Chapter Five

Chapter Five.

Jordan

She is an omega. She has to be one. She’s small, smells divine, and just started making a fucking nest in Jake’s room out of his soiled sheets.

It would also explain her wolf’s inherent trust in us to protect her. Omegas are drawn to Alphas, just as we’re drawn to them. And I am absolutely fucking drawn to this little beast with her pretty

white fur and intelligent brown eyes. Her scent is a goddamn beacon as well, practically radiating fuck me vibes all over our den.

I lead her to the dining room to find the table set for four. Which is obviously not going to work since she’s still in wolf form. I frown, searching for a better place to set her food down.

Kev has already sliced up the meal into bite size pieces, likely anticipating her wolfish state. That also explains why he chose these lipped plates. They’re almost like bowls, but flat on the bottom with edges.

Picking up her dish, I glance at the ground beside the table and decide that’s not going to work. She can’t eat at our feet. Kev and Jake seem to feel the same way as they both are searching for a better place to eat while the little wolf leans against my legs and gazes up at me wistfully.

I doubt she’s eaten much, if anything, since she woke up after we rescued her.

“Let’s eat in the living area,” Jake suggests, picking up his plate and fork. He swapped his wet jeans for a pair of sweats before coming up and seems to be quite comfortable with our little visitor now evidenced by the small grin he gives her. “We can gather around the coffee table.”

Kev nods, grabbing his plate as well and taking it to the room before coming back for mine.

Jake returns to grab our drinks which leads me to ask, “Do we have a big mug?” Because our little wolf is going to need some water with this meal.

“On it,” Jake says, already on his way back from the living area. The female is still pressed up against my leg, probably because Ipromised to feed her.

I lead her into the living area where Jake is setting down pillows to function as chairs. Then he takes the seat on the floor that gives him the

best view of the room and the door, and gestures for me to sit beside him.

Kev settles across from me, and the female sits next to me.

I set her bowl on the table. Then add her mug to the edge. It’s still a little tall for her, so I end up setting it on the ground.

She huffs a little, but lays down to eat. Or she tries to, anyway. She keeps snorting, her nose hitting the lip of the plate as she attempts to daintily take a bite.

“No need to be polite or elegant here,” I tell her. “Just dig in and use your tongue.”

“Or let your wolf guide you,” Jake suggests. “It’s all about finding balance between you and your wolf. Once you start truly working together,you’ll feel better.”

She glances up at him, then dips her snout in the water mug and sneezes.

“Tongue, beautiful,” I say again. “Use your tongue.”

“And your wolf,” Jake echos, taking a bite of his salmon steak. She continues to try to eat, her agitation palpable. These are the sorts of skills that should come naturally to a wolf but she’s never been taught any of them a realization that irritates me to no end.

But she doesn’t give up. She tries various ways to eat, including lapping up some of the salmon with her tongue. And after ten or so minutes, she finally finds a groove that allows her to enjoy her meal.

We could have scattered it on the ground or fed her from our hands, but these are life skills she needs to survive.

This time she laps up the water rather than sticking her snout in the cup.Kev goes to refill it when she finishes.

And she drinks a whole second cup.When he starts to stand again, she snorts and shakes her head.

Jake smiles. “Well done, little one. Do you think you can try shifting now?”

She stares at him for a moment, her gaze hardening. After several minutes she huffs and plops down.

Jake studies her, humming thoughtfully. Then after a moment he nods.

“We’ll try again tomorrow.”

She sighs in response to that, her dejection hurting my heart. Shifting should come naturally to all wolves. But her pack purposely stunted her

growth.It’s one of the many reasons I hate the Moon pack.

And the Crescent Pack isn’t much better. They thrive on masculine superiority.

Yes, Alpha males are superior to others of our species. However, that doesn’t mean we should belittle those born weaker than us. We’re meant to protect them, not harm them. Which requires hierarchy within a pack and devout obedience.

But it also means knowing when to nurture, something we are all trying to do with her now.

“Are you okay?” I ask, deciding a distraction is needed to help pull her away from her failure. As Jake mentioned earlier, it’s very likely her former mate is the reason she can’t shift. Which means one of us is going to have to force her back into human form.

But that would be too much for tonight. Something Jake clearly already realized when he said she could try again tomorrow. The little wolf peeks up at me, her dark brown eyes blinking.

While Jake received a report of her incoming arrival, he was never given her name. Just all the details about her pack origin, the Alpha’s son who rejected her, and how she supposedly almost killed her alpha and beta.

I’m struggling with that last bit. She doesn’t strike me as a killer.

She stands, her eyes on me and pokes me in the chest with her snout.

Her scent is a big part of the allure. But it’s also the innate sweetness to her aura and the fighter we can all

see lurking in her eyes.

