Untamed Wolf (19 page)

“I wasn’t technically in danger at the waterfall until you startled me. And you made me follow you, so I wouldn’t have an issue with the tree if not for you. Rescuing Mama? Well you were just lucky to be my hero driving by that day.” Play shimmered in her eyes, though she gave a little shrug. “Those were swell. But the cat? The cat was pretty awesome.”

Growling, he tumbled her back into the blankets. “Swell? I’ll show you swell!”

The musical sound of her laughter wrapped around him.

T
wo days
of relaxing bliss passed. Dylan hardly let her do anything. When she complained he was spoiling her, he settled against the blankets and told her it was her turn to spoil him. She spent a lovely afternoon learning how he liked his massage, getting a cooking lesson so she could make him food, then just drowsing against him as they watched the fire. Like their three days spent under the cover of the storm, they were absolutely isolated and she was in heaven.

All of the wonderful quality time was ending.
They
were coming to the cabin.

“You’re doing it again,” Dylan said from where he sat at the table with a laptop open. She didn’t even know he had a laptop, but he’d shrugged. During bad weather, he didn’t bother with the Internet. Their signal was crap anyway.

“I can’t help it, I’m nervous.” What was an Omega? Why was it so important? “I’m not sure I can be the whipping girl for a pack…”

“You aren’t going to be a whipping girl.” He tapped a few keys.

“But the only article on omegas I could find on my phone for the five minutes it was working said omegas were the lowest of the totem pole, usually the one the pack took their aggression out on and they were always last to everything.” She’d been last her whole life. “I don’t know if I can just be happy that everyone will beat up on me.”

“No one will beat up on you.” Though his gaze never left the screen, his voice carried a note of steel. “The first one who tries will be eating through a straw. The second will be pushing up daisies.”

Possession underscored his every word and she shivered. “I know you’ll protect me, Dylan.” Her faith in him was absolute. “But I don’t want you to have to fight every second of every day because I’m—whatever an Omega is.”

“Chrystal, you’re driving yourself crazy because you think we’re just like a wolf pack, we’re not. Mama doesn’t even snarl at you anymore. You showed her you weren’t to be picked on, and she got it. You got control of your fear, and you learned what you were capable of. You’re a strong, beautiful, sexy as sin wolf, babe. So what if you’re an Omega? It’s another challenge I’m sure you will excel at.” Unflinching, uncompromising belief in her.

“I love you.”

He grinned slowly, and patted his thigh. “Come on over here and tell me that.”

“And be in the middle of sex when your Alpha gets here?” From the way her face went hot, she imagined her blush was pretty absolute.

Dylan grinned. “He gets sex, babe. He wouldn’t even be surprised.”

“You’re terrible.”

“But godlike.” He never seemed to tire of that particular label.

“Apropos since you’re so vain.” The teasing remark worked. He scooted the chair back and came for her.

“Vain?”

“Well, if I looked like you, I’d be vain, too.” She darted to avoid his questing hands. Once in his arms, he could convince her of anything.

“Pretty girl, if you looked like me, I’d be less worried about holding onto you.” When she feinted left, he didn’t fall for it. He scooped her up and pinned her to his chest. “As it is, you’re pretty damn perfect. So stop knocking my hot bod.”

“I wasn’t knocking your bod.”

“No, I meant this bod,” he murmured, before kissing her slowly. The whole world paused when Dylan kissed her. All she could taste was him, his pleasure, his affection and more—the absolute security he promised with every touch and caress.

“Oh, well, maybe you should remind me later how much you like my bod.”

“Hmm, deal.” His growl reminded her of how affected by her he was. Since mentioning mating her to her, he’d never taken the next step. Hadn’t even told her what the next steps were. He wanted her to make an informed decision—part of which pulled up to the cabin even as he nuzzled her with kisses. The sound of the vehicle’s engine sent apprehension sizzling along her nerve endings.

“It’s just Mason,” Dylan soothed her, then paused to add, “And fucking Julian.”

“Don’t be mad at him.” For some reason, knowing Julian was out there too eased her panic. Caressing Dylan’s cheek, she said, “I know you don’t like him, but I think he’s okay. He found what packs my parents came from, and he offered to get me out of Three Rivers…and that day when he picked me up, I think if I’d had the courage to tell him I wanted to stay, he would have let me.”

