1
Gabriel
“I’mpregnant.”
That was how it all started. With my best friend Otis - the second-last omega in the pack without a mate - uttering those words with a mixed expression of relief and sympathy on his face. Relieved for himself, of course, and sympatheticforme.
And clearly he wasn’t without a mateanymore.
Despite my friendship with him, I still had to force a smile. “That’s great news,” I said. “Your mate must behappy.”
“He is,” Otis admitted, “but I think he knew I was cutting it close. The breeding season is ending prettysoon,and…”
Otis trailed off. His eyes flashed with sympathy again. Neither of us needed to hear the end of that sentence. It was a well-known fact what happened to any omega who didn’t pick a partner by the end of the breedingseason.
Only banishment from the pack into the terrifying, horrible outside world, ofcourse.
“He’s a nice guy,” Otis continued. Judging by his gentle smile, he was trying to distract me from thoughts of my own imminent doom. “You should meet himsometime.”
“Yeah,” I said simply, with absolutely no intention ofdoingso.
It was a cool night. The wind roared beyond the pack boundary, but the massive stone and concrete walls surrounding us blocked off most of the chill. I’d heard the outside was always a few degrees colder than inside the pack walls, but it’s not like any of us ever willingly went out there. It was practically a deathsentence.
“Come on,” Otis said, taking my hand. “Let’s go back to myplace.”
And meet your new hubby?I thought bitterly. But I wasn’t about to bitch at my best friend for things that were out of his control. He wasn’t the reason I was full of so much fear and anxiety right now, and I shouldn’t take it outonhim.
“Okay,” was all I couldmuster.
I’d been to Otis’ place many times before, but the moment I stepped inside his house this time, I knew instantly something was different. Itsmelleddifferent. It smelled of alpha. I wrinkled my nose without meaning to. It felt strange, almost uncomfortable, for a scent I was so familiar with to be disruptedlikethis.
“I’m home, dear,” Otis called as we entered the front foyer. When we left our shoes at the door, my eyes were stuck on the huge pair of leather shoes already sitting there. They clearly didn’t belong to Otis. Must have been hisalpha’s.
“Welcome back,” a deep voice said right before a man’s face appeared in the kitchen doorway. He was a tall man with a tough but gentle face and big hands. I recognized him as an alpha named Dustin. I’d seen him around the packbefore.
Not bad. Otis could’ve done worse,Ithought.
“Come on in. I’m making deer stew,” Dustin said before kissing Otis on the forehead. It was a display of affection, but I wouldn’t exactly describe it as intimate. It looked more like two acquaintances greeting each other instead of two lovers. I almost felt embarrassedwatchingit.
“You know Gabriel, I think,” Otis said, gesturingtome.
“Ah, of course. Hi, Gabriel,”Dustinsaid.
Dustin shot me a strange smile that I didn’t know how to interpret. Then I realized it was the same relieved-yet-sympathetic expression Otis had given me earlier. Like he was safe, but he felt sorryforme.
There were the thoughts of the wall and the outside world again. My stomachflipped.
As we sat down for dinner, Dustin handed out bowls of stew while Otis did the cutlery. They moved like two strangers trying to accommodate each other’s space, an awkward dance of shuffling and tucking limbs in Otis’ smallkitchen.
In Stoneheart pack, it was customary for the alpha to move in with the omega as a sign of respect. The alpha would either sell his previous home or rent it out to the next generation of unmated wolves. Watching Otis and Dustin try to shuffle around in Otis’ small kitchen made me wonder if that was just another ridiculous Stonehearttradition.
Not as ridiculous as the whole banishment thing,though.
When they sat down to eat, I noticed they kept a healthy distance from eachother.
Just likestrangers.
I almost wanted to ask how Otis got pregnant if they were this good at avoiding each other, but I bit mytongue.
