Page 5 of Tending Our Omega (Saved by the Alpha Pack #1)

Romi

“Where’d that guy go? The one with the food order,” Maeve asked, two huge bags in her hand.

“I-I don’t know.” I really didn’t. I did know he left because of me, but that was okay. He needed to… Being around him was stirring up feelings I did not need to have. Didn’t matter how hot he was or how kind he seemed. There was no room in my life for him or any other alpha.

“Just leave it on the table. He’s probably coming back.

Maybe he went out to get a smoke.” That last part was a lie.

If he was a smoker, I’d have smelled it on him, but I didn’t.

He’d probably forgotten, and he’d be back to get the food.

Either that, or he’d cut his losses and fled.

We’d find out soon enough. “Is there a number on it?”

Maeve shook her head. “Nah, he ordered it here, so I figured we were good.”

She put it on the table and we went about our business.

It wasn’t an overly busy night, but crowded enough I had people waiting for me.

I brought beers to table five. Maeve put in her order for one of the larger tables that had come in.

The local dart players came in for their weekly get together and before I knew it, ten minutes had passed then fifteen then twenty, and the food was still sitting there.

This time the bar manager/owner, Thomas came out.

He was Maeve’s husband. Husband because they were human and had been married for longer than I had been alive.

Unlike most humans, they knew about shifters, and a good chunk of their customers were shifters.

When I first applied for the job, I assumed it was a shifter bar.

It had all the vibes. I discovered it was because the owners didn’t mind the bullshit that sometimes came with alphas getting drunk.

I’d never tell I’d never tell her this, but I was pretty sure that most of the alphas within a half-hour radius were scared of Maeve. I actually found it quite amusing.

“We’ve got to get them their food,” Thomas said. “Do we have any information on them?”

I understood why he felt that way, but I’d have loved to just leave it there until closing time and call it good. If I pretended it wasn’t there, maybe our interaction didn’t happen. Right?

“Yes, but it’s not good information.” I replayed the conversation we had in my head to make sure I didn’t have any other clues. “They’re staying at the Airbnb.”

“Did they say which one?”

“No, but there’s only a handful in town, and we have all that information on file.” Why was I helping? Because part of me wanted to see them again, a part of me that was growing by the minute. Why did they have to pick our bar to stop at?

Thomas had been smart, and when people started signing up to rent out their homes, he made deals with them to advertise delivery at a discount, not to the customers buying the food but to the owners.

Each delivery we made to one of their homes gave them a kickback and, when they came in, they could drink on the cheap.

The win-win had done wonders for our business.

Thomas gave me his famous don’t. “Don’t make me ask just do it” look.

I hated it because I always caved. I might be strong and tough and determined, but, when it came to Thomas, I gave him the respect I would give the alpha of my pack.

He never demanded it or even asked for it.

He probably didn’t even realize I was doing it, but it felt right.

“Fine. I’ll take it, but I don’t know how long I’ll be.”

I didn’t want to take a chance on us getting a bad name with any of the owners, and because I didn’t want to deal with my attraction to the strangers, I grabbed the bag and headed to the closest Airbnb. A young couple with a bunch of kids opened the door looking very perplexed.

“I’m sorry, we have a delivery, and I thought it was here…”

The woman smiled. “Oh, that’s fine. Have a good day.”

And then shut the door, and off I went to the next one to find it empty. I was on number six when I finally found my quarry. My wolf could sense it before I even stopped the car and opened the door, and then their scent hit me. This was where they were staying.

I just needed to drop off the food, and go back to work, I told myself—not for the first time—this was a delivery, nothing more.

I sucked in a deep breath, grabbed the bags, and climbed out of the car.

Halfway to the cabin door, I saw them—not one, not two, but all three of the men wearing their fur.

Their wolves were stunning and took my breath away.

One was a rich gray with little flecks of white and the bluest eyes I’d ever seen.

Another more of a deep brown with eyes of green.

And the third was smaller than the other two, and oh, his fur light, but not to the point of white. And his eyes—a rich gold.

“Hey, guys, you left your food, so I’m going to put it on the porch and head out.”

They didn’t move, not even to nod their wolf heads, and I brought their food where I told them I would, left it there, and went back to the car. But something prevented me from leaving. I had more to say, and with them unable to speak back, it felt easier.

“Listen, I don’t mean to be rude to you guys. I really don’t. It’s just…my life is complicated. And I know that sounds cliché, but it’s true.”

I closed my eyes, trying to figure out exactly how much I should say.

I’d upset him enough that he left—left without food—and given that they were staying here, they might not have any of their own to cook up.

Was that why they were in their fur? Were they trying to hunt something to eat because I was so rude?

No, not rude. Boundary setting. And I needed to be. Maddox needed me to be.

“I guess that’s all I have to say.”

Now, I was leaning on the car. Why couldn’t I just leave? It would be so much easier if I could leave, but there I stood, unable to do so.

What was it about these alphas, about this pack, about these wolves? Why couldn’t I stay away?