Ripples of Threat

  X’s heart wants Trace, Christopher told himself, tears filling his eyes.

  Angrily wiping at his face, Christopher looked around the barn as though seeing it for the first time. He’d been thinking about talking to Grey about his future. Perhaps now was the best time. He finished his chores and left the barn. After a few inquiries, he found Grey overseeing the building of a second greenhouse intended for herbs.

  Christopher shyly approached the pack alpha and cleared his throat. “Sir, can I talk to you a minute?”

  If Grey was surprised at being approached by Christopher, the pack alpha hid it well. “Sure.” Grey put his hand on Christopher’s shoulder and guided the young beta away from the construction site and over to a small copse of trees that, although bare of leaves, afforded a shield from the wind.

  Grey smiled encouragingly. “What can I do for you, Chris?”

  Christopher swallowed. He didn’t want to appear ungrateful for what he had, so chose his words carefully. “I’ve been living in Tarz’s barn for a few years now, and since I recently turned eighteen, I thought maybe it was time for me to figure out my place in the pack.”

  Grey studied the beta. “Are you unhappy working with the horses?”

  “No, Alpha. I enjoy the horses. I just feel kind of—I don’t know, transient living in the loft of Tarz’s barn. Like I’m not home. I also think what I’m doing could be done by anyone in the pack, and more than a few have asked about working there.”

  “I see. So, you’re saying you’d like a house of your own and a change of pace. Have you thought about mating?”

  “I don’t have any plans to do that anytime soon,” Christopher said firmly.

  “Well, I can’t blame you if you’re sick of living in the barn, and you’ve worked with the horses for a long time now.” The pack alpha seemed to consider. “I’m in need of a few beta guards for the omega den. In fact, I could give you a room there for the time being. That way, when you decide to mate, you won’t be leaving a house of your own, but it would feel a lot more permanent than a barn loft. How would that suit you?”

  Christopher thought about it. He didn’t mind the idea of living around omegas. Truth be told, it was lonely in Tarz’s barn. But was he worthy of guarding such a precious commodity?

  “What are you thinking?” Grey asked.

  “I’m not sure I’d make a great guard.”

  Grey patted Christopher’s shoulder. “As a beta, you’re level-headed around the omegas, which is all that really matters. If you keep alphas from entering the den when there’s an omega in heat, you’ll be doing your job. If one of them argues with you, call for help—there will be other guards posted outside.”

  Excitement stirred in Christopher’s belly. “I think I’d like that, Alpha.”

  “Good. I’ll have the bedroom by the kitchen prepared for you today. You can move in tonight. I’ll let Tarz know that Xavier will be taking over all the duties in the barn for the time being, and that he should look for more help.”

  Christopher grinned, happy to know he wouldn’t have to see the source of his heartbreak every day. “Thank you!”

  He headed for the dining hall for lunch and then back to the barn. X was nowhere to be seen, and Christopher was glad. Leaving the only home he’d known for the past few years was tough, and he didn’t want X’s presence causing him to second-guess his decision. He completed his chores for the day, packed his few belongings, and headed for the omega den.

  Gabriel was waiting for him and showed Christopher his new room, which was three times the size of the barn loft with the added comfort of a real bed, not just a mattress on the floor. Christopher couldn’t help but smile.

  “As first omega, I thought I’d be here to welcome you and fill you in on what’s going on,” Gabriel said. “Justin went into heat this morning and is staying here until Milo returns from a meeting with Grey. He has a plug in him until Milo gets here, and they’ll probably rut here. There aren’t that many omegas in this pack, and the ones we have are all mated, so I don’t really foresee any problems in the near future. The fact we have humans on the compound makes Grey edgy, though, so he wants to make sure the omegas are watched over. Most of the time your job’s going to be really easy.” He cocked his head and looked at Christopher with curiosity. “Did you get tired of working with the horses?”

  “Just of the barn in general, not the horses. I love them.”

  “You’re really good with them, too. I’ve heard Tarz say it many times. He’s going to be sorry to lose you.”

