Secret Omega Page 8

  He was pregnant.

  Stone was going to be a father.

  As soon as they embraced, Rohan was just as swift in breaking them up. Briar had grabbed the ropes used to bind Ollas earlier and used them to bind Stone instead.

  He didn't resist. Stone now knew sacrificing his life wouldn't be wise. He had to live. For Peregwin. For Ollas. For their unborn pup.

  "Come along.” Rohan growled. “I have no idea where we're keeping you but it's not going to be next to Peregwin."

  Stone just nodded, and trudged along behind the other alpha. His mind scrambled with so many thoughts, he was unable to focus on any of them. He just had to stay alive for now. He would figure the rest out as he went.

  "Hmmm," was the first sound from Rohan when they got reached the village. "I'll improvise."

  He pushed Stone forward toward a pit right outside the village's limits. Whatever was in it, smelled retched. Stone tottered on the edge, and one more shove from Rohan sent him tumbling into it. He hit the ground with a squishy thud. The pit was deep enough that there was no way Stone was getting out without assistance from the outside. The entire place was dark and damp, and reeked of waste.

  Rohan gave one last growl. "You can rot down there forever as far as I’m concerned."

  Stone didn't respond. He just leaned against the wall, retreating into his thoughts. With the things he was surrounded with, he damn well hoped that Peregwin was being treated better than he was.

  For now, he had to survive, no matter what it took.

  Chapter Ten

  Peregwin

  Briar had ordered Peregwin to be kept in his an Rohan’s hut, but Peregwin would rather be staying in the waste pit if it meant escaping this tension. Briar was almost like a brother to him, someone who he could trust no matter what.

  And Peregwin had betrayed that relationship.

  Briar set a cup of hot water in front of him without speaking. If this was his plan to break Peregwin, it didn't take long at all.

  "What? What do you want from me?" he spat out, unable to handle the maddening silence.

  Briar shook his head with disappointment. “I don't even know what questions to ask you, Peregwin."

  He let out a long sigh. "I don't even know what to tell you either. It's all too much."

  "How about you start with that rogue and why you brought him into our village."

  "I don't know," Peregwin paced around the question. "I—I could just tell he wasn’t a bad guy. He was just looking for food and I hurt him."

  "They're all looking for food, Peregwin."

  "Of course they are. Have you ever stopped to think how bad life must be out there? We're struggling to get by and we're supporting one another so well. Out there? It's war over the little resources that remain."

  "That's how it is. An alpha’s first reaction is to resort to violence to get what they want." Briar sipped his hot water.

  "That's a bit harsh, don't you think? What about Rohan?"

  Briar chuckled. "Rohan's first reaction is violence, but he has the wisdom to trust my judgement. He’s a fighter."

  "He's a rogue." Peregwin replied plainly.

  "Was a rogue."

  "Same difference. Stone's a rogue right now too."

  "Stone?"

  "That's his name. They have names. They're not just invader or foreigner, Briar."

  Briar shook his head. "Grey silver wolf named Stone. Can't say his father was terribly creative."

  "He didn’t deserve a slow death in the wastelands. So I healed him. I fed him. I cared for him."

  "You mated with him." Briar said with just a bit of edge in his voice.

  "You know... the heat. And he's handsome. And....well, yeah." Peregwin looked away, like he was a confused pup talking about his first crush.

  "Aren't you afraid that might blind you to his intentions?"

  Peregwin shook his head. "Believe me, I've been driving myself insane over those fears. He's proven himself to me."

  "I don't know, Peregwin. When I first met you, you were so conditioned to follow whatever an alpha told you."

  "Stone is as different from Ollas’s sire as the sun is from the moon.” Something warm stirred in Peregwin’s chest as he spoke. “Stone has done the world for me when I've been in pain. He's connected with Ollas in such a wonderful way. If Stone truly is just a spy after everything we've been through, I can't trust myself on anything anymore."

