Page 184 of Omega's Heart

I’d have to think about that. And maybe spend some time talking to the mates of his coworkers in the senator’s office to see just how it was done, this political spouse thing.

My carry-on unpacked easily—a change of clothes, toiletries, and two flat boxes filled with things that I’d offered to bring with me for Bax’s and Holland’s families. I laid them on the kitchen table and pondered over how I would get them to the families. Originally, I’d figured to simply hand Holland’s over to the Alpha, assuming that we’d at least be invited for a meal.

That didn’t seem likely.

Maybe I’d just give it to Kaden to pass along, but I kind of wanted to see his reaction to it, too. I’d have been stupid not to see the glow of hope in Holland’s eyes when he’d given it to me, or to recognize the too casual way he’d said, “Not much, some photos and a few things the pups drew. I thought he’d like them.”

Lady Lysoonka, if you’ve ever loved me, or Holland, please let him treat these as the precious gift that they are.

I sighed and shook my head, turning away to inspect the contents of the pantry and the refrigerator. The Alpha had said someone would come to escort me to the warehouse to pick up food—I’d just ask to be shown where Bax’s parents lived on the way there.

The pantry was stocked well enough with dry goods, but no one had come by to either clean out the refrigerator or fill it with food, so I occupied myself with that until a knock on the door interrupted me.

“Hello?” A young man who looked a lot like Bax poked his head in the back door. “Oh, there you are. Are you the Mercy Hills omega?”

“I am,” I said, sitting back on my heels. “Felix.”

“I’m Jacob.” He stepped into the kitchen. “Did they forget to get someone to clean that out again?” He made a disappointed noise and came to peer over my shoulder. “Ew. Let me get you some new water.”

“I think the water heater might be broken. It went cold really fast.”

“Oh, the guest house only has solar water in the kitchen. Basically, the sun heats those black barrels out there. If you want more water, you have to heat it on the stove. That works.” Jacob took the pot of filthy, soapy water and poured it down the sink, then refilled it and put it on the stove. “The bathroom will have more, it has a real hot water heater. Not big, but it’s electric.” A funny look crossed his face. “Hang on.” He disappeared down the hall and I heard the creak of a door opening, then a loud clicking snap.

Jacob came back wearing a relieved expression. “I just turned it on. I guess they were waiting until the last minute to do that.”

“As long as my mate can have a shower tonight, that’s fine,” I told him, trying to be a good guest. “I can wash up in a bowl.”

He nodded, as cheerful as a sparrow. “I’ll help you clean up, then we can go get some food.”

“Thank you.” I picked up the pile of rotted and withered vegetables and asked, “Where is the compost pile for the house?”

He shrugged. “Just throw it in the back about halfway down. It’ll rot eventually.”

I did as he suggested, though it made my skin crawl. But maybe they didn’t bother with a compost pile for the guest house? I wondered how often it got used.

Back inside, Jacob was already waist deep in the fridge with the pot of steaming water on the floor beside him. “This won’t take long,” he called over his shoulder. “Why don’t you make a list? There should be paper here somewhere.”

“Already have one.” I knew what I wanted to make and already had a list built in my mind. “I have something I unpacked to drop off to someone here in the enclave.”

“Who is that?”

“Bax’s mother?”

“Bax? Oh, right. He mated in Mercy Hills, to the Alpha, right? Only he’s not Alpha anymore.”

“No, his brother is. Is her house far from here?”

“Not too far from the warehouse.” Jacob crawled out of the refrigerator and closed the door. “That should pretty much do it. You want to walk down now?”

“That would be great.”

“There should be some baskets in the pantry if you want to grab a couple.”

I picked out two mid-sized baskets while he dumped out the pot of water, and then we were on our way.

C H A P T E R 9 7

T he Alpha’s office wasn’t actually attached to his house but in a building across the road, unusual in an enclave. Kaden sat where he could see out the window, watching for his mate to pass by. He would have been much more comfortable to have Felix there with him, but maybe it was better this way. Mitchel’s abrupt dismissal of his mate still rankled, because there seemed to be no good reason for it except for a prejudice and historical blindness that went deeper than the Alpha’s awareness of how critical this meeting was. It was, unfortunately, absolutely necessary that Buffalo Gap be vetted as well and as deeply as all the rest of the packs, simply because of history.