Dewey

Resistant Omegas 5

Dewey Life isn’t easy, and Dewey knows that better than most. After living with a pack who used him as a toy and sex slave for two years, he finds hope when the Omega Network is created. But he has one condition… He’s already in love, and he won’t leave Taggart. Taggart wants what’s best for Dewey and has suffered plenty for him. A dire wolf in a gray wolf pack, the Alpha has been drugging him with wolfsbane for years to keep him weak. When the Council steps in and gives them sanctuary in Denver with Tristan and his men, the abuse stops, but difficult decisions follow. Percy and Azyle, the Betas from the closest dire pack, show up unexpectedly to see if Taggart and Dewey will fill the void in their inner circle. Can Taggart recover after being drugged for years, and will Dewey ever truly accept the Betas? Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Vampires/Werewolves Length: 35,283 words

DEWEY Resistant Omegas 5

Joyee Flynn

MENAGE AMOUR MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer. WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at [email protected]

A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK IMPRINT: Ménage Amour ManLove

DEWEY Copyright © 2012 by Joyee Flynn E-book ISBN: 978-1-61926-998-9 First E-book Publication: July 2012 Cover design by Jinger Heaston All cover art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers Dear Readers, If you have purchased this copy of Dewey by Joyee Flynn from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book. The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment. This is Joyee Flynn’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Flynn’s right to earn a living from her work. Amanda Hilton, Publisher www.SirenPublishing.com www.BookStrand.com

DEWEY Resistant Omegas 5 JOYEE FLYNN Copyright © 2012

Chapter 1 I hated this part. I hated standing here waiting to see who would win the hunt for me and what I’d have to endure the next week. Scratch that, I hated being with people who weren’t my choice as well. And then I hated having to be with my inner circle. Basically I hated my life. But I did have one silver lining to my crappy existence… Taggart. A man so fine and with such a big heart he could turn a straight man gay. I swear, he could. There were men in the pack who were straight but would make the exception for Taggart. As I stood there waiting to find out who’d own me for the next week, I prayed to whomever was listening or gave a shit to let Taggart win. I didn’t want to go with anyone else this week and I couldn’t deal with the pain in the eyes of the man I loved when I had to. It killed Taggart when he lost and I went to the winner. Maybe I should back up and explain the situation better. I was sold to this pack almost two years ago. The Alpha wasn’t gay and took me only at the claiming ceremony. One of my Betas was so busy kissing the Alpha’s ass that he fucked me just to gain favor. See, my Alpha didn’t have to fuck me to gain power, just someone in the inner

8

Joyee Flynn

circle does. I’m pretty sure that the Beta was in love with the Alpha, but that was a whole other can of worms. The other Beta loved screwing me relentlessly… But he was a sadistic son of a bitch who liked things that made my skin crawl. His idea of normal was so fucked up. Since the claiming ceremony when I became the Omega of this pack, I’d been used as a reward for the strongest wolves. Every month at the full-moon gathering I’d stand on one side of the pack lands, guarded by the lesser-of-two-evils Beta, while everyone else was on the other side. My Alpha gave the signal and it was a no-holds-barred chase to see who could get to me first. The winner got me for a week for whatever they want. Two or three if the Alpha was impressed with them or they were in his favor. But there had been times, I think when the Alpha was just bored, where he did this every week. I had a few other theories why for the past several months we’d been doing this weekly. One, I think he knew his sadistic Beta is going to end up killing me and wanted him to focus on something other than me. Two, if I belonged to someone else for the week, the Alpha didn’t have to deal with me and the other Beta could solely kiss his ass. Three, my Alpha was just a rat bastard. Four, he liked to keep the pack in good fighting condition so if something ever happened and the Council found out what he’d been up to, then he’s got soldiers to fight. That was why Taggart and I had to put on a show for the Alpha so he never found out that we were really in love. I know it tore my man up inside that he had to treat me so poorly in public, and he begged me to run away with him. But I just couldn’t do that to him. If we ran, he’d be a dead man walking if anyone ever found us. And so would I. “Wanna have sex while we wait?” my Beta asked quietly. I gave him points for asking, but my answer was still the same. “Not really,” I answered quietly as I leaned against him. He wasn’t a bad guy in the sense he was evil… He was just screwed up in

