Saving His Omega (The Green Mountain Pack #1)

Chapter Six

Tripp couldn’t hear what his mate was saying to the healer. They were huddled in one corner of the infirmary far from where he sat on her examination table. He and the pup were fine. The miraculous machine that showed what was happening inside his womb had confirmed that the pup remained in her cramped space, healthy and with a strong heartbeat. He hadn’t minded having to lie down and watching on the screen. The examination of his hole had been a different story, however. It had been embarrassing for a female to have her finger up his ass and everything remained tender after the knotting. Still, there was nothing to worry about, the healer had assured him and Graham. That’s when the beta had all but dragged the woman out of earshot. The man’s expression was stern and his hands animated as he spoke.

Poor Graham. Tripp had woken to find breakfast waiting for him in their den and had been tenderly washed right there in the bed by his mate after he’d finished eating. The beta could not stop apologizing for something that hadn’t been in his control. At least Tripp believed that to be true. He couldn’t imagine Graham deliberately creating the knot only to abase himself afterward. That was not how dominants acted.

Whatever the healer was saying, it caused the beta to obviously relax. He slumped against the wall and ran the fingers of one hand through his hair. Then he looked over at Tripp with a determined expression. He straightened and strode over, lifting Tripp off the table to help him dress without saying a word.

The healer returned, too, and gave Tripp a reassuring smile. “Everything’s fine, dear boy. As I told your mate, what happened is not unheard of, although I’ve never come across it myself. The beta’s wolf needed to show dominance and claiming in a way it wasn’t afforded the night of your mating. Shifting yesterday and the reemergence of your wolf certainly was a contributing factor. I don’t believe it will happen again.”

“It for damn sure won’t.” Graham’s harsh tone was startling.

The beta lifted Tripp’s chin and kissed him lightly on the lips. “I only mean I won’t allow it. No mounting for a few days.”

“Yes, Graham.” Not that such things were within his control, but he felt oddly disappointed at the news.

“Come on. We’re going to do something special today.”

The announcement came as a surprise. He was bold enough to say, “I was hoping to work on the blanket today.”

“You will.”

Tripp didn’t ask any questions. He had no choice in following his mate, not only because he was in charge of him, but the man also held on tightly to his hand. He couldn’t have broken the hold to go his own way even if he’d wanted to.

He wasn’t sure where they were headed until he caught the scent of food. They walked into the kitchen, a huge room buzzing with sigmas already preparing lunch. Fresh bread was being hauled out of the large oven built into the back brick wall while vegetables were being chopped and meat sliced with quick efficiency. The head sigma brushed her hands on her apron and came over to greet them.

“How can I help you, Beta?”

Graham gave her a charming smile. “Would you please pack us a picnic lunch, Faith? Just whatever you were planning for everyone else, plus maybe some cider?”

“Certainly.” She winked at Tripp. “Newly mated couples need time alone together. It won’t take me more than a few minutes.”

“Thanks. You’re the best.”

Tripp barely had time to wave at the woman. Graham tugged him out the back door and over to the shed where the vehicles were kept. He went to an open jeep and lifted Tripp into the passenger’s seat, buckling him in before he could do it himself.

Graham ran his finger down Tripp’s nose. “Stay here, sweetheart. I’m going to get your crocheting, the basket of food and a blanket. And,” he added with tip of his head, “I need to let the alpha know that going over the accounts will have to wait until tomorrow.”

Alarmed that his mate was blowing off his duties with the alpha in favor of coddling him, he opened his mouth.

“ Don’t .” Graham gave him a stern look. “I need to do this for you. Please let me without a fuss.”

Tripp snapped his mouth shut again. No dominant had ever asked him to permit anything in his whole life. He didn’t have that kind of power. Not knowing what to say, he nodded and settled back into his seat.

Graham took off and almost immediately Blake hurried up to the Jeep.

Tripp frowned. “What are you doing here? You’ll be missed and I don’t want you getting into trouble.”

“Don’t worry. No one hovers over me in this pack. It makes for a nice change. Even the humans kept an eye on me during work hours. As long as I get my assigned tasks done on time, it’s fine for me to take a break.” He leaned in and peered at him. “Are you all right?”

