I was a shit mother.
“Hey, stop.” Raiden was looking at me now, his hand halfway to my face like he’d forgotten he wasn’t supposed to touch me. “You’re doing the best you can, and that is enough.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and blinked rapidly. Huh. Pollen must be bad today.
Nodding at Raiden, I went back to work, keeping half an eye on him. He’d gotten her a snack from my tote and was feeding it to her, listening to her babble a million miles a minute, her little hands flailing as she jumped and bounced wildly.
I got through a few more sales, straightening haphazardly strewn flowers, until another scent stopped me.
Manix. But not one I knew, not that I was an expert on their scents or anything. I looked up, and continued looking up. The man in front of me had to be close to seven feet tall, and he was just as broad. He was like a mountain, craggy and rough like one too. His lip had a scar—or maybe it was a sneer—pulling it up.
“I thought my Beta was lying, but here you are. I can scent you myself. A female Omega. An impossibility.”
Raiden was in front of me in a second, thrusting Luisa into my arms and pushing us both behind him.
“You aren’t wanted here, Wilkie,” he growled, and it was kind of impressive.
But the big Alpha—because there was no doubt to me that this monster was an Alpha—laughed in his face. “No one asked you,Omega.Though, I wouldn’t mind a two-for-one if I can. Save your sister from having to take so much cock all the time.”
Raiden paled but his jaw tensed. “Not if you were the last fucking living being on the planet, you Neanderthal.”
Just as suddenly as Wilkie had appeared, so did three other Manix I didn’t know. I jumped as gentle hands grabbed me from behind. “Come, Naja,” Ellar whispered, and I went with him. I was relieved to see Gatlin and Seven appear from between the flowers.
I looked over at Tamsin, whose wide, confused eyes held fear. I could never come back to this place, to this job. I was relieved to see Henry the flower farmer in front of her though, protecting her with the huge bulk of his body. He wasn’t as huge or as powerfully built as a Manix, but he was fit and strong for a human. It was a weird thing to fixate on as Ellar hustled me out of the market.
They’d been right, and I’d been too arrogant to see it.
“A little further, Omega. It will be okay,” Gatlin murmured from behind me, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. Raiden rested a hand on my spine as they led me to my car. “Seven, take the van with Ellar and head back to Naja’s house. We will meet you there. Raiden, in the front with me. Finlo in the back with Naja and the babe.”
No one questioned him, everyone just jumping to do what they were told. Even me. I strapped Luisa into her seat, noting that she’d gone silent and still. It was a throwback to our old life, and I fucking hated it. Hated everything about it, and I wanted to scream.
I slid into the car, belting myself in as Finlo slipped in the other side. Gatlin and Raiden slipped into the front, and seconds later we were tearing out of the parking lot of the market. I wanted to cry but I held my shit together—I would cry later when I was alone, and no one would see my weakness. Finlo looked behind us, his eyes taking in everything, but eventually they settled on me and then Luisa.
He reached out a hand and placed it on her tiny body. She looked like a newborn in comparison. I could feel the swell of his Alpha power, the one that promised protection, and her tiny stiff body finally relaxed.
So did mine. He reached across the carseat and grabbed my hand. “It truly is okay, Omega. Wilkie is an arrogant fuck, but he won’t chase us down. He might try to steal you, but he won’t break the rules to do so.”
That was not as reassuring as he thought it was.
9
Gatlin
Ihated Wilkie. He was everything that was wrong with Manix society. A purist, and an asshole to boot. He believed Omegas were made to breed with and that was all. I knew he’d made a move for Raiden back when he was selecting a Pack, but Raiden wasn’t a fool. He knew that Wilkie was a sadist. He was also high up in the echelons of the Manix army, but so was Raiden’s father. When Raiden’s sister had bonded into Wilkie’s Pack instead, Raiden had been devastated. Me? Not so much. Raiden loved his sister, but she was a fucking bitch. Wilkie and Susannah were a good match in my opinion.
When we pulled up to Naja’s house, something like panic hit me. We were so close to having everything. I didn’t want to pressure Naja, but she wasn’t safe here by herself. I hated that she wasn’t in our nest where we could protect her and Raiden. I hated that they were so vulnerable.
So many things I hated right now, and it was driving my instincts wild. I wanted to bundle her up and drive her up to my mountain. Show her the amazing nests that Raiden had created around the big house. Show her the kitchen and the group shower. We could convert a room into a nursery, first for Luisa, and then for all our young. I was getting ahead of myself, but it was hard not to rush ahead.
I hit the garage remote and pulled inside, closing it behind us straight away. At least I could secure her here. She wouldn’t be in the open. But her scent was insane. Wilkie wasn’t going to be the only one. More would come for her, and I didn’t know what to do. I slammed out of the car, breathing deeply through the possessive rage.
Raiden came up and wrapped his arms around my waist, infusing me with his calm. “We’ll figure this out, Gatlin. Our happily ever after is within reach. Don’t lose it now.”
I turned, grabbing him up into my arms, kissing him hard. He kissed me back, his hands gripping my shirt. He was feeling it too; I knew we all were. He was right though—I needed to keep my shit together. “I’m so thankful that you didn’t choose Wilkie.”
Raiden made a rude noise. “Not even if hell froze over. Overbearing asshole.”
Finlo had bundled Naja and Luisa inside, and I could scent our Betas on the wind. We could hunker down here for a couple of days if Naja permitted it. It wasn’t as good as the Pack house, but it would do.
