Chapter 16 Ty #2
It was clear I was having an off day, but I couldn’t do anything about it.
Bryce’s suggestion had blown my fucking mind.
I didn’t know Liza well enough to know whether there were indicators that she might be an omega. My brain spent the entire day working overtime while I tried to recall the story I’d heard multiple times as a child.
It was believed that no one had witnessed the birth of an omega in centuries. Supposedly, the Keller pack had gained life from a goddess-like wolf believed to be an omega. She was the first to ever walk the earth.
Omegas were rumored to be the purest of wolves. They carried genes that could birth the perfect wolf, and had a high sex drive that pushed them to reproduce often.
It was also said that an omega had powers and strength that far exceeded that of a normal wolf.
I’d never actually seen Liza in wolf form, so I had no way to confirm or deny that she possessed special attributes. In her human form, though, she seemed so delicate; so gentle. I couldn’t imagine her being a hypersexual, mythical creature.
I thought back to every encounter I’d had with Liza, starting with that night at the mating ceremony.
I hadn’t witnessed anything significant from her that I would deem special.
She obviously had a strong power over me, but I assumed that was due to our being fated mates, not because she was an omega.
If the stories were true, the Keller bloodline was diluted from the original omega.
Though my senses were more enhanced and finely tuned than most, and I was about five times stronger than the average wolf, there wasn’t anything specific about our bloodline that made us stand out from other shifters.
I snapped out of my deep thoughts just in time to hear Bryce ending the meeting. I watched as the branch managers shuffled out of the room for their lunch break.
Sitting back in my chair, I replayed my conversation with Liza in the park.
She’d mentioned her upcoming appointment with the doctor to discuss her hormone medication.
I didn’t specifically know if there were tests a doctor would run to determine if she was omega, or if there was a specific process to figure it out, but she had some of the signs.
After the managers had cleared the room, I turned to Bryce. “Have you ever heard of female wolves taking daily hormonal medications?”
Bryce clipped a stack of papers together and swiveled in his chair to face me. “I know plenty of wolves who take suppressors to stop their heat because they don’t want to risk getting pregnant. But daily? Nope.”
My curiosity had never been so piqued. “That’s weird, isn’t it? The way she explained it, she needs a certain dosage to keep her pheromones at a normal level to avoid incidents like the one I witnessed at the coffee shop.”
Bryce nodded in agreement. “I don’t know what to tell you other than that is really unusual.
I’ve never heard of any shifter taking daily hormone medication before.
Seems like it would be too much for the average female.
Of course, I’m no doctor.” He looked at me with a knowing expression. “Liza might be an omega. I’m serious.”
I shook my head, still not sure it was safe to believe it. But the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. Nothing else could explain why she would need to take daily hormones.
“Maybe she has some medical condition that keeps her body from regulating her hormones?” I ran a hand through my hair, then smoothed it again.
It was bad enough that I hadn’t been able to pay attention to business.
Last thing I needed was some disgruntled employee labeling me as disheveled and having that get back down the family pipeline of information.
“Or maybe her parents passed on some gene that requires hormonal support.”
Bryce shrugged and continued to lay out evidence that supported the idea of Liza being an omega.
My thoughts on the subject weren’t very convincing, but I clung to them, nevertheless. A rare medical condition was more believable than a children’s myth. Of course, it was a children’s myth that provided the entire root system for my family tree.
We went back and forth for a few minutes until Bryce excused himself. He had another appointment across town.
I stood and looked out the window, feeling as if I might crawl out of my damn skin. My curiosity got the better of me as I devised a plan.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and texted Liza.
Would you like to shift and run with me later today?
My heart raced as I waited for her response. If she agreed, it might answer the question that had plagued my mind all day.
I’d enjoy that.
She included a heart emoji at the end of her text. My stomach clenched. I wanted her, there was no doubt about it, but at the same time, I was so anxious to get to the bottom of her hormone issue that I tried to push my emotions aside.
If Liza was an omega, I wanted to know for sure, and the only way to find out was to shift with her and see if her power and strength exceeded that of a regular wolf.
I quickly replied, letting her know when and where we could meet before ending the conversation. We’d meet on my family’s estate when the sun set, since Liza didn’t have wide open land at her backdoor. Also, I wanted her to be relaxed, without the danger of anyone else watching her.
