MINE || JIKOOK ✅

16.

JIMIN POV

I'd never know if it got every where before lunch though because there was a "fencing emergency" and all low-level hands were called out to deal with it before the cattle ended
up on the road or trampling where they did not belong.

Not many packs had herds like ours but we had access to wider ranges than most, I learned and so why not raise most of our
own food if possible?

The animals were allowed to graze on federal lands but there were places we did not want them to go.

I was learning a lot, We didn't eat a lot of beef back home.

More fish and wild hunted animals.

At least someone had thought
to pack food for us, so we paused midafternoon to eat sandwiches and chips before returning to our task.

The alpha was out with us for a few minutes at the beginning, to make sure it was an accidental problem and not something more sinister but he left satisfied
long before we ate our lunch.

I watched him ride away in a pack pickup, wishing I could go, too.

Already, my bear and I hated it when he was out of our sight.

If this didn't work out, I didn't know if I'd survive it.

But the best cure for yearning was hard work, so I turned my attention to the job at hand, joining the fence-fixing crew while some of the others rode away on horseback to round
up the livestock.

Unlike wood splitting, I had
never even tried to be a cowboy but I wanted to be an asset to the pack in any way needed.

The others were all used to working together but they
shared their tools and helped
me learn what was needed to accomplish our task.

It wasn't that complicated
but the sun beat down on us
since the cattle had not been thoughtful enough to trample their fence in a shady area.

As I held a section of wire, I looked longingly at the trees
a few hundred yards away.

My bear and I weren't good at hot weather but we'd better
learn to be.

As the sun sank, some of the guys got lights out of the back
of the pickups and we continued our work.

One of the cooks showed up
with big pots of stew and slabs of cornbread and we paused again, just long enough to shovel it all in then returned to fencing until we were done.

It was after ten and I heard grumbling from some of those who'd been planning their little getaway that it was too late
and they were bone tired.

I hid my smile at their words.

One less thing for my alpha to worry about tonight, Tomorrow was another day, though and they hadn't given up the idea.

He'd have to deal with them sooner or later, I felt sure he'd handle the situation.

We still had another hour of
work anyway, helping to get the escaped cattle back behind the repaired fence and watching to see if they were going to make
a run at it for any reason.

Like a regular grizzly or a shifter who didn't belong to the pack and had a taste for beef or troublemaking.

But of course, neither was likely to show up while we were here, so I piled into the back of a
truck with some of my fellow fence fixers and closed my eyes as we rode back to the alpha house and the bunkhouse.

I didn't wake up until we came
to a stop in the yard but when the others started for the bunk-house, I went the other way.

I was aware of their eyes burning into me from behind but now
was not the time to discuss this.

I didn't know how far word had traveled and we'd all been working so hard I hadn't had any real conversations with anyone.

The alpha would make whatever explanations or announcements he felt necessary and I was
every bit as tired as the others.

Maybe more since I'd been up and chopping wood long before they got their asses out of bed.

Stumbling up the stairs, I wondered how the evening
would go.

It was at least midnight, I'd
been up since well before cockcrow and had only a few hours of sleep before that.

I wanted to be everything my alpha could wish for but right now I was a mass of aching muscles, sweaty skin and exhaustion.

The alpha's chamber was the largest in the building, of
course and when I trudged into the room, I found him seated
at a desk in the corner, reading something on a tablet, a furrow between his straight brows.

He was so intent, he didn't seem to notice me and I tiptoed to where my things were still in their duffel, not wanting to interrupt his concentration.

But as I moved toward the bathroom, wanting to wash away the dirt and sweat of the day's labor's his voice stopped me.

"Welcome, omega."

"This is our home, now and I trust you will let me know if
you lack for anything."

I turned toward him, drawn by the tone, by his scent and by
the desire just to look at him.

"Thank you." It was too little but I had no great words to share.

None would be enough, anyway.

Destiny had brought me to this point, From pariah status in my former pack to alpha's omega here.

"I'm just going to get
cleaned up."

"I'll have a snack brought up while you bathe."

"You must be hungry."

I shrugged. "We were well fed
by your cooks, I know things aren't perfect here but the pack members are good people."

"They all worked very hard this afternoon and I understand they believe all the cattle were found."

He snorted. "Hard work? That's
a change but I'm glad to hear it."

"Perhaps you are a good influence on them." He stood
and moved toward the window.

"Looks like everyone is home
for the evening."

"Uh, yeah."

"Cheese and crackers and
fruit sound okay?"

"Yes, alpha."

I moved toward the bathroom, wondering if the cattle had indeed knocked down the fence on their own or if the alpha, in his wisdom had found a way to make everyone work too hard
to go out and play.

I'd probably never know.