7. Rune
Chapter 7
Rune
S he was stunning, and I couldn’t believe she was sitting in our kitchen. Sitting there in my pack mate’s clothing, she looked way too delectable. We had given the rest of the guys on shift a heads-up that the omega was staying, so they were all aware she was around.
“I can help,” she insisted, going to stand, but I waved her off.
“It’s no trouble,” I assured her.
Truthfully, I wanted nothing more than to take care of her. My body was practically vibrating with the desperate need to do whatever I could for her. Feed her, wrap her up in blankets so she was comfortable. Protect her from everything bad in the world.
Worship her with my tongue until she was a boneless mess and my sheets were soaked in sweet lemon.
Unfortunately, the last option wasn’t likely to happen, no matter how badly I wanted it, because she was vulnerable and under our care—it wouldn’t be right. I’d made a grave mistake wearing sweatpants because trying to keep my cock subdued was near impossible. Every time she smiled at me, he jumped to attention.
Sunny remained seated, her focus going between me and the sweet boy in her arms. Now that he had his sippy cup, he was entertained but kept glancing up at his mother.
As I finely diced the strawberries for Luka’s oatmeal, I talked. Moving around the kitchen gave off an air that I was being casual, but I wanted to interrogate her. I wanted to know everything there was to know about her. I could tell by the tension in her body that she wasn’t sure what to do with me taking control and making the food.
Was there a man in her life? If there was, he was a pretty shitty man, considering everything she had been through and he was nowhere in sight. What about family? She had mentioned a brother the night before.
Did she want a family? Fathers for her son? Did she want a pack? I desperately wanted the answers to all these questions, but I knew it would be incredibly rude to ask.
So I contented myself with finding out more about how I could help them.
“We're going to do another grocery run later today. Do you want to let me know anything you may need for the little man and also his diaper size? We've got several different sizes of diapers in the donation bin, but I want to make sure we've got plenty for him.”
“I can’t ask that of you, you’ve done so much…” She trailed off, biting her lip.
How could I let her know that I wanted to do that and so, so much more? If she would let me, I would make everything easier for her.
I was well aware that, internally, I was sounding a little stalkerish, but I couldn’t help it. She was so beautiful, it hurt my chest, but I didn’t want her out of my sight.
“It’s no sweat off my back, Cher.” I smiled, using the same nickname my granddaddy used for his wife.
Once I had the oatmeal and strawberries cooked together, and they weren’t too hot, I gave the bowl to Sunny, who immediately focused on feeding her son. Since I had a sneaking suspicion that she wouldn't let me feed her son so she could eat breakfast, I turned down all the burners, making sure the food wouldn't be finished for a little while longer.
Half of the firehouse was still asleep, and there was no rush on breakfast.
The boy was clearly hungry. He devoured his food with gusto, waving his little fists in the air happily as he did.
“Berry!” he declared to himself as he ate.
He was adorable, there was no denying that. His hair was dark compared to his mother’s blonde curls, but those bright blue eyes and button nose were all from her. Their resemblance was uncanny. I doubted much of Luka’s appearance had been influenced by his father.
What would her daughters look like? Would they be little golden-haired carbon copies of her? That would be a beautiful sight, little mini Sunnys running around.
“Is there anyone we can call for you? I know we asked last night, but that was in the middle of everything happening. Do you need to notify his dad where you guys are?”
Yes, I was fishing for information. I could pretend that I was doing it simply because I was inquiring about her well-being while she was staying at the firehouse, but if I was honest with myself, I just wanted to know if there was a man in her life. Not knowing was gnawing away at me.
Sunny shook her head, looking down at the bowl of oatmeal with a dejected expression, her lips turning down and her eyes going all sad.
Shit.
Shit.
I had upset the pretty omega.
Abort .
I needed to fix this.
Abandon all questioning .
Cuddles? Would cuddles work? Blankets! Omegas love blankets. I was running through a mental checklist as my heart started to race so hard I was probably at risk of a heart attack, but I didn’t care.
I just wanted to make her happy, not sad.
“N-no. Luka doesn’t have a dad. It’s always been me and him,” she said softly before scooping up more oatmeal on the spoon and feeding Luka.
The sadness made me pause. Did the dad pass away—was that why she was sad? Or was it because he was a pile of shit and abandoned them?
How could I push for information without upsetting her?
Walker was probably going to be pissy with me no matter what I did—we were already pushing the envelope, letting her stay at the firehouse, but there was no way in hell I was letting her go to a shelter.
“It’s his loss,” Sunny continued, completely unaware of my mental acrobatics happening in the background.
“Well, anyone who chooses not to be with you guys is clearly an ass and an idiot, for that matter,” I said, a little too much enthusiasm in my voice.
