The Omega's Mate: (9 page)

Chapter Ten

“Seriously Cain, it’s fine.”

Carly led her mate into the Honeypot Diner, trying to allay his worries.  Cain had been about to explain what Bailey meant about the foxes, but Carly shushed him. 
She really didn’t want to know.
  She could come to terms with his wilder sexual adventures before he met her, just as long as she didn’t have to hear about them.

Cain started to protest, but Carly squeezed his hand.  “Really, it doesn’t matter.  You go sit down; I just need to say hello to a friend.”

He gave her a lopsided smile and leaning down kissed the tip of her nose.  He ambled off to a quiet booth at the back of the Diner.

Trying not to look too pleased, Carly bid hello to Kira and her mate Gabe, who were canoodling at the counter.

Kira gave her a half hug.  “Hey Carly, did you have a nice evening last night?”

Umm…
  “Yes, just a quiet one at home.”  People would find out eventually; they just didn’t need to know just yet.

Gabe pretended to look thoughtful.  “Huh.  Well, apparently your car had more fun.  It spent the entire night outside the Bed and Breakfast.”

Carly blushed.  “How do you…”

Gabe grinned.  “It’s all over town.  I don’t want to point fingers, but I’d blame Mrs Martin.  She’s got better intel than the CIA, FBI and Interpol put together.” 

Kira bit her lip, and Carly sensed her worry.  “What is it?”

“It’s probably nothing… but your guy came in here the other day, and he was flirting with Carrie…”

Carly’s face fell as her wolf whined.  What is it with her men and that damn human?

Kira immediately flooded with guilt.  “I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have said anything.  It’s none of my business, I…”

Carly shook her head.  “No, it’s fine.  I’m sure there’s a perfectly innocent explanation.”

She was ninety-nine percent sure of that, and she was damned if she was going to run off half-cocked again before finding out the truth.  She bid goodbye to her pack mates and sat by her mate.

“Why were you flirting with Carrie when you came to the Diner the other day?”  Carly asked abruptly.

Cain blinked at her, but after a few beats tangled his fingers in her hair.  “To find you, I was looking for anyone who could give me information.  My so-called friends wouldn’t tell me where you were, so I had to try a different tack.  She seemed the easiest candidate.”

She certainly is easy, thought Carly, unkindly.  She shook her head, trying to chase the mean thoughts away.

“Okay,” said Carly, mollified.  “It’s just that she’s… she’s the woman my last boyfriend left me for.”

Cain’s eyes widened in surprise, before darkening in fury.  “What asshole would leave you for her?  Guy’s a fucking moron and doesn’t deserve to even look at you!”  His bear wanted to hunt the fucker down, and rip him to pieces.

Carly flushed in happiness at his response.  She leaned against him.  “Thank you for saying that.”

Cain wrapped an arm round her.  “Yeah well, it’s the truth.”

“Are you sure you want to stop fighting?”

Cain lifted her chin to look at him.  “Definitely.  Fighting used to be the most-important thing in my life, but now that’s you.  I don’t want to spend hours training and fighting, when I could spend them with you.  Besides I don’t want always to be running off when we have cubs…”

She felt a fluttering in her sex, as her wolf yapped excitedly.  “You want kids?”

“Yeah, I want to have them with you.”

“They might not be cubs…”

“Doesn’t matter, do you want kids?”

Carly nodded shyly, and his bear howled into the sky.

Cain stroked her cheek.  “One more fight beautiful, and I’m done.”

“Thank you.”  She didn’t really like to admit it, but she was relieved.  The thought of her mate fighting made her anxious, anxious that he might get hurt….

“Seriously beautiful, you have to stop thanking me.”

“I can’t help it, I know it’s only been a few days, but I’m just so glad I met you,”

“Well, that makes two of us.”

