Page 3 of Wild Omegas (Wild Skies Ranch Omegaverse #1)

Josie

Brooks and Carson have my things unloaded into the main house in a matter of minutes.

There’s a large amount of reorganizing I’ll need to do in the fridge and kitchen in general, but the rest will have to wait.

Thankfully the main bedroom is on the first floor so at least I can shuffle around without them needing to carry me anywhere further.

I can still feel Carson’s massive muscular arms around me. I felt so small and fragile in his hold, but safe . Half his size and still like nothing could touch me.

Except him, of course.

And his cedar scent. His warmth. God, he’s so fucking hot. All three of them are. Even Brooks who’s campfire scent confuses my fight-or-flight response. My body wants to run from smoke on instinct after what I did to my bakery, but at the same time I’m drawn right on in by his pheromones.

I see you, Grandma. I see what she’s doing here. Her offering me Wild Skies Ranch wasn’t a pitying last chance at making a life. It was a chance at love. At a pack.

Maybe Grandma doesn’t know these three men working for her are alphas.

Maybe she…

Oh, who am I kidding? It wouldn’t be the first time she’s played matchmaker in our family. That’s how Mom met Dad, and how my aunt met her husband.

Grandma is always involved.

Unfortunately, love or joining a pack is the very last thing on my mind even if it would please my grandmother and appease my parents. I’m just… not ready for that. I’m still processing my actions in New York and what it means that it failed in more than one way.

And that’s to say nothing of processing my inability to fucking walk straight in front of three gorgeous alphas I’ll be sharing this ranch with for the next year.

Luke returns with painkillers and a bag of ice wrapped in a towel. I hike up my leg onto the couch with some pillows underneath so I can keep it raised.

“Here.” Luke hands me both the ice and the painkillers bottle.

“Thank you.” I set the towel-wrapped ice bag onto my ankle and then open the bottle. Two pills later I smile up at Luke. “Pretty sure it’s not the first time I’ve twisted an ankle here.”

Luke grins. “If I recall correctly, there was at least once you where you were running to see me.”

My cheeks warm instantly with the memory. How. Embarrassing. That was so long ago, back when my crush on Luke filled far too many waking moments. “I was excited. I’d been gone for weeks because of school.”

Without initially realizing it my hand reaches toward him now, a finger outstretched, but I pull back.

That was a lot years ago, before Luke could even grow facial hair let alone the full black beard he has now.

Before either of us had presented designations.

But there’d always been some sort of draw.

Luke looks ahead—pointedly not at me anymore. “I always wondered how you were. I see your grandparents from time to time, of course. They say you’re doing well.”

I swallow hard. I might’ve been doing well until about a year ago when everything started going decidedly wrong. Slow bakery sales, high property taxes and business costs. Losing my pack hurt even more. I was losing my dream and only path toward romance and maybe even a family at the same time.

And then the darkness grew far too dark and tempting.

“Yeah, I’m trying.” It sounds weak, and like a lie. Because it is one. But I feel like telling my childhood crush who I haven’t seen in twenty years that my life is a literal steaming pile of debris because of an angry alpha crime lord is probably too much information for today.

A deep crease forms in Luke’s dark brow as if he’s sensing the lie or the weighted reasons behind it. “That’s good.”

“And you?” I gesture at the window to the ranch beyond. “I had no idea you were still working here.”

Luke chuckles lightly. “Yeah, well. Wild Skies is my home, too. I’ve never thought of leaving, and when your grandparents were hiring years ago, I thought why not? It made my grandparents happy, too. So, double win.”

Right. His grandparents. His and mine were childhood best friends and while mine owned Wild Skies, Luke’s grandparents worked here long enough that he sure as hell has as much claim to it now as I do.

“How are your grandparents?” I ask.

Luke smiles. “They’re good. They’re enjoying life.”

“Good.” I can’t help but smile too. “They were always so nice to me and my cousins. I always loved them for that.”

My family isn’t the most functional, but my grandparents did their best. And Luke’s grandparents welcomed me and my cousins on plenty of occasions. Then me and my cousins all left for New York and, it would seem, rarely visited again.

“I’ll have to visit them while I’m here.”

Luke nods and turns back to me. “I’m sure they’d love to see how you’re doing. I can take you sometime.”

“Or I can drive,” I say too quickly.

