7. Nevin
7
NEVIN
The first couple of days blurred together in a mixture of pain medication and exhaustion, but I could feel my body healing, little by little. Somehow, by way of a miracle, I’d escaped death’s icy grasp. I’d survived the attack that was meant to end my life, and now I was here.
With Kace.
We spent the first night curled up on the floor together, but the following evening, Kace gently picked me up in his arms and laid me down on his bed.
“Comfy?” he’d asked, raising a brow before winking at me, but that wink was paired with reddening cheeks and a nervous laugh. He’d joined me in wolf form, and from there, we continued to spend every night together in his bed.
With each day that passed, the pain lessened and I was able to get around a little easier. I no longer needed help taking a piss, thank god. Talk about mortifying.
It hurt, though. Kace was exactly the kind of Alpha I could see myself mated to, in another life. The man was sweet and understanding, and he did his best to take care of me. He doted on me and cooked me meals. He was an amazing cook.
But I knew better than to get attached.
Even though Kace had assured me, many times, that I was welcome in his pack? The harsh truth was, I wasn’t mate material. I couldn’t reproduce. I couldn’t give him a child, which made me useless to the eldest son of the Alpha. He’d want heirs. He’d want to continue his bloodline. I couldn’t be that Omega, no matter how much I wished it.
Kace saved my life. I got lucky. I’d been mere minutes away from death, and if Kace hadn’t found me? My broken corpse would be rotting in those woods as we speak. The thought chilled me to the bone. I owed Kace my life. I would stand by the Alpha’s side, loyal to the end. Someone he could call a friend, at the very least. That’s all we could ever be.
Even if my heart ached for more.
Someday, Kace would make someone the happiest Omega in the world, but that Omega wouldn’t be me.
I shook my head quickly to rid myself of those thoughts. No. I needed to be thankful for the second chance, not bitter. No regrets. Even if I wasn’t worthy of a mate, Kace had assured me that I had a pack now, and that they would keep me safe. That alone was worth more than all the sorrow in the world.
“Ready to go out?” After dinner, Kace nodded towards the door that led out into the backyard. He bounced a shoulder, then swung it open wide. I ambled to my feet and hurried after him best I could, dragging this bulky cast around. It thumped over the hard-packed earth with each step.
To my surprise, Kace shifted as well. My fickle heart skipped at the sight of the handsome Alpha, in all of his rugged glory. He was tall and stocky and built like a tank, with a long muzzle and large pointed ears that seemed to swivel around like little radars.
Wagging his tail, he trotted over and nudged up against my side. He towered over me, though that wasn’t a very big feat. I was small, even in wolf-form. I turned to look at him. At us. His gray fur was dark against my arctic white.
I dipped my head to submit to the Alpha—a trait that had been engrained into me since I was a pup—but Kace simply nudged his muzzle beneath my chin to lift it back up.
Then he jerked his nose towards the woods, barked, and took off between the trees. The sadness that had clung to me only minutes ago lifted, my heart suddenly light as a feather. I hobbled after him as quickly as I could. My tail wagged the entire time.
We pranced and danced through the amber hues of sunset. Kace nipped at my flank and sprang away, then dropped down into a play-bow. His forelegs and chest were flush with the ground as his rump lifted high in the air. Playful. Hopeful. His hazel eyes glittered with happiness.
Never in my life had I met an Alpha like him, so unburdened by his status. He wasn’t here to knock me down or dominate me. He wasn’t here to make my life a living hell, just for being born an Omega.
In fact, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say his attitude was carefree and a little flirty. It made my heart race and ache at the same time, because damn it… For some dumb reason, my wolf yearned for Kace’s acceptance, his attention, his affection. It made absolutely no sense, because I’d never had any reason to trust an Alpha before, especially not one I’d just met, but Kace was different, somehow.
We collapsed into bed together, in a puppy pile, both of us still panting. Kace’s tail thump-thump-thumped against the mattress. I nudged his cheek, only for him to lick my muzzle, from the velvet of my nose to the dip between my eyes. My heart swelled to the point of bursting, but not with sorrow.
For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, I felt truly happy and I owed it all to Kace Howell. Even if he would never be mine, my life had taken a turn for the better and I would do everything I could to make it up to him.