I sat. Moments later, Jericho threw just about everything from the fridge onto the table. I snuck a peach and sank my teeth into it, enjoying the sweet, juicy flesh. Once again, I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I actually ate something - I guess Ididjust sleep for 12 hours straight. Plus, I had a baby growing inside me. It was natural I’d be so hungry all the time.
I wolfed down a bunch of fruit before eating some buttered toast with jam.
“I swear, that baby’s gonna be a big one,” Jericho said. The corner of his mouth quirked upwards. “We’re gonna have to go hunting a lot to keep up with it.”
I swallowed the toast. “You go hunting?” I asked.
“Sure do. You ever go?”
I paused. “No, not really. Omegas aren’t allowed to hunt in Scarlet Ridge.”
Jericho frowned. “The more I hear about this place, the more I wish someone’d blow it up.”
I chuckled despite myself. That made Jericho smile.
“Seriously, though, I’ll take you out sometime if you want,” he offered. “Letting your wolf out to run free, hunting in the forest with the wind in your fur… Nothing beats that. It’s just criminal that you weren’t allowed to do that on your own.”
I shrugged and continued eating in silence. I’d never thought of it that way before. My whole life, it was just another thing I was forbidden from doing. I wondered how much different my life would’ve been if I had been born an alpha instead.
“Anyway, when you’re done eating - and take your time, don’t feel like you gotta rush - we’re going to go visit a few friends of mine,” he said.
I raised an eyebrow.
Somehow I had the feeling it was going to be a long day.
***
“So, where exactly are you taking me?”
There was a sarcastic edge to my voice, because we’d passed the main road and seemed to be heading out of town. Did his friends live in the forest or something?
“You’ll see it soon enough,” he reassured me. Within a few minutes of walking, he gestured up ahead. Then I saw what he was pointing at - a log cabin sitting atop a hill.
We stopped on the doorstep - there was a cute doormat that readWipe Your Paws!- and Jericho knocked. Instantly a flurry of noise sounded on the other end of the door. A moment later, two adults and and a young pup greeted us. There was another pup - just a baby - cradled in the parent’s arms.
“Hey, Flint. Charlie,” Jericho greeted with a nod. Then he kneeled down and ruffled a little girl’s hair. “And, of course, my favorite - Casey.”
The little girl beamed. My heart flickered with warmth.
“And I didn’t forget little James, either,” he said, standing up again to coo at the young baby. The person holding it must have been the omega, I realized.
“Who’s this, Jericho?” a gruff voice asked. It belonged to the man with dark auburn hair - he must have been the alpha.
“This is Mason,” Jericho said. “Mason, this is Flint.”
“Good to meet you. I don’t know you, do I?” Flint held out a hand, but I was reluctant to take it. I just didn’t like touching alphas - especially ones I didn’t know.
“He’s, uh, from Scarlet Ridge pack,” Jericho explained.
Instantly both their eyes flashed with understanding. Flint withdrew his hand, which I appreciated. I guess he knew that I’d have some baggage coming from Scarlet Ridge.
“Scarlet Ridge?” the omega said. Something about his tone made me look sharply at him. Then I knew exactly who he was.
“You’re the omega who escaped,” I said to him.
“Charlie, I was hoping you could talk to Mason for a bit,” Jericho interjected before things got more heated. “Since you guys were from the same pack originally and all.”
I stared at the omega, Charlie. I couldn't believe I was standing right in front of the omega who started it all - the horrible, snowballing effect of how omegas were being treated at Scarlet Ridge pack. Part of me knew I shouldn’t be angry with him, and that it wasn’t his fault - he was only trying to save himself and his family, just like I would have - but at the same time, he represented more than that. He was the reason I’d had to wear a humiliating shock collar for the past five months. He was the reason omegas at Scarlet Ridge kept having more and more rights taken away from them.