Tripp shrugged. “Sure. Why wouldn’t I be.”

Blake lowered his gaze and furrowed his brow. “You weren’t at breakfast and there was talk that the beta took you to the healer this morning. I…did he hurt you?”

The lingering ache in his ass caught his attention. He still answered his brother’s question with the truth. “He didn’t. I swear,” he added when his brother didn’t appear to believe him. “Graham takes good care of me.” He patted his belly. “Of us. And he worries too much. It’s his only fault.”

Blake smiled as Tripp had intended. “I worry, too. And for good reason.”

“He’s not like Victor.”

That was all he could say. Graham came trotting up. He put a basket, a soft cloth bag and a blanket in the back seat.

“Hey, Blake. I’m taking your brother to see the mill. I’m sure you’ve got work to do,” he added with a pointed look.

“Yes, Beta.” Blake backed away.

“See you at dinner.” Graham got behind the wheel and started driving down a dirt road behind the longhouse. “You’re going to love this, sweetheart.”

****

Tripp did love it. The small glade where Graham laid down the blanket was a grassy and warm bank by a rushing river. Insects buzzed lazily, birds chirped and the sound of the tumbling water lent a soothing background noise to it all. Not far away, the wheel of the mill churned, the unnatural sound of the paddles cutting through the water providing a steady bass to everything else. The sigmas working there came into view from time-to-time, but they made no effort to disturb them. Without those glimpses of other shifters, Tripp could imagine that he and his mate were all alone in the world. Far from being frightening, it was amazingly peaceful.

He focused on his task of finishing the blanket, creating chain after chain with the quick and practiced movements that had returned to him. Graham had made it easy for him to get comfortable sitting on the ground by giving him a living chair to lean against. With his long legs spread wide and knees bent, the beta provided a nice space for Tripp to settle his body. He’d been reluctant to let his full weight rest against the man’s chest. It hadn’t taken long, though, for his mate to relax him by providing a steady brace. And the beta used his strong fingers to massage Tripp’s neck and shoulders, much as he’d done with his feet. Tripp had never known such touch existed, let alone appreciate how pleasurable it was.

For the both of them.

Pressed as he was against the man’s crotch, he had no trouble discerning the hard ridge that proclaimed arousal. It should have alarmed him. He’d seen plenty of dominants mount servients out in the open, their needs overriding any sensibilities of others, especially the one being mounted. The mill sigmas were probably of no concern to Graham. And it was a beautiful spot to enjoy oneself. He could easily envision the beta putting him on his hands and knees, lowering his pants and plunging into his ass. As achy as he was from the previous night’s knotting, his cock swelled at the possibility. He couldn’t stop himself from wiggling his ass.

Graham’s fingers stilled and he rested his chin lightly on Tripp’s head. “Don’t worry about that. I can’t help getting aroused when I’m touching you. There’s no way I’m going to act on it.”

Tripp didn’t feel relief as he would have expected to. He stopped crocheting, resting the needle and wool on top of his belly. “I’ll understand if you do. You’re a dominant and your…ah, needs come first. Is there a place we can go where the sigmas can’t see us?”

“ Tripp .” The beta’s tone was sharp. “You have to trust me. When I say I’m going to do something or not do something, I mean it.” He slid his large hands down Tripp’s arms and cupped the heavy mound of pup. “We’re here to spend some quiet time—all three of us. Besides, the healer said your hole was swollen both outside and in from the knotting. I would never dismiss how I’d hurt you while chasing a bit of fun for myself.”

He couldn’t help remembering how Victor paid had no attention to whether he was hurting Tripp or not. The beta’s pleasure was all that had mattered. And the horrible man had fucked him extra hard after delivering a beating. Causing pain, making him cry had seemed to arouse him more than anything.

Graham is not Victor.

It was difficult to believe this mating was different, even though he and his wolf sensed only kindness. They hadn’t known each other for more than a few days, however. Letting go of fear so soon was a challenge.

Tripp didn’t have a chance to figure out the right way to respond. The pup chose that moment to waken and squirm.

Graham gasped. “Wow, touching you while she moves makes her more real to me than even seeing the scans.” He rubbed his fingers along the top-most bulge of Tripp’s belly. “Is this her head, or her butt?”

