Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Kip
Two days later, we moved back to our hometown.
The pack provided us with a house standing on two acres, abutting the forest. It was a cute little bungalow with dark brown wood-looking siding and big bay windows overlooking a pond filled with ducks.
I expressed my surprise at how beautiful it was, and Mason reminded me he was the pack Omega, which meant he was important.
I told him he was already important to me, which made his face redden.
According to the information packet, the house was 1374 square feet, with two bedrooms, two baths, a large farm-style kitchen, and a frilly living room. It was all stretched out over two floors.
I hated it.
Well, fine. I didn’t actually hate it. It was charming in its own way. But it wasn’t a home at all. Neither of us had any input on it, and even Mason seemed disgusted.
“Not a fan?” I wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close.
“It’ll do, I guess.” His sigh said more than his words.
“Tell me what’s wrong.”
“I dunno. I mean, it’s way better than coming back and having to move in with Jerome and his harem.
And I’ll be living with you, so that’s a plus.
” He hesitated for a moment before continuing.
“But this isn’t what either of us signed up for.
Our dating was supposed to be fake, and now we’re actually in a relationship.
I guess I would have liked to plan my own life for once.
You know, gone house hunting with you, and actually taken the time to find something we both loved.
” He pointed to the bungalow. “This? It’s just a house.
There’s no personality here. Nothing that screams we love this place. ”
“We can redecorate,” I reminded him.
His face lit up, and I knew that was what we’d do. And by the time we’d finished, it felt more like ours.
In the large basement I set up a weight room, complete with a fancy schmancy treadmill Mason had liked when he’d seen it online.
We went shopping, and Mason asked about stopping at the garden center to get some plants for the front of the house.
I stood back and watched as Mason went along each aisle, looking at all the leafy greens, putting some of them on a flatbed cart.
When he finished, he rolled his spoils to the parking lot where we loaded it into our truck.
“Whatcha get?” I asked.
“I decided to plant a tea garden in front.” He gestured to our purchases.
“These are herbs and flowers like mint, lemon balm, lemon verbena, chamomile, lavender, and bee balm. In the back I’ll add in some more, so we can brew our own drinks.
It’ll take a while to get them to grow enough for us to use them. Maybe two to three years.”
“Well, I do like tea,” I told him. “And fresh tea sounds amazing. And if you’d like, I’ll make you some greenhouses in the back, so your plants can survive the winter months.”
That made his smile even brighter.
Mason was a worker, no doubt about it. For the next week we’d get up in the morning, usually before the sun came up. After we made breakfast, he’d spend his day in the garden, tilling, planting, watering, fertilizing, and weeding, in short, whatever he had to do o make his plants grow strong.
As for me, I was working from the town hall, doing maintenance around the area with a crew of six. It was grueling, backbreaking work, but I loved it. If I were honest, I’d never intended returning to this town after we left to go to college, only to visit my parents.
Something had changed, however.
Living with Mason seemed to elevate my status in the town. Coworkers would invite me out for drinks after work—which I always declined because I needed to get home to Mason—and others would bring me baked goods that Mase loved.
Sunday nights our parents would come over for dinner, and Mason would spend the whole day Saturday cleaning and planning a meal for everyone.
When I tried to help, he practically shoved me out of the kitchen and told me to ‘go do something’.
So I did. I put together trellised planters for the back to expand his planting area, which he promptly filled with varied teas.
He planted Rooibos, butterfly pea, yarrow, and Osmanthus.
Then there were the dandelion, chamomile, and oolong.
He cleared out space to plant linden, sassafras, pine and spruce for next year.
He also spent hours reading magazines, online forums, and other places to gain more knowledge.
It did my heart good to see him enjoying himself.
Our bedroom life had taken a bit of a hit, though.
Some nights Mase was too tired to do much more than give me a blow job, and that was after I assured him I was fine and that I wanted to get more sleep too, because tomorrow I had a big project going on at work.
Still, he insisted and I wasn’t about to argue, especially since his skills had increased dramatically.
He could now swallow my whole cock and barely choke.
You have no idea how that felt, being buried in his throat and having the muscles massage my length like that.
