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

  Adam pursed his lips and a strange look came over the Alpha’s face. “I don’t think so.”

  Kent frowned. “What do you mean? You know something, don’t you?”

  Adam glanced at the door as if to make sure they were alone. “I shouldn’t say anything, but if he’s your mate…”

  “What is it?” Kent pressed. In the span of a few seconds, an omega he barely even knew anymore had become Kent’s most important mission. Like every other mission, he needed to have all the facts if he was going to keep Nathan safe.

  “This is between you and me, but when Connor called our parents, he said Nathan won’t tell anyone who the baby’s father is.”

  “What? Why?”

  “I don’t know, but there are only a handful of reasons an omega would refuse to name the Alpha who impregnated him, and none of them are good.”

  As the pieces fell into place, rage spread out through Kent’s chest like a fire. The prospect of an Alpha forcing himself on any omega was enough to make even the hardened soldier’s blood boil, but the thought of someone hurting Nathan that way had him ready to explode. “And they don’t have any idea who it was?”

  “No, and until Nathan feels like talking, it’s all just speculation. The important thing is that he’s here, and that he can rest and take care of the baby.”

  Kent nodded, forcing himself to calm down if only because he didn’t yet have a proper target for his anger. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.”

  Adam put a hand on his shoulder. “I know it’s weird that it’s Nathan, but everyone grows up sometime. It’s not like you guys were close, so it’s not that weird.”

  “It feels weird,” Kent muttered. “He’s for damn sure gonna think it’s weird. Oh, God, I have to tell him.”

  Adam laughed. “You might want to eventually, what with him being your destined mate and all.”

  “I’m surprised you’re not pushing me to propose to him now, what with your obsession with the family unit.”

  The Alpha rolled his eyes. “I just felt like you needed a push in the right direction, but imprinting is more like a shove.”

  “Tell me about it,” said Kent. “So, I can trust you not to tell anyone about this for the time being?”

  “Hey, no one’s gonna hear it from me. But like I said, you might want to pick your jaw up off the floor when Nate’s around if it’s supposed to stay a secret.”

  Kent sighed. “I’ll do what I can.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  NATHAN

  After finally managing to get away from the twins, Nathan got settled into what was to be his room within the Colt home for the foreseeable future. After putting his clothes away, he flopped down on the bed and found himself staring up at the ceiling. He decided to be grateful that they were letting him room on his own, at least. They all had to know exactly why he was there, but none of them had brought it up directly. Silver Lake was known for its gentle charms, but diplomacy was different from privacy.

  As promised, Nathan had already texted his parents to let them know he’d arrived safely, so he decided to call Tanner. The beta answered after the first ring. “Hey, prairie boy! How’s the homestead treating you?”

  “Just got back from the grand tour.”

  “All five minutes’ worth, huh?”

  Nathan snorted. “They put in a new pharmacy, so there’s that.”

  “Have the esteemed Colt wolves been welcoming?”

  “Overtly,” he quipped. “Some more than others.”

  “Anyone get hot over the summer?”

  “They’re all hot in a Stepford kind of way, I guess,” Nathan admitted. “Not really why I’m here.”

  “Yeah, whatever. I give it a week before you hook up with some gentlemanly country Alpha.”

  “Ugh, don’t even joke. I’ve been here half a day and I’m ready to send up smoke signals.”

  Tanner laughed. “Maybe I can come out and visit once my summer classes are out.”

  “Please, come save me from the Children of the Corn.”

  “Come on, it can’t be that bad.”

  “No, I’m being dramatic. Everyone is nice. Too nice, if anything. They’re either really good at hiding their judgment or they’re as angelic as everyone says. Then there’s Kent…”

  “Oh, yeah. Haven’t seen him since he got transferred out of Mountain Ridge. Is he still pining after Tyr Amari?”

  “Who knows? He got huge, though. I mean, all Alphas are big, but he looks like an action figure.”

  “Sounds sexy,” Tanner said in a teasing tone.

