Page 4 of Spark (Damselverse #2)

Chapter four

Nolan

“ I t’s okay, Ruby, you can count on me to take care of the kittens,” I say, offering the pretty Omega a wink for good measure.

No one can resist these charms after all.

Yet the Omega just mumbles something unintelligible, face turned away as she tries to process everything that has happened.

I get it. She’s been through a traumatic experience, and if I ever get my hands on the kids who chased her all the way to this garage, then I’ll fucking kill them.

She’s too far for me to ascertain, but if there’s a possibility that she’s Dacre’s Omega, then she could very well be mine, too.

If only I could get closer and sniff her, but I don’t want to put her through more stress.

Besides, I want her to trust me. She seems to care about these kittens, so I will make sure they get all the care they need.

They’ve been through enough themselves.

Poor things.

Still, I find myself reluctant to leave Ruby, and Dacre really wasn’t exaggerating.

She’s gorgeous—my dream woman. Long ebony hair, big hazel eyes, and a cute button nose.

Maybe one day, I will get to look at her from up close, too. But I will take gazing at her from a distance for the time being.

Now the kittens mew helplessly in the box as I head over to my car, strapping them up on the backseat with a seat belt.

I take them to the best vet in the city.

Aiden.

He's a long-time friend, and when I pull up outside his big fancy house, the one he shares with his two pack brothers and his single Omega, Halle, he’s already waiting.

“Bring them in,” he sighs.

I get it. There are just too many cats on the streets these days. Dane, his pack brother, who's also a firefighter like Dacre, brings in enough animals for him as it is.

And here I am, adding to his workload.

But Aiden will help regardless. Never one to turn away a stray.

Much like myself.

He checks over each tiny, frightened kitten on his examination table, and fuck, they’re bloody cute. All big, blue eyes and extra fluff.

And don’t forget spicy, too.

Each one gives him a hiss as they wiggle in his massive hands. One even bites his thumb, and it’s my favorite kitten by far.

“It looks like we have two girls and one boy,” Aiden finally announces, placing them back into the box.

They huddle up in the corner immediately, and it’s hard to tell where one kitten begins and the other ends as three sets of eyes stare at both of us.

“Which one is the boy?” I ask.

“The one with socks,” he replies.

I find the kitten. Unlike his sisters, who are full tabby, he wears little white socks on his feet.

He was the one who bit Aiden.

The kitten growls up at me next when I stare at him and his sisters for too long, and the message is perfectly clear.

Stay back, or I will attack.

Touché

“How old?”

Aiden shrugs. “About six weeks. Still young enough to be homed. Did they have a mother?”

I shake my head. “The Omega didn’t mention anything about a mother. She said she found them beneath the front seat of a truck.”

Aiden nods. “That’s right. The one Dacre saved.”

The Alpha gives me a curious look then.

“What’s it?” I ask.

He smirks, moving across to a first aid kit as he cleans up the kitten bite on his thumb. “Oh, I know that look… Dane had the exact same one on his face when he brought Halle home.”

I scoff, rebuking the idea immediately. “Ruby isn’t our Omega.”

“Not yet, anyhow,” Aiden quips, wrapping his thumb up in a band-aid. “You just wait.”

I roll my eyes as he keeps on taunting me, but deep down, I hope he’s right. I’ve been wanting to find an Omega for our pack for years, but every time I try, Xavier just barks at me.

“We don’t need an Omega,” he'll huff.

Easy for him to say…

“The kittens are all good to go. Do you have room at the shelter?”

I meet Aiden’s green eyes. “Just about.”

The vet sighs, putting the first aid box away. “Same here.”

Aiden has his own cattery connected to his clinic, and we often help each other out when a cat needs homing.

But lately, our facilities are both getting full.

When these kittens are old enough, we will have them spayed and neutered. It’s the best way to ensure no more unwanted kittens end up on the streets.

“Hopefully, you can find the mother, too,” Aiden notes just as I pick up the box.

“Yeah. She must have been close to the site of the fire. I will go back in a few days when the smoke has cleared up.”

And when we catch her, we will reunite her with her babies and perhaps find her a good home, too.

Apparently, Ruby had put the safety of these kittens before her own, and my heart pounds when I think of that shy, pert-nosed Omega again.

She truly is one of a kind.

But if she had been my Omega, then she never would have been in such a position where she had to put the lives of three helpless kittens before her own, anyway.

I leave Aiden’s clinic at last as I drive back to the shelter.

My receptionist, Daphne, is waiting at the door for me as I enter the front lobby. “So, no mother?” she asks.

I sigh, shaking my head as I place the kittens on the front desk. “No.”

Daphne shakes her head, taking a peek inside the box. “A shame. She must be missing her babies. If she’s still out there.”

Hopefully.

“I will be going back to the site of the fire in a few days to search for her. In the meantime, make sure these three are comfortable, Daph.”

With a smile, I pat Daphne’s shoulder, heading off to my office.

The whole time, I can’t stop thinking about Ruby. I wonder where she is right now as an uneasy feeling settles in my stomach.

That Omega isn’t safe, period. Call it Alpha intuition, but Ruby is in trouble.

And she needs our help.

I give my buddy Dacre a call. He answers on the second ring. “Are the kittens all good?”

“Yes,” I reply. “Dacre… we need to see her again.”

He falls silent on the other end of the phone as he takes a moment to respond. “I agree. She’s just been cleared by the medical team, and now… they’re taking her to the women's shelter.”

What… the shelter?

No.

That Omega does not belong in a shelter. They are not safe for Omegas.

I have made up my mind at last. “She’s staying with us.”

Dacre takes another moment to respond. Then he says, voice clear as day. “I couldn’t agree more. I can’t get her off my mind. Just… what will Xavier say?”

I sigh. “Leave him to me. I’m sure I can persuade him.”

“I don’t know. He’s pretty adamant on his stance on Omegas.”

My fist slams down hard on the desk, rattling my pens. “I don’t care. In the end, he’s not the only one in our pack.”

Dacre snorts. “All right. It’s your funeral.”

Yeah, I’m not afraid.

In the end, I’m prepared for his wrath because Ruby is worth it. I have three living kittens to prove that fact.

Xavier will just have to get over himself.

“Well, it's settled. We’ve got ourselves an Omega, D.”

Dacre chuckles and then hangs up the phone. Now I lean back in my chair, rubbing my temples.

That’s if she wants to come home with us. The choice is all hers.

But if she does choose us, then I will ensure she will never be caught in another fire again.

Because Ruby is mine.