Sunny looked up, startled. I was opening my mouth to apologize when a smile spread across her face, and I swear to god, every muscle in my body relaxed at that.
I’d made her happy.
Fuck, yes.
As soon as Luka had finished demolishing his oatmeal, I swept the bowl away so she wouldn't have to clean it herself and placed a bowl of scrambled eggs and bacon in front of her.
“Here you go.” I smiled. Luka’s little hand grabbed a bacon slice and shoved it in his mouth so fast, we both burst into laughter.
“I can help,” Sunny assured me once our chuckles died down.
“Trust me, Cher, it’s no bother.” I shrugged, keeping my expression easy and soothing. Sunny was going to have to get used to being taken care of around here.
I wasn’t going to let her lift a finger. Her scent was addicting, and I didn’t want to leave its presence.
Would it be creepy to steal some of her bedding so I could have her scent with me at all times?
Yes, that would be incredibly creepy, and I shouldn't do that. I wouldn't do that. That didn't mean I didn't want to do that, though.
There were a lot of things I wanted to do that I couldn't do.
Sometimes I wanted to punch my pack mates, for instance.
But if Sunny just happened to wear an article of my clothing, and I got it back before it was laundered, I wouldn’t complain.
“You’re awake!” Blaze shouted as he thundered up the stairs. Despite the fact he was the smallest out of all of us, he definitely made the most noise around the fire station.
Merrick was close behind him, looking curiously at Sunny. He and the other guys on shift had agreed that bringing Sunny and Luka back with us was for the best.
Omegas were rare; they needed to be protected.
Blaze wasn’t looking at me, even though he was talking to me; his eyes were firmly on the omega.
“Good morning,” she said as he approached, leaning down and messing up Luka's hair. The boy adored it, giggling wildly.
“Good morning,” Merrick greeted in that soft-spoken way only he could. He was a quiet alpha, but he was almost as big as me.
“This is Merrick,” I explained and Sunny nodded. “You want bacon?” I asked, turning to the guys.
Blaze snorted. “When do I not want bacon?” he asked pointedly.
“I’ll grab some and head to the gym. I think Jason and Zane are already there,” Merrick said, grabbing a plate and retreating. That wasn’t unusual for him, so I wasn’t concerned. Merrick liked to keep to himself.
“What about me?” Blaze whined playfully.
I laughed. “I’ll dish you up a plate, but you've gotta take some to Walker.”
The alpha pouted and let out a dramatic sigh. “I suppose.”
I raised my eyebrows at him. “Unless you want to take over the cooking?”
His eyes widened, and he held his hands up in surrender. “No! You can't do that. I'll end up poisoning the entire firehouse. Give me the bacon. I'll give it to Walker,” he insisted in a rush, making me laugh.
“Not a cook?” Sunny asked with a soft giggle, cocking her head at Blaze, who shook his head.
“I was given many gifts in life, but cooking was not one of them.”
“We don't allow him in the kitchen for a reason. You know, once he managed to set the toaster on fire? Given his job, he should know a lot more about fire safety.” I chuckled as I pulled out a few extra plates.
Blaze whined. “How was I supposed to know that cheese couldn't go in toasters?”
The omega looked between us with wide eyes before mouthing at me oh my god. I nodded solemnly, and she hid her giggle behind her hand, even though it was painfully obvious.
“I do most of the cooking around here,” I explained. “My mawmaw taught me.”
Blaze nodded. “Cajun cooking, I swear it’s amazing, sunshine. When I was a child, I thought rice and beans were boring, but this man does things with them that make my tongue dance.”
At his words, Sunny’s face turned pink, and she busied herself with eating a strip of bacon. Blaze looked at me in confusion, but I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing. That alpha was constantly talking in innuendos. I didn't even notice it most of the time. Sunny was clearly more innocent than we were used to.
Then again, she clearly wasn't that innocent, because she had a son.
Again, I wanted to probe and ask her so many questions, but they would be incredibly rude and prying.
“Anyway, boss man let me know we’ll be going back to your place tomorrow to meet up with Elliot. Is there anything you want us to try and grab?” Blaze asked Sunny.
“Elliot?” I asked. He was a firefighter from Station Seventeen, but he was also the local arson investigator. “Does Walker suspect arson?”
Blaze shrugged. “Ignition point looked really suspicious, so he decided to call Elliot in just to be safe.”
“Someone purposely set my building on fire?” Sunny asked. “Why the hell would they do that?”
“Insurance fraud, most likely,” I admitted. “We see it a lot in older buildings.”
Sunny frowned. “Well, that’s shitty,” she muttered.