  Nathan rolled his eyes. “Maybe, if he didn’t have this weird, intimidating stare going on. I mean, he is in the military. Maybe he knows Vance,” he whispered, flopping back on the mattress with a groan. “What if I’m military gossip?”

  “Come on, Nathan, I’m sure that’s not it. Your parents sent you to Silver Lake because they’re not like that.”

  “I guess so.”

  “You might as well try to enjoy yourself while you’re stuck there.” Tanner’s voice was muffled by chatter in the background and Nathan could hear someone calling the beta’s name. “Yeah, I’ll be there in a sec!”

  “Who’s that?”

  “Just Brittany. A bunch of us are going to the mall, but I’ve got a minute.”

  “No, you should go. I need someone to live vicariously through,” he teased.

  “It’s not the same without you, cuz. Hey, how’s the morning sickness?”

  “Poorly named,” Nathan sighed. “My dads swear the country air will help. I’ve been breathing it all afternoon and I’ve yet to become a yogi, so I’m not so sure.”

  Tanner chuckled. “Well, take care of yourself. You’re breathing for two now.”

  “Yeah,” Nathan murmured, absently brushing a hand over his stomach. “So I’ve heard. Have fun.”

  “You, too.”

  Nathan hung up and plugged his phone in to charge, closing his eyes. He got tired far more easily than usual, which seemed to be yet another side effect of being a living incubator. The life growing inside of him had already changed his body in so many little ways, from the late-night cravings to the extra padding around his middle, but it still didn’t feel like the realization of being pregnant had sunk in. He kept waiting to find out that it was just a joke, or that the lab had mixed up his results with someone else’s the same way they had mixed up his number with Duke’s. He knew it was still too early to be able to feel the baby move, which came as a relief, but he hoped the sonogram appointment Cameron had booked for him the following morning would change that. It was hard to learn to live with something you still couldn’t bring yourself to believe.

  ~

  Nathan jolted awake when someone knocked on his bedroom door and it took him a few seconds to remember that he wasn’t home anymore. He yawned, sitting up slowly. “Just a minute,” he called, shuffling over to the door. To his relief, it was Cameron rather than the twins on the other side. As nice as they were, all the attention was a bit overwhelming, especially since he’d had enough of Alphas for a lifetime.

  “Morning,” the older omega said with a bright smile. “I was thinking of having brunch outside and thought I’d ask if you wanted to join me.”

  “Morning?” Nathan yawned. “What time is it?”

  “A little after eleven.”

  “That late?” Nathan blinked. He hadn’t slept past seven since he was a kid.

  “You had a long trip,” Cameron smiled. “Besides, you’re going to need a lot more rest than usual now.”

  “Right,” Nathan mumbled, blushing. “I’ll get dressed and meet you outside.”

  Once Cameron was gone, Nathan pulled on his jeans and frowned at how snug they were, realizing he was going to have to do some shopping soon. He slipped on a T-shirt and headed downstairs to find Cameron waiting for him at a small table in the garden.

  Silver Lake really was beautiful. His memories hadn’t exaggerated the pastoral charms of the small pack
at all. Cameron waved him over to the table, which was already set with an array of fruit, pastries and tea.

  “It’s beautiful out here.”

  “Thank you,” Cameron said, smiling brightly as he sipped his tea. “I’ve been taking care of this garden ever since I was your age. How did you sleep?”

  “Too well,” Nathan admitted, sitting down across from the other omega.

  “That’s not a bad thing. You’re here to rest.”

  “And to mitigate the political damage,” he said with a sigh.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m an Alpha’s son. His only son,” said Nathan. “It looks bad. I mean, it is bad.”

  “Things have changed a good deal since I was young,” Cameron said thoughtfully. “Especially in your pack. Mountain Ridge is certainly one of the more liberal packs in the Council.”

  “There’s liberal and then there’s unmated omegas getting pregnant,” Nathan said dryly.

  “Well, you’re almost nineteen and you have a family who loves and supports you. Maybe this isn’t the way you planned for things to happen, but you’re in a good place to figure out how you want them to go from here.”