Tripp couldn’t help laughing. “It’s hard to tell, I know. But the healer said she’s in position for whelping so I think it’s her butt.”

His mate made light circles with his fingers. “Amazing. And scary. I don’t know how to be a sire.”

Hearing the dominant voice uncertainty in himself surprised Tripp. “I have no doubt you’ll be great at it.”

“Really? Why?”

Tripp wasn’t used to being asked his opinion. Not even Blake had done so, taking command of him as soon as they’d fled their old pack. He worked to put his feelings into words.

“You…you’ve been so good to me. I expect it will be the same with the pup.” He’d almost said “our”, except he remained apprehensive about how much his mate saw the pup as his own.

“Being kind is easy. So is providing for my family.” He rubbed his chin on the top of Tripp’s head. “It’s more than just that when you’re someone’s sire, though, isn’t it? I need to teach her things and help her learn to make good decisions. What do I know about being a sigma?

“My mother can help there, of course. So can my father. I bet he was equally at a loss when I was whelped. Not many sigmas sire dominants. I guess I was a throwback to my grandfather. He was a beta.”

Graham mused some more about how to be a good parent. He ran Tripp’s braid through his fingers. “I hope she has your hair. It’s so lovely, like sunshine. Mine is as brown as dirt, nothing special.”

“Don’t say that! I love the color your hair. It reminds me of fertile soil.” Tripp surprised himself with his boldness, but his mate did make him feel safe to speak his mind…on some things, anyway.

Graham laughed. “You’re good for my pride, sweetheart.”

Then he surprised Tripp with yet another question.

“What do you want to name the pup?”

Tripp hadn’t given that any thought. He frowned. “That’s a sire’s privilege, isn’t it?”

His mate snorted. “Perhaps in your old pack. Not here, though. Parents decide together. Do any names appeal to you?”

Tripp thought about all the females in his family. Remembering made him sad, though. He shook his head.

“Hmm. Well, I’ve always liked Grace. One of my grandmother’s had that name. What do you think?”

“It’s lovely.” Tripp would have agreed to any name his mate had picked. In this case, he was telling the truth.

“Then it’s settled. Are you hungry?”

The pup had quieted down, allowing his stomach to grab his attention. “I am, yes.”

“Let’s eat.”

Graham plucked the blanket, wool and needle from where they lay across Tripp and put them aside. He pulled over the basket and opening it, rummaged around.

“Ham and cheese sandwiches with some homemade mustard.” He waved it in front of Tripp’s face. “Have a bite.”

Does he mean to feed me? Yes, he did.

Settling back against his mate’s chest, Tripp bit into the sandwich. Delicious. If nothing else, his new pack was feeding him far better than he’d been fed before. He made quick work of the sandwich, washing it down with cider, then ate fruit and a cookie. Graham fed it all to him, and with the last morsel of food swishing down his throat on a river of cider, Tripp closed his eyes and relaxed against Graham’s firm, broad chest.

He tumbled into sleep.

****

Graham couldn’t stop grinning like a fool all the way back to the longhouse. A lazy afternoon of doing nothing except feeding his mate and enjoying nature had made him happier than he’d been in a long time. Not since he’d been a pup. Not that he’d been unhappy before mating with Tripp. It was simply that he hadn’t understood what he’d been missing as an unmated shifter. Having Tripp and the pup to look after completed him in a way he hadn’t understood before.

The omega sat with his chin lifted and his eyes closed. He wore an expression of joy, the most unguarded he’d seen the boy be since arriving. The food and nap had helped, but the real benefit, he figured, was the setting by the river. So much fresh air and sunshine was invigorating. As nice as the longhouse and working sheds were, they were no substitute for the outdoor existence that shifters had lived since the beginning of time. Modernity had its benefits for sure, especially when snow fell heavily and the bitter cold of winters seeped past their fur. For now, though, it was important to seek out the natural world when they could. He brushed aside the guilt he felt over postponing his duties to the pack. Tripp was more important.

He parked the jeep back in the shed where it belonged and helped his mate out, then handed him the cloth bag with his crocheting items.

“There’s still a few hours before dinner. Why don’t you go and spend the rest of the afternoon in the crafts shed.”

