His Reclaimed Omega (The Mountain Shifters Book 9) Page 11

  “Fretting I’m used to,” Nathan said, taking his hand. “Thanks, Kent. For the ride and for this. I’m not sure the screaming helped all that much,” he said with a glimmer in his eyes. “But talking to you definitely did.”

  “Anytime, Nathan,” the Alpha said, taking one more opportunity to study his mate’s features. “This is the most fun I’ve had since I came home.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  NATHAN

  Nathan’s first few hours at Silver Lake may have crawled by, but his first few weeks seemed to disappear without him even noticing. That morning, he went clothes shopping with Cameron and Adrian, since the clothes he had packed were officially too snug. The older omegas oohed and ahhed over all the cutesy gender-neutral maternity clothes, but Nathan politely assured them he was perfectly happy with jeans, T-shirts and sweaters in a larger size.

  After shopping, the trio had lunch at a small cafe in town. While Silver Lake certainly wasn’t the bustling Metropolis Mountain Ridge had become over the years, it had more to do than Nathan had initially given it credit for. He was actually starting to enjoy the slower pace of life, and the fact that he could walk down the street without getting judgmental looks.

  He wasn’t even the only pregnant unmated omega in Silver Lake. Cameron had introduced him to Abbie, a twenty-something omega who had fled an arranged mating with only the clothes on her back. Barnabas and the rest of the pack had welcomed her enthusiastically, and she had even met an Alpha while she was there. The two were engaged and planning to make it official with a mating ceremony in the Fall.

  Ever since he had learned he was pregnant, Nathan had thought of little more than the consequences, but only in relation to how it would affect his career plans. He’d never given much thought to how it would affect him if he did one day decide he wanted a mate of his own. Abbie had Duncan, but it was a rare Alpha who was willing to raise another wolf’s child. Nathan had spent so long focused on a singular pursuit, but now that he’d had time to experience life outside the rush of deadlines and projects, he was beginning to acknowledge that there was part of him that wanted love and companionship like any other omega. It seemed almost cruel for life to give him the space to realize he wanted something only to know there was a damn good chance he could never have it.

  Not unless he gave the baby up for adoption, which everyone kept reminding him was an option. He knew they were just trying to make him feel better if he ended up choosing that path, but the fact that everyone saw it as an inevitability stung and he wasn’t sure why. He’d never even wanted a baby, but with every ultrasound that passed, every milestone Dr. Williams announced in his jovial tone, every infant Nathan passed on the street, he found his heart opening up to even more possibilities.

  Then he would catch a glimpse of Abbie and Duncan together. He’d see the way the alpha’s eyes lit up as he caressed his soon-to-be mate’s rounded belly, the way they smiled as they talked of future plans and names and nurseries. Of all the little brothers and sisters that would join their daughter in the quaint little two-story Duncan was building for them on the edge of town.

  Nathan had known plenty of single parents in Mountain Ridge. Hassan had been one for years before he and his mates became a family, and Jaspar had certainly turned out well, but Silver Lake wolves had a different way of doing things. Nathan saw the look of concern in the eyes of every wolf to whom he admitted that he still hadn’t decided what he was going to do when the baby was born. He saw the way Duncan looked at Abbie, the way he cared for them both, and he thought of his own parents. It was one thing for an experienced wolf to raise a child on his own, but the more attached Nathan grew to the little creature he was just beginning to be able to feel fluttering in his belly, the more painful his choice became.

  The baby had gone from being a blip on the horizon that had somehow changed everything in Nathan’s life to the center of his life, and the fact that he was obviously pregnant enough at four months along that strangers were coming up to pepper him with congratulations and well-meaning questions made it impossible to think of anything else. Even as he sat in a booth, listening to Adrian and Cameron discuss the upcoming gala, Nathan’s thoughts were far away. The official occasion for the gala was to honor the newly returned Federation soldiers, but Nathan had heard the whispers. Another regional pack system was interested in brokering a trade for willing omegas in hopes of boosting their own birth rates. The deal was clearly a source of tension between the Adam and his parents as the retired verum pair.

