3
Charlie
When I woke up,sunlight was already streaming through the windows. Casey was still fast asleep beside me. The soft, clean mattress had been heavenly; I slept like a brick the entire night and for the first time in a while, I woke up actually feelingrefreshed.
I got up, stretched, and roused Casey. She began to mumble but then her eyes snapped open. I knew she smelled the same scent I did - fresh blueberrypancakes.
“Morning,” Flint said as we entered the kitchen. On the table was a stack of pancakes. Casey gasped and immediately darted over to the table, where Flint had already set out a plate and cutlery for her. She giggled and began pouring maple syrup all over her pancakes before I could even sigh and thank Flint forbreakfast.
“You really like to go out of your way for us, don’t you?” I said tohim.
He flipped a fresh pancake with a grunt. “Not especially. I’m just doing what any good man would do. Now go have a seat before your pancakes getcold.”
I didn’t object. I couldn’t remember the last time I ate pancakes - especially not fresh blueberry pancakes cooked by a hotalpha.
I noticed the thought that just crossed my mind and shook my head. It wassonot the time for thinking about such atopic.
As Casey was already halfway through her third pancake, Flint and I sat down to eat. The pancakes were heavenly - fluffy, buttery and pleasantly tart from theblueberries.
“I’m surprised you’re not a chef instead of a carpenter,” I commented toFlint.
He shrugged. “You learn a thing or two in the kitchen when you live on yourown.”
I realized that earlier he’d called the room Casey and I were staying in aspareroom, and I didn’t see any other indication that someone else lived here. Part of me burned with curiosity, desperately wanting to know if Flint had someone in his life or not, but I knew it probably wasn’t an appropriate question toask.
Suddenly Casey looked up at Flint with her fork in her hand and asked bluntly, “Do you have an omega likedaddy?”
“Casey!” I said,mortified.
But instead of getting offended Flint merely chuckled. “No, little one. I live on myown.”
A wave of mixed emotions washed over me. Why did I feelrelievedthat Flint didn’t have a mate? Anyway, it had nothing to do with me. Right now I should be focused on finding a safe, long-term situation for Casey and I, not getting the hots for some alpha I just met. I knew it was probably just my hormones, since my heat was coming up soon.Just get through this,Charlie!
“Hey, Flint?” I asked a bit nervously. “Does Indigo Mountain pack have some kind of top alpha? Do I need his permission to livehere?”
But Flint stared at me in confusion. “Top alpha? What does thatmean?”
“In Scarlet Ridge pack, we had alphas, betas and omegas - the usual. But there was also an alpha who controlled everything in the pack - the top alpha. He took over the role by challenging the previous top alpha in combat,” I explained. “Basically every major decision in the pack has to go through himfirst..”
Flint frowned. “That’s just barbaric. We don’t have anything of that sort here in Indigo Mountain, thank theMoon.”
“Isee…”
“That sounds awful, though,” Flint muttered. “I can’t imagine living under someone like that and having nofreedom.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” I said with a sigh. “It’s always been like that, but it got worse when Gunner took over. It’sbeen- “
“Daddy, I’m done!” Caseyannounced.
I’d almost forgotten she was there. Thankfully I didn’t go too in-depth in the adult conversation, and she seemed too enamored with the pancakes to noticeanyway.
“Good for you,” I told her. “Can you be a good girl and go put your plate in thesink?”
“Okay!”
“No need for that,” Flint said. Before Casey could even jump off the chair, Flint picked the plate up for her and set it in the sink. “You’re guests here. You don’t need to do anything likethat.”
Casey threw her arms up in the air. “Yay!”