Dewey

9

the head. “Ryan had me last week and he did a number on me. I hurt in ways I didn’t think possible.” “Yeah, I saw the new marks and how you were limping. I hope he doesn’t get you again.” He didn’t look at me but he didn’t move either so I could stay standing by using him to lean on. I hoped Ryan didn’t get me again either. He was another fuck head. Ryan didn’t like sex unless the man under him was screaming in pain. I couldn’t even count how many bones of mine he’d broken when I’d belonged to him. Right now both my ankles were still healing and he’d dislocated my shoulder. Taggart was going to freak when he found out. And then blame himself for not getting to me first. It wasn’t his fault though. He was a special kind of wolf as well and our Alpha was threatened by him. So he remedied that by drugging Taggart with wolfsbane to keep his strength to that of a normal wolf or less. Did I mention my life sucked? I was having trouble not collapsing when I saw four wolves burst through the tree line. Taggart was in the lead and while that made me want to cry with relief, I saw Ryan was right on his heels, trying to bite his flank. “Man, Taggart really has a hard-on for you,” the Beta mumbled. “I know you’ve got that hot, tight little ass, but he acts almost like you’re dating.” “Yeah, I normally date rapists.” I snorted and shook my head, trying to pull off my disdain act while my stomach knotted. “He’s just as bad to me as Ryan or worse.” “That blows.” I knew the guy was trying to sound sympathetic but mostly he just seemed bored. As long as everyone never found out that Taggart and I were in love, they wouldn’t keep us apart. Speaking of Taggart, right when he was within a hundred yards of me, he spun in a fantastic move to take Ryan out. He grabbed the smaller wolf by the neck in his jaw and whipped him back behind

10

Joyee Flynn

Taggart. He never broke stride, slowed down, or acted as if it fazed him. My man had moves that no one could rival. Especially our Alpha. Taggart would have long since challenged him if he wasn’t being drugged regularly. I worried about the permanent damage the wolfsbane could do to him. But as things were, he might not win the fight against our Alpha and I wasn’t willing to take that risk. Plus, the Alpha fought dirty. If he knew he had a challenger, some type of accident would happen to the guy. I’d seen it before. I was snapped out of my thoughts when Taggart was now right on us and leapt at me. He shifted on the fly and knocked me to the ground, catching me before I hit dirt in a way no one else could see. To everyone else it looked like he’d given me one hell of a tackle. “I win,” he snarled against my neck as he spread my legs. “I beat everyone else and I get the prize.” “As the inner circle witness, I deem you the winner. Have fun with him,” the Beta replied and stepped back. The wolves who had lost were slowly catching up, along with our Alpha. We knew we were going to have an audience so we had to make it look good. I searched the faces that had gathered and found our Alpha. “Please,” I begged as Taggart moved to line up his cock to my hole. “Limit what he can do to me. I don’t deserve to suffer when I’ve been so obedient. He’s always too rough and Ryan broke more bones.” “If I decree no more broken bones and cutting you when they have you will you stop your constant whining?” He was thoroughly annoyed. I’d guess that he was mostly annoyed that he was sporting wood when he was supposedly very straight. “Yes, Alpha,” I said, giving a relieved smile and sigh. “I will be good and whine no more if you put those restrictions in. I understand the need to use me, I just don’t want someone to break your investment in keeping the pack strong.”

Dewey

11

“Too right. You cost us a small fortune,” he grumbled before facing everyone else. “I decree that the Omega shall no longer be abused in the extreme sense during his time with the winners.” I winced… That meant his Beta still could. “No more using blades and breaking of bones. He won’t last us long enough to make us all gods if he is damaged.” Everyone nodded in agreement though I could see Ryan was less than thrilled. The Alpha stared him down until he said yes that he understood. “May I partake in my prize, Alpha?” Taggart asked as he stared at my hole and ignored me as a person. “The sex of the hunt is only fun if I’m still wound up from it.” “Yes, yes, fuck him until he passes out if you wish.” Taggart didn’t hesitate, slamming into me with all he had. I played the game and screamed out in pretend pain. The truth was there was only a slight burn because Ryan had used me badly. I knew to stretch myself out before the hunts because no one ever took the time to prepare me. Taggart had once and it had almost blown everything for us. “Stop fucking him with everything other than your dick, Ryan,” Taggart said dangerously with a grunt. “You’re going to damage him in a way he can’t recover from. His hole is so abused and sore I can feel the heat of the reknitting muscles on my cock.” I blushed, unable to hide my embarrassment at his statement. I turned my head in shame, squeezing my eyes shut. Taggart had to be distant or we’d be found out and he wanted the Alpha to hear how Ryan had abused me. I understood all of this… It just didn’t make my pain being aired out like that for all to hear any easier. “Fine,” Ryan huffed as the Alpha shot him a dirty look. “I’ll only fuck him with toys meant to be used that way and my dick. No more baseball bats or anything out of the ordinary.” Taggart’s thrusts lost their rhythm at that last statement and his hold on my hips tightened. I knew what that meant. He was on the