  “Nathan?” Adrian asked worriedly.

  “Hm? Sorry, did you say something?”

  The other omega laughed. “We were just talking about the gala. Do you know what you’re going to wear?”

  “Oh. Uh, I have a suit I brought with me, but I’d probably need to get it tailored. Isn’t the gala only for people with dates, though?”

  Adrian and Cameron exchanged a mischievous look.

  “What?” Nathan asked worriedly. He was accustomed enough to the Colt household to know that whenever the two of them were scheming about something, it was bad.

  “A little birdy told me that Bryce is thinking of asking you,” Adrian said, stirring their drink.

  “Bryce?” The twins had been impossible to shake from the moment Nathan arrived in Silver Lake, and while he appreciated that they were trying to make him feel welcome, he got the feeling that it was more than that with Bryce. The way the Alpha looked at him when he thought no one was watching was flattering, but even if Bryce hadn’t been seventeen, he reminded Nathan far too much of Vance for comfort.

  “It’s just a date,” said Adrian. “Of course, you don’t have to go if you don’t want to, but I think you’d have a good time.”

  “I don’t know,” Nathan said carefully. “I don’t want to give Bryce the wrong idea.”

  “The boy does get an idea in his head and stick on it,” Cameron sighed. “Nathan, are your parents still coming to the gala?”

  “I think so,” he said brightly.

  “You must be excited to see them. Have you ever been away from home for this long?” asked Adrian.

  “No, I haven’t,” Nathan admitted. “I never realized just how much I’d miss it. But I’m glad I came here. They were right, it was good to get away.”

  “Well, we’re happy to have you here,” Cameron said warmly.

  “Yeah,” Adrian agreed. “It’s always hard when the omegas who come to stay here go back home, but it’s going to be especially hard when you leave.”

  “Why is that?” asked Nathan.

  Adrian’s smile grew wistful. “I know it sounds silly, but I’ve always gotten these feelings about things. There’s just something about you being here that feels right. Like it was meant to be.”

  “Is that why you’re trying so hard to set him up with Bryce?” Cameron teased.

  Adrian gave him a playful nudge. “Nathan’s nineteen and Bryce just turned seventeen, there’s not that much of a difference. Love blossoms slowly in Silver Lake,” they said with a dreamy sigh.

  “You really have been here too long,” Cameron scoffed. Nathan laughed and even Adrian joined in. The three left the restaurant and at Cameron’s prodding, Nathan agreed to go shopping for another suit just in case he decided to go to the gala. He did want to spend as much time as possible with his parents while they were in Silver Lake, but as he tried on a suit that didn’t make him feel like an airship, Nathan found himself thinking about how nice it would be to go with Kent.

  The Alpha had been spending a lot of time at the family estate even though Nathan knew he had his own home on the edge of the pack. Whenever he showed up, whether it was to fix something around the house or to gather supplies from the shed, Kent would stop to talk with Nathan. Sometimes it was only for a few moments, and they were rarely alone, but he found himself enjoying every moment he spent in the alpha’s presence.

  Kent had a reputation for being a charmer, but the dorky, awkward side of him that Nathan had gotten
to see was made all the more endearing by the fact that he knew so few others were aware of it. He couldn’t help but notice that as often as Kent was present at the house, he seemed separated from his family just as he was from the rest of the pack. Whether that distance was self-imposed or the result of all the years Kent had spent overseas fighting for the Council, Nathan couldn’t be sure, but he wanted more than anything to be one of the few people the Alpha let into his inner circle.

  Kent had officially resumed his duties as a training coordinator earlier that week, which meant he spent as much of his time in Mountain Ridge as in Silver Lake. The large house felt strangely empty without him, but Nathan hoped the gala would give them the chance to catch up. Now he just had to figure out whether asking an Alpha to a formal event was against one of Silver Lake’s many social mores.

