Page 12 of Abel's Omega

Mac simply sat at his end of the couch, happily enjoying his brownie.

Abel poked him in the shoulder. “No comment?”

Mac shook his head. “Ouch. Easy on the bruises. And nope. I know he’s mine.” He grinned up at his mate as Jason came back into the room, and pulled Jason down onto his lap as the omega tried to scoot by to check on the baby. “She’s fine. Look, see how happy she is with Uncle Abel.”

Abel laughed. “Don’t confuse the poor girl. We’re second cousins at most.” He turned his gaze back to the baby again. She really was adorable.

“Let me know if you get tired of holding her,” Jason said.

“I will.” Hardly. He liked pups, just didn’t have any time for them.

The buzzing of a phone filled the room.

Mac jumped. “That’s me.” Jason started to get off his lap, but Mac wrapped his arm around Jason’s waist, holding him in place.

“You’ll never get your phone that way,” Jason said, but he was laughing.

“Watch me.” Mac squirmed, trying to force his hand into his pocket. Or at least, that what Abel thought he was doing, until Jason squawked and slapped him.

“Behave. Fine example you’re setting for Macy.” But Jason didn’t look particularly offended.

“I hope she has someone of her own to grab someday. Maybe we’ll share pointers.” He pulled out the phone and checked the screen. “Duke. Wonder what’s going on?” He let Jason slip off his lap and thumbed the screen to return the call.

Reluctantly, Abel gave the baby back to his bearer and listened in on Mac’s side of the conversation. “Who? No, he’s never mentioned one.” He tilted the phone away from his mouth. “Jason, do you have family in Mississippi?”

“Not that I know of.” Jason bobbed slowly in place, the baby cradled under his chin. “Unless someone got married there since we ran away. What’s their name?”

“Baxter, he says.”

Jason shook his head, and the tension in the room began to grow.

Duke’s voice rumbled indistinctly out of the speaker, and Mac added, “Duke says he’s an omega. He brought pups.”

The three of them looked at each other.

“We have to go see,” Jason said.

“I’ll go. You stay here,” Mac told him.

Abel stood. “I’ll go too.” He reached for his jacket against the chilly late October air.

“How are you going to know if he really is family?” Jason shook his head. “Let me get some heavier clothes on Macy and we can all go.” He was already moving toward the stairs.

“Jason—”

“Mac.” Jason’s tone was flat, leaving no doubt that he intended to go. “If he’s an omega, it would take something huge for him to arrive unannounced at a strange pack. I’m going.”

Mac nodded reluctantly. “But he doesn’t get near Macy until we know what’s going on.”

“Agreed.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

I waited by the gates as the daylight disappeared. I might have gotten past the human guards, but I thought the shifter ones knew something was up. A huge dark-haired man with a cast on one hand had called someone, his eyes fixed on me as if my deception were written all over my face in neon letters. And now we were waiting, trapped in the harsh light cast by the floodlights like so many bugs.

The human guards hadn’t yet closed the gate, and they watched us intently. Maybe they didn’t entirely believe me either, or maybe some sixth sense had warned them that the shifter guards were suspicious. My heart pounded; I was so close I could taste safety.

Beatrice had fallen asleep while we waited. Fan and Teca chased each other around the van, both of them in wolf form. I got Noah out of his car seat and held him against my chest for comfort. Together we walked around the on the grass beside the road, and I pointed to things and named them for him, while Fan and Teca growled at each other over a stick they found on the ground.