  Briar withdrew into his own thoughts. "I'm sure I can convince the pack to forgive you, Peregwin. People are afraid and quick to rely on their baser instincts. Omegas aren't above that."

  Remembering being called a traitor by those who he had helped for so long, had considered family, truly ate at Peregwin. "What about Stone?"

  "I don't want to doom your pup to wither away. If it were up to me, I'd give him a trial period among our pack until your pup is born, then we'd decide what to do with him."

  "Up to you? Briar, you're the pack master. It is up to you."

  Briar shook his head. "My job is to guide the pack, not rule it. We're doing things differently than the Bloody Fang did. This is going to a vote."

  "A vote?"

  "We're going to gather the pack. You'll to make your argument for why we shouldn't throw your alpha out into the wastes, and make your pup wither as your punishment."

  Pain hit Peregwin in the abdomen. Simply the idea of that happening was agonizing.

  "It sounds brutal, yes. We can't survive as one, though. Peregwin. We need the pack. To feed each other. To protect each other. Without numbers we're simply meat for the buzzards or destined to return to the clutches of cruel alphas."

  Another tinge of pain hit Peregwin. The agony of going back to that life, or inflicting it on Ollas. He nodded reluctantly.

  "I believe in you to plead your case. Stone will be able to make his case too." Briar finished his hot water. "But the packs decision will be final. I hope our they are wise enough not to demand something vicious and foolish, but their fears are grounded."

  Peregwin nodded. They were his pack. His family. But he was no mind-reader. He couldn't say if it was possible to convince them of anything.

  Especially when they saw him as a traitor.

  ***

  A nearly full moon sat in the sky. The entire pack sat in the grass, illuminated by moonlight and torches. Peregwin could hardly see them from the hut he hid in, but he could make out Briar pacing at the front of the pack, and his concern did not bode well.

  "Mount Liberty," Briar began. "Tonight we gather to discuss the incidents surrounding our very own Peregwin and his role in the housing of the foreign alpha we've recently caught among us."

  "Get rid of them!" Someone shouted. "We can't take risks on outsiders and those who would endanger us!"

  The words hit Peregwin in the heart. Had he really betrayed his pack so much? How would he ever earn their trust back? Surely they had to see that he’d dedicated everything to the pack

  Briar silenced the growing murmurs. "Quiet. We're not irrational brutes. We're going to hear Peregwin out. We're going to hear the rogue, Stone, as well. Then, as a group, we will vote for their fates. We will not judge them until they have pleaded their cases. Are we clear?"

  The pack murmured among itself, and Peregwin tried to make out if they were all just as angry.

  "Peregwin. Please come out."

  The omega shuddered with a bit of fear as he presented himself before his pack.

  Briar kept talking. "You are a vital part to this pack. You have, without fail, kept the pack nourished as we did our work. I am certain we are all grateful for that."

  Peregwin let out a long breath, afraid of how the pack would take his next revelation. "That's not entirely true."

  "Hmm? How so?"

  "Well, since I've been dealing with the pains of my early pregnancy, um…” He looked down at the ground. “Stone has been the one preparing all the food."

  "You'd let a rogue make our food?" Someone in the crowd c
alled out. “He could have poisoned us!”

  "Quiet!" Briar repeated.

  "You’re right,” Peregwin said. “Stone has had plenty of opportunity to poisoned us. Steal our food. Cart us off to packs who would have paid him anything to have us."

  "You put us at risk!"

  Briar turned on the interrupter. "What part of quiet do you not understand?"

  "He didn't though," Peregwin continued. "I knew right away that he was good inside. I trusted him. An you should too."

  "Is that your argument in full, Peregwin?" Briar asked. Peregwin looked out at the pack gathered with stony faces, and his heart sank as he realized nothing he’d said had swayed them.

  Ollas popped his head out from the Sling on Peregwin’s back where Peregwin had thought he’d been sleeping. He squirmed excitedly as he said, "Stone is our special friend!"

  The little pup’s innocent smile brought a small, reluctant aww from the crowd, and Peregwin wanted to kiss his son.

