Page 23 of Lost Wolf (Exiled Omegas #2)

Twenty-Three

Ollie

I might not have a clear memory of it happening, but there’s no doubt in my mind, the look currently on Earl’s face has been directed at me before. This Alpha is clearly not a fan of mine.

Earl sneers at me, his face turning ugly as it twists with contempt—an expression that suddenly feels very familiar. Earl is the man from my dream last night. That doesn’t bode well.

“Is this the so-called ‘missing person’ you’re concerned about?” he asks. “Because he’s not missing. He ran away and deserted the pack just like his brother.”

Just like …

Does that mean Blake isn’t even here?

Earl slides past Luke to loom over me, his muscles tense with aggression. “Why’d you bother coming back here, boy?”

My gaze darts to Wanda. “I—She said… Blake…”

Earl’s ire turns on his mate, but before he can say anything else, Luke pushes his way between me and Earl, forcing the older Alpha to take a step backward. Luke bares his teeth, a low growl rumbling in his chest. Earl is a couple inches taller and quite a bit broader across the chest, but his stomach is soft and he has gray at his temples that shows his age.

“You will treat my mate with respect,” snarls Luke. That’s not exactly how we planned to break the news, but after what we learned from the praetorians, I don’t think it really matters.

“Your mate?” says Earl, upper lip curling with disgust.

“Yes,” says Luke, straightening his shoulders and pulling himself up to his full height, growl still rumbling from his chest. He takes a couple steps forward, again making Earl retreat. “You have a problem with that?”

“Not at all.” His gaze slides to me. “I just think you could do better than an omega whore. The only thing they’re good for is pups.”

“Good thing I don’t give a shit about your opinion then,” says Luke.

“You can’t get mad at me for wanting what’s best for my boy.”

“I’m not your boy. You don’t even know me,” snaps Luke. “Whether I’m your son or not—and that’s still to be determined—I’m an adult and the Alpha of my own pack. You have no say in my life.”

Earl raises his hands, shakes his head, and takes another step backward. “Fine.”

Wanda edges toward me, a contrite look on her face. She stops a couple feet from me, offering up a strained smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

“I’m so sorry, Oliver,” she says. “I was so excited to hear you were okay that I didn’t think how Earl might react to your return.”

“You also didn’t think to say anything about how my brother isn’t here,” I mutter.

“I wish y’all would’ve warned me you’d be coming by so soon,” she says, talking over me and completely ignoring my words. “But you’re here now.” She pauses, giving me an assessing look. “The Matisse procurator said you don’t remember anything. Is that true?”

“Yes,” I say, narrowing my eyes. “So, all this is quite a surprise to me.”

An emotion I can’t read flashes across her face and her mouth curls into a small smile so briefly that I almost miss it. What about what I just said is she so happy about?

“You’ve seen a doctor about your head, right?” she asks. “Your memories going to come back?”

“Maybe,” I say, uncertain what she hopes to gain from this line of questioning.

“Good. That’s good.” She nods to herself, her lips quirking into that momentary self-satisfied smile again. Her gaze settles on her mate. “Earl, I know you aren’t happy about the circumstances, but it’s rude to make our guests stand around outside. Let’s go in and sit down.”

Earl frowns and rolls his eyes, but gestures toward the still open front door. “My mate is right. Why don’t y’all come inside?”

Luke studies his maybe father’s face for a second before giving a sharp nod of agreement and starting toward the door. Wanda links her arm with mine, holding me back a beat so Luke ends up walking beside Earl with Macy slightly behind them. Wanda keeps up a constant stream of chatter as she leads me through the large entryway, complete with a double staircase leading to the upper level.

Past that, there’s another large room with a mostly open floor plan, massive kitchen on one side and a seating area on the other, divided only by a double-sided stone fireplace that rises up through the ceiling. Thankfully there aren’t any animal heads on the walls, though I don’t think they’d be out of place if there were. I shudder, some hidden memory of sightless eyes flitting through my mind.

Wanda pats my arm. “It gets a little chillier up here in the mountains,” she says, presumably misinterpreting my shiver. “I’ve gotta make a little pit stop. I’ll be right back.” She releases me and heads toward to kitchen, disappearing around the corner by the fridge.

Earl plods over to the seating area, settling into the oversized easy chair on one side. Macy takes a seat on one of the couches and Luke sits on the end of the other, catching my eye and motioning me over to his side. He tugs me down beside him, ignoring—or simply not noticing—Earl’s scowl in my direction. We all kind of stare at each other for a couple tense minutes before Wanda rejoins us, taking a seat next to Macy on the second couch so she’s sitting catercorner to Luke.