“Maybe.” Dylan didn’t sound convinced. “But I think he’s an asshole.”

“An asshole who can hear you,” Julian called from beyond the door. Dylan’s smirk said he’d known damn good and well he could hear him. Chrystal was still giggling when Dylan set her down and went to answer the door.

“Well, you shouldn’t be eavesdropping then,” Dylan’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “You never hear anything good about yourself.”

Julian didn’t seem remotely perturbed by the comment, instead he looked straight to her. Approval was the last thing she expected to see in his eyes, but he seemed to take in her appearance and mood with one glance. “You two haven’t mated yet.”

“Too bad you left your shotgun at home, Julian.” The second man said as he entered the cabin first, then Julian followed him. Dark hair crowned a stern visage. Though he didn’t seem to be that much older than Dylan, an air of power accompanied the second man that rivaled Julian’s. He had to be Mason. The buoyancy of her play with Dylan faltered. Not waiting for them to make it farther into the room, Dylan closed the door and came to stand next to her. When his hand closed over hers, she gripped him tightly.

“Chrystal, this is Mason Clayborne, Alpha of Willow Bend.” Encouragement softened Dylan’s tone. “Mason, this is Chrystal, the wolf I want to mate.” The barest hint of warning crept into his voice.

Rallying to the support Dylan offered, Chrystal extended her hand and tried not to stare at Mason. She’d thought Luciana was powerful…and she was, but not like Mason. He held himself differently, and the air around him seemed to crackle. Or maybe it was the kindness despite the etched lines of his face. A man who’d seen harder times, but still smiled. Luciana smiled, but…she struggled and most of her confidence was a front. With Mason, she suspected what she saw was what she got. A tough, determined wolf with a high standard.
Where the hell am I getting all of that?

He clasped her hand, the barest of smiles gentling the line of his mouth. The contact popped against her fingers like a static charge. Ferocity rolled through her and she straightened, meeting Mason’s gaze with a hell of a lot more ease than she expected. Her wolf sat up, rising within her until she could feel her wolf studying the man before them. Confidence rolled off of him, confidence and a little bit of wonder.

“Wow,” Mason said slowly. Not a word she expected. “You felt that didn’t you, Chrystal?”

Dylan squeezed her free hand, a rock of support as she studied Mason. “Yes…what was it?”
Was it part of being an Omega?

He released her without answering. “Why don’t you two take a seat?” Dylan didn’t need to be told twice. He tugged her over to the armchair. Sitting first, he then tugged her onto his lap. The tingling she’d felt earlier continued to race up and down her arm. Her wolf wasn’t upset, but they were both watchful—aware of Mason nearly as much as they were of Dylan, which kept her a little on edge. Dylan made her smile. Mason…she and her wolf hadn’t decided about him yet.

Seated opposite them, Mason clasped his hands together and stared at her. The scrutiny should have made her uncomfortable, but Dylan’s light hand against her spine kept her nerves at bay. “I’ve only ever met one Omega before, which is why it’s Julian and I are here talking to the two of you. When we’re done, I’ve asked for and received free passage for the two of you to spend some time in Delta Crescent with their Omega. Serafina actually has two, but she and I agreed Sovvan would likely be the best one for you to meet.”

The two of them. “So you won’t make me leave Dylan?”

Surprise flickered across his expression briefly, then Mason chuckled. “Miss Landros, let me be very blunt for a moment. I would never begin to try and separate a mated pair. If you decided you were better off in another pack or in Delta Crescent and Dylan went with you, I’d be disappointed at losing both of you. But I wouldn’t fight to make either of you choose anything over being with your mate. Do you understand?”

“You won’t make me leave Dylan is the basic gist.”

“No, I won’t make you leave Dylan, nor will I make Dylan leave you.” His half-smile became a wry one. “She’s adorable,” he said to Dylan. “You did good.”

“I know.” Smugness punctuated his words. Trying not to laugh at him, Chrystal leaned back against Dylan and waited.

“So, Omegas…they’re rare.” When she would have asked him a question, he held his hand up. “Let me finish the whole explanation, then you can ask questions. As I said before, I’ve met an Omega. Her name is Sovvan. She lives in Delta Crescent. She is the most protected wolf in their pack. One of the things the Hounds do is they take an oath to protect their Alpha, but they also agree to protect the Omega. In their case, they have two, which is a testament to how strong the pack is.”

