A New Beginning

  Josiah, Sam, Sawyer, and Briar spent a lot of time with the new omegas in the omega den, and Josiah could see in the way his three friends fully relaxed and let their guards down that Sawyer, Briar, and Sam had missed the old days as much as he had. If only Danny could be there, then Josiah would feel complete.

  Nick was experiencing a lot of discomfort in his final days of pregnancy. His belly swelled out from his otherwise lithe frame like a huge tumor, making it difficult to do anything physical. His ankles swelled, and he remained tired much of the time. When Josiah and Sam suggested a walk around the property one crisp morning, Sandy and Jaime readily agreed, but Nick stayed behind, saying he wanted to nap.

  “Soon that’s going to be me,” Sam said, looking down at his pregnant belly, which was far from the size of Nick’s at this stage.

  “Yep,” Sawyer agreed. “The last few weeks are pretty miserable.”

  “You could at least lie to me,” Sam grumbled.

  Sawyer hugged his friend. “You’ll get through it, and it’s so worth it.”

  Since Josiah wanted to stay home that week to help the newcomers get acclimated, Mark had come by earlier that morning and taken the girls with him to work so they could play in the daycare. Sadie and Sophie missed their new playmates and were excited to go, packing up the princess back packs Josiah had bought them at Walmart. He’d convinced Sam to go with him on that trip, as his friend rarely got out in the city, and Sid went along, too, as protection for the two omegas. Sam had been so overwhelmed by the huge, brightly lit, crowded store, he had plastered himself to Josiah’s side, hands never unclutching the first omega’s arm. The humans began to take notice, and the trio wound up cutting the trip shorter than Josiah would have liked.

  Before Mark left, Josiah had seen him exchange a few words with Jaime before Jaime turned and walked away, leaving Mark looking confused. Josiah had wanted to approach him, but his old friend had quickly put on a smile and hustled the girls into his car.

  Jaime seemed unusually quiet after that, but Josiah didn’t bother him. Josiah had the feeling Jaime had told Mark he wouldn’t be coming over so much anymore and was proud of the city omega for making the difficult move to distance himself from Mark. It couldn’t have been easy.

  The sound of a car pulling up the drive caused all the werewolves to turn around and stiffen.

  “It’s okay,” Josiah said when he saw River walking down the front steps. “River’s interviewing this morning.” The group stood watching as five werewolves climbed out of the car and greeted River. One caught Josiah’s eye, an alpha. Handsome and self-assured, the alpha stood scanning the property, surreptitiously sniffing the air. Until his gaze landed on the omega den.

  “Who’s that?” Josiah asked Jaime.

  “Who?”

  “The big, blond alpha that’s staring at the omega den like he wants to charge it and knock the door down.”

  “His name’s Austin. I’ve met him a few times. He’s a little intense, so I never got very close. All that alpha testosterone makes me uncomfortable.”

  Josiah chuckled at his new friend. “It’s supposed to. If uncomfortable means horny.”

  Jaime’s fair skin flushed red. “Yeah, well.” He cleared his throat and shuffled his feet. “Best not to tempt fate where alphas are concerned.”

  Josiah laughed, glad to take his friend’s mind off Mark. “Well, you’re safe here, so you can look all you want. You like him?”

  “What? No. He’s too…I don’t know. Too much.”

  Josiah wondered about Austin. With the six omegas standing in full view, the alpha obviously wasn’t looking for them. His gaze remained fixed on the omega den, and the only person in there was…Nick.

  Josiah interrupted Jaime’s run-down of what he knew of the other four werewolves.

  “Does he know Nick?”

  Jaime looked puzzled. “Austin? I don’t think so. Why?”

  “Look at him.”

  The group watched as River led the visitors into the house, and Austin reluctantly forced himself to look away from the omega den and follow.

  “Something’s going on there,” Josiah said.

  “Maybe we should go question Nick,” Briar suggested.

  “He’s so pissy lately,” Sandy said. “If you’re planning on asking him if that guy’s the baby’s sire, I’d advise against it.”

  “Could he be the sire?” Sam asked.