Macy clears her throat. “Alpha Jenkins, I’m a bit confused here.” She waves her hand in Luke’s direction. “We did recently become aware that Alpha Anderson was not the former Alpha Anderson’s biological son and that he matched the description of a missing child, but when we tried to follow up on the original missing persons report, we were unable to reach anyone. There was absolutely no reference to the Rockcastle pack in any of the information we had.”

Wanda lets out a theatric sounding sniffle and wipes her fingers across the bottoms of her eyes. “My poor sister wasn’t a member of the Rockcastle pack,” she says. “She… passed away not long after her son went missing, and her pack disbanded. We never realized she’d filed an official report since she’d given me the impression her son had died in an accident.”

Macy’s brow furrows and her gaze darts to Earl. “But if your mate is his father…”

Wanda presses her lips into a thin line and her visible hand curls into a fist. “My husband strayed, but that did not mean the bitch’s child was going to take over the pack.”

“Now, now, Wanda, there’s no need to call sweet Emily names,” says Earl, his voice mocking. “It’s not her fault you couldn’t give me an alpha heir.”

Her eyes flicker toward me, a glint of calculation in their depths. “I was working on it.”

That’s an… interesting word choice.

Is she saying she was hoping to get an alpha heir through me somehow? Male omegas do have a higher chance of birthing alphas, but I think it’s more complicated than that. Still, the idea makes a lot of sense and would definitely explain why I’d run away—and what my mother said about them using me.

Who was she thinking was going to impregnate me though?

My gaze moves to Earl and my stomach churns, what little I ate today threatening to come back up. I edge closer to Luke and he wraps an arm around my waist, giving my hip a quick squeeze.

“Let’s not worry about what’s happened in the past. It can’t be undone,” says Earl, sending a narrow-eyed look at Wanda before turning to Luke with what might be a warm smile on a different person. “But Jonathan is—”

“Please, call me Luke,” he says.

Earl’s smile grows strained, but he nods. “Fine, Luke then. Whatever happened before, you’re home now, so all’s well that ends well and all that nonsense.”

Luke shifts in his seat. “I’m not sure what you’re expecting here, but I already have a pack to run and my mate is coming home with me. We only came here so Ollie could see his brother.” His voice goes firm. “We’re not staying.”

Earl waves his hand dismissively. “Sure, sure. We’ll figure everything out. Don’t you worry none.”

“Now,” says Wanda, clapping her hands once. “How about some refreshments to tide us all over until dinner? Y’all will at least stay to eat, right?”

Luke gives her a tight smile. “That would be fine.”

“Perfect.” She beams at him before glancing at her mate. “Earl?”

Earl leans over, picking up a small black remote sitting on the side table. He presses a button and a few moments later, a dark-haired young man enters the room from an area past the kitchen. He quickly moves to stand next to Earl’s chair and lowers his head, waiting to be acknowledged.

“Prepare some light refreshments for my guests,” says Earl, barely looking at the young man.

“Yes, Alpha,” he says in a quiet voice, not even glancing up at his Alpha’s face before scurrying off in the direction of the kitchen. As he passes, his lowered gaze flicks toward me and Luke, and catches on me. His steps stutter so briefly to be almost imperceptible, but the way his eyes widen when he meets my gaze is impossible to miss.

Does he know me? Why is he so surprised to see me?

I wrack my brain trying to put a name to his face—or anything at all to his face, but there’s nothing I can recall. I open my mouth to ask him a question, but he gives the barest shake of his head and rushes off into the kitchen.

As he turns the corner, light catches on the slim metal band around his neck. A collar .

My gaze moves from the collar to the remote still in Earl’s hand and a horrible feeling of recognition comes over me. I’m not sure when, but I wore one of those once, and the vague memory calls up a phantom feeling of metal around my neck—and the pain that came when I disobeyed.

My hand instinctively flies to my neck. Luke shoots me a funny look, but before he can say anything, the front door opens and someone enters the house, heading directly toward the living room where we’re all seated.

A young male beta enters the room, smile wide as he looks at Wanda. “Mom, you wanted me to come over?”

Wanda almost claps her hands in excitement. “Oh yes, Clay.” She gestures at me. “Look who’s finally home.”

The beta’s gaze pans to me and he gasps, rushing over to the couch and falling to his knees on the floor in front of me.

“Oliver! You’re safe!” He drags me into his arms, patting frantically at my back and then running his hands down my arms and legs in an almost possessive way as if checking a delivery for damage. “Thank the moon. I thought I’d never see you again.”