12

Joyee Flynn

edge of control to not tear out Ryan’s throat. I was scared he would really do it right then so I decided to distract him. Tightening the muscles in my ass, I heard the man I love give a guttural groan. The focus was back on me then as he pounded away into my body. It felt fantastic because it was Taggart. In reality I was too sore, too broken, and too humiliated for sex right then. But it was Taggart. If I let myself get lost in the moment I could have gotten an erection and come. That would make me look less like the unwilling participant so I didn’t. “You’re not screaming,” Taggart accused as he grabbed my chin in his hand. My eyes snapped open and I saw the love for me shining in his before he hid it away. “Do you want it harder? I could fuck you much harder until you do scream if you want.” “No, it’s hard enough if you are enjoying it,” I whispered as I spread my legs wider for him. The angle changed and I pretended it hurt, letting out a howl of pain. Moments later the man of my dreams threw back his head and roared as he filled me with his release. “I declare the hunt over,” the Alpha said loudly as his eyes raked over our naked bodies. “See everyone next week for another turn at the pleasure and power the Omega gives.” And with that, we were done. For one week I could live with and love Taggart the way I wanted in the safety of his home. The pack had bought the show and would never be the wiser. Everyone started to leave and Taggart pulled out of me. Then he lifted me over his shoulder as he stood, bitching that Ryan had broken my ankles and now he had to carry my ass all the way back to his car. He would have done it anyways, but we had to keep up appearances. And honestly, I was so damn sore and hurt from the healing broken bones and bruises Ryan had given me that I didn’t mind being carried like a sack of potatoes if it got me off my feet. Taggart had longer legs than most being six eight and we were one of the first to reach the area where everyone parked. It was amusing to see us stand next to each other since I was only five two… Almost five three.

Dewey

13

He dumped me in the passenger’s seat after he pulled his shorts and shoes off of it. Taggart quickly pulled them on and jogged over to the driver’s side and got in. A few minutes later we were pulling out of the pack lands onto the main road. “You okay?” He whispered so quietly I could barely hear him. Glancing over, I saw a stray tear run down his cheek. “How bad did it hurt?” “I’m fine, Tag,” I answered as I reached for his hand. He intertwined our fingers and gave me a squeeze. “I’ll be back to normal tomorrow. It’s just that Ryan had me for the week and then Beta Jasper wanted a quick go with me before I got handed off to someone else.” I groaned mentally for letting that tidbit slip out. “That’s why your ass was so tender. That bastard was cutting you again to use your blood as slick—” “I’m fine,” I said, interrupting him. I didn’t want him rehashing in his mind what had happened to me. Yes, Jasper was a sick fuck, but I’d heal. I always did even if sometimes it left scars. “You’re not fine!” Taggart shouted as he pulled into his driveway. “You can’t keep living like this, Dewey! It’s not right. If we get away from the pack I won’t be drugged anymore and I could protect you.” “Tag,” I sighed as I undid my seat belt and opened the door. I didn’t know what else to say because this was the same fight we always had. Before I could even get out of the car he was there lifting me into his arms as if I was the most precious cargo in the world. “I love you.” “I love you too, baby.” He buried his face in my hair and shook with silent sobs. “One day they’ll kill you or take you away from me and I couldn’t survive that. Let me help you and get us out of here.” “I contacted the Council through the new Omega Network,” I informed him, trying to give him any hope. “It’s being run by a few Omegas and their inner circles. The Alpha doesn’t know I heard back from them and they promised to send help. It’s only been a few weeks but I know they’ll come through. I saw some of the posts, Tag. There

14

Joyee Flynn

are others worse off than us. After they’re rescued I’m sure they’ll come for us, okay?” He nodded and locked up the car. Then he carried me to the front door and let us in. He was so quiet it had me worried. Once we were on the fake fur rug in front of the fireplace and he had one going, he finally spoke again. “If this is how you want to handle things, I’ll support the decision.” I smiled at him but he held up a hand. “But only for one month. They get one month to come in and put a stop to this or we run. Promise me that.” I thought it over for a moment. I had the same concerns as he did that I wouldn’t survive this pack. And he’d been dealing with this shit for much longer than I had since he was a few years older than me. “Okay. If we don’t hear from the Omegas or get rescued in the next month we run.” “Thank you,” he breathed as he gently pushed me back on the rug. “Thank you, baby.” He kissed me deeply and I could feel the relief coming off of him in waves. We hadn’t mated since I was claimed by the inner circle, but it was one of my gifts. I could feel strong emotions as if they were my own. “Make love to me,” I whispered against his lips when he went to pull away. “You know we can’t,” he replied, shaking his head. “After you heal. Until then, I’m going to take good care of you.” “I can heal later. The more you have sex with me the quicker the wolfsbane will wear off.” He’d get power and faster healing abilities from his time with me and I wanted him to be healthy too. Tag gave me a wide, wolfish grin. “The wolfsbane was switched out with herbal-smelling water that looks like it and has the same scent. I’m wolfsbane-free this week and hopefully until they need more unless I can pull the same move again.” “I love smart men,” I purred, my heart soaring that he wasn’t drugged again. They gave him the same amount every week, enough