  “Thank you Peregwin and Ollas.” Briar smiled and gestured to the opposite end of where Peregwin came in. "I will now allow Stone to personally plead his case."

  Stone stumbled onto the stage, shoved forward by Rohan, who still seemed eager to snap the rogue’s neck.

  Stone’s worried expression was different from the stoicism he’d shown toward death the night before. Was he afraid of dying and abandoning his child? The thought made Peregwin’s heart ache and swell with love at the same time.

  Stone stepped forward and brushed himself off. He smelled terrible, making Peregwin yearn for the heavy power of garlic on him again. Stone, though, stood tall. "I am originally of the Cracked Claw. A pack you've probably never heard of, and a pack I've learned is hardly special. We treated our omegas like nothing more than animals, things for us to use, creatures to do our dirty work. I was no different. I was simply following with how I was raised, how I saw the world."

  Peregwin didn't like what he was hearing. It was something he knew, yes, but he doubted Stone was selling himself to the pack.

  "I'm a relic of that system. If I should die for that, I won't protest it. I've been hidden away with a whole lot of time to think. Watching you people from afar. Learning how absolutely wrong I had been. Your kindness. Your cleverness. Even your surprising strength you've found in one another. An omega is not an inferior creature. They are simply one part of a greater scheme that makes a pack flourish. I am not some divinely ordained overlord meant to control you. I've been gifted with the call to care for an omega and be a father in my own right."

  The crowd was silent as he spoke, finally taking Briar's command to heart.

  "I came here hungry and looking for food. I made a foolish decision to try to take some from this pack. Peregwin took pity on me. He embodies everything your pack strives to be: kindness, mercy, understanding. And I love him for it."

  A shiver rolled down Peregwin's spine on those words.

  "I love that beautiful creature for what he is. Clever, kind, generous, strong. He deserves an alpha far beyond what I can truly deliver, but if given the opportunity, I would be everything I could for him."

  His eyes closed, and he stood firm.

  "I'm in no position to ask for anything. If you want to sentence me to death, so be it. Just please allow me to bring my pup into this world healthy. I desire nothing else but their happiness and their potential."

  "Is that all, rogue?" Briar asked.

  "If I that hasn't made my point, I don't know what will."

  "Very well." Briar moved to plank of wood, and held it in front of him. "We will vote using this. Mark to left if you wish to forgive this trespass by Peregwin and accept Stone into our pack. To the right if you wish for his execution."

  Peregwin shuddered at the thought. It was now up to the pack as a whole, and he didn't know what to expect.

  The procession began to line up in front of Briar's wooden plank.

  One by one, they proceeded, making their claw mark for acceptance or rejection of Stone.

  Peregwin couldn't see how the vote was going, which made anxiousness slither in his gut like a nest of vipers. They didn't even grant him the leniency to see his pup born. He couldn’t watch Stone be executed in front of him, and then facing the horrible withering that would follow.

  Would he simply allow that? Would Peregwin try to abandon his pack with Stone? Make a break for it? Would they even stand a chance out in the wastes? Could he even stand to abandon Ollas? There was no way he would doom his pup too to a harsh life as a rogue.

  He didn't want to think about it. He silently prayed to the moon, or whatever spirits might be watching over them.

  The line thinned out, and soon the pack returned to their seats.

  Briar turned the plank to consider its results. There were a whole lot of marks on the right side of it, something that filled Peregwin with dread.

  "Hmm. Counting these up, I'm going to say, it's close. A divide so major that the other side will have to justify itself to the other."

  Peregwin swallowed, the anticipation driving him mad.

  "The decision has been made. The Mount Liberty pack will accept Stone into its ranks."

  A huge weight lifted from Peregwin's shoulders. He rushed across the stage, and Stone was there to catch him in a mighty embrace. He didn't care that he smelled of terrible, terrible things. They had gotten the approval they needed to be together. To be a true bond. To allow their family to flourish.

