8. Kace
8
KACE
With each day that passed, the Omega grew stronger. His appetite returned with a vengeance and, as he settled into our routine, his personality really started to shine through. He was quietly inquisitive, but bashful. Sweet and soft, but not without a little spunk.
I desperately wanted to see the man beneath the fur. I had no doubts that he would be just as gorgeous as his white wolf. I couldn’t wait to finally meet him.
After our morning romp through the woods, I bumped my shoulder into his with a soft bark. His ears perked up, his ice blue eyes glistening in the hazy morning sunlight. Dew clung to our fur and dampened our paws. I nuzzled his cheek, then took off at a lope towards the house.
He yipped and limped after me, his cast thunking over the forest floor. He’d been using that leg more and more, which told me that it was probably healed enough that he could shift back. Nerves danced a jig in my stomach, a perfect blend of excitement and anxiety.
Soon.
I dove through the doggy door I’d installed on the back porch, leaving muddy paw prints in my wake, then shifted back to man. Moments later, a whimper at the door told me that my Omega was waiting on me. I swung it open wide to find him gazing up at me, a hopeful expression on his face. His tail wagged so hard it banged off the doorframe when he trotted inside. I closed the door behind him and flipped the deadbolt, then bent to greet him.
“You’re getting along much better now,” I said, patting his shoulder. “I think maybe this calls for a trip to the clinic, so Mom can check you over. What do you think, honey?” I ruffled his ears. He whined softly. I smiled down at him. “Maybe we should eat breakfast first, hmm? How do omelets sound? Pretty sure I still have some leftover toppings from pizza night.”
I meandered into the kitchen and, just like always, my little shadow followed me.
I made fluffy omelets with cheddar cheese and a variety of peppers and sausage crumbles, but by the time we sat down, I was almost too nervous to eat. The Omega must’ve been, too, because he only finished half his plate.
He rested his chin atop my knee and closed his eyes. I transferred my fork to my left hand and stroked his head with the right. He whistled a whine out through his nose.
“It’ll be okay,” I told him. “Promise. Mom won’t bite.”
He heaved a sigh and I wondered if he could sense my anxiety. By the time we walked out to my truck, I was practically vibrating with nerves. My skin prickled and, inside my head, my own wolf let out a grumbling growl. Impatient. Restless.
I helped my ward into the front seat, and we were off.
Mom ran her veterinary clinic out of her home. That way, she was never too far from work in case there was an emergency, whether it be a client or someone in the pack. It had come in handy more than once. I didn’t like to think about what my Omega’s chances would’ve been if Mom worked in town.
I pulled around to the back of the building, so that none of Mom’s usual clients would freak out when I waltzed inside with a “wild” wolf at my side. I smiled at the thought, then reached over and patted the loner’s neck. He looked at me worriedly and licked his lips.
“Here we are. C’mon, honey. Let’s go get you checked out.”
Thankfully, Mom was between clients when we walked in. She was wiping down the exam room with antibacterial wipes. They made everything smell like radioactive lemons. I wrinkled my nose. She glanced between me and the Omega, who pressed himself up against my leg with a whine.
She frowned. “Kace? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, we’re good. I was wondering if you’d take a look,” I explained. “I think maybe we can take the cast off now. He’s been using that leg more and more, and he doesn’t seem to be in any pain. Isn’t that right, honey?” My wolf just whimpered and ducked his head.
“You got lucky,” she drawled. “I actually don’t have anyone else scheduled until ten. Bring him up here and we’ll do a little check-up.” She patted the edge of the exam table. I wrapped my arms around the wolf’s barrel and lifted him up, gently placing him on the cold metal surface.
Mom donned a pair of latex gloves and began “hmm’ing” and “ahh’ing” over him. She felt him over, running her hands down his legs and checking his paws, removing any sutures that hadn’t fully dissolved. After a moment, she straightened up.
“Well?” I prompted, crossing my fingers that he was in the clear.
“He looks good. To be completely honest, he looks better than I expected. When you first showed up, I wasn’t sure he’d be ready to have that cast off, but I think it’s probably safe for him to shift now. Aren’t you a lucky wolf? Hold him, would you, Kace?”
I held the Omega’s head in my hands, soothing him best I could as Mom carefully cut the cast off his foreleg. The little wolf squeezed his eyes shut and burrowed his muzzle beneath my armpit. I got the feeling that having Mom so close made him nervous. Was it because she was an Alpha? He didn’t seem that nervous around me, but he’d also had a couple of weeks to get used to me.
She was finished in no time. “See? That wasn’t so bad, was it?” After examining his leg a little closer, she scritched two fingers up the Omega’s muzzle, then gently unclasped the silver collar she’d secured around his neck. She lifted him off the exam table and placed him on his paws on the tile. “Here you go, sweetheart.”