Dewey

15

to weaken him but not kill him. Then he got a double dose after his week with me to counteract the power he got from me. “I couldn’t not win the hunt like last week.” I saw the pain in his eyes as if he’d failed me. “They gave me the double dose and I didn’t react well to it, even worse than normal. I knew I had to do something about their supply or Ryan would keep getting you. I couldn’t let that happen.” This was one of the reasons I loved this man so much. He didn’t switch it out so he’d stopped getting drugged up. He did it so I wouldn’t have to suffer if he lost the hunt. Taggart never thought of himself. I was about to try and tell him it wasn’t his fault and I didn’t blame him when I felt him rub healing salve on my butt. I moaned and arched my back as I instantly felt better. When had he gotten it and put some on his hands? I’d missed that but I was glad he was doing it. Taggart was wicked smart and knew a lot about herbs, especially the ones that reacted with werewolves. Instead of finding which ones could counteract the wolfsbane he’d worked on making a salve that could heal me. How could I not love him? His selflessness made my heart flutter. “I don’t deserve you,” I whispered as he used both hands to work the salve into the muscles in my ass and then on my sore hips. “You deserve so much more than what I can give you.” He kissed me gently and then went back to work. When he moved down my legs and got to my ankles I flinched in pain. Ryan had really done a number on me. Instead of just telling me where he wanted me when he screwed me, he’d jerk my body around, not caring if I could actually bend that way. By the time Taggart was done rubbing the salve all over my body I was limp like a wet noodle from the pleasure and relief from the pain. Then, as if he hadn’t done enough, he swallowed down my cock and rocked my world with the best blow job ever. “Will you forgive me for abandoning you?” he asked quietly after I blew my load.

16

Joyee Flynn

“Tag, stop,” I gasped as I pulled him on top of me. “None of this is your fault. They drug you, okay? It’s not like you just said fuck it, he’s not worth this shit and walked away. I know you love me and we do the best that we can to make it through this hell. I’ve never once blamed you, only them.” “It kills me to see what you go through when I can’t win the hunt. I don’t want this life for you, Dewey.” “I do if it means I have you.” He smiled and I felt his hardness pushing against my groin. I smiled at him and spread my legs in invitation. Now we could get down to the lovemaking and enjoy our time together. Or so I thought because that’s when the door was kicked in. Motherfuckers.

Dewey

17

Chapter 2 “Get out of my house,” Taggart snarled, instantly on his feet as half a dozen men stepped over the broken door. I was a step behind but still reacted fast enough to make me feel good that I could hold it together in a bad situation. “I don’t want to hurt you and use my gift,” I said quietly as I stepped out in front of Taggart. He grabbed me around the waist and I was right back behind him again. “Why did you do that? I’m the one who can take them all out with just a thought.” “Not before one shoots you,” he threw over his shoulder. “Did you miss the guns? Or did you just want to give them target practice by announcing you were the Omega?” “I think they knew because of the blond hair,” I answered with a squeak when I peeked around him and saw the very large weapons. Whoops. “We’re not here to hurt the Omega,” one guy said as he stepped forward, his gun pointed at Taggart. “The Council sent us to rescue him.” “You’re still pointing a gun at the man I love and I will hurt all of you if you don’t lower them,” I threatened, glad they were good guys… Maybe. “What proof do we have you’re with the Council?” Oh, that was a good question. I was glad Taggart thought of it since I didn’t think of that. “We don’t need to prove anything to you,” he sneered at Taggart and that just pissed me off. I darted out in front of my man and held up my hands but not in surrender.

18

Joyee Flynn

“Lower the guns or I will hurt you. He’s no threat to me. I love him and he has never hurt me.” “That’s not what the Beta told us when we stormed Alpha Hooker’s house,” a different guy replied. “Oh, well, I can explain that,” I groaned, shaking my head. “They wouldn’t let him win the hunt if the Alpha knew we were in love and Taggart was good to me.” “Maybe he has that kidnapping syndrome?” the second guy whispered to the first. “I don’t have Stockholm syndrome,” I snapped. “Enough talk. If you’re here to rescue me, Taggart comes with, so put down the damn guns!” “Carson!” someone yelled from outside as a little blond just bigger than me darted into the house. “Lower your weapons, guys,” Carson ordered as he walked past the team of six in tactical gear. He stared straight at me casually. “What’s your gift, Dewey?” “I can feel emotions and knock people out.” I shrugged when Taggart groaned that I gave the information up. Carson was with the Omega Network and would know I could do something. “How would that have hurt us?” the first guy asked as they slung their large guns over their shoulders and stood down. “I make someone drop all of a sudden and they tend to get concussions and nasty bruises.” Again I shrugged. I didn’t say that I’d kill them all or dismember them but a big bump on the head does hurt. “Carson! Unfreeze me!” the same man shouted from outside. “Whoops,” Carson giggled and waved his hand. “Sorry, my love.” “Don’t my love me,” a very large man growled as he stomped inside the house and next to the Omega. “What part of promising to wait outside was unclear?” “You can spank me later and have me any way you want as my punishment, Taylor. As long as you don’t tell the others I ran in here.” Carson leaned against the man and practically purred. “I’m sorry I