  “You’re pretty chill for a Silver Lake wolf,” said Nathan.

  Cameron laughed. “I have six children. You learn to be chill, or you throw yourself into a volcano.”

  Nathan smiled. “Thanks for letting me come here.”

  “I’m sure it wasn’t your first choice, but I hope you’ll think of this place as your home for as long as you are here. We’re very happy to have you, and your Uncle Mel was a very dear friend to me,” Cameron said softly.

  “He meant a lot to a lot of people,” said Nathan. “I always looked up to him.”

  “I knew him pretty well. You know what he’d say if he was here?” Cameron asked with a twinkle in his eye.

  Nathan shook his head.

  “He’d say you should never let other people tell you how you feel about yourself. Whether you stay here or go back to Mountain Ridge, you do it with your head held high and screw anyone who judges you for it, because they’re not worth your time anyway.”

  “Yeah,” Nathan said with a chuckle. “That sounds like him.”

  “He wasn’t all that thrilled about this place when he first came here, either,” Cameron said, taking a sip of his tea. “He always wanted to be out on the battlefield. I like to think he finally found peace, for the most part. That’s what we try to give the wolves who come here, especially the omegas. What you find that peace in is another story.”

  “I thought I’d already found it,” Nathan admitted, taking a sip of his own chamomile. He’d never been a tea person, but he had already been given the talk about coffee and other “substances” by his doctor at home. “Ever since I can remember, it’s felt like my whole life was laid out in front of me. My friends all struggled with who and what they wanted to be, but I already knew. I was going to be a researcher. A neuroscientist, and I was going to do it all at Chase Wesson.”

  “You can reapply to the program later, can’t you?”

  “Well, yeah, but if they wouldn’t take me now, I doubt they’ll take me when I’m a single parent.”

  “I don’t know about that. But I take it you’ve decided you’re keeping the baby?”

  The question was startling, but Nathan knew it shouldn’t have been.

  “I’m sorry,” said Cameron. “I didn’t mean to imply that you shouldn’t.”

  “No, it’s fine. It’s a fair question,” he said, pressing a hand to his stomach. “Honestly, I still have a hard time feeling like any of it’s real. I haven’t really given any thought to not keeping it.”

  “Maybe that’s an answer in itself,” Cameron said softly. “But it might be helpful to know you have options. I’m sure it’s no secret that birth rates are down. If you decided this isn’t something you can or want to do on your own, there are plenty of loving families looking to adopt in the pack system.”

  “And if I decide it is something I want to do?” he asked warily.

  Cameron smiled. “Then you’ll have all the love and support you need to make that decision, too. No one is going to force you either way.” The omega’s serene expression faltered. “Connor said that you weren’t ready to talk about the Alpha involved, but I do want you to know that when you are ready, we have a very wonderful counselor here. She helped your uncle process some of what he went through in the Breeding Program, and I know she’d be happy to talk with you.”

  “N-nothing like that happened,” Nathan said quickly. “I wasn’t forced to do anything.”

  Cameron listened patiently, but Nathan could tell the older omega didn’t believe him. “I see. Well, sometimes distance helps us see things in a different light.”

  Nathan laughed nervously. “I was at a party. I got a little drunk, I made out with a stranger and I went into heat. That’s normal, it’s not what everyone is making it sound like.”

  “I’m not trying to tell you how you should feel about what happened, Nathan, but there’s nothing normal about taking advantage of someone who’s in a position that makes them agree to something they wouldn’t normally do,” Cameron said carefully. “I think on some level you recognize that, or there wouldn’t be anything to hide.”

  Nathan gulped. “My dads will kill him if they find out who he is. That’s all. There’s no reason to ruin someone’s life just because he…”

  “Just because he did something that changed yours?” Cameron offered. “I understand why you feel the need to protect this person, Nathan, and I’m not here to force you to tell me or anyone else who he is. But while you’re here, I do hope you’ll think about whether shielding him from the consequences of his choices is something he deserves. Or what’s best for you.”

