Getting Close to the Omega (28 page)

whether or not they agree with you. Like everyone else in this

room, the men from Cloverleah are permitted their own

opinion, and can leave this fight if they choose.”

Kane looked over his pack, and then said, “Troy, you can speak

first.”

Troy stepped forward, smiling at Dean. “Dean is like my little

brother. His being an Omega means nothing to me. I will fight

to the death to save him and keep him here because he is my

family.”

Dean blushed and looked down at the floor, as Troy stepped

back. “Anton,” Kane called out.

“Dean is part of the pack who kept my mate safe when I was

away, who came to fight for me when I was being held, and

who has been a staunch supporter of me and Troy since we

met. I will fight to the death to keep him here,” Anton said.

Kane called out, “Griff,” and Griff stepped forward. “No one

should ever think to harm our Omega,” Griff said and he glared

at Kyron. “Dean is the kindest, sweetest and most talented

man I know. I’d gladly die, if it kept him safe.”

One by one, Kane called through the members of the

Cloverleah pack and every one of them, including Jax and Josh

who were relative newcomers, all pledged their support to

Dean personally and to keeping him safe.

Finally Kane said, “Matthew, I won’t ask you, in case Kyron

thinks things are biased. I know you would die to protect your

mate, and you would fight anyone who would think any less of

Dean because of his Omega status. Damien, Claude and Paulo

have offered their support because they know the trouble

Omegas have had in the past and because of their ties to this

pack. But you other men do not have to be here. However,

there is one more argument, I would like you all to hear before

you make your decision.”

Turning to his mate, Kane simply said, “Shawn,” the love on his

face saying so much more. Matthew hoped that his face looked

like that when he looked at Dean, because as far as he was

concerned, he loved his little Omega as much if not more than

the Alpha loved his mate.

“As you all know, I am a Shifter Guardian,” Shawn said quietly,

but the room was silent as everyone wanted to hear what the

man said. “I have spent the last three days trying to find out

what magic is being used against us, and why it is that Dean is

so important.”

Shawn smiled and looked at Dean. “I didn’t do that because I

needed a reason to fight for Dean. Dean saved my life once,

and I owe him simply for that reason. I consider him a brother

and one of my dearest friends. There’s no question that I would

lay down my life for his. But since moving here, and learning

more about this pack and the men in it, I have come to

understand how important Dean is to the rest of us in this

room, and wolf shifters everywhere.”

“The Fates let the Omegas die out, not because they were

worthless, or because they had no value. They did it because of

the stupidity and lack of integrity of the Alphas who had

Omegas in their care. Omegas were abused, and were not

allowed to mate, and so their full potential – their ability to

come into their power, was never fulfilled.”

“Omegas don’t have any power,” Kyron called out from his

place in the middle of the room. “They are weak and useless

and no one cared when they died out.”

“The Fates cared,” Shawn said angrily. “Omegas are as

necessary to a pack as the Alpha. They are the heart of

everything it is to be a wolf. Dean is the only one of his kind.

The missive if you will, sent here by the Fates to see if there

were any Alphas left who had the strength to be what a true

Alpha should be. When Dean escaped, and he was found by

Kane, Kane and Griff started forming the Cloverleah pack.

Other Alphas have come and joined up, and they have been

able to stay because of Dean’s presence. I am here alive

because of Dean. Diablo, the strongest cat shifter in the US,

can stay here because of Dean. The Fates have bought all of us

here, the strongest and best of our kind, for their own reasons.

But we can stay together because of Dean.”

“Without Omegas, Alphas have become isolated, fanatical,

ruling their packs with fear and antiquated ways. The Alphas in

this room, and the few others that we know, are the only ones

who have the true essence of what an Alpha should be.

Thousands of wolves have suffered because of the lack of

Omegas. All of you men, were cast out of your packs, because

of who you loved. These Alphas,” Shawn said, pointing to

Kane, Claude and Damien, “embrace your differences and have

given you a home. They also understand what it means to be

an Omega and how important that is.”

“Damien is the strongest Alpha in the land,” yelled out one of

Damien’s men. “Why wasn’t Dean born into his pack? He could

have kept him safe.”

Shawn smiled and waved his hand at Damien, who stepped

forward with Scott on his arm. “Because,” Damien said with a

growl that always seemed evident in his deep voice. “Until I

met my heart,” and he smiled down at Scott, “I wouldn’t have

cared about Dean the way I should have done. I wasn’t

abusive, but I didn’t understand the importance of compassion

and love in an Alpha, until I met my mate, who coincidentally

came from the Cloverleah Pack. Now I will protect Dean with

my life because I know it’s the right thing to do, and because

he is my friend.”

“If the Omega has all of this power,” Kyron screamed, clearly

enraged that no one was taking his argument seriously, “then

let him show us what it is.”

“He’s already doing it,” Shawn said. “Count the Alphas in this

room – Kane, Me, Griff, Diablo, Anton, Jax, Damien, Claude

and Matthew, not to mention Kane’s brothers. Eleven of us in

total, seven in this pack alone. All banded together for a

common cause – to protect Dean, who is our friend, part of our

family and who we would all willingly die for. This is the

example that the Fates wanted us to learn. Alphas learning to

live with each other and fight for what is right, instead of

fighting among ourselves. That is the strength of the Alpha,

and that can only be done with the power of the Omega.”