Dewey

19

froze you, my mate. You can have your naughty way with me when we get home.” “Yeah, such a tough punishment for you.” Taylor chuckled, shaking his head as he wrapped an arm around Carson. Then the big man glanced at me. “So you’re Dewey, right? We’re here to rescue you. You asked for our help so I’m not sure what the problem is?” “They had guns pointed at Taggart and how were we to know they were really with the Council?” I replied quietly as I moved back towards my man. “I love him. I said I was in love with someone when I posted to the Omega Network. I won’t leave him.” “I love you too, baby,” Taggart whispered as his strong arms hugged me from behind. “I’ll be fine. All I want is you to be safe, okay? Go with them.” “What?” I gasped and spun in his arms. “No! I won’t leave you!” I whimpered when he gave me a sad smile. “You knew this might happen if they came, didn’t you?” “Yeah, baby. You’re the one that’s valuable to the Council. I’m just another wolf.” “But you’re not, now are you?” Carson asked cryptically. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the man staring at Taggart and realized he was reading his thoughts. “No more drama. You both come and I might have a solution that should make everyone happy. Pack what you can and let’s get the fuck out of here.” “Okay.” I immediately agreed and dragged Taggart to his bedroom and found his suitcase. “You really were just going to let them take me from you?” “If it meant you being saved and not having to live like this anymore, then yes,” he said quietly. “It would have killed me to lose you but you’re all that matters to me.” “Bullshit!” I shouted as I threw another bag at him. His eyes went wide at my outburst. “I would do anything for you, Tag. You knew I didn’t want to be rescued if that meant I had to leave you. That’s why I wouldn’t run away with you. I can’t lose you either.”

20

Joyee Flynn

“I’m sorry, my love,” he whispered as he stepped around the bed and pulled me into his arms. “I won’t ever make decisions for both of us anymore, okay?” “Fine,” I agreed, hugging him back. “We leave here today and we’re in this together. We’re a team.” I hedged a moment, not sure if I wanted to bring up this next topic but then decided to get it out in the open. “And no more keeping secrets, Tag. I know how you’ve been getting the money you’ve been hiding so we could run.” “How long have you known?” he croaked out, shaking slightly at the news. “For over a year,” I whispered as I kissed his chest before looking up at him. “I hate that you were doing that to help us.” “And yet you can still love me knowing what I’ve done?” The fear in his eyes and coming off of him was almost suffocating. “There’s nothing you could do or say that would make me stop loving you.” I ran my hands over his firm ass as I gave him my best smile. “I’m yours in every sense of the word, Tag. You have to trust me and tell me everything or we can’t be a real couple. I want that now that we’re rescued.” “Deal.” He brushed his lips over mine. “I promise I won’t keep anything else from you again. Thank you for handling this so well, baby.” “I won’t if there’s a next time I find out you’ve kept something from me.” I stepped away from him, letting him see the seriousness in my eyes. Taggart swallowed loudly and nodded. “So now is the time to come clean if there’s anything else I need to know.” “No it’s not,” Carson called out. “We can hear every word and already we now need to discuss whatever the fuck you guys were talking about. I can’t read the minds of Omegas, our powers cancel out. And somehow the big guy is blocking me so we’re going to have to do this the old-fashioned way and talk.” “Come on in and help us pack,” I offered, giving Taggart a wink. He didn’t look ready to trust these guys, but I’d read a lot on what

Dewey

21

was going on in the Omega Network. “I promise you these are the good guys, Tag. I’ve felt relief off every man here that I was still alive.” “You’re sure?” His tone relaxed but was still hesitant as Taylor and Carson walked into the room. “Yeah, that’s what I was feeling too,” Carson answered as he casually packed the clothes I was tossing on the bed. He wouldn’t look at me and kind of mumbled. “I’m sorry we didn’t come sooner.” “Why didn’t you?” Taggart’s tone had gotten a little dark and I shot him a look… Which he ignored. “Do you have any idea what they did to Dewey when I couldn’t get to him first during the hunt because this pack has been drugging me?” “Being an Omega whose previous inner circle abused him, I think I do,” Carson snapped and looked directly at Taggart. “You didn’t see all the stories that came in when we started the Omega Network. We couldn’t go in and get everyone all at once. We only had so many people helping and if we didn’t do it right, everyone who helped could have been killed.” “There were more than Dewey?” Taggart went pale and sat on the bed before he fell over. “I didn’t know.” “We’ve been keeping everything on the down low so packs don’t catch wind of what we’ve been doing,” Taylor said gently. “Dewey’s suffered, I’m sure, but he’s able to walk out of here on his own. That hasn’t been the case with the ones we’ve rescued so far. Some we didn’t think would survive.” “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking about anyone besides Dewey,” my man whispered as he rubbed his hands over his face. “It’s my own guilt for not getting to him first last week.” “Enough of that,” I tenderly chastised. “They’ve been drugging you. It’s not like you gave up on me. None of that matters anymore because we’re safe and getting out of here. So let’s pack and start our lives together.”