*

Carly hummed as her wolf yipped impatiently.  After a long-drawn-out breakfast, because Cain didn’t want to let her go, they had reluctantly gone their separate ways.  Carly had things to sort out at her shop, and Cain went to do some training.  After Carly had begged him, Adam permitted Cain to use the pack recreation center to train.  It had been conveniently built with a small gym for pack members.  Adam was still smarting a little at Cain’s behavior, but given the fact that Cain was Carly’s mate, he didn’t feel he could say no.

They had agreed to meet at the pack owned Bar Luna in town that evening.  Carly raced home, took a long bath, and then spent more than an hour agonizing over what to wear.  She’d dug out her one miniskirt and tried teaming it with a tight sweater. 
Ugh it showed every lump and bump
.  She then tried a pair of jeans, with a plaid shirt.  She looked like she was going to saddle a horse.  After that, there was a hippyish long dress, a plain black dress she reserved for funerals, before finally a pair of slacks and a cardigan that made her look like she was going to teach Sunday school. 
She decided she didn’t have any good clothes!

In the end, she settled on a pair of black jeans, a red sweater and resolved to wear a pair of heeled boots that only made her wobble a little.  The heels gave her three more inches, which meant that she was only a foot and a half shorter than her honey. 
Heavens he was big
.  She did a few laps of her house for practice.

She looked around, wondering how soon Cain would move in.  She assumed he would eventually.  Would he like her décor?  Would he want to change anything?  She’d lived in the house since she was 18, and had changed it over and over throughout the years.  More as something to do, than anything else.  She wasn’t averse to changing anything to make her mate feel welcome.

Her parents left the pack when she was a teenager.  Her father was forced to leave.  Her father had always been aggressive towards her mother, but no one dared do anything about it.  Her father had been the Beta of the pack.  He loved her mother, in his own twisted way, but hated sharing her as an Omega.  He took his frustrations out on her mother with his fists.

The old Alpha didn’t care at first; as far as he was concerned, wolves could treat she-wolves how they pleased.  They were their property.  However, things got so bad that her mother started to lose her Omega abilities, which meant the rest of the pack were suffering.  Under pressure, the Alpha kicked her father out of the pack.  Her mother, however, chose to go with him. 
Carly was not invited.

Carly could remember them leaving.  Her mother hugged her, kissed her and cried.  She said she was sorry, over and over, before she left Carly forever.  Her father didn’t say a word; there wasn’t enough love in his heart for anyone but his mate.

After that, Carly became the pack Omega.  She lived with Acksel and Hans’ family until she turned 18, and then she was given her own home. 

It was a comfortable little house; she couldn’t deny that.  But it was quiet.  She was more than ready to fill it up with her own family.  Her wolf prowled her mind. 
The sooner, the better.

Damn, look at the time!  She was going to be late.

She grabbed her coat and purse, tottering to the door as fast as her unfamiliar heels would allow.  She threw the door open, and was faced with a very surprised looking Isaiah.

Isaiah was an older member of the pack whose true mate had died about five months ago.  He had taken it hard.  Carly had spent a lot of time trying to comfort the older wolf.  Not an easy thing to do, Carly understood that losing your true mate was excruciating.

Isaiah’s face crumpled even more when he saw her.  “I’m sorry.  You’re on your way out.”

Carly almost hesitated.  She almost told her pack mate that yes, she was going out, and she would see him some other time.  But she didn’t.  Her Omega nature shone through, and she immediately reached out to soothe her troubled pack mate.

“No Isaiah, please come in.  I’ll make us some tea, and we can talk.”

Isaiah nodded and sniffled, allowing the small she-wolf to maneuver him into her house.  Carly considered trying to call Cain, but she didn’t actually have his number.  And she didn’t really want to make Isaiah feel even worse than he did, by admitting he was cutting into her plans.

Cain would understand if she were a bit late wouldn’t he?

*

Cain looked up at the door every time it opened.  Carly was two hours late, and his bear was howling in fury.

