Page 98 of Omega's Heart

Kaden managed to catch his future mate’s eye, then with slow deliberation he reached for the bundle of cloth and tugged at it. “It should be folded,” he said blandly and successfully freed the t-shirt so he could do just that. Felix watched him as if he was watching his last hope fall beneath the fangs of the pack, but he didn’t argue when Kaden reached again to take his jeans from him.

Kaden was careful not to look at Felix until he’d folded the jeans and tossed them onto the seat of the wheelchair to get up to whatever indecent shenanigans clothing might get up to when unsupervised. And when he did, he took a deep breath, scenting through his mouth until he knew every subtle difference of Felix’s scent. Not only did his mate smell like all Kaden’s Midwinter wishes come true, but he was as beautiful naked as Kaden had thought he would be.

Felix took a breath himself, though Kaden thought it was more nerves than trying to scent.

“Felix,” Kaden said softly and waited for Felix to meet Kaden’s gaze. “What do you say we just get the contract signed tomorrow and have the ceremony in a month?”

“I don’t understand...”

Kaden reached out to take his hand. “If I had both legs, I’d have you up against that tree right now. Or, well, maybe not. You said you wanted to wait. But you’re making it damned hard, Felix White River.” He tugged Felix up against him and let himself kiss the omega the way he’d do it on their mating night, slow and deep and possessive. Felix shivered and somehow…molded himself to Kaden’s body, as if he’d become made of putty, meant to fit exactly against Kaden.

Funny, he hardly noticed anymore that Felix was taller than him. If anything, it was sexy—real sexy. A tiny thing like Julius, you couldn’t ever be sure that he hadn’t just been overpowered; when Felix yielded, it was because he wanted to. Kaden shuddered and spread his good hand over the small of Felix’s back, exploring the curve of muscle and dip of spine, almost shaking with the effort it took not to explore further. He could feel Felix’s reaction against him, smell the omega’s willingness to give up on his mating night wish—

Kaden broke the kiss, though it cost him more in willpower and almost physical pain to do it. He pressed his forehead against Felix’s, but closed his eyes so he wouldn’t be lost in the gold-flecked green of his future mate’s. Felix seemed as overwhelmed as he was; his chest rose and fell against Kaden’s like he’d been running full-tilt across the enclave.

They stood like that for a few minutes, oblivious to the world around them, until the sound of paws running past in the park startled them apart like guilty teenagers.

“I’m sorry,” Felix began.

Kaden growled at him. “We’re adults, and betrothed. I was as responsible as you were.” He added after a moment’s thought, “But it might be best if we either changed and ran, or put our clothes back on.” He eyed Felix appreciatively. “I see now why they kept you all separated. Don’t know why I never saw the appeal of an omega until now, but damn. Of course, you’re not a Salma omega either. Thank Lysoon.” He rubbed his hand over his hair and then down to knead at the muscles of his neck, tight with the need to do something. “What do you want to do?”

Felix stared at him with solemn eyes, then tipped his head to the side a little. “I’d like to run, but we can go back to the apartment if you’d rather.”

Kaden shook his head. “I haven’t run since the grenade.” He closed his eyes again, felt the breeze against his skin, wondered how to sit his ass down on the ground without it being really awkward.

“Do you want help getting down to the ground?”

Kaden opened his eyes with a start.

Felix laughed softly. “No, I’m not one of those. You just looked down at the ground and grimaced.” He shrugged and blushed again. “I like to watch you.”

Oh. “Let’s run,” Kaden suggested. “I haven’t seen your wolf form yet.”

Felix laughed. “It’s nothing special. I look like all the rest of my family.”

“I still want to see it.”

Felix shrugged. “You want some help?”

Kaden glanced at the tree beside him. “I think I can manage.” He expected an argument, but Felix simply nodded agreement then took a step away and began to change.

While he waited, Kaden used the tree to inch himself down to the ground. By the time he had himself firmly planted in the sparse grass, Felix had finished his shift and was in the middle of stretching out the stiffness that generally followed after.

He was black. Coal black with, oddly enough, one white eyebrow. “Did you hit your head on something when you were a pup?” Kaden asked.

Felix tipped his head to one side then dipped it in a wolfish nod.

“I can see it in your fur.” Damn, but it was almost the only thing he could see. Here under the trees, Felix wasn’t much more than a dark blot in the shadows, his eyes and teeth and the one eyebrow the only things that stood out clearly. “Come here,” Kaden told him.

Felix shuffled over and let Kaden bury his face in the ruff of his neck. “You’re gorgeous, don’t let anyone tell you differently.” Even in wolf form, Felix was at least the size of an alpha, heavy-shouldered and long-legged, his cheekbones broad and strong-looking under the fur. He looked like he could hunt for hours without trouble. Kaden slid his hand down Felix’s side, delighting in the shiver beneath his palm. “I like your coat. You won’t like mine as much, I’m kinda bristly.”

Felix snorted as if to say, You’re an alpha, which made Kaden laugh. “Okay, give me a minute and I’ll join you for a run.”

The shift brought all his parts alive again, even the ones that were missing. For the briefest of horrible moments, his leg burned like fire and then it faded back to its usual mild ache and weird absence. His hearing aid popped out onto the ground and he stared at it in dismay. Dammit. Idiot.

Felix nosed him, then delicately picked the little mechanism up in his teeth and deposited it on the seat of the wheelchair. Kaden licked his cheek to say thank you before attempting his first tentative steps toward the park, with Felix following no more than a whisker’s distance behind to watch him, like an omega with a pup.

He missed the leg. Boy, did he miss it. He felt off-balance and awkward, like he could fall over at any moment. Felix stayed on his left side, anxious eyes watching him closely. Kaden turned his head and grumbled at the omega, but Felix just flicked an ear and kept right on pacing him.