“If it's arson, we'll figure it out pretty quickly, though. Don't you worry, sunshine. Anything you want us to try and get?”
I grimaced at his words. Experience meant we knew full well it was highly unlikely that Sunny would be able to take anything out of that apartment. Even though the fire had only just reached her apartment by the time we got there, the smoke damage, and water damage from the decrepit old sprinklers, had pretty much ruined everything. The building was starting to crumble, and it was probably going to crumble soon.
“I don’t want to be a downer, but I should warn you, Cher, that not much will be salvageable,” I said gently, taking my plate and sitting in the chair nearest her. I wanted to manage her expectations because the last thing I wanted was for her to get to the apartment and be heartbroken when she realized the level of destruction.
Instead of being upset, she simply nodded. “I expected that, honestly.” She sighed. “There are a few things I'd like to see if I could get a hold of, though. Things like my birth certificate, my ID, bank cards. I also have a waterproof box under my sofa with pictures of Luka when he was a newborn, his first outfit, things like that—do you think that might have survived?”
“If the box is waterproof, there's a good chance. Most of the damage is from water or smoke at this point.”
A serene smile took over her face. “That’ll be nice,” she said, almost to herself as she picked up another strip of bacon.
My pack mate leaned in toward her, a smirk on his face. “So, sunshine, do you have a man in your life? I'm asking for purely selfish reasons.”
He had all the tact of a fucking bull in a china shop.
Never mind that I had already asked about that. Clearly Blaze was thinking along the same lines as me.
Was that a good thing? Did that mean he wanted her just as much as I did ?
I needed to figure out how Walker felt.
“She doesn't. Not that it’s any of your business,” I said, pointedly glaring at him. She had started to get upset earlier when I questioned her, so he needed to pipe the fuck down.
Blaze simply shrugged, turning to grin at Sunny. “I think it is my business if my pretty little sunshine is single or not. Of course, we can't go on a date now, because you're staying at the firehouse and you're going through a lot, but eventually, you’ll fall madly in love with me. You’ll see, I’m impossible to resist,” Blaze declared, leaning against the table with a charming grin.
Sunny burst out laughing. A beautiful sound. “You're very confident, aren't you?”
“Confidence is one word for it,” I agreed wryly.
“What else would you call it?” Blaze asked, his grin never slipping as he rested his chin in his palm.
“Delusional?” I asked, making Sunny giggle again, her blue eyes sparkling as she shook her head at him.
Blaze cocked his head to the side. “But she’s already wearing my clothes! Clearly, we are meant for each other! Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so damn adorable in them.”
“She’d be adorable in anyone’s clothes,” I said. I didn't mention how badly I wanted her to wear my clothes. She was already drowning in Blaze’s clothing, so mine would probably be a hundred times worse.
Then again, if she wore one of my T-shirts and nothing else…
Shaking my head, I forced my mind out of the gutter. If I didn't stop thinking such dirty thoughts, she was going to figure it out, and I didn't want her to feel uncomfortable. She had been to hell and back and needed to be treated with love and care, not be perved on by a bunch of horny alphas.
As she munched on the bacon, I couldn’t help but think about how I wanted her at the breakfast table every day.
After she ate all the food, and her son was full and sleepy, she yawned. “I just woke up. How am I exhausted?” she grumbled, a cute frown on her face.
“That'll be the adrenaline, Cher. Maybe you should go lie down. He looks like he's mighty tired as well.” I nodded to Luka, who was curling up in his mother's lap sleepily.
“You’re right,” Sunny sighed. “I think I do need to sleep a bit more.”
“Treat the place like your own. Come and take any snacks from the kitchen.” I walked over to the far wall and opened one of the cabinet doors. “This is where we keep all the snacks for when we've had a lot of calls in a single day. Feel free to raid. They're not replacements for an entire meal, but they're better than nothing.”
Sunny’s nose scrunched, making me chuckle. Before I could open my mouth to speak, Blaze beat me to it.
“I know those protein bars aren't very appealing, but if you look in the back of the cabinet, there's chocolate, salted pretzels, and all the fun stuff.”
“Those do sound more my speed,” Sunny agreed with a nod, yawning deeply and rubbing her eyes.
I didn’t like the dark bags under her eyes or the exhaustion that clearly weighed on her. Especially for an omega, Walker's bedroom wasn't great; it was just a place to sleep while he was at the fire station. Sunny needed more blankets and pillows to keep her comfortable.
I made a mental note that I would have to go shopping soon.
She also needed clothing.
An idea was already forming in my mind, I just needed to wait until my shift was finished tomorrow.
As a firefighter, I would never condone arson, but part of me was considering burning down any property she moved into just so she'd be forced to stay with us.
It was official. I was losing my goddamn mind.