Page 6 of Omega's Heart

I cast about for the right words. “I don’t think that will happen, sir. I’m sure I’ll miss my family—I love them, very much. But,” and here I looked down and away, because the things I was going to say were hurtful for both sides of this conversation. “My future here is a bleak one, sir. It’s getting harder every year, pretending I don’t hear the jokes, don’t see them whispering as I walk by.” My voice got smaller and smaller with each word, until I was down to a whisper myself. “I don’t want to go to Full Moon anymore.”

That seemed to shock him, because Full Moon parties were our religion, our way of remembering the Lord and Lady of Wolves and how they brought us into being. For a wolf to decide not to go anymore—that was just short of denying that they were a shifter, even. Dad’s hand tightened on mine, and I realized he hadn’t figured that part out yet. Sorry, Dad.

The Alpha leaned back in his chair and stared silently at me for what felt like forever, then he stood up and came around the desk. Anxiously, I got to my feet to stand in front of him, my Dad only a fraction of a second behind.

He put his hands on my shoulders like he would an elder of the pack or a young alpha moving on to the next stage of his life. “Felix,” he said in a grave and gentle voice. “I owe you the greatest apology an Alpha could owe his packmate. I never realized how badly this was hurting you. Would you like me to find you a mate? Your sire has a small fund of credits set aside against your mating— White River will add to it, and I can contact a few of the bigger packs, offer to host some older alphas. There might also be some alphas here who were interested but didn’t feel they could support an omega and so didn’t speak to your sire. With a larger prydaya, they might be convinced to come forward now.”

It was tempting, so tempting. But if an alpha only wanted me for my prydaya, what sort of mating was that? There’d be no love or respect there, not even any pride in being able to support an omega. It could be just as miserable an experience as being unmated the rest of my life, only with a mate to answer to who would eventually grow to resent me.

I think the Alpha saw it in my face, because his expression changed, became just a little sadder, and he patted my shoulders before letting his arms fall to his sides. “Consider it, anyway, over the course of these next few days. And then, if you’re still set on moving to Mercy Hills, I’ll make the arrangements.”

“Thank you, Alpha,” I whispered and gratefully faded into the background as he and my father discussed a few more details of the deal, and then Dad was escorting me out the door and I could breathe again. The night air was wonderful.

And I was going to Mercy Hills.

C H A P T E R 5

I f you’ve seen one hospital, you’ve seen them all. Germany, Washington, Minneapolis. No matter the different floor plans, the different doctors and nurses, the walls never quite managed to shed their absorbed miasma of pain and anger and quiet desperation. This one was no different.

Kaden never really slept in the hospital, unless they had him doped to the ears. Even then, it wasn’t sleep like he was accustomed to and he didn’t feel any better after he woke up than he had before.

Sometimes he thought he could hear things out of his left ear, but it might just have been ‘aural artifacts’—as the doctor had shouted to him one day. They were going to fit his other ear for a hearing aid someday soon to make up for the hearing loss that all soldiers experienced in the course of duty. But his left ear wasn’t much better than a dead weight, only the occasional screaming whine of tinnitus to remind him that there were still nerves in there.

They told him he might get some hearing back as the swelling went down and things healed. “But don’t hold your breath,” they’d said immediately after. Trying to give him hope, he thought, without actually raising any.

Fucking doctors.

All things considered, he’d gotten off lucky. If the grenade had landed closer to him than to Honisloonz, he’d be dead. Half a leg, half a hand, and half an ear were a small price to pay for the continued privilege of breathing.

It was more than Honisloonz had gotten.

Something always hurt though, even with the painkillers. It was his hand that woke him up today, stabbing pains where the outer two fingers on his left hand had been. The middle finger, where they’d pinned and pieced it together, had subsided to a dull sickening ache, but those damn missing fingers... He swore he could feel them twitch against the bed covers.

The creak of the chair beside his bed clued him in to the fact that he wasn’t alone in his room. Cautiously, he cracked his eyelids and peered in that direction.

“Quin!” His voice sounded like it belonged to their grandfather, but he didn’t care. Quin’s head, bent over his phone, had come up like he’d scented a rabbit as soon as Kaden spoke and he grinned and stood to come over to the bed.

“Good afternoon, Sleeping Myroslava,” he said and shoved the phone in his pocket before reaching out to take Kaden’s hand.

“Fuck that, old wolf. And stop mumbling.” Kaden pulled him close. “How long’s it been? No hugs for your little brother? Or what’s left of him,” he added. He had vague memories of Quin being here before. And… Cas? A sober Cas, no smiles or sharp jokes.

Naw, it must have been a dream.

Quin gave him a careful hug, then pulled the chair closer and sat down. “How are you feeling?” He spoke louder and directly toward Kaden’s right ear, which made it easier to hear him.

“Like I got run over by a truck.”

“I spoke to the doctors.”

“Oh?” Kaden hit the button to bring the head of his bed up higher. “What did they tell you?”

Quin shrugged. “Nothing I imagine they haven’t told you.”

“I don’t know what they’ve told me. They’ve been hitting me pretty hard with the good stuff.”

“That’ll only last so long.” Quin paused and looked down briefly before catching Kaden’s eye and squinting a little at him. “You know they’re not likely going to let you ship out again.”

“Really?” Kaden let the sarcasm soak the word, then closed his eyes. “Yeah, I kind of figured that. There’s been a little talk about rehab, but I’ve been so out of it most of the time I don’t know much about it.” He frowned. “Did you get travel orders issued?”