Luke’s brow creases again. “Sure, yeah. Didn’t mean to?—”

“I just meant that?—”

Luke raises his hand. “I don’t assume the friendship we had as kids still stands, that’s all.”

That cuts deep and I’m not sure why. It’s a legitimate thing to say. But coming from him, it stings and stings.

“No,” I say. “I just mean that I wouldn’t trouble you is all. But if you want to go see your grandparents with me who am I to say no? Of course you can drive us.”

Fuck. Why is this awkward? Why am I so awkward?

Luke reaches out slowly until his fingertips brush mine. I watch it happen. He watches too, as if he’s waiting for me to pull away. It makes me wonder if he had a childhood crush on me, too. But when you’re ten years old you know nothing.

Now, with his deep whisky and leather alpha scent, I am now certain about one thing: I am scent-matched to all three of these alphas.

I inch my hand closer. The small contact of our fingertips sends an electric shock through my body. A wave of butterflies settles into somersaults in my stomach. We hold the contact for a long moment that spans several heartbeats before Luke pulls away wordlessly.

Shit. I’m rude to Carson and now alienating Luke. What a great start to getting to know my new house-mates. To reconnecting—however accidentally—with my childhood friend and crush.

“Are...” No, I need to ask. No chickening out. “Are you all a pack? I can scent you all.”

Luke licks his lips and nods. “We are. And you’re…”

“An omega,” I supply as a weighted electricity slips into place between us. Like a fire ready to ignite with a single spark.

“A scent-matched one.”

“So it would seem.”

Luke nods again and chuckles lightly. “How about that.”

“A surprise around every corner.” I leave it at that, not sure what to say next. My ankle is now nice and cold from the ice and the painkillers should kick in soon. “I promise I didn’t mean to make quite so chaotic an entrance.”

“It’s okay.” Luke rises and gestures wide. “We need some excitement around here to keep us on our toes. Brooks is good with cars and other machinery. He can get a new muffler on there for you.”

My eyebrows raise. “Really?”

Luke nods. “Easy as pie. When you’re up to it we can give you a tour in one of the ATVs. I imagine not much has changed around here, but you never know.” He points upstairs. “We’ve been staying in the guest wing so we won’t be in your hair, but let us know if there’s anything at all you need.”

So they are living here. Part of me bristles at this.

I was hoping for near total isolation while I unpacked and finally dealt with everything that’s happened.

But even I can’t knock the idea of being surrounded by capable alphas while my fear of Damien finding me is so strong.

Not that that’s fair to this alpha pack.

I won’t put them in the middle of this, which means they can never know why I’m really here. Even Luke.

I smile up at him. “I’d love a tour, thank you. It’s been a while since I was last here. But I should warn you I’ll be protective of the kitchen.”

Luke waves me off. “None of us are good cooks. The kitchen is yours.”

“Good.” I look at my ankle then back up at him. “Give me an hour?”

“Perfect, I’ll come back then with Brooks and Carson.” Luke ducks out into the main hallway.

When I see them all again it’s to load onto three ATVs. I climb gingerly onto the back of Luke’s and they show me around the ranch. Not much has changed but it’s nice to see it all. To take in the fresh air and the view of the powerful mountains surrounding us on three sides.

Luke works with the horses, with a specialty in breaking in the wild or unruly ones. Carson keeps the gardens and grounds. And Brooks already has my car rigged up in his mechanics shed near the sheep fields.

The three of them have things working in such a flawless manner that it almost seems rude to barge in on them like I have.

I’ll do my best to stay out of the way and help where I can.

It’s the least I can do. But I’m not quite sure how the hell I’m going to ignore three alphas and the giant scent-matched elephant hanging in the room between us every minute of every day.

Especially not once my heat comes.

And especially not if Damien manages to find me here… I’ll be placing these alphas’ lives on the line. Damien’s notoriously ruthless way of handling things is why I had to leave New York in the first place.

That solidifies it then. I can’t get attached. I can’t get involved.

In fact, I need to make them all leave me alone. Nothing can happen between us or they’ll become a pawn for Damien if he finds me here.

Maybe Damien won’t.

Maybe Damien doesn’t even care anymore.

But I don’t know, and because I don’t know, I can’t let myself grow close to Wild Skies Pack. Even though I want to.