He sucked and laved until his mate practically vibrated. It would have been easy to move onto sucking the boy’s cock. But he was selfish enough to want to be inside him when he made the omega come. He needed to see the pleasure on his mate’s face, too.

Letting go of his mouthful, he pushed up to his knees and lifted the back of one of Tripp’s legs to expose his hole. It winked at him, glistening with readiness. He tipped his cock to line it up with the entrance to his mate’s body and surged forward with one long thrust.

So tight. So welcoming. This was how it was supposed to be. The omega’s pliant ass sucked him inside, its silky channel enveloping Graham’s dick with a soft hug. He simply stayed there, filling his mate to the hilt and savoring the thrill of claiming the boy.

Tripp lay still with his eyes closed tightly and his fingers clenching the bedding. His mate’s dick throbbed inside him, dominating and holding him in place. Always before, he’d hated the experience of his body not being his own and had prayed for the mounting to end as soon as possible. And without a beating if he wasn’t able to hide his disgust. Things were different now. His new mate was not only kind and caring, but he’d also proven to Tripp that mounting was intended to be enjoyed by both. Their mating the previous night hadn’t been an aberration. It could be like this every time—if he let his mate know that he appreciated his attention.

With a moan, he tightened his hole to grip Graham’s cock. “More, please.” He wasn’t merely telling the beta what he wanted to hear. Tripp really did want the mounting to increase. The hard shaft pressed against that wonderful place within him that had been awakened, and he now knew it was even better when his mate thrust.

“I won’t last long, sweetheart.” Graham’s voice sounded strained.

The beta pulled out, then slid back in with a shallow thrust. He clasped Tripp’s cock and jerked it as he picked up speed. Then it was Tripp who couldn’t last, the climax ripping out of him, making him cry out and arch his back. His toes curled and his fingers cramped as they tightened. Mewling sounds escaped past his lips and even his wolf joined in with soft yips.

His mate’s wolf howled and warmth splashed inside his spasming ass. Graham continued to rock against him, more shallowly this time. His dick released more cum inside Tripp. Then a familiar yet unexpected swelling started, stretching his channel to a point of pain.

Tripp’s eyes flew open. “What’s happening?”

“Shit! Shit!” Graham’s head was thrown back, the muscles and tendons of his neck bulging from unseen strain. His head came down to stare at Tripp. “I’m sorry, baby. It’s my knot.”

“But I’m breeding already.” Tripp tried not to show his distress over his confusion.

“I know.” The beta ran his fingers over Tripp’s bulging belly. “With her in here, I don’t need to stay stuck inside you.” Graham's next words were cut off by another orgasm, his body bucking with the force of it.

Graham panted and sweat popped out over his hard torso. For all the pleasure that came from climaxing, he didn’t appear to be enjoying what was happening.

“I’m so, so sorry, sweetheart. I’ll make it go down as soon as I can.” The beta leaned over him, placing his palms on the bed on either side of him. He kissed Tripp’s belly. “I guess mating with an already breeding omega isn’t the norm and my body and wolf don’t understand. Let’s at least get you comfortable.”

The knotting made it awkward but his mate’s strength still allowed him to maneuver them both onto their sides. The pillow that had cushioned Tripp’s ass now did the same for his belly. The pup squirmed only a little before settling down herself. Graham came again as he snuggled Tripp against him.

The beta brushed Tripp’s hair from his forehead and kissed his temple. “Does it hurt? Stupid question. Of course it does.”

“It’s not bad.” And that was the truth. Mostly. The pressure was relentless, although not as acute. His ass was adjusting to the invasion and the rest of him was getting lax from both the exertion of the day and the orgasm. He yawned loudly.

“That’s it, go to sleep.” Graham ran his fingers in lazy circles around Tripp’s belly. His warm breath tickled the top of Tripp’s head and the soothing tone of his voice eased any upset.

Even as more warmth splashed inside his ass, Tripp found himself drifting off.