Tripp took the bag. “Yes, Graham.” He turned to leave.

“Hey.” Graham gave into a sudden urge. Taking his mate by the arm, he swung him around and planted a slow kiss on his lips.

He’d intended to keep it light, but one taste, and he was lost. The sweet flavor of the omega’s lips, coupled with his inexperience in even this simple gesture of affection, was intoxicating. A little wasn’t enough. Wrapping his arms around the boy, he used his tongue to nudge the soft lips open and licked the inside. Warm and welcoming. There was no hesitation on the omega’s part to not only allow him in, but to greet his tongue with his own. They danced around Tripp’s mouth, each moaning down the other’s throat. Their wolves yipped along, testament to how much healing had been done by their shifting the previous day. He wanted to do it again, to stay with his mate.

Duty called, however.

Graham broke the kiss and panted as their cheeks pressed together. “I love the taste of you.”

“Me, too,” came the shy reply.

And they were both hard. Graham’s cock strained his jeans and as loose as the omega’s pants were to accommodate his growing belly, his dick easily tented the fabric.

“Tonight,” he whispered, then forced himself to let go. “There are lots of ways to pleasure each other that won’t aggravate your poor ass.”

Tripp lips, wet and puffy from the kiss, turned up in a smile. “Okay.”

“Go now.” The beta sent his mate on his way with a light tap to his perfect rump.

Graham had just managed to drop the basket off in the kitchen when Elijah strode in. The alpha’s face wiped away the residual pleasure of the afternoon.

“What’s up?”

“Come with me. I’ve called a council meeting.”

Elijah’s office was already filled with the other betas and those gammas not on patrol. They sat at the round table that was intended to make them more equal. It was a nice idea, but everyone honored the chair that Elijah used. Wherever the alpha sat, that’s where the head was, where the ultimate power lay.

Graham took an empty seat closer to the door. As he sat, he nodded to each of the other dominants. He’d known them all since puphood and most of them were far older than he. The gamma to his right—Draco—was Graham’s age, however. They’d grown up together and still sometimes wondered how they’d ended up sitting at these important meetings. Graham’s sigma parents should have relegated him to a similar role and Draco’s gamma sire had been so ancient and his mother well past her breeding age that no one would have expected them to finally produce a pup that lived. All of the others had been stillborn or died shortly after whelping. Draco was proof that the Gods sometimes smiled upon them. But it was also confirmation that a one-pup family was at risk for raising a spoiled pup. Draco could be a terror.

The gamma leaned over to whisper in Graham’s ear. “They managed to pry you away from your mate, I see.”

Graham kicked the guy’s shin. “Shut up.” There was no real rancor in his tone. Despite being annoying, the gamma was a friend.

Elijah rapped the table to get everyone’s attention. “I received a call from Alpha Lorcan this morning. Four gammas from a southern pack showed up at the Rogue’s packlands. They were looking for a runaway sigma and omega. They thought the two might have sought refuge with the Rogues.”

Graham’s stomach dropped. He shouldn’t have been surprised at this turn of events. They’d known all along that a breeding omega wouldn’t have been let go by a pack, let alone if that shifter’s brother had taken him after killing his mate.

“Did they name Tripp and Blake specifically?” He had to ask no matter how slim the chance this had nothing to do with his mate.

“They didn’t. Lorcan had no idea who they were talking about and once he’d made it clear that the foreign shifters needed to move on, they didn’t press the point. He wasn’t happy with the look or smell of them, so he didn’t offer any hospitality. The encounter was brief.”

Graham nodded. “No surprise there.” From what he’d heard about the other pack from Tripp, they weren’t anyone Lorcan would have wanted hanging around. The alpha was fiercely protective of his members as were most alphas…including Elijah.

“Did he mention us as a possible destination?”

Elijah shook his head. “He figured we were the logical place the two runaways would end up and had our backs on this. They did head north, he said. He had a couple of his gammas track them for a while. We have to assume they’re coming here next.”

The lovely lunch he’d consumed with such bliss only hours ago now roiled in his stomach. “They can’t have Tripp.”

“That’s a given, Graham. It’s why you mated so quickly, as you know. Your claim as his mate overrides any they have. But…”

“Blake.”