  “As much as anyone, I guess. Nick came to the sewers pregnant. We don’t know where he was living before that. He’s very tight-lipped about his past.”

  “Maybe this Austin guy just likes Nick’s scent,” Sawyer said. “Pregnancy can make it particularly potent.”

  “We should go hang out in the living room just in case he tries anything,” Jaime said, and the group headed that way.

  Chapter 14: Brooks

  Brooks stripped the bed and wadded the sheets into a ball. Today was the pack’s designated laundry day, and Brooks’ turn doing it. Now that the pack had electricity, the job wasn’t the hardship it once had been. Rather than lugging baskets of laundry to the Laundromat in town, or taking it all to the river to wash as they had when living on the compound, the pack only had to go down to the basement to use the washer and dryer. River had grumbled a bit about buying the machines, but Brooks thought even the pack alpha could see the time and energy saved now they had them. Brooks would put a load in that night and dry it in the morning while another load washed. He should be finished with everyone’s laundry by the next afternoon, at which point he could apply himself to another task. If David allowed it, that was. His alpha had only gotten more protective as Brooks’ pregnancy advanced, and that wasn’t the only problem.

  “Jax has been visiting home a lot,” Brooks said in what he hoped was a casual tone. He’d been trying to initiate a conversation with David about Jax for days.

  David sat on the floor, trying to fix the dresser drawer so it would slide smoothly, and only grunted at Brooks’ comment. In the past few months, as the pack adjusted to its new members, David had thrown himself into his duties as second alpha, making certain the newcomers adjusted well. As renovation on the property continued, there remained plenty to do, and River and David had made certain to look for qualities in each candidate that would benefit the entire pack.

  As planned, the Cascade City pack had accepted two alphas and three betas from the rogues, holding a small ceremony and bonfire to make everyone’s membership official. David had told Brooks choosing among the rogues hadn’t been easy, as most had been well suited as well as eager to join the pack. In the end, though, both David and River felt they’d made the right choices.

  Now moved into the former slave quarters, the five men seemed content to be there. The betas Nate, Abram, and Diego fit right in. The two alphas, Mike and Austin, were both virile and strong-willed, but they knew how to curb their natural aggression and settle into the rhythm of the pack. Leo’s duties as River’s third-in-command, on hold since the pack had dwindled in number, became active again as he set himself to helping the newcomers adjust. Brooks could see his friend struggling to separate duty from his innate need to be with his pregnant omega. Having the omega den made the task easier, as Sam spent a good amount of time there when Leo was busy.

  Everyone had noticed the odd relationship between the new alpha, Austin, and the new omega, Nick. Nick had finally gone into labor a few weeks prior, giving birth to a large, healthy baby with a shock of dark hair like his birth father’s and a pair of lungs that gave PJ a run for his money. Nick still hadn’t named the boy. Brooks found himself holding the baby as often as possible, looking forward to the birth of his own son more every time he did.

  From the moment the alpha moved in, Austin had tried to place himself in Nick’s orbit, but the omega wasn’t having it. Privately, everyone wondered if Austin was the sire of Nick’s baby, but as time went on, that seemed unlikely.

  “Nick wouldn’t be able to push Austin away if Austin had sired his
baby,” Sam had pointed out. “When Leo and I mated, I thought we couldn’t be closer, but when he got me pregnant, our bond became even stronger, like an invisible thread between us. I’m constantly aware of his presence on the property, and when he leaves, it’s as if a yawning cavern opens inside me.”

  Although the other omegas ribbed Sam for the dramatic proclamation, they couldn’t disagree. No way could Nick push Austin away if Austin had sired the omega’s baby. So, what was going on? Why were the two werewolves so fixated with one another, and why wouldn’t Nick give Austin the time of day? When Austin wasn’t paying attention, Nick watched the alpha intensely, but every move Austin made to talk to Nick, the omega rebuffed. Asking Nick did no good, because he refused to discuss it.

  “There. Fixed it.” David soundlessly slid the drawer into place.

  “Great,” Brooks said, gathering up the rest of their laundry into a basket. “No more waking everyone up when we get our underwear.”