Damnit!  Why the fuck hadn’t he taken her phone number?
  He could have called and found out where the hell she was.

He noticed the pack Alpha at the bar, fawning over his mate, he was surrounded by a few other wolves. 
None that would pose any real threat to Cain
.  He’d considered storming over to the Alpha, and demanding he help Cain find Carly, but he controlled himself. 
For now
.

Cain told himself that Carly would have a good reason for being late.  She wanted to be there.  She was committed to him. 
For hell’s sake, they’d been talking about how many cubs they wanted earlier that day!
  Maybe that was it; maybe she’d gotten cold feet after that.  After all, he’d wanted to come and help her in the shop, and she’d insisted he do some training. 
She was blowing him off!  She’d changed her mind; she didn’t want to hitch herself to bloody, great oaf like him!

He crushed the empty beer bottle in his hand as his enraged beast roared.  A number of the other patrons jumped whilst the Alpha nodded to the bartenders.

A large, red headed she-wolf came over to him and started scooping up the pieces.  The large black bear he had spotted at the Diner a couple of days ago hovered a few paces away.

“Another beer,” ordered Cain gruffly.

“I think you’ve had enough,” said the she-wolf peaceably.

Cain narrowed his eyes.  “Another.  Beer.” 

“The answer’s no,” replied the she-wolf placidly.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the Alpha standing, ready to attack if necessary.  The Alpha had nothing to worry about, as far as the she-wolf was concerned.  He would never hurt a female. 
However, the black bear, or the Alpha himself, might make satisfying punching bags.

Cain rose to his feet, his impressive height and bulk causing numerous patrons to gasp.  The she-wolf disposed of the broken glass and folded her arms defiantly. 

His bear was growling at him, goading him to pick a fight, urging him to work out some of his considerable rage on one of these idiot wolves.  The Alpha, he should attack the Alpha.  The Alpha thought he was the strongest shifter in town, but he was wrong.  The Alpha had touched his mate at the Sheriff’s station.  He’d show him; he’d teach him a lesson for daring to put a paw on Carly without Cain’s permission.  This Alpha wanted to keep Carly for the pack; he wanted to keep her away from Cain so she could be his Omega.  No, his beast would never allow it!  Carly belonged to them. 
She was their mate and only theirs!

Cain started breathing heavily, his sizeable muscles began to twitch, ready for the shift and… he stilled.  The soft, comforting scent of cookies washed over him.  Carly was here.  At last but… no, she covered in another male’s scent. 
An older, male wolf had been touching her!

Cain swung round to her.  She looked so lovely; his heart almost stopped in appreciation of her beauty. 
But then he caught that damned scent again! 

His eyes flashed, and his claws lengthened.  Carly blinked at him in surprise.

“Carly be careful…” warned the red headed she-wolf.

Cain could feel the Alpha edging toward him, as well as a few other males in the bar, including the black bear and a small red wolf shifter.

“It’s fine Kim.”  Carly sent reassuring feelings to all her pack mates in the bar and sent double the amount to her angry mate.  A number of them visibly relaxed, but neither the Alpha, Kim nor Ed Buchanan, the red wolf shifter and Kim’s boyfriend, could.

“I’m sorry I was late, I…”

“What were you doing?” ground out Cain through gritted teeth.  He didn’t want to scream, or shout at her, but he feared her answers would lead to that.

Carly could feel his anger, no mistaking that emotion, but she could also sense his hurt.  Her face creased in sadness for unintentionally hurting her mate.  “I’m sorry; one of my pack mates needed comforting…”

“What kind of comforting?” sneered Cain.  “Because his fucking scent is all over you!”  His bear prowled, caught between wanting to rage at her, and not wanting to hurt her in any way.

“I held his hand for a little while, and then I hugged him when he left.  It was nothing,” she said soothingly.

Carly reached out to touch her mate, but he flinched away from her.  Did he really think she was cheating on him? 
After what they shared last night, did he really believe she was capable of that?