Omega Blues (Gay Romance)

Chapter Thirteen: Running From Werewolves

Bren

For most of my adult life I'd had an alpha around me all the time, strengthening my powers and scratching away the worst parts of being an omega.

The few months before Will took over the Jagged Rock werewolves were bad, and the months after that hurt in a different way. I had stability and no one was asking me to hunt wolves, but I didn't have a leader and the power of an alpha to strengthen me.

As I stood with Will's pack in a clearing in the Jagged Rock Forest, I wondered if it hadn't all been worth it. Those months of pain and misery and confusion had led to this perfect moment: the power of Will and Connor like a fire in my heart even with the full moon hanging above me, Matt by my side with a hand casually petting my fur like he wasn't afraid of me.

Even Rebel's presence didn't mess with me too much. She was a werewolf from another pack and even swearing allegiance to Will couldn't quickly change that. My senses were telling me she was a threat, a predator in my territory. But with the support of a strong alpha, I could fight down my fear and keep control of myself.

I'd studied werewolf bites but I'd never seen one. I thought I knew what to expect, the shock that a human could feel when bitten, the pain and the intellectual consequences of abruptly losing their humanity for a totally different life, a new body and different set of rules.

Turned out I had no idea what to expect. Matt had told me about Chop, how she was tough and passionate and fearless. But I'd thought that would make it all the worse for her, that she was so anchored in her life that she'd struggle to let go of it. She'd seen Will and Connor's style of limitless werewolf power, and Rebel's wild version, but that couldn't prepare her for her own transformation.

But that's not how it went.

Will bit Chop in the chilly clearing gilded by the full moon. Will stood in his werewolf form, sharp wolf teeth protruding from a human mouth. As he bit Chop's neck she flinched, her face contorting in pain then relaxing. She tilted her head back, lifting her chin up in defiance as her body crumpled and twisted.

After the first grimace of pain, her transformation was effortless and graceful. One moment she was a human, and the next moment a black-backed red wolf was standing in a pile of Chop's clothes.

"Are you okay?" Matt asked. Liv rushed forward and dropped to her knees at Chop's side. Rebel had already reached her and was licking her face while whining in distress.

But Chop gave a bark and shook herself, stretching out her legs and making her new wolf form wriggle from her toes to the tips of her rounded ears.

"We should go for a run," Will said. "You want to go for a run?"

Chop was already running, chasing Rebel in joyous loops around the clearing.

Connor shifted in a heartbeat and took up chase. I felt a pang of envy at how easy it was for him, but the ache eased when I thought of how happy he'd looked in the moment before he'd shifted. He'd looked content, safe in the knowledge that he belonged. He had his mate and his pack so this was right where he needed to be.

I was on the outside, only there because I'd been invited by Matt. This wasn't my pack and I didn't fit in here.

Just as I was thinking it, Will dropped to a crouch and looked into my face. "You want to come running?"

I turned my head to Matt.

He in turn looked to his friend Liv. She was bending, stretching and flexing her legs, pacing in her sneakers.

"Let's run," she said.

"You're going to run with wolves?" he asked.

"I've always wanted to. Who hasn't?" She grinned and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Next time we're here, we'll both be wolves!"

Matt was grinning when he turned back to me, but then his face crumpled and he looked down at his heavy hiking boots. "I don't think I can run all night. Maybe next time?"

"You can stay in one of my family's huts for the night," Will offered, "or head back to town and meet us in the morning?"

Matt buried his hand in my fur and asked, "Can you show me the way back down?"

I whined and leaned against him in agreement.

Matt ruffled the long fur at the back of my neck and said to Will, "I'll see you in the morning."

Liv piled everyone's clothes into her pack, rolling her eyes as she said, "Werewolves. How would they explain it when they all turn up in town naked?"

We waited in the clearing, watching Matt's pack leave.

I didn't want to push his hand off, but I had to talk to Matt with words he could understand. I shifted into werewolf shape with a human head and, crouching on the ground and looking up to him, I said, "Don't you want to go with them?"

"I can hang out with them anytime. They all literally live in my house!" He ducked down to my level and kissed me, slow and sweet. "I haven't seen you in a month. Can we go back to your place?"

My flattened mood rose as Matt smiled like I was the most important person in the world.

"You're sure?" My voice held all the hope and excitement I'd been hoping to hide.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be. I want to spend the night with you."

And now there was something dirtier in his smile. I swallowed, my pulse racing as my mind went blank.

"Well then," I choked out. "We should get off this mountain as fast as we can. Would you like to ride on my back?"

"I can? Can I actually? It won't hurt you?" He actually hopped up and down on the spot with joy at the idea.

"I've never tried it before. But you're small, and I'm strong. I'll let you know if it's hurting me." If his weight damaged me enough that I couldn't keep running and had to stop to heal, anyway.

I relaxed back into my wolf shape and ducked, hunching my muscles and bracing my back.

Matt straddled me gently, holding his weight on his legs and slowly lowering himself onto my back. I stood up to take his weight and he made a surprised noise.

I wriggled my shoulders, warning him to hold on. He tightened his hands in my fur. I took a few tentative steps, struggling to get my balance with so much weight on my back.

After a few steps Matt dropped forward, laying flat on my back and wrapping his arms around my neck. I kept walking and it was like he just melted into me, his body fitting smoothly against mine and blending into the rhythm of my movement. As I picked up speed I wondered how he could be so good at this when he was still clumsy at riding a horse.

I got into my stride, eating up the path, dodging nimbly between trees. Incredibly, the weight of Matt on my back was nothing at all and I was running as well as usual.

But no, that wasn't true. I felt better than usual. All evening I'd been flushed with alpha-proximity power but this was different.

I didn't just feel powerful or strong, I felt comfortable, right. Having Matt so close, having him put his complete trust in me, made me feel more at ease in my own skin.

He'd invited me to be with his pack during an intense moment, and he'd chosen to be with me afterward. I wasn't just an omega to him, I was someone he respected and liked spending time with.

I'd never felt that before: someone liking me just for me.

I reached top speed in a comfortable gait, the ground hard and cold under my feet and Matt's breath warm where it rustled through my fur.

And then, suddenly, it occurred to me. I didn't just feel great because someone cared about me. I felt great because Matt cared about me. Something about him synced up with something in me and made me feel incredible.

There was a word for this, but I'd never heard it used on omegas.

Mates.