Page 150 of Omega's Flight

Holland was leaning against the hood, his arms crossed over his chest. I saw Roland's front door open and then the Alpha stomped out onto the porch. "Keep your shirt on, Mercy Hills. Not like you brought an alpha with you."

Bax looked over at Holland and pointedly said, "That's one for me."

Roland gave him a puzzled look as he came up on them. "One for you?"

"We have Bingo cards," Holland said coolly. "Really, Roland."

"I always heard you were a well-brought up omega. Except for that tendency to bend over for any nearby alpha," Roland said crudely.

I clapped my hand over my mouth, my stomach churning as I waited for the explosion.

Holland merely flicked a glance over him, then smiled charmingly. "That makes us even," he said and tossed an amused glance in Bax's direction. "Please continue, Roland. And don't forget I threatened to throw my packmother out the window of our apartment. You're starting to remind me of her."

"If you think you're getting those pups back with that attitude, Mercy Hills has spoiled you. You might as well turn around and go right home."

"And get arrested for being out after curfew? We don't have enough trouble already with that poor alpha from Winter Moon?" Holland shook his head and pushed off from the front of the car. "Help me carry this stuff into the house." He said it as if there was no doubt Roland would obey.

To my surprise, my former Alpha stared after him with a troubled look, then paced along behind him. I heard the trunk clunk open, and decided it was probably safe enough to get out now.

Holland and Bax were setting bags and boxes out on the ground, many more than we needed just for our clothing and other bits. Gifts, to sweeten Roland, and to remind him where Mercy Hills stood in the rank of packs.

"Beer and cider," Holland told Roland, loading him up with a couple of the heavier boxes. "Other things, too." He pulled out two suitcases and set them on the ground beside the car. "Bax, can you take these down to the guest room?"

"Sure." Bax grabbed the handles and smiled as he dragged them toward the front door.

I gathered up our box from the back seat and came around to accept a couple more from Holland before taking them into the house. A hallway led off to the left and I followed it down to meet Bax in the guest room.

"We'll have to draw straws to see who sleeps where," he commented.

I didn't say anything. Being in the Alpha's house made me nervous enough; thinking about sleeping by myself in the other room made my heart thump crazily in my chest.

When we came back out, we found Holland and Roland in the living room. Bax glanced silently around the room and I wondered what memories it brought back to him. And then I wondered what I would think of when I went back to my home. The old house here.

We settled on the couch, Roland in the big armchair across from it. The corner of Holland's mouth twitched, then he took the rocking chair in the opposite corner, one foot setting it into motion. It creaked soothingly, a regular sound that worked on my nerves and slowed my heart down to match its rhythm.

"The beer and cider is for whatever or whoever you want. But I brought something that's just for you and us tonight." Holland reached down into the bag on the floor at his feet and pulled out a square-shaped bottle of golden-amber liquid with a black label. "Quin thought you'd like this." He handed it over to Roland and waited.

I could tell that Roland didn't want to be impressed, but eventually he sighed and nodded. Holland had joked on the drive over about wincing as he'd paid for that bottle of whiskey, but it was doing its job. Roland remembered his place as Alpha of a major pack and got to his feet to search out glasses in a sideboard at the end of the room.

Bax accepted a finger's worth of the whiskey and nodded to me as Roland held out another glass in my direction, tacit agreement that I would speak here on the same level as the Alpha.

Holland raised a hand and shook his head when Roland offered one to him. "Quin and I are expecting," he said. "Our nurse says it's not good, particularly at this stage."

"Congratulations to your mate," Roland replied. "And to you, of course," he stuttered after, still off-balance.

"Thank you," Holland said warmly and settled back in his chair. "Why don't you pour some out for yourself and we can get to the purpose of our visit."

C H A P T E R 1 0 4

I t was a long, trying evening. For all of us, even Roland. I watched in wonder as he tried to twist his traditional brain into a shape that could comprehend the reality of us as omegas, and what it could mean to the packs, and realized that maybe he wasn't quite so traditional after all.

By the end of the night we were all exhausted, but I hadn't realized how hard it had been on Holland until we were back in the larger of the two guest rooms at the end of the hallway. He sank down onto the edge of the bed, shaking like he had a fever, and buried his face in his hands. Bax put an arm around him and murmured something in his ear, but Holland shook his head and let his hands fall away from his face. "I'm not used to doing things like that. Not for that long, not this kind of Alpha work. It's tiring." He braced his hands on his knees and looked up at me. "How are you doing? I wanted to ask if you could see the pups, but there never seemed to be the right time."

I let my head fall back and stared at the ceiling. "I might walk down to the house and see if they're there. For all I know, he's moved back in with his parents. It would certainly be easier for him." And make my case that much weaker.

"Bax?" Holland said quietly.

"I'll go with him," Bax said. "You'll be all right?"