I stood outside, watching the sunset as I waited for her to arrive. The sky was a mixture of reds and blues and purples and golds. For a moment, I wished I’d suggested watching the sunset before we went for a run, but I was still knew at this romance thing.
I cracked my knuckles. I am not deceiving her. If I repeated that to myself a few times, I might start believing myself.
I needed answers, however, and being near her in wolf form would hopefully answer a few questions. I thought about the best route for us to run through my family’s forest, then it hit me. I was going to see Liza naked tonight.
My body reacted almost immediately, our heated night on her couch flashing through my mind. The moment had only lasted a few seconds, but it had been enough time for me to feel the curves of her body and the way she responded to my tongue exploring her mouth.
My cock hardened at exactly the moment I spotted Liza’s car coming down our long driveway. I quickly willed my erection to soften. Unfortunately, my erection wasn’t subject to my will.
Liza stepped out of her car with a wide smile on her beautiful face. She was gorgeous in the way most women wanted to be and paid good money for.
I walked down and hugged her when I reached her side,, careful not to press my erection against her.
I tried not to breathe her in, but I couldn’t resist. Just thinking of that tantalizing scent was enough to make my hard-on painful.
She must have picked up her prescription because I wasn’t so tempted to push her back to the hood of the car and take her in any way she would let me.
“Ready to shift together?”
She grabbed a duffel bag from the back seat, which I assumed held extra clothes. “Yes. After the day I had, a good run will do the trick.”
I took the bag from her and carried it as we walked. “What happened?”
She sighed in a way that made the mental picture of her naked body pop back into my mind. I silently thanked the gods that we were outside in the fresh air to dilute the scent of her pheromones.
“It wasn’t one thing in particular.” Liza shot me a smile. “Just one of those days where you feel like you’re chasing your tail and not accomplishing anything. I had three new clients to consult with on top of my repeat customers.”
“Sounds like a full day.” I grabbed her hand and led her to the backyard.
“Your text definitely brightened my mood.” She stopped and looked around, letting out a low whistle that the forest swallowed. “Is all of this property yours?”
“Yes. Well, it belongs to my family.” I pointed to the tree line. “We have hundreds of wooded acres to ourselves whenever we want to shift.”
“Wow. I can’t imagine having this much private space.”
A gnawing feeling on my back told me someone was watching us.
Glancing back toward the house, I caught my dad peering at us from his bedroom window.
I couldn’t read his expression, but I assumed he was curious and still disapproving, though he hardly had the right to throw stones.
I picked up the pace and led Liza through the forest and into a clearing.
“This is where we usually shift. We run in that direction.” I pointed toward a section of tall oak trees before turning to face Liza.
I could sense the anxiety building in her as she scowled and avoided eye contact. She had to be thinking the same thing as me. We had to undress before shifting unless we wanted our clothes to tear.
“I’ll turn away while you undress.” I jokingly bowed, but the color in her cheeks spoke to how seriously she was taking this matter.
“I’m nothing if not a gentleman.” Though, I wanted to look over my shoulder—wanted to see if she was as luscious as she was in my mind—my wolf didn’t need the temptation any more than I did.
We were already mid-struggle over whether or not he was going to take her for himself.
Mate with her. My wolf didn’t have the same measure of self-control I had, and even I was slipping some.
Of course, that didn’t stop thoughts from running through my brain about what her body looked like beneath those clothes.
I stared up at the sky, trying not to think about her exposed skin in the moonlight, even though I could hear the rustling of her pants as she pushed them down her long legs and stepped out.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
My senses heightened as I listened for the sound of a shift.
First, I had to live through the torture of hearing her bra unsnap and her panties gently gliding down her legs, then I had to breathe because my lungs were burning.
Her scent wafted toward me, and my wolf lunged as if he was going to force the shift.
I held him back. Pushed my will forward.
Finally, the tell-tale popping and growling that accompanied a shift occurred, so I slowly turned to look at her.
When I did, my wolf whined to be free. I needed him to calm down and looking at her wasn’t going to facilitate that.
I glanced away and waited for him to gather himself before I looked again.
Liza stood majestically, her silky white fur reflecting the pale moonlight. Her piercing blue eyes gleamed with an inner fire that was undeniable.
It didn’t surprise me that Liza was the most gorgeous wolf I’d ever seen. My wolf tore free, and as he did, so did my clothing.