Page 52 of Omega's Flight

Bax laughed and shook his head. "We all were. It was how we were raised. We'll be different here, though, right?"

I nodded. "That's the plan." And speaking of plans... "Have you...talked yet? About me staying here?"

"Not formally." This time, he ate the piece of cookie he broke off. "We'll wait until after Christmas, everyone's so busy right now."

It wasn't the answer I'd wanted to hear, but it was one I understood. "What about Degan? Has he figured out where I am?"

"We haven't told him," Bax said pensively. "We'll have to at some point, the pack has called around looking for you and word's getting around that we take in stray omegas." His lips twitched as he said that, his eyes twinkling with suppressed mirth. "When I stop and think about it, about half of us are exactly that. It's just the young ones who came for my mating and never left, really, that didn't simply land on the doorstep here one day. And Bram."

"Bram." I didn't know why I said it or what I meant by it, his name just popped out of my mouth.

"Bram's not so bad. Mercy Hills didn't know what to do with an omega anymore, the last one born here was forty years before him and they mated out of the community. By the time he came along, everyone was just scratching their head and hoping someone else knew what to do." Bax laughed. "I still think he had the best childhood of all of us, even if he did end up—" He tilted his head to the side and I watched, fascinated by the play of emotions across his face. He really was beautiful, and even more so when he dropped all his reserve and let himself just be. "I wouldn't say Bram was spoiled, but it was like he had a spotlight on him his whole life. Which is good and bad. And everyone here was so careful around him... Anyway, that's not my story to tell. But for ninety-nine percent of his life, Bram lived the kind of life that omegas were supposed to have. Of all of us, he's probably the closest to what our ancestors were like."

I thought that was a strange thing to say, but he seemed to be in an expansive mood. If there was ever a time to ask, now would be it. "How do you know? Is this True Omega stuff really...true?"

Bax sipped at his coffee, his eyes unfocused. "Yes and no? We'll explain it all, or give you the journals to read. Once you've settled in and had a chance to recover. You're not completely fit yet." He reached across and patted my arm. "Just relax for now, and enjoy yourself. Speaking of, we're having everyone over for Christmas dinner tomorrow and you're invited. Don't try to say no." He held up a hand and stopped my automatic polite refusal. "Holland and I are cooking, the alphas are cleaning, and Teca will be very upset if Ann doesn't come over tomorrow. They've bonded over their love of princesses and it would be a shame to separate them."

I still thought about saying no, until I ran through all the things I'd have to do to put together any sort of holiday meal. I didn't even know what was in my kitchen, not having been there for more than two seconds. "You'll let me help cook?"

"We'll let you sit in that chair and entertain us with stories from Jackson-Jellystone," Bax said firmly and I finally conceded defeat and thanked him for the invitation.

"Oh," said Cas from the doorway. "Did you talk him into coming back tomorrow?"

"Yes. We decided there weren't going to be enough dishes to keep three alphas busy, so we added a few shifters." Bax stood up and gave Cas a quick hug before taking his mug to the sink to empty it. "I'll be back in a minute. You entertain Raleigh." He threw on a coat and his boots and disappeared out the kitchen door.

I stared after him, a bit startled, and uncertain if I'd understood the expression on his face when he'd looked at Cas. Because it really seemed... No, I was overwrought and imagining things. After all, I was still bound to Degan.

There was no way he was matchmaking.

C H A P T E R 3 8

C as stared after Bax, speechless. It wasn't like Bax to just tell someone to do something and then leave—that was more Holland's style. Then he shrugged and fell into the chair Bax had just vacated. "How are you doing?" he asked. A conversation starter, but it would give him a chance to evaluate how well the omega was adapting to Mercy Hills. Not that Raleigh'd had much chance to.

"I'm okay. Thank you." He smiled at Cas and Cas's heart thumped, oddly hard.

"The pups are happy," Cas offered. Any time anyone wanted Bax or Holland to start talking, it was easy to get them going by starting from the pups.

"They seem to be. They haven't been down looking for me yet." Raleigh smiled again, wider this time, and sipped at his hot chocolate. "So," he said when he'd swallowed the sweet liquid. "You're Abel's brother."

"And Quin's. We have another one, too, but he's in the army still. Retires in a couple of years if everything goes to plan." It would be good to have the whole family back together again.

"No sisters?"

Cas shook his head. "I don't know how mom did it, but she wanted boys and that's what she got."

"You mother sounds like quite the woman."

"She's quite something. We don't have much to do with her anymore. Kaden's the one who gets along with her the best. The rest of us duck and cover wherever she comes calling."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Raleigh put a hand up to this cheek and sat back, obviously distressed. "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

"Nah," Cas said, and shrugged. "It's not that bad. She and Holland got into it pretty fierce a while back and then Bax made Abel send her back to Salma. I try to stay out of sight when she's around."

"Ah."

Cas kicked himself, because Raleigh's reply had been wistful, and he realized that not everyone watched their mother leaving the enclave with a sigh of relief. "You miss your family?"

Raleigh's lips curved slightly. "Some. We used to send letters. The occasional visit."