22

Joyee Flynn

Taggart nodded as he stood and hurried to pack the rest. “Where are we going?” “We’re going to send you to the Denver pack where Tristan lives,” Carson answered as he zipped up one of the bags. “We started the Omega Network together after confronting the Council about what was happening to most of the Omegas. From there we’ll find a permanent pack for you.” He looked at me with gentle eyes. “We’ll find you a real inner circle to protect and love you, Dewey.” I swallowed loudly, scared at the idea of being another pack’s Omega. “I just want Taggart.” “He seems strong enough to be leader.” Carson shot my man a quick look. “And he can fight if what I’ve seen in his head is an indication. My only question is why a dire wolf isn’t with the dire wolf pack?” “Shit,” I groaned and rolled my eyes. “My concentration slipped when you got upset hearing about the other abused Omegas.” “So you were blocking me from his thoughts.” Carson smiled widely. “You so have to show me that trick. I can teach you to freeze people like I have Tristan. It’s useful and no one ends up with concussions like when you knock people out. Though I’d like to learn that too. Maybe it can be useful if my men step out of line.” “Yes, please, teach him more ways to be the boss of us,” Taylor said with a chuckle. “Because he listens so well already when it comes to his safety.” “Yeah, yeah, you’re so abused.” Carson teased and we all had a good laugh. We finished throwing the basics into suitcases, Taggart remembering my box of treasures. I would have been really upset if I had left that behind and I was grateful I ended up keeping it at his house. Next thing I knew we were being loaded on a chopper heading for Denver. Carson promised that he’d be in touch soon and we needed to tell Tristan everything so they could help us. I nodded and agreed, being able to read the man’s emotions and knowing he was one of the

Dewey

23

good guys. Taggart was a lot more hesitant but I knew he trusted me and would get on board with anything I wanted. And this was what was best for us, I knew it. I laughed as my man practically had to crawl into the chopper because he was so fucking tall and wide. He chuckled as he joined me on the bench, helping me strap in as he gave me quick kisses. When we were ready, the chopper took off and I was where I should have been… Snuggled in the arms of the man I loved. Sweet! **** I awoke with a start when the helicopter touched down. Taggart held me tightly and the moment I smelled him I relaxed. Everything that had happened surfaced to the front of my mind and I realized we must be in Denver. Which meant I was scared, nervous, excited, hopeful… And ready to vomit all at the same time. While Taggart was the picture of calm since he was only feeling slightly wary. “Maybe running away wasn’t such a bad idea after all,” I mumbled as the chopper started to shut down and four very, very large men approached us. “Naw, I can take them if I need to, baby,” Tag said in his best reassuring voice. “Carson was right that you guys were problem children,” the large blond called out with a smile. “I can still smell the wolfsbane in your system, Taggart, so let’s not try anything when we’re here to help you.” The three men with him gave us a curious look before glancing at the blond. “My name is Tristan Modesto. This is my Alpha, Jared, and our Betas, Cameron and Rhyce. We are all mated and mean you no harm.” “You’ll forgive us for not blindly believing that after our last pack,” Taggart replied as he lifted me out of the chopper once he was standing on the ground. “What are they feeling, baby?”

24

Joyee Flynn

“Mostly confusion and relief that I’m in better shape than they would have thought,” I answered, staring at the men. I glanced at the smallest of them, which was a relative thing because he was still well over six feet. “And the Alpha’s glad I’m not alone in this and have someone I love.” “You can read minds,” Alpha Jared said with a nod. “That’s good.” “No, I can’t actually,” I countered as I grabbed a few of our smaller bags. There was no way Taggart was going to let me carry much but I could still help. “I can feel strong emotions and an image here and there of why the person’s feeling it. I can also knock people out and throw a net over Taggart so no one can read his mind or their powers affect him.” “Oh that one’s cool. Could you teach me how to do that?” Tristan asked, his eyes going wide. “Carson showed me how to freeze people and I helped him control the voices he was hearing which were the thoughts around him. I get the feelings and images thing but only when I turn it on if you want to put it like that. Can you control it?” “No,” I hedged, glancing at Tag. He smiled and nodded as if agreeing these were good guys. “I’d like to. It’s hard when you’re in trouble and you’re being swarmed by feelings and images that you don’t want to know.” “Better than setting shit on fire on accident.” Tristan laughed as his men shook their heads. “We rescued another Omega a month ago from his nut-job Alpha uncle. His gift is fire and he kept losing control of it. Turns out he’s part witch too, so he’s working with Omegas and a witch to learn control.” “I’m glad he has help.” I smiled. I knew what he was doing. Tristan wasn’t trying to gossip or ramble because he was nervous. He was letting us know that they’d helped others and could help us. “Yeah, he’s living happily with the Cheyenne pack and his inner circle now,” Tristan said with a wink. “You can always call Edric for