  "However," Briar continued, making both Peregwin and Stone freeze. "The worries of the pack remain. Eyes will remain on Stone until we feel he has proven himself a valued member and ally of our pack."

  Stone nodded. "I understand. I will not let you down."

  “I certainly hope you don’t,” Briar said.

  Rohan grunted, nodding to indicate he accepted the situation, and Stone gave him a small nod in return. The other alpha would soon see that they were on the same side.

  He gave Ollas’s sleeping head a kiss and hugged Peregwin tightly.They were finally free to have one another, and no longer live in the shadows.

  Stone vowed to be the alpha Peregwin deserved. One who was actually worthy of having his pup.

  Chapter Eleven

  Peregwin

  "Mmm..." He hummed. Peregwin was enjoying the embrace of Stone, his arms wrapped around him as he woke to the dawn's light.

  It was so comforting, so nice.

  He still couldn't believe that this was his new life. They didn't have to hide anymore, at least not in fear of execution. It'd been a little rough going with those who wanted to exile them, but the pack had given them their trust.

  Of course there were still some that would need convincing. They would prove their doubters wrong. Peregwin could see Stone’s determination to stay with his family. He would have done whatever it took, even if he’d been forced to live in the waste pit again.

  "Mine," the alpha growled, pulling Peregwin close, pressing his hard length against the omega’s rear. Peregwin knew it was necessary to continue mating to keep an unborn pup growing, but he was beginning to wonder if it was possible to overdo it.

  "Ours," the omega replied, holding his hands over his stomach.

  Stone let out another growl and he nipped Peregwin’s ear, clutching him close as he stroked his hardness against Briar’s naked skin. A sigh rose on his lips. Even in the chaos of everything else, this was bliss. Peregwin would simply lie here forever with him if it was an option.

  Alas, it wasn't.

  He had work to do.

  Regretfully, he pulled away from Stone. The alpha didn't fight him. He was completely understanding that there was work to be done.

  Peregwin had to say though—peering back at Stone and taking a moment to appreciate his broad shoulders, chiseled chest and tight abs that led into a mouth watering V at his pelvis—it added a bit of spring in his step to know that he had that at home waiting for him.

  They dressed and he went over to the cupboard and opened it.
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  "Hi, Dada." Ollas cheerfully called out, running out to hug his leg.

  "You're not going to be able to fit in there forever you know. You're going to get way too big."

  "It’s my own hut!."

  Peregwin laughed. "You'll have your own place soon enough, far away from Dada."

  "Why would I want to be away from Dada?"

  The omega ruffled his pups hair more. The naivety of youth. "Just be good today. I have a lot of things to do and I don't want you driving Stone crazy."

  "Too late," the deeper voice of the alpha said shooting up. "I'm already crazy. Crazy about you, Pere."

  Peregwin chuckled, shaking his head. They felt like a real family.

  He’d never believed he would get such a thing.

  Work must be done though. So he gave Stone a quick kiss and got to work.

  First things were first. His washing tub was filled with water that was most definitely in dire need of changing.

  Heaving it up, he started outside with it.

  Stone was quick to try to help. "Let me do that."

  "I’m pregnant, not weak." Peregwin swatted him away. “Why don’t you clean out the foraging baskets? We have to help with the gathering today.”

  The times had been getting leaner. The pack had been fearing that they had finally picked the mountain clean and they had to go further and further out to find food. It was dangerous out there. The further they went, the greater the chance of encountering a hostile alpha.

  Peregwin wouldn't go that far. Not with a pup starting to grow within. He would stick to the mountain to try to see if he found anything the other omegas missed.

  He sighed as he carried the bucket behind the hut where he always dumped dirty water. He tipped it to dump, but stopped when something caught his eye.

  When had he last seen so much green?

  Berry bushes, vegetables and edible herbs had sprouted up in great clumps. He almost rubbed his eyes in disbelief. How had all this food come up right behind his hut? It seemed like magic that defied reason. Perhaps a blessing from the moon? What else could explain this? Peregwin knelt down. Why were... carrots? Potatoes?