  Christopher hadn’t considered that. “I just needed a break.” He must have sounded pathetic, for Gabriel patted him on the back.

  “Everyone deserves one. I’m sure they’ll be fine without you. And Tarz has X until he finds someone else. I think it’ll be good for you to get away from X, too.”

  Christopher glanced at the omega in surprise. “Why do you say that?”

  The omega shrugged. “I know you’re attracted to Xavier, and it’s been hard for you to work around him, that’s all.”

  Heat suffused the beta’s cheeks. “It’s that obvious?”

  “Not really. I’ve just worked with you guys a while. I’ve seen you watching him. X is a great guy, and if he weren’t still so hung up on Trace, I’d tell you to go for it.”

  “Yeah, well, he’s not interested in me.” Christopher flushed, remembering how he’d practically forced himself on the alpha.

  “Getting away from him was a good idea, and I’m glad you’re here,” Gabriel said.

  “How are you feeling?” Christopher asked, eager to change the subject.

  “A little better since I’ve been drinking tea made from angelica root and yarrow.”

  “You have some color back in your face. You were really pale for a while.” Christopher, along with everyone else, had been worried about the omega. No one could figure out what was going on with him.

  “Dr. Newman and Dr. Talcourt are teaching Shane and Dean about herbal remedies. They’re going to run the new greenhouse.”

  “That’s great. I’m glad they’re helping you. The greenhouse is looking great. I was there earlier to talk to Grey.”

  Gabriel frowned. “I just wish I knew why I need their help. It’s really unusual for omegas to have problems like this.”

  Christopher had always thought of omegas as being perfect. For as long as he could remember, he’d wished he was an omega rather than a beta. If he were an omega, Xavier wouldn’t be able to resist him. He wouldn’t favor Canaan over him. Christopher would have power over the alpha—the power of attraction and his alluring scent. He’d drive the alpha crazy with it.

  “What are you thinking?” Gabriel asked, smiling. “You’ve got a really funny look on your face.”

  Christopher blushed harder. “Just that I really wish I were an omega.”

  “Believe me, it isn’t so great. We are completely ruled by our heats. It’s not fun being that vulnerable.”

  “But the alphas want you.”

  “Which isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. When you’re unmated, it’s too easy to be claimed. What if you’re claimed by an alpha you’re not particularly attracted to? You’re stuck with him. And after you’re mated, you must have your alpha around when you’re in heat, or else you’re miserable. No fun at all. Plus, you can never be sure your alpha loves you for you and not your allure.”

  Christopher was surprised at that. Did Gabriel doubt Grey’s love? “If you say so.”

  “Don’t you like being relied upon because you’re steady and level-headed? You can hold down any job in the pack you want to. You can talk to any alpha without having to worry he’ll attack you.”

  “I guess so.” Christopher had never thought of pack dynamics that way.

  “It’s true. Be glad for what you have.”

  Christopher wanted to say something, to find out why Gabriel looked so sad, but someone knocked on the door.

  The omega smiled. “Go on. Do your job and see
who it is.”

  The last person Christopher expected to find standing on the porch was Xavier.

  “Um. You can’t come in here,” Christopher told the alpha. “You’re an unmated alpha.”

  “Will you come out here? I want to talk to you,” Xavier said.

  Nervous, Christopher stepped outside and closed the door behind him. “What is it?”

  Xavier gazed down at Christopher, brownish-gold eyes unreadable. Darkness gathered around them, and a fox cried out in the distance, sounding like some tropical bird.

  “I heard you left Tarz’s barn,” X said.

  “Yeah.” Christopher looked at his feet.

  “How come? Was it because of me?”

  Christopher jerked up his head. “What? No! I’ve been living there a long time and needed a change.”

  “Come on. What happened last night—and then you jump up and leave?”

  “You’re the one who jumped up and left.” Christopher couldn’t keep the anger out of his voice.

  “I’m sorry. I just—I hadn’t expected that to happen.”

  “Yeah, well, neither did I. You’re the one who woke me up by falling off the ladder.”

  X’s lips quirked, and he scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, well. Not my finest moment.”

  “Obviously you didn’t like what happened.”