“Yeah. Sigmas don’t get to choose where they live and I have no claim over him. Even if he mated right now with one of our sigmas, customarily she wouldn’t be viewed as important to the decision. Splitting up mated pairs is unusual and I’d make as strong a case for keeping him as I could. But we’re talking about a servient who killed a dominant. Their alpha has every right to demand his return for punishment. However much I believe Blake was justified in his actions, I don’t have the authority to pronounce judgment on the matter.”

Graham clutched at his stomach. He liked Blake but more, Tripp would be devastated to lose his brother. “He’s their sire. The alpha, I mean. He’s Tripp and Blake’s sire.” He wasn’t sure what that fact had to do with anything, yet it was information that had to come out before the gammas arrived.

Elijah sat back and drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. “Interesting. I assumed they were traded into the pack.” He eyed Graham. “You’re saying the alpha sat by while a dominant brutalized his son?”

“Yes. Tripp said the alpha prizes loyalty above all else and uses his power to bind his dominants to him with bribes. Tripp was a useful tool in that regard, no matter the cost to the boy.” He sighed heavily. “I can’t see the fucker showing any mercy to this other son, either. He’ll make an example of Blake if only to reassure the other dominants that he can be trusted to put their needs above others in the pack.”

“What an asshole.” This from Draco, because the guy had no filter. The gamma looked around the room. “Why don’t we just kill them? The foreign gammas, I mean.”

Draco’s sire had long passed so it was up to the dominant sitting on his other side to smack the back of his head. “Gods, boy. Do you want to start a war?”

Draco appeared unfazed by the rebuke. “This pack is pretty far away, right? How likely are they to travel up here to pick a fight? They can’t bring all of their dominants, either. Some would have to stay back to protect their pack. We’d outnumber them for sure.”

Graham remembered at that moment why he liked the gamma. He was impulsive and irritating and irreverent, but also fearless and loyal as the day was long.

He put his hand on the gamma’s arm and squeezed it with a gesture of appreciation. “The alpha can’t risk that. Servients, including pups, get killed in those fights. I don’t believe either Tripp or Blake would want us to endanger anyone for their sake.”

“Not that it matters,” Elijah interjected. “This is my decision, but I did speak of it with Blake when they first arrived. He understands he will be sacrificed if necessary. I’ll try to bargain us out of it, although with only gammas, it’s less likely to be effective.” The alpha focused his gaze on Graham. “I’m sorry. This will be hard on your mate and therefore, on you.”

“I understand, Alpha. I’ve been preparing for this.” Except he wasn’t prepared. Not really. Not since he’d started to have real feelings for the omega. Damn, I’m falling in love with him. This wasn’t about being fated mates. This emotion was a conscious one, not uncontrollable biology.

Elijah nodded on a grimace. “I’ll speak with Blake. It’s only fair that he be given a heads up. I won’t try to stop him, either, if he takes off again.”

Graham felt a glimmer of hope. The sigma could run back to the human world. He knew how to survive there and it would make it harder for his old pack to track him down. It would be a lonely existence, however, and one that might never change. No matter how much time elapsed, a return to the pack would be risky. He wondered if living outside of a pack would be what he would choose in the sigma’s situation.

“I’d like to be the one to tell him, sir. He’s part of my family now, so my responsibility.”

“Very well.”

The alpha stood, as did the others, and they all filed out of the room. As he went to do the same, Graham noticed that Draco had stayed behind.

The gamma sidled up to him. “You know, we could talk to a couple of the other gammas. I know two on patrol right now who are always up for a fight. We could leave and ambush those fuckers before they get too close. I mean, how would their pack ever know what happened to them?” The guy gave Graham a sly look.

Gods, it was tempting. To free both Tripp and Blake would make his family a better, happier one. Except this was not his decision.

“The alpha has already spoken on the matter. Do you think Elijah hasn’t thought of this himself? He’s not willing to risk the pack, and that’s the end of it. You need to remember your place, Gamma.” As do I.

Draco shrugged. “Just an idea. If you change your mind…”

“I won’t.”

Draco sighed. “You’re always such a stickler.” He didn’t argue anymore, though. He left the room with his usual swagger.