  David stood and looked Brooks over. “Feeling okay? Here, let me.” He tried to take the basket from Brooks’, but Brooks wouldn’t relinquish the hold.

  “For Fenrir’s sake, I can do it.” The words came out a little more irritably than the beta had meant them to.

  David resorted to dirty pool, using his authoritative voice. “You should rest more.”

  Brooks stubbornly resisted. He couldn’t lie around his entire pregnancy. “I feel fine.” He walked out of the room, heading for the basement, unsurprised when David followed him.

  “Are you afraid I’m going to topple down the stairs?” he asked the alpha over his shoulder.

  “Wolf’s bane! Don’t look at me; watch where you’re going!”

  Irritated, Brooks clenched his teeth. The constant rise of hormones in the beta’s system had him in a whirlwind of emotion. One moment he felt great, and the next he burst into tears over nothing. David’s hovering felt smothering today, but tomorrow he’d be needy and yearning to be babied. The normally level-headed beta was exasperated with himself.

  Jax spent more time away from home than in it these days, and both Brooks and David realized something was broken in the relationship, perhaps irreparably, but they didn’t discuss it. That had to end. The tension was beginning to take a toll on Brooks, as he had frequent headaches and trouble sleeping, on top of being horny as hell.

  Ignoring his mate, Brooks stuffed the sheets into the washing machine, added detergent, and turned the machine on. When he did look at David, the expression on the alpha’s face both surprised the beta and tore at his heart.

  Contrite, he stepped close to his alpha. “David? I’m sorry I’m so cranky. Is everything all right?”

  David’s jaw tightened. “Of course.”

  “You just looked kind of…lost there for a minute.”

  David’s gaze didn’t quite meet Brooks’, settling in the vicinity of the beta’s nose.

  “You can tell me, you know,” Brooks said, and when David didn’t reply, he tugged on his alpha’s hand. “It’s late. Let’s go to bed.” Maybe David would open up to him in their dark bedroom.

  David turned for the wooden stairway that led to the first floor, and Brooks followed. The rest of the house was quiet, except the discontented mewling of a baby soon comforted into silence behind a closed door. One of Sawyer’s triplets must be up. Not PJ, for the cry wasn’t banshee-loud. Brooks climbed the second stairway, allowing David to hold his arm in support.

  Once in the bedroom, Brooks watched David strip off his clothes, admiring the muscular ridges and planes of his alpha’s body. His cock seemed to remain hard all the time in his pregnant condition.

  “Keep looking at me like that, and I’ll have you over the bed,” David told him.

  Brooks was very tempted to do so. Instead, he looked away. “I thought we were going to talk.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about.”

  “Bullshit.”

  David met Brooks’ eyes.

  “Don’t think I haven’t noticed the wedge you’ve driven between us and Jax,” Brooks said.

  The alpha’s mouth fell open. “I haven’t driven a we—”

  Brooks sat on the edge of the bed. “You have, and you know it.” This had to be said, and even though Brooks’ instinct told him to submit to his alpha, the beta was determined to have his say first. “You’re trying to push him away.”

  David sat next to Brooks and took the beta’s hand. “I haven’t consciously meant to do it. You and I both know this baby is ours. No question anymore. I can’t stand for Jax to touch you or even look at you. You’re my mate, and you’re carrying my son.”

  It was true; Brooks had felt it for a while now. And a part of Brooks—a big part—exulted in what his alpha was saying. He’d never wanted anything but to be cherished this much by David.

  But some small part of the beta couldn’t help but take a stand for Jax, who wasn’t there to do it himself. After all, Jax was, to some degree, a part of their mateship, too.

  “Are you saying there’s no place for Jax with us any longer?” Brooks asked.

  The pain on David’s face answered the question that had burned in the beta’s mind for weeks. David still loved Jax.

  “I don’t know.”

  Brooks tried to think of something that could halt this runaway train. “After the baby’s born, things will be different. You’re only reacting to the pregnancy. You didn’t feel like this before.”

  “Even before, there were…other problems.”