Everyone was silent for a moment as they absorbed what

Shawn had said. It was true. Alphas challenged each other,

fought each other and usually stayed away from each other

because of their need to dominate. To have eleven Alphas in

one room, without the hint of a fight was amazing, and

Matthew knew that. To have seven in a pack was a miracle –

and yet it worked. Because of Dean.

“Okay everyone, you have listened to the arguments. Those

who agree with Kyron, that this fight is useless and that Dean

should be handed back to Jefferson City, then you are free to

say so, with no consequence and can leave. Dean is staying,

but I don’t expect anyone to fight for him, who doesn’t believe

in his importance. The door is that way,” Kane said, stepping

forward again and pointing to the door.

Not one man moved.

“You can’t be serious,” Kyron yelled. Catching sight of the two

bear shifters that had come with Claude, he said, “You two.

You’re not wolves. Surely you don’t believe all this crap about

the Omega being important. Look at him, he’s tiny and no use

in a fight.”

The two bears looked at each other and grinned. “Sure he’s

tiny,” said one of them. “But he’s cute and we haven’t had a

good fight for ages. We’re staying.”

Matthew growled, but he couldn’t help but grin too. Yes his

mate was cute, although awfully quiet and still. It was as

though he was totally overwhelmed by what had gone on at

the meeting, and in a way, Matthew could understand how

Dean was feeling. All of a sudden, Dean had gone from being

not ignored so much, but definitely inconspicuous, to being

thrust into prominence and his little mate wasn’t used to being

so important. Unfortunately Kane was about to make that

situation a whole lot worse.

“Dean,” Kane said quietly, coming to stand in front of them. “I

know this is hard for you, but do you have anything to say?”

Matthew could feel the panic in Dean’s mind, and he quickly

sent a reassuring message through.

You can do this little one, you are stronger than you know.

I love you.

Matthew was stunned. He was so not expecting that.

Why are you telling me this now, in the middle of a pack

meeting?

Because I’m about to die of an anxiety attack and I didn’t want

to die without telling you.

That made perfect sense. Matthew let go of Dean’s waist and

his mate stepped forward into the middle of the room. He was,

by far the smallest man there, at only five foot six inches and

slim built. Everyone else was easily six foot tall or more and a

hell of a lot wider.

Matthew watched as Dean took a deep breath and then said in

a surprisingly calm voice, “Thank you, all of you, for standing

up for me today. I will be the first to admit that I questioned

my worth, many times – all thanks to my ex-Alpha. But as I

look around, at all of you, I know that the only person who

would hurt me here today is Kyron and he is one seriously

disturbed wolf.” Everyone laughed, except Kyron, who scowled.

“Kane and Griff taught me that I had worth as a person. Troy

and Scott, how to live a little and how to express myself. We

were self-sufficient as a pack, but we lacked passion. Then we

started meeting our mates, and life got so much more exciting.

Matthew, is by far, the best person to ever come into my life,

but I wouldn’t have been able to even speak to him, if it wasn’t

for what the other men have shown me through their support

of me and their example.”

“What I do want to tell you, all of you,” said Dean as he looked

around at both sides of the room. “Is that, if I thought it would

make a difference, I would go back to Jefferson City in a

heartbeat, just so that no one here in this room would run the

risk of getting hurt. But I trust that the Fates brought me here

for a reason. I am meant to be here and so I just want to

thank you all, for giving me the chance to do that.”

“As for you Kyron,” Dean said walking over and standing in

front of the stasis field still holding a glowering Kyron. “You

have taught me the most valuable lesson of all – to be proud of

my status in the pack. I am an Omega, and that is just as

important as the betas, gammas, enforcers or Alphas. Not

more than. Not less than. As important. And I do have power

as you shall see.”

Turning, Dean said to Shawn, “can you lift the stasis field

please?”

Shawn looked long and hard at Dean, and then at Matthew.

Matthew too, stared at Dean for a long moment, and then

nodded. Fuck, if Dean was wrong, then Matthew would kill

Kyron himself and no one would stop him this time.

“You want to kill me,” Dean said as Shawn waved his fingers

and the stasis field lifted. “You don’t understand how I can care

about your wolf spirit, or you. Shift. Embrace your wolf. You

want to kill me. Then shift and do it.”

The whole pack, and everyone else in the room stood at high

alert as Kyron shifted. It didn’t look as painful as it had in the

past, but it still wasn’t an easy shift. When Kyron finally stood

in wolf form, Dean looked deep into the wolf’s eyes, despite the

fact that drool fell from Kyron’s bared teeth.

“I care about you and what will happen to you if your human

side doesn’t get his shit together. Your human side wants me

dead because he thinks I am weak. Kill me and prove you see

me the same way.”

Kyron’s wolf growled, and snapped his teeth, but Dean didn’t

flinch. Matthew slipped his shirt over his head, ready to shift

himself if that fucking wolf harmed one hair on his mate’s

head. Kyron growled again, but Dean just kept on looking at

him, not saying anything, not flinching as Kyron kept growling