Chapter 24 How To Court An Omega #2
“Hey,” Titan said, lifting the cart off the tree roots and placing it on the forest floor. “You shouldn’t be climbing trees. That’s not what your wheels are for.”
The cart flipped its wheels and butted up against him, wriggling like a happy dog.
“Do you belong to anyone? Or are you lost?”
The cart shook itself and didn’t leave, so Titan guessed that it had wandered into the woods and gotten lost.
There was magic in metals. It began as wisps of energy in metal ores, growing more concentrated as the ores were refined.
Over time, these magic-heavy metals were turned into parts.
When the metal parts of an object moved, their magic interacted, turning the object sentient.
It was how locks could smile, faucets could bite, and shopping carts frolicked wherever they wished.
“C’mon, you can follow me,” Titan said. “The paths are worn flat and easier on your wheels.”
The cart gave his hand a friendly nudge, squeaking noisily as it followed him to the next shed.
“I’m looking for a stroller for my omega’s pup,” Titan said. “Because pups are heavy and my arms are hurt, I can’t help him carry his.”
His broken arm was still in a sling, so he carefully used its fingers to open the shed door. The cart nosed in after him, bumping into various things. This shed didn’t have a stroller, either. But it had spare blankets and pillows, and...
That’s right, Mathlin wants a nest.
Titan stepped forward to grab the blankets and pillows, remembering too late that he wasn’t supposed to use either of his arms. “Damn it.”
If he used his right arm, with the torn bicep... Mathlin wouldn’t know, right? His efforts had been focused on the broken bones in Titan’s left arm.
Footsteps rustled outside the shed. “Titan?” Ottis peeked through the open door, his pup cradled in one arm. “I thought I heard your voice. What’re you doing?”
“Looking for a stroller,” Titan said. “For Mathlin. But this is the fourth shed I’ve searched, and I can’t seem to find any.”
Ottis raised an eyebrow. Then he giggled. “You literally have a stroller right there.”
He nodded at the cart.
“Oh.” Titan felt kind of stupid. “We’ve only just met a few minutes ago, though.”
But it didn’t hurt to ask. He went over to where the cart was nosing at a fake potted plant, giving it a light nudge with his thigh.
“Hey, buddy. Want to help me with Mathlin’s pup? You’ll get to stay in my cabin, but no knocking things over.”
The cart began flipping its wheels back and forth to make loud squeaking sounds. Then it nudged Titan repeatedly, like it couldn’t wait to meet Mathlin and Jannie.
Titan grinned. “Aww, you’re adorable.” He turned to Ottis. “Would you mind stuffing some pillows and blankets into the cart? I want to build Math a nest.”
Several different emotions flickered through Ottis’ face. Fondness, but also wistfulness and envy.
Titan bit back the things he wanted to say.
A few weeks ago, Ottis had returned to the pack all beaten up and bruised, smelling of a strange alpha. He had brought with him a pup, but when pressed, he refused to say who had mistreated him.
Naturally, all their brothers wanted to hunt down Ottis’ abuser. They were also keeping a very close eye on him; Ottis had been exhausted when he’d returned, with bags under his eyes and his movements slow and pained.
He was doing better now, but it was difficult for Titan to rein in his protective instincts when he could still see fresh scars on Ottis’ skin.
“Don’t say it,” Ottis muttered, narrowing his eyes.
“I’m not saying anything.”
“I can feel you thinking it. I can feel everyone thinking it.” Ottis hunched his shoulders.
“I don’t want to feel stifled, okay? I mean, it’s okay if it’s just a couple of people breathing down my neck, but right now it’s the entire pack.
I knew this was gonna happen. It’s why I didn’t wanna come back. ”
“You’re our only omega brother,” Titan pointed out. “If you had a helpless little brother, you’d want to protect him too.”
Right after, he knew he had said the wrong thing.
“I’m not helpless!” Ottis glowered. “You taught me how to fight!”
And yet he had still ended up bruised anyway. Titan wisely didn’t say that aloud. “Fuck. Sorry. I know that. But it’s hard to pull back our instincts when—”
“When all of you are still looking for omegas.” Ottis rolled his eyes. “You need someone to tuck between your paws and fawn over, and that someone can’t be me.”
“Well, I have an omega to court now,” Titan said, his heart skipping.
Ottis’ gaze dropped to Titan’s chest; his frown melted away. “You’re building a nest? You don’t have to go that far if you’re faking a relationship.”
Titan blushed, and Ottis sighed.
“Fine. I’ll help if you promise not to tell me what I should or shouldn’t do.”
“I promise, but I can’t say the same for everyone else.”
“At least hold them back for me,” Ottis grumbled, but he was already stuffing pillows and blankets into the cart. “If everyone tried to help you right now, I’m sure you’d be mad, too.”
“Yeah.” Titan had specifically told his pack not to help unless he asked for it. Which he hadn’t. “I just feel like crap because I want to court Mathlin properly, but I can’t. Because my arms are fucked.”
“So do something that doesn’t need arms.”
“Ham says pickup lines.”
Ottis grimaced, then laughed. “You should.”
“No!”
“You know, Math blurts out all the thoughts that go through his head. He doesn’t actually like that he doesn’t have a filter, but he’ll feel better if he’s not the only one saying random crap.”
“Huh.” Titan hadn’t thought of it that way before. “Okay, maybe you have a point.”
“See, I’m not helpless!” Ottis sighed loudly.
“I didn’t say you were!”
Ottis stuffed as many pillows as he could into the cart, then draped a fluffy blanket around Titan’s shoulders. He tucked some blankets under his own arms. Together, they made their way back to Titan’s cabin.
“I don’t suppose you want my help building that nest,” Ottis said.
“No,” Titan grumbled.
He was about to say more, when Hamilton’s voice broke through the quiet.
“Titan. Mathlin’s sick. He’s throwing up.”
Titan and Ottis exchanged a look, and took off into a run.