Instead of shifting back, the wolf plastered himself against my leg with another soft whimper. I knelt down to pet his neck, raking my fingers through his thick fur. “It’s okay, honey. You don’t have to change back if you don’t wanna.” I stood, but my hand remained resting on his head. “So we’re good to go?”
Mom smiled knowingly. “Go on, shoo. I’ve got work to do with paying clients, remember?” She laughed and waved us off.
“You heard the woman.” Scratching the wolf lightly behind the ear, I clucked my tongue and headed out to my truck. He limped along after me, still favoring his leg. It was probably stiff and still a little tender. I swung the passenger door open wide, but before I could help him up into the cab, he leapt up into the front seat.
I kissed the top of his head, unable to hide my smile. “Let’s go home.”
Once we got back to my cottage, we fell right back into routine. He followed me from room to room, content to simply take up space. He lounged in the doorway to the kitchen while I cooked dinner—fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy with a side of cheesy garlic biscuits. I kept expecting him to shift back, but he remained steadfast in wolf form.
Maybe he was nervous? I itched to see the real him, the man behind the fur, but I could be patient. He’d show himself to me in due time, so I went about things the way I always had. I tore the meat off the bone for him, serving him up a large bowl of food with thick chicken gravy drizzled over the top. His eyes zeroed in on the ceramic dish as I set it down. He wagged his long tail in thanks.
I chuckled. “Bon appetit.”
After dinner, we watched some TV and then got ready for bed. Just like always, he sat in the doorway while I brushed and flossed my teeth. “Can I have a little privacy here?” I teased with a wink. His ears flipped back and he ducked his nose shyly before trotting off down the hall.
I took care of business and joined him in the bedroom. He was laying on “his” side of the bed, his chin resting on his paws. The minute I entered the room, he bounced over to the edge of the mattress, his tail wagging excitedly. I grinned and ruffled his fur.
“Ready for bed, honey?” I singsonged, ditching my jeans for a pair of soft cotton PJ pants. For the past few weeks, I’d been shifting to join him as a wolf, but tonight… Tonight I wanted to stay firmly human. Maybe if I did, it might somehow trigger the Omega’s change and I’d finally get to see the real him.
As if realizing something was different, he whined. I stroked my hand down his neck, then kissed him on the forehead and climbed into bed. Throwing back the covers, I slipped in between the sheets and propped myself up on my elbow so I could rearrange the pillows. Once everything was to my liking, I laid down.
My wolf whined again. I patted the spot beside me. “Come here. It’s okay.”
Slowly, he crept over to me. His body was stiff as he curled up beside me, like he wasn’t so sure of this change in routine. I continued to smooth down his fur, humming under my breath. I pet him until he relaxed enough that I could pull him flush against me and wrap my arm around his slender barrel.
“There we go,” I whispered. “Goodnight, honey.” I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, petting my Omega.
And, in the morning, I got my wish.
As I opened my eyes, I found myself staring into the cherubic face of my Omega. I swear to god, my heart nearly stopped and my mouth went dry. He was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen in my entire life. I was left speechless.
His face was soft and spritely, with milk-and-honey skin and hair so blond it was nearly white. Even his lashes were pale, thick and fanning over prominent cheekbones. He was like a diamond, cut sharp and elegant.
For the longest time, I watched him sleep. Unburdened by the weight of the world, tucked away inside his dreams, a small smile played over his lips. Lips that I suddenly couldn’t tear my gaze away from. I wondered if they were as soft as they looked. I wondered what he’d taste like, when we finally kissed. If we finally kissed.
Don’t get attached. He might not feel the same.
Too late for that. I was pretty sure I’d fallen in love with him the very first time our eyes met, and spending the last couple of weeks with him only cemented those feelings in deep.
With a sleepy moan, the Omega stretched. His eyelids fluttered before opening all the way, and time stood still as we gazed at each other. His soft gasp made my heart ache, because the panic that flooded his beautiful face looked so out of place, so wrong.
“I-I’m sorry—” He jerked away from me, as if my touch burned him.
Before he could get too far, I caught his hand in mine and squeezed gently. Reassuring him that all was well. Nothing had changed. Everything has changed. “Easy, honey. It’s okay. It’s just me.” I swallowed a couple of times, trying to calm my rampaging heartbeat. I was certain the Omega could hear it knocking.
He drew his bottom lip in between his teeth, his blue eyes wide and worried. I offered a smile in return. “God, I’ve waited so long to finally meet you,” I whispered, grazing my fingertips down his cheek. “What’s your name?”
He searched my face for answers I wasn’t sure I even had, but he must’ve found what he was looking for because he relaxed. His thin fingers curled around mine in a tentative squeeze.
“Nevin,” came his whispered reply, and when he spoke, I felt the knot in my chest ease. He was mine. Don’t ask me how I knew, but it felt so right . It felt so real, all of a sudden, knowing that the man gazing back at me was the person I’d been waiting for all my life.
Mate, my wolf practically purred. Ours.