  Chapter Sixteen

  KENT

  “Timber!”

  Kent looked down from the porch as he hammered the last post into the railing to find Adam standing in his backyard. “You know that’s a lumberjack thing, right?”

  Adam eyed the newly built stairs. “If I climb these, am I going to die?”

  “That depends on if I push you or not.”

  “I come bearing good news, brother,” Adam said, clinging to the railing like the steps were going to give out on him.

  “Look, I know we have a rep for being the most religious pack in the Council, but you’ve gotta knock it off with the prophet lingo. It’s creepy.”

  The other Alpha rolled his eyes. “Fine. Then I won’t tell you the juicy morsel of gossip I just overheard.”

  “You’re the pack Alpha, shouldn’t you be focused on more important things?”

  “It’s about Nathan.”

  Kent nearly smashed his thumb with the hammer. “I’m listening.”

  Adam smirked, leaning on the railing before he seemed to decide that was too risky and darted back to a safer location. “He just shot Bryce down.”

  “Bryce?” Kent frowned. “Shot him down for what?”

  “The gala. Adrian says he wants to go, so now’s your chance.”

  Kent hesitated. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

  “What? Why the hell not?”

  “I’m trying to give him space, Adam. He’s going through a lot, he’s still trying to figure out who he is, and me coming onto him is just gonna get in the way of that.”

  “It’s a gala, you’re not inviting him to your love shack for a romantic weekend,” Adam scoffed. “This is the perfect opportunity to take things to the next level in a situationally appropriate way. Don’t you want to tell him you imprinted before the baby comes?”

  Kent hesitated. “I do, but --”

  “Then you need to get a move on. I’m telling you, it doesn’t get any better than this.”

  “Is Adrian sure Nathan even wants to go?”

  “His parents are going to be there, and he’s got a new suit picked out. But sure, omegas buy clothes so they won’t have anywhere to wear them to.”

  Kent sighed. “I guess it would be a good way to talk to him without the risk of things going too far.”

  “I’m proud of how much you’ve grown and all, but there is such a thing as being too much of a gentleman,” Adam said dryly. “When you’re afraid to be alone with your own destined mate, that line has been crossed.”

  He had a point. Kent rose to his feet and passed the hammer to Adam before smoothing a hand through his own hair. “How do I look?”

  “Like a lumberjack. He’ll love it.”

  Kent rolled his eyes, deciding to go to the house before he could talk himself out of it. He’d never been one to hesitate, but his natural tendency to go all in and rush things was exactly what made him want to hold back. He couldn’t take the risk of it going wrong with Nathan like it had with Tyr. There was too much at stake.

  When Kent arrived at the house, he saw a car he didn’t recognize in the driveway. He figured it was just a visitor from another pack, but when he reached the sitting room, Connor and Duke were there, sitting on the couch on either side of their son. Cameron handed them both drinks and Barnabas and Duke were already laughing, probably about some mischievous incident from the “old days.”

  “Kent!” Barnabas said, grinning at his son. “Just in time, Connor and Duke decided to come early for the gala.”

  “When Nathan told us he had an appointment for a sonogram tomorrow, we wanted to be there,” Connor said, sweeping a strand of hair behind the younger omega’s ear.

  Duke’s merry demeanor faded instantly and he finished the rest of his drink in silence. At least Nathan didn’t seem to be aware of the tension.

  “Sir,” Kent said, saluting Duke.

  “At ease, Major,” Duke said, giving him a nod. “Why don’t you sit with us?”

  Kent nodded, greeting Connor and Nathan before he took a seat across from them. Keeping his eyes off his mate proved more of a challenge than ever. Only under the scrutiny of observation was he aware of just how often his gaze turned on the omega.

  “So, how’s it feel to be back at your post after a month of rest and relaxation?” asked Duke.

  “I’m not sure about the rest part,” said Barnabas. “I haven’t seen him without a project since he got back.”

  Kent gave a nervous laugh, taking a much-needed sip of liquid courage now that he was around his future fathers-in-law. The most unsettling part was being the only one in the room who knew it. “I’m not good at doing nothing.”