  Brooks hoped he was right about where this was headed. He stroked David’s back. “Please talk to me.”

  Shame colored David’s face before the alpha turned away again. He sat for a long time, gazing into the darkness of the room. Brooks couldn’t read his alpha’s expression.

  “David?” he prompted, fingers gently moving from the small of the alpha’s back up the curve to his shoulders.

  “He…he’s changed me,” David finally said.

  “Jax?”

  David nodded.

  “You don’t seem like you’ve changed. You’re still the wonderful alpha I’ve always loved.”

  To Brooks’ dismay, David’s face crumpled. “Not a true alpha.”

  Yes, Brooks had guessed this was the torment his alpha had been going through. “Is it…is this about what you told me before? That Jax—”

  “Don’t say it,” David roughly cut in. He leaned away from Brooks’ touch. “I can’t stand to hear it aloud, especially not from your mouth.”

  “But it doesn’t make me think any less of you.”

  David turned fierce eyes on Brooks. “Don’t you? Don’t you think it odd what I do for him?” he whispered. “Could you possibly imagine River, Leo, or any other alpha submitting as I do? I’m nothing but an alpha bitch!” He spit the hateful words out.

  Brooks sat stunned, unable to think of anything to say before David continued.

  “What if I told you I didn’t do it just for him, but for me, too? That I got off on it? Craved it, even?”

  So, Jax had told the truth. Brooks was a little surprised, but not disgusted.

  David stood and walked to the other side of the room, and with the physical distance came emotional pain.

  Struggling to put his roiling emotions into words, Brooks said, “I don’t care!”

  The shadows played over David’s face, underlining his tormented look. “How could you possibly not care? I’m not the alpha you thought I was.”

  Brooks got to his feet. “You’re who you always were. Jax hasn’t changed you. And as for all the other alphas, they’re not in your place. I’m not surprised the dynamic is different with a human. I never thought I could love Jax when this whole thing started, but I do. And you see how River is with Josiah.”

  “Josiah’s only half-human and an omega. All alphas want to please their omegas.”

  “Yet River struggles with that. He thinks Josiah has too much of a hold over him. Don’t think I didn’t hear the talk back on the compound.??
?

  David slowly shook his head. “Perhaps they were right.”

  “Who knows?” Brooks took a step toward the alpha. “Who cares? I know I don’t.”

  David frowned. “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying that we love who we love, and we can’t change it. Even if Josiah does influence River, it isn’t necessarily to the detriment of the pack. River isn’t going to leave Josiah, and we wouldn’t be better off without River for a pack alpha. Who cares what you and Jax like to do in the privacy of your bedroom? It’s nobody’s business but yours.”

  “Ours,” David corrected. “I’ve hidden it from you.”

  “And now you aren’t hiding it any longer, but I sort of guessed anyway. David, don’t you see? What you choose to do with Jax isn’t what’s hurting things. It’s how you feel about it that’s causing the trouble. If you didn’t give a damn, everything would be fine.”

  David seemed to think that over.

  Brooks doggedly continued. “And…and maybe we just need to learn how to make exceptions. We’re new at this. You can’t stand Jax to touch me while I’m carrying, so he can stay away from me for now. It doesn’t mean you can’t talk to him.” Brooks could see the alpha was taking his words to heart. When Brooks took another step, the mound of his belly rubbed against David’s hand. David automatically placed his palm over it, and the warmth of his alpha’s touch made the baby inside stir.

  David’s dark eyes sparkled with wonder. “Did you feel that?”

  Brooks grinned. “He’s been doing that a lot lately, but he always seems to be asleep when you’re around. I’m glad you finally got to feel him.”

  David placed his other palm so that he held the rounded mound of their son between his hands. The worshipful look on the alpha’s face melted the beta’s heart.

  “I love you so much. And I love Jax, although in a different way. You’re my alpha. There’s no one I’d rather have touching me. Loving and protecting me.”

  David raised his eyes to meet Brooks’ gaze, the love and devotion plainly visible in their dark depths. He smiled sardonically. “Are you sure about the protecting you part? You’ve seemed awfully annoyed with me.”