  X stepped closer, and the scent of the alpha filled Christopher’s nostrils, filling him with a longing he wished he could shake. “Of course I liked it.”

  Christopher pressed his back to the door. “You said Trace’s name.”

  X’s eyes widened. “I did?”

  Christopher nodded miserably.

  “Gods, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. I…fuck, I don’t know.” His big shoulders slumped.

  The beta shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I kind of pushed the whole thing on you. Anyway, I’d been thinking of leaving for a while, and now seemed like a good time. Sorry that means more work for you at the barn.”

  Xavier sighed and stepped away, relieving Christopher of the alpha’s powerful draw. “It’s okay. I just wanted to make sure I didn’t run you off. And I’m sorry I took off after what happened. You didn’t deserve that.”

  Christopher’s nose tingled as tears pricked his eyes. “No, I didn’t.” He opened the door. Without looking at X, the beta stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

  Chapter 18: Gabriel

  Gabriel sighed as the warm piss drained out of him. His bladder was constantly full. It seemed if the omega wasn’t drinking tea, he was drinking Grey’s blood. As Gabriel grew in girth, the baby pressed harder on his bladder, making it necessary to empty it more frequently. Lately, he’d become sluggish, but the doctors told him he was healthy. His blood pressure was a bit high, but basically under control. The question remained: why was this happening to him?

  Angela and Bridges came by the house in the trees to let Grey know they were heading back to Cascade City.

  “We’ve done all we can,” Angela said. “Keep drinking the different teas for your blood pressure, and hopefully you’ll go to term this time. We’ll take the blood, urine, and semen samples we took from the pack and continue our studies in Cascade City.”

  “Do you have any ideas about why this is happening to Gabriel?” Grey asked the two doctors.

  Angela glanced at Bridges. “Not really. We do, however, believe there’s a reason. Oh, I almost forgot. Do you know which of you sired this baby?”

  “No. We know I sired Finny, but there’s a possibility Ian sired this baby,” Grey said. “Ian hasn’t been able to conceive, but we don’t know that he’s sterile.”

  “We can find that out for you, if you’d like,” Bridges offered.

  A cold chill blew over Gabriel as he sat silent.

  Grey glanced at Ian. “You can do that?”

  Angela nodded. “From the semen samples we took.”

  “Does it really matter?” Ian asked.

  “No, not if you don’t want to know,” Grey said. “It’s enough for me to know Finny’s mine.” He looked at Angela. “Why do you ask?”

  “I don’t want to worry you,” the doctor said. “I just thought if the baby’s born ill, a mixture of the parents’ blood would be beneficial. It’s just a thought.”

  “Are you expecting something to go wrong?” Grey’s sharp tone made Gabriel tilt his head, offering his neck to his alpha. The pack alpha stroked the omega’s hair in apology.

  “No, not at all,” Angela said. “I’m just trying to foresee any potential threats.”

  “Werewolves have been having babies without a problem for centuries,” Grey reminded her. “And we’re perfectly capable of giving the child our blood.”

  “What’s happening to Gabriel isn’t normal,” Angela reminded the pack alpha.

  “Perhaps we could arrange for Angela to be here for the birth,” Ian said.

  Gabriel raised his head in time to see Ian’s hopeful look at the human doctor.

  Angela nodded. “I can try. Angel Hills is only an hour’s drive from Cascade City.” She pulled something from her bag and showed it to Ian and Grey. “This is a medical alert necklace. Press the button when Gabriel goes into labor, and I’ll do my best. I can’t promise, though. Without a phone, there’s no way for you to be sure I got the message, and if I’m in surgery, I won’t be able to come immediately. I’ll program it so it will reach Bridges, too, in case I can’t come at all.”

  Ian accepted the necklace. “Thank you. We’ll feel better if one of you can at least check on Gabriel and the baby after the birth. Thank you.”

  Angela smiled and shouldered her bag. Grey stood and shook each doctors’ hands. “Thank you for coming. We appreciate your help.”

  “Feel free to let us know if you need anything. Otherwise you have Shane, who from all reports, did a wonderful job at your first child’s birth.”