Dewey

25

a reference that we’re the good guys.” I liked him. We both knew what he was doing so why play coy with it? “I think we’re good.” I got four bright grins for the statement and they helped us unload. Just as we got to their house the Council’s chopper fired up and took off minutes later. We followed them up to our room, where Tristan shared a glance with Jared and sighed. “You’re going to get pissed and I just ask for some patience,” Tristan started, pinching the bridge of his nose after he set the bags down. “You won’t let me be in the same room as Dewey,” Taggart said quietly. “I understand. You don’t know me and I bet the Council didn’t sanction my being pulled out from our pack.” “No they didn’t,” Jared replied as he leaned his shoulders against the wall. “You seem like a good guy and Carson told us your first thoughts were always about Dewey’s safety. But we can’t give the Council a recommendation on how to handle the situation if we can’t objectively assess it. Just give us some time and jump through a few hoops so we can do this right and keep you guys together.” “No,” I growled instantly and took Taggart’s hand. “Let’s go.” “Baby,” he whispered and didn’t move when I pulled on his arm. “You know we can’t run now. We’ve been given sanctuary. If we ran from a bad pack and inner circle there was a chance we wouldn’t be killed because we were the victims. We run now and we’re in deep shit.” “I fucked everything up by agreeing to come with them, didn’t I?” I was horror-struck at how badly I screwed us. I thought I’d been doing the right thing. “I know you’re scared, Dewey,” Tristan said gently as he squatted down so he didn’t seem so imposing. “I was shitting bright-pink kittens when I came here to be the Omega. We all have to adapt and go through some adjustments but I can promise you that if we see Taggart is good for you and your love is real, we’ll fight for you to stay together.”

26

Joyee Flynn

“You think I have Stockholm syndrome too, don’t you?” I accused, really starting to get pissed off everyone assumed I was some weak victim. “I’m not weak!” “Even if you did have Stockholm that doesn’t make you weak,” Tristan said firmly. “But no, I don’t think that. I think you guys are in love. But we need to be able to prove that to the Council. Let Taggart stay with one of the Elders of our pack a few days. There’s a psychologist who works for the Council who’s on his way here. Talk with him, let him assess you so we can cut through the red tape. Carson says Taggart can lead but I can’t see in his mind with you blocking him.” “You want Taggart to become my Alpha and take over a pack?” I guessed, my eyes shooting to my man when Tristan nodded. “So we’d get some Betas and live happily ever after if we agree and he can show you he’s strong?” “That’s the plan Carson came up with but we don’t know the why behind it,” Jared agreed with a nod. “I’m a dire wolf,” Taggart explained. “I’ll talk with your shrink, do whatever you want if it means I get to stay with Dewey. I’ll lead or be a Beta if that’s what it takes.” “That explains it,” Tristan mumbled as he stood to his full height. “There’s a pack of dire wolves whose Alpha was found out to be batshit crazy. They had just gotten two new Betas after the last ones mysteriously disappeared. But they need a new Alpha and an Omega would be helpful to help heal and strengthen the pack.” “Open your mind to Dewey and let him feel you’re telling the truth.” I liked Taggart’s idea. We couldn’t use our gifts on other Omegas unless they consciously allowed it. Tristan nodded and I placed my hand on his arm. I was swarmed by images and memories. That was a new trick. I guess I’d never tried to really read anyone before and got more than normal. I gasped and stepped away, my eyes going wide as I stared at Tristan. “No one ever figured out why you got so big?”

Dewey

27

“Only emotions, huh?” Tristan teased me. “Normally yes, but I think when I was trying hard to really feel what you were instead of just feeling it the regular way I got more,” I answered sheepishly. “Sorry.” “No problem, pint size,” he chuckled. “To answer your question, no, not really. There have been some documented cases of a mate growing rapidly when their mate was in danger but that’s the best guess we have.” “I was wondering how you were so big for an Omega,” Taggart mumbled. Then he gave a slow, dark glance to each of the men who were helping us. “I’ll jump through the hoops, give Dewey some space so you can assess what we have is real, and talk to your doc. That being said, you force him to do anything he doesn’t want to do, keep him prisoner in any way, or don’t protect him as you should, and drugged with wolfsbane or not, I will tear all your fucking balls off and shove them down your throats. We clear?” “As clear as glass,” Tristan said, holding up a hand when Jared snarled. “If the situation was reversed how would you handle being separated from me? They’ve been together longer than we have.” “I’d be kicking ass and taking names for the headstones,” Jared grumbled and gave Taggart a nod. “Dewey can have all the freedom he wants as long as it doesn’t threaten his safety. So he’ll be confined to the grounds unless one of us is with him to take him where he wants to go. As long as we agree that’s for his safety and not a matter of being kept prisoner, then we’re agreed with your terms.” “I have your word as Alpha?” Taggart extended his hand, wanting the man to vow. “You do,” Jared agreed and shook my man’s hand. “Do I get a say?” I asked with an edge of annoyance in my voice. “Yeah, pint size,” Tristan chuckled and ruffled my hair. “They’re just being Alphas and whipping them out to compare size.”