  “Industrious. That’s a good quality for a leader to have,” said Duke.

  “Says the man who doesn’t know how to take a day off,” Connor said, rolling his eyes as he draped an arm over the back of the couch. Both of Nathan’s parents were intimidating in their own right, but Kent was used to dealing with hardened military types. Hell, he was one. It was Connor who made him uneasy. The omega may have carved out a spot in his heart of stone for his family, and Kent didn’t doubt that he loved them as fiercely as any other wolf, if not moreso, but he was still a sociopath. That love could easily turn to justification for murder under the right circumstances, and Connor sure as hell knew how to make a body disappear.

  Sitting across from them, Kent could understand why Nathan was being so tight-lipped about the Alpha who’d impregnated him. What the omega couldn’t possibly know was that his parents were the last thing that Alpha would have to fear if Kent ever got ahold of him.

  “You didn’t hear it from me, Kent, but you might want to have a speech prepared for the gala,” Duke said.

  “Why is that, sir?”

  “Rumor has it, you’re up for an award.”

  “Another one?” Cameron asked, wearing that dreamy look that always came into his eyes when he was proud of one of his children. The look hadn’t changed over the years, whether he was being presented with a poorly-rendered stick figure painting or watching his offspring receive the highest commendations in their respective fields. ”Sweetie, you should have told us!”

  “This is the first I’m hearing about it myself,” Kent said, unable to keep his focus from drifting back to Nathan. “I wasn’t even sure I was going to the gala, to be honest.”

  “Me, either,” Nathan said softly. The omega seemed nervous all of a sudden, like he was having trouble meeting Kent’s gaze.

  Kent considered his next move carefully. He’d wanted to ask Nathan to the gala in a more romantic way, or at least without an audience, but Adam was right. This was an opportunity--maybe his only opportunity before the baby came--to let things progress in a way that wouldn’t spook Nathan or put too much pressure on him.

  “Since we’re both going,” he began, “Would you let me escort you?”

  Nathan’s eyes widened and everyone’s attention shifted to the two of them. Kent had been worried about arousing their parents’ suspicions before he had the chance to come clean with Nathan, but it seemed to be the omega’s stunned reaction that was drawing the most curiosity. “Y-yeah. I’d li
ke that.”

  Kent couldn’t hide the smile that crept across his lips. Maybe this wasn’t going to be that difficult. If he could convince himself that Nathan was at least somewhat interested in him organically, without knowing he’d imprinted, Kent would feel less guilty about the age difference between them. The last thing he wanted was to be another role Nathan was forced into, something he felt he had to escape.

  “Great.” Kent could feel Connor’s sharp eyes on them, assessing the situation and calculating everything. He took another sip of his drink and happily let the conversation drift back to other topics. Every now and then, Connor would give him a curious glance, but if the omega suspected anything, he didn’t call Kent out on it.

  As Kent left for the evening with plans to take his destined mate on their first semi-official date the following night, he decided to claim the night for what it was: a victory.

  Chapter Seventeen

  NATHAN

  “You wanna tell me what that was all about?” Connor asked, slipping into the kitchen after the others had parted ways.

  Nathan looked up innocently. “What do you mean?”

  Connor folded his arms, a knowing smile on his lips. “I’m the head of intel, sweetie. You think I can’t read my own son? I saw the way you were looking at Kent. The way he was looking back at you…”

  Nathan turned away so his father couldn’t see him blush as he wrapped the leftover appetizers to put them away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “When he asked you to the gala, you all but melted into a puddle of ooze,” Connor said, leaning on the counter. “Come on, I’m a cool dad, aren’t I? You can tell me things.”

  “You’re scary, not cool. There’s a fundamental difference.”

  Connor rolled his eyes. “I’ve been waiting nineteen years for you to develop a crush on someone who can’t be found in a textbook. Can’t say I ever thought it’d be Kent Colt, but…”