  “He didn’t mark me or anything. It’s not like I have to see him again, right?”

  Cameron hesitated. “There are unfortunately still some outdated laws within the Federation about an omega’s rights, but Mountain Ridge isn’t one of the packs that enforces them. It’s your body, and you have the right to decide whether the father is notified of the pregnancy or not, since there isn’t a mate bond.”

  Nathan let out a deep breath. “Good.”

  Cameron watched him closely. “Nathan, are you afraid of him?”

  “What? N-no, like I said, I don’t even really know him.”

  Cameron nodded. “Well, even if you were afraid, this pack may not look it, but it’s very secure. No one crosses the territory without our guards noticing, so I want you to know that you can feel safe coming and going as you please, alright?”

  “Thanks,” Nathan said, managing a small smile. He checked his phone, realizing how much time had slipped away. “I’ve got a doctor’s appointment soon. Almost forgot.”

  “I’ll drive you,” Cameron offered, standing. “Oh, wait. I forgot, it’s Monday. I told Bryce he could use the car, so he’s probably gone already.”

  “I can just walk.”

  “The town is bigger than it looks, and the doctor’s new office is a bit far,” Cameron said, scanning the property. He waved suddenly across the lawn and Nathan saw Kent standing at the bottom of a ladder propped up against the tool shed. The Alpha froze and seemed to hesitate before coming over.

  Nathan wished he could curl up inside of himself. Cameron and his mate might have been more open minded than Nathan had expected, but the way Kent had looked at him the night before made it clear just how the Alpha felt about his family’s new guest.

  “Hey,” he said in that rich, husky voice that probably drove the other omegas wild. “Morning, dad. Nathan.”

  “Hi, Kent,” he mumbled. The list of people Nathan would want to be stuck in a truck with was short, and Kent certainly wasn't on it.

  “Nathan has an appointment with Dr. Williams, and Bryce took my car. Would you mind giving him a ride?”

  Kent looked at Nathan and the dread in the alpha’s gaze dashed any doubts the omega had tha
t he’d imagined Kent’s distaste the night before. He was polite enough, but it was clear that he was about as eager for that ride as Nathan himself. “Sure,” he said, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he gulped in disgust. “No problem.”

  “Thanks, sweetheart. Oh, have you heard anything from Topher?” Cameron asked, taking another sip of his tea.

  Kent’s suntanned skin lost all its color. “It’s not going to work out.”

  Cameron tilted his head. “Oh? That’s a shame.”

  “Yeah,” Kent said, clearing his throat. “Ready, Nathan?”

  “Sure,” the omega said stiffly, following Kent over to his truck. He was as ready as he’d ever be to be stuck in a tin can with Kent Colt, that was for sure.

  Chapter Fourteen

  KENT

  Kent had known that going to the family estate was a mistake from the moment he’d set foot on the property, but he had gone anyway. Even Barnabas didn’t seem to believe his contrived excuse of wanting to check out a loose tile on the roof of the shed, but no one had called him out on it. Yet.

  He had needed to see Nathan, even though he’d sworn he wasn’t going to talk to the omega. He was still struggling to process the fact that he’d imprinted on Nathan Miller, of all people, and Nathan needed time to settle in without having to worry about fielding the attention of an Alpha. Now they were stuck in a car together and the omega’s scent was all he could think about.

  White-knuckling the wheel, Kent forced himself to keep his eyes on the road. It occurred to him that dead silence probably wasn’t the best way to reassure Nathan that he was welcome, so halfway to the doctor’s office, he asked, “Enjoying your stay?”

  The Alpha cringed internally. He sounded like a concierge.

  “Yeah,” Nathan said warily. “Everyone is nice.”

  “Good. That’s...good. If you have any problems, just tell me.”

  “Problems? Like what?”

  Like another Alpha breathing the same air, thought Kent. “You know. Just...problems.”

  “Right,” Nathan said slowly. His hand was already on the door even before the truck rolled to a stop in front of Dr. Williams’ office. Kent parked and flew out of the truck, offering his hand to help the omega out of it.