This female is going to be fun once she shifts back into her human self.

“Are you tired, little one?” Jake asks when Vanessa  yawns. She leans into him a little more, seeking the comfort of his Alpha touch another thing only an Omega would ever truly do.

It’s possible this is the result of whatever trauma led up to her being here and all the trauma she has been through or perhaps the trauma of that specific event.

But I suspect it’s so much more. Because her aroma is intoxicating and a drug to our senses.

Unless she’s been sent here as some sort of glorified trap. Pheromones can be altered, after all.

And if that’s the case, she’ll die. Painfully.

“Hmm, I’m translating that as a yes,” Jake muses as she yawns again.

“I don’t suppose you want to sleep in the guest room?”

She seems to consider it, but the shiver in her fur tells us everything we need to know she won’t feel safe there.

“Just let her have her nest,” I say, taking the decisions away from her. I’m not trying to be cruel or pushy, I just want to make it easier on her. Somehow I just know she’ll opt for the guest room and then not sleep a wink.

Jake’s expression says he suspected the same.

It’s the fighter beneath her skin, and now that she has control of her wolf,she’ll try to be independent. But her wolf knows what she needs

Alphas capable of protecting her from the predators outside. Besides, it’ll be easier having her sequestered at the back of the den. That scent of hers is a beacon, and someone may just be stupid enough to try to follow it in here.

I would prefer to be the one to properly welcome whatever idiot is suicidal enough to enter, and not leave Vanessa  upstairs to defend for herself.

While that leap at Jack’s throat was impressive, it would not be enough to take down a determined Alpha.

Vanessa  doesn’t protest, instead choosing to follow Jake as he leads her to the stairs. “I believe you know the rest of the way,” he tells her. “I’ll take the guest room for tonight so you can have your space.”

She seems to pause at that, the female inside thinking.But a little nudge to her rump with his palm has her scurrying down the stairs.

He waits a beat, likely listening for her to do as she was told, then returns to the living area to start picking up dishes.

“She has to be an Omega,”I say conversationally as I help carry several empty plates to the sink.

“No shit,” Kev agrees, helping as well. “Jake just gave up his room to her. Only an Omega could accomplish that.”

Jake snorts. “She’s fragile and I don’t want to risk her wolf taking complete control again.”

“You really think that’s why she can’t shift?” I wonder aloud. “Or is it the Alpha dick who did this to her?”

“We’ll know in the morning.” He starts scrubbing plates, telling me he’s even more distracted than he cares to let on. Because Jake only cleans

when he’s thinking seriously about something.

Kev and I share a look, then clear the rest of the living room while Jake takes on the domestic chores in the kitchen.

By the time he’s done, I know he has a plan because there’s a strategic glint in his blue eyes. “We’ll test her in the morning, see if she’s ready to

take back complete control. If she’s not, we’ll give her another day or two under our protection to see if that helps.”

“And if it doesn’t?” I prompt.

“Then I’ll do what needs to be done.” He doesn’t sound happy about it.I don’t blame him. Commanding a shift hurts the other wolf, and that’s the very last thing any of us would want to do to an Omega.

But part of being an Alpha is knowing when to take charge and force situations for the betterment of the other party.

And, in this case, it’ll be to Vanessa ’s benefit to learn how to shift back. She’ll hate him for it at first. However, she’ll eventually forgive him.

Probably around the time he knots her. No Omega can resist an Alpha’s cock.

Perhaps that’ll be her final test to see if those pheromones are real or not. If she dies, she lied. If she survives, she’s ours.

Jake’s wrist begins to vibrate, his watch warning him of an incoming call. “It’s my father,” he says, turning off the water. “I’ll let you know what he says about the girl.”

He disappears from view, heading down to his office.Kev and I share yet another look something we seem to be doing frequently tonight.

“Want to take bets on which idiot tries to find her first?” I ask him, referring to the crescent pack.

“A bet against you?” He snorts. “They better be good stakes.”

“Winner knots the Omega first?” I suggest. It doesn’t have to apply to Vanessa , just whoever our future Omega may be. It just happens to be her presence here today that gives me the idea for the bet.

“I think she’ll be choosing Jake for that,” Kev replies, confirming that he agrees Vanessa  isn’t just an Omega, but our intended Omega. “Her wolf picked his bed, after all.”

“A given. I meant the winner between us knots her first after Jake.”

Because we’re an Alpha circle. If Jake mates her, we all mate her. And given how comfortable she seemed with us tonight, I doubt that’ll be much of an issue for her. However, again, this bet applies to whoever the Omega of our future is which I very much hope is sweet little Vanessa .

Kev considers it. “All right.” He makes his pick.

I make mine. And the bet is on.