The only thing that irked me was every time I offered or tried to return the favor he’d claim he was too tired and roll over to sleep. Talk about frustrating. How was I supposed to do my husbandly duties when he kept pushing me away?
And then there were the XL condoms, sitting in the nightstand drawer, unopened.
Is he nervous about me fucking him?
Is he waiting for me to demand his ass?
I had to remind myself Mase was still a virgin. Maybe it was nerves. Or maybe he was trying to get everything perfect.
Whatever the reason, my dick had a date with his hole, and I was going to make sure he knew that.
I wasn’t sure why the Alpha had called me into his office, but I wasn’t afraid.
Okay, not much. I’d seen him from a distance, but I’d had no dealings with him. Well, very little beyond recognizing him as the town mayor. But why would he want to talk to me? He thought I was nothing but the human, Mason’s Dominant.
He sat me down, offered me a cigar, which I declined. Then he leaned back in his chair, his fingers laced over his stomach.
“You being here—being Mason’s Dominant—has meant a lot to this town. For the first time in years we have an uptick in people moving to the area, and that’s because we have a happy, healthy Omega.”
Okay, I saw red.
“Mason is far more than an Omega. He’s the neighbor who takes homemade chicken soup to the human residents who get sick. He makes time to go to the hospital and read to patients.” He was the one turning our house into a showcase full of beautiful flowers and amazing smells.
The Alpha smiled. “Of course you would stand up for Mason. That is what makes you the perfect Dominant for him.”
That warmed my heart.
We were settling into our new lives, and I had to admit how much happier Mase seemed to be.
Yes, he was still submissive. Many nights he’d make a fire and would sit in front of it, massaging my feet.
I knew I shouldn’t, but I was beginning to like that about him.
As long as I continued to remind him he wasn’t just a submissive, but also a kind and loving person, things were working out. Every day I let him know he had worth.
The smile he gave meant everything to me.
I won’t say our lives weren’t without problems, because that was just crazy talk. People really had too much in the way of expectations where Mase was concerned. They seemed to think he could wave a magic wand and make their problems disappear. I had a few questions about that.
And maybe I’m in front of the right person to ask them.
“What, exactly, is an Omega?”
“They’re the heart of the people,” he explained. “When Mason was born, excitement ran through the pack, because we knew he would be the one to save our community.”
“You knew that?” I asked, unable to keep my incredulity hidden.
His cheeks pinked. “We hoped,” he amended. “It’s why we wanted to place him with Jerome. His father had money, so he could give Mason a good life, and once we melded the packs, we’d prosper too.”
I set my jaw. “While never once asking for Mason’s opinion on the subject.”
His flinty eyes narrowed. “Now listen here—”
“No, you listen.” I stabbed my finger into my chest. “I am Mason’s Dominant, and as such it’s my responsibility to protect him.
Okay, so this is all new to me, but I’d like to think I’m doing a much better job than any of you did.
” I glared at him. “Do you know what Jerome put Mason through? He told him he’d be one of four in his harem.
Flat out told him he’d be responsible for caring for the four of them.
” I snarled. “Mason wasn’t going to be loved, he was going to be a servant.
Then, one night last year, while we were still in college, he tried to force Mason to strip off his clothes so Jerome could masturbate.
Do you understand me? He forced him to. There was zero consent going on there.
” Another glare. “Or does no one in this pack give a shit about consent?”
“As an Omega, he—”
“That’s bullshit, and you know it. This isn’t fifty years ago, it’s today.
You know, when people have a say in their lives?
Sure, you could’ve had Mason marry Jerome, but what good would a brokenhearted Omega have done for your precious pack?
How hard do you think he would work for you all if he hated his life? ”
“We… I… shit.” He dropped his gaze and scrubbed a hand over his face. “I fucked up.”
His words took a little of the wind out of my sails, but I wasn’t done.
“That’s a big fat yes. In fact, most of you did. You were thrilled you’d get something out of it, but no one gave a damn if Mason did.”
“Except you.”
“Except me,” I agreed. “Even before I knew I was his Dominant, I cared about Mase. If he was having a bad day, I was going to have one with him. I wanted to see him smile. To be happy.”
“Even though you’re straight?”