  “Hopefully nothing like that will happen again,” Grey said, helping Gabriel as the omega struggled to stand from the couch.

  “I really do feel better,” Gabriel said after the humans had gone.

  Grey squeezed the omega’s shoulder. “I’m glad. And I’m also glad to get them off the compound.”

  “Why?” Ian asked. “They helped Gabe a lot.”

  Grey pushed dark hair from his eyes. “I know, but I didn’t like having humans on our territory.” He shook his head. “I just can’t trust them, and I hate that we had to ask them for help.”

  Ian held up the necklace Angela had given him. “Are you angry about this?”

  “Of course not,” Grey said. “We’ll only use it if we have to. I just want to keep her visits to a minimum.”

  Gabriel’s heart sank, knowing it was his fault they’d had to have humans on the compound in the first place. It was just one more way he’d caused his mates trouble.

  “Do you want to take a nap?” Grey asked the omega.

  “No, not now. I think I’ll sit out on the balcony and soak up some sun.”

  Grey kissed Gabriel’s head. “Sounds like a good idea. I have to make my rounds, and I’ll bet the professor needs to crunch some numbers.”

  Ian nodded. “Keith just brought receipts from last months’ trip to Angel City. It’ll take me a few hours to get things recorded. Why don’t we eat in the dining hall tonight?”

  Grey smiled and kissed Ian. “Sounds good. I’ll drop Finny at the nursery. I hear him moving around in his room.” Grey caressed the beta’s neck before going to get their son.

  Watching, doubt nibbled at the edges of Gabriel’s mind. Although Grey and Ian had had an arranged mating, they so obviously loved one another without any kind of allure or instinct helping it along.

  Wanting to relax but determined not to nap, Gabriel stepped out onto the balcony and stretched out on a lounge chair. In the distance, the Eufaula Mountains rose like looming giants, their tops covered in a layer of white.

  Gabriel fiddled with the hem of his shirt, rolling and unrolling t
he cloth around his pointer finger. What Angela Newman had said worried him. Could the humans really tell paternity by a test? Before, when he thought they’d never be certain of Finny’s sire, the omega could pretend the baby was most likely Grey’s. Now, the threat of revealing his and Ian’s secret hung over him like a dark cloud. If Grey was not the father, the boy wouldn’t benefit from the pack alpha’s blood should he ever need it. If Grey had doubts, he could order the test.

  Still, when he remembered the circumstances, Gabriel couldn’t say he would have done things differently. Heat after heat had gone by with Grey fucking Gabriel and the omega not becoming pregnant, Ian had worried Grey was sterile. Gabriel had been willing to agree to anything to insure Grey wouldn’t lose face with himself and the pack. Ian having never had a baby with Grey after years together stacked the cards against the alpha. Plus, Ian knew Grey better than anyone and insisted the pack leader didn’t need another blow to his already flagging ego. What would it hurt for Ian to fuck Gabriel just in case?

  Gabriel shivered. Grey might find out what they’d done. What if Finny wasn’t Grey’s son and the one Gabriel currently carried wasn’t either? Would Grey lose all faith in himself as pack leader? Would he break bonds with Ian and Gabriel? The thought froze the omega’s heart. With a sudden surge of nausea, he lunged from the chair and leaned over the balcony, emptying his stomach over the side. He hoped Ian wouldn’t hear him from the study. Wiping his mouth on his sleeve, Gabriel collapsed onto the chair.

  Eyes heavy, he closed them for a moment, and the next thing Gabriel knew, he heard the door to the balcony slide open.

  “Hey, were you sleeping? It’s time to go to the dining hall.”

  Gabriel groaned and sat up, surprised to see the sun had dipped below the mountains. Days were short this time of year, and with Gabriel sleeping so much, he felt time whizzing by at an extraordinary speed.

  “I can’t believe I slept so long. I didn’t mean to.”

  Ian smiled. “It’s okay. You must need it.” He helped the omega to stand, and they walked through the house together, Ian’s arm wrapped around Gabriel’s shoulders.