Oh.
He’d cut right to the part she didn’t understand.

“An Alpha binds his—or her—pack together because we’re the center of the wheel. Everyone is connected to us. My strength is based in part on the strength I can pull from the pack, but it’s also a strength I can lend to my wolves.” That part she understood. “An Omega’s weaknesses are the weaknesses of a pack. Not only does she—or he—pull all those weaknesses together, she reflects them and they can also be passed on to others in the pack.”

Chrystal stilled as Dylan went stiff behind her. Had she caused all the panic and fights in Three Rivers? Were they failing because of her?

No smile eased the darkness in his words. “Now, before you panic, I need you to think for me. Can you do that?” Mason’s question snapped her attention outward.

“Yes.” Her wolf batted the information back and forth as though it were a ball she could unravel. “I think so.”

“Good. You’re not in trouble, Chrystal. And nothing you’ve done is a direct cause of anything, it is simply the nature of your animal, and it’s a good one.” Yeah, she didn’t quite believe him about that, but she nodded anyway. “The more in touch with your wolf you’ve become, the more your Omega nature revealed itself. How did you feel about Three Rivers before? When you first got there? Remember, this isn’t a criticism, just how did you feel?”

“Uneasy?” It was more a question than an answer. “I didn’t know what they expected of me, and I’d never been around so many wolves before. It was…it was different. But I also felt…free and without restrictions suddenly. I really didn’t know what to do with it. So I spent time looking at all the stuff that was pretty.” Escaping what she didn’t understand.

“Fair enough.” Mason glanced at Dylan. “And when you met her, what would you say were her greatest weaknesses?”

Twisting, she looked at Dylan as well. Curious about the answer. “She was unfocused, very uncertain of her wolf, and easily distracted by shiny objects.” He winked. “But also sweet, compassionate…and very optimistic. No matter how her life seems to have been unfair, she shone from inside.”

Mason and Julian shared an enigmatic look, then Mason asked. “And after your time here? When you went back? Did you feel different?”

Yes
. “I didn’t want to be there anymore. Nothing felt settled. It was…I felt like I should want to be there, but I didn’t. I wanted to be with Dylan. I was happy here, and then the fighting started.”

“Was that before or after you decided you really wanted to leave?”

Fear coiled in her gut. “Did I hurt them?”

“No, Trouble.” Julian answered. “You were a reflection of the struggles they are still facing. Luciana’s pack is too new. They haven’t cemented their bonds to her fully, much less to each other. You were mirroring the greatest weaknesses in their pack. That she recognized what you were and set one of her wolves to guarding you says a lot.”

“Why do Omegas need guards?” Was that what Brick had been doing? He drove her crazy. She’d thought he wanted her to stay away from Dylan or Willow Bend. Had he been trying to keep her safe?

“Because, in a pack, when things go right, you look to your Alpha. Say, he is good and he is kind, or he is strong and he is wise. You credit your leaders with where it goes right. An Alpha binds…but when things go wrong, the Omega can reflect those items. A smart Alpha knows to address those issues because his Omega warns him, shows him the weaknesses. A smart Omega can be a powerful advocate for a pack, but she can also face reprisals for the very weaknesses she is mirroring. Guarding an Omega protects her, protects the pack.” Julian had never strung so many words together. “It is why there are so few. They are not always recognized before they inadvertently trigger another wolf. Some wolves—especially aggressive ones—will react instead of act. Most Omegas don’t have the fight in them, even when they want to stand up for themselves.”

“So, I will stand up for you,” Mason said, taking over smoothly. “You are welcome in Willow Bend, Chrystal. Mate or not, I would be honored to keep you safe. My Hunters will be yours, they will protect you as they do me. All we will ever ask is you protect us.”

H
ours after Mason
and Julian left them to consider the offer, Chrystal stared at the flames. Dylan hadn’t quite wrapped his mind around all of the aspects of being an Omega. True to their word, Mason gave them the phone number for Sovvan in Delta Crescent. Chrystal had spoken to her for an hour while Dylan took a walk with his Alpha.