Page 191 of Omega's Heart

Felix was sitting at the kitchen table cutting strips of pastry and weaving them on top of something orange and juicy-looking in a tin pan. “Hi, is it time to eat?” he asked, turning his face up to offer the kiss that Kaden always accepted.

“Can I ask you something?” Kaden glanced at Dynasty, busy at the kitchen counter with something food related.

Felix caught his unspoken message in the way that mates often did. “Sure. I have to go to the bathroom first though. You can walk me up the stairs if you want.”

“I can do that.” Best mate.

“I’ll be right back, Dynasty,” Felix said as he got to his feet. “I won’t be long.”

“Don’t you worry, you’ve been a right help. I do appreciate all you’ve done,” she said cheerfully and moved over to the table to finish whatever it was that Felix had been working on.

Felix jerked his head in the direction of the doorway and led Kaden deeper into the house. “What’s wrong?” he asked as soon as they were reasonably out of earshot.

For a moment, Kaden felt like a heel, prying into Holland’s business. He raised his eyes to Felix’s and his mate reached for his hand, holding it tightly.

“Whatever it is,” Felix told him earnestly, “I don’t care. If I don’t want to answer, I’ll tell you that. We’ve always been honest with each other, don’t start trying to protect me now.”

Kaden nodded and licked his lips, suddenly dry. “It’s not you. I was wondering what Holland might have said about his, uh, finances.”

Felix paused with a foot on the bottom step of the stairs. “Why? What’s the Alpha here saying?”

“Nothing, yet. But… Is Holland sending him money?”

“Oh.” Felix started up the stairs and Kaden fell in behind him. “I don’t know for sure, but now that you say it, I wouldn’t be surprised. It’s hard to tell, though, because he pours pretty much everything into either his family or the pack. He’s always broke when it comes to himself.” Felix paused and his expression when he looked back at Kaden was troubled. “I suppose the Alpha and the Mate are his family too.”

Kaden shooed him on. “It would make sense of some things,” he said thoughtfully as they got to the top. “Mitchel’s almost acting like it’s a foregone conclusion that Buffalo Gap is going to get the next trust.”

Felix stopped and leaned against the frame of the bathroom door. “I don’t know. He might be right. Bax won’t like it, though.”

“No?” That surprised him; Bax still had lots of connections here. “Why not?”

Felix shook his head. “Would you be upset if I said I didn’t want to be the one to tell that story? I don’t think he’d care if I did, but it’s pretty personal.”

“Huh.” For that matter… “How old is Bax?”

“Same as Jason.”

“That doesn’t tell me much. I don’t hang around with Jason.”

Felix looped a finger through the belt loop of Kaden’s jeans and tugged. Obediently, Kaden pulled his mate into a loose embrace, sensing that Felix needed some comfort right now.

“He’s a few years younger than me. He was sixteen when he was mated, and that’s all I want to say about that story right now if you don’t mind.” Felix nosed into the side of Kaden’s neck and breathed deeply, which told Kaden a lot more about his mate’s state of mind than any words could have.

“Okay. Maybe I’ll talk to Abel when we get home. If it’s that upsetting, I don’t want to poke those memories back to life for Bax.”

He felt Felix’s lips curve against his skin. “Thank you. I get so angry, sometimes, when I hear stories from the other omegas. And then I feel guilty because I was unhappy with my life and it was so much better than theirs.”

“Sweetheart, you have nothing to feel guilty over.” Kaden closed his arms tighter around his mate. “Your life was no bed of roses, either.”

“Better than what they get here.” Felix sighed. “I don’t know what I want to have happen here. Right now, I’m not having very happy thoughts about a lot of packs.”

Kaden kissed the side of Felix’s neck. “Tell me what I can do.”

Felix shook his head and stepped back. “We should get back downstairs. They’ll probably be looking for us. For you, anyway. I don’t think they’d notice if I didn’t come back.”

“I don’t care about them. I’d miss you. Come on down and let’s confound their expectations.”

Felix laughed, and if his steps weren’t enthusiastic as he followed Kaden down the stairs, he at least came willingly and his hand in Kaden’s was filled with trust.