28

Joyee Flynn

“Oh, Taggart would win that competition. He’s got the biggest cock I’ve ever seen,” I blurted out without meaning to. Every eye turned to me as my cheeks heated up. “Thanks, baby,” Tag chuckled as everyone burst out laughing. “Glad to know I can still impress you.” “That’s not why I’ll miss you though,” I said sheepishly. He held his arms open to me and I walked right into them. “I love you, Tag. Pass all the tests so we can be together, okay?” “You got it, my love,” he whispered in my ear. “Have some fun and enjoy being free. From here on out you get a choice in everything so don’t be afraid to say no anytime you want to. You need anything call me and wild horses can’t keep me from getting to you.” “I know.” And I did. Taggart was the one thing in my life that was constant, along with his love and devotion to me. As long as I had him, I had everything I ever needed. Now if we could just make this inner circle see that so they could convince the Council. That would be the next challenge.

Dewey

29

Chapter 3 The next morning after breakfast I was sitting in the front room with George Decker, the psychologist. So far we’d introduced ourselves and then Tristan left us alone and we’d been staring at each other. “Let me guess, you’re assessing how comfortable I feel with a stranger who’s going to pick apart my mind?” Okay, so I was being a little sarcastic but it was weird. “Not really,” he hedged as he held back a smile. “More giving you a chance to adjust to the idea of speaking with me since it was thrown at you just last night. Are you always this forward?” “No, not in the slightest,” I giggled, shaking my head. “I just want to not beat around any bushes and tell you what you need to know so that you don’t keep me apart from the man I love.” “Okay, then let’s start with Taggart. How did you guys meet?” That brought a smile to my face immediately just thinking about it. “The first full moon after my claiming ceremony Alpha Hooker informed me I was going to be the prize for a pack hunt. I was enraged, scared, and worried for so many reasons. Taggart won me. I saw this gorgeous, huge wolf racing over the pack lands towards me and suddenly I wasn’t afraid anymore. Then he shifted into the most handsome man I’d ever seen.” “What happened after he won you? From my understanding the winner got you for a week to do with as they pleased.” He frowned at the idea and I liked George a little bit more and relaxed.

30

Joyee Flynn

“We had to have sex right there, but he wasn’t like Alpha Hooker or the Betas had been with me. It was like he was putting on a show that I was a toy but he did little things to make sure I didn’t get hurt.” “For instance?” “He waited to make sure I’d adjusted to the size of his dick by pretending he was out of breath from the chase,” I explained, still with that goofy in love grin on my face. “He lifted me onto his lap as if to take me deeper but it was so I didn’t get hurt on the rocks and twigs on the ground. Then he whispered in my ear to play along and scream in pain so no one knew I was enjoying it.” “So he kept you safe,” George murmured as he wrote down some notes. “And after you left the pack lands and were alone?” “He never touched me the whole week except to hug me when I was upset,” I answered with a sigh. “Taggart was a perfect gentleman. He didn’t take advantage of me and only went as far as putting an arm around me while we had a movie marathon.” “Did he ever tell you why that was?” The man seemed intrigued now, and a little surprised. “He said I was a man, a beautiful man, who shouldn’t be treated as a possession or award to be won. He told me that a man like me should be worshiped when I allowed it and never made to do anything I didn’t want to. Taggart still tells me that no matter how bad things get. He wants me to know that it’s not my fault I’ve been treated the way I have and only because my inner circle was a bunch of assholes. Real men don’t treat people the way I have been, he says.” “He’s right,” George agreed with a smile. “Do you believe that?” “Yes, in my head,” I admitted with a shrug. “It’s hard sometimes to understand that in my heart. I do feel like a possession with everyone else but him. I was sold by my parents, abused by my inner circle, and pimped out to my pack. It’s not supposed to be personal but to me it was very personal if that makes sense.” “Yes, actually it does. It’s common for most Omegas, no matter what they’ve been through, to feel that way.”

Dewey

31

“Because that’s how the Council sees us,” I griped bitterly. “We’re working on that,” he replied softly, sympathy shining in his eyes. “One thing at a time, Dewey. You’re free from the hell you lived for too long. That’s step one. Step two is getting you to where you belong with a good pack and an inner circle that will treat you as you deserve. Once there, if you were so inclined, I know Tristan and Carson could always use help speaking with Omegas and giving the Council firsthand reports on how things are going.” “Will the Council see the notes you take from our sessions?” I asked hesitantly, not sure if that would be a good or a bad thing. Carson trusted this man and I got the feeling he was very neutral in all things besides simply wanting to help. He didn’t seem to have any other agenda besides that. “Not unless you want them to,” he hedged slowly, giving me a curious look. “They only get a summary and a recommendation of what course of action should be next to get you healthy again.” “If I let them see everything will the people mentioned besides my inner circle be punished?” That was a big one for me. Ryan shouldn’t go free while my Alpha and Betas paid for their abuse. “You’d have to testify at their hearing but if you gave me an official abuse report against someone in your old pack we can have them arrested.” He schooled his shocked reaction almost immediately. Yeah, I bet most had no clue that it wasn’t just the inner circles that abused Omegas… It could be most of the pack like mine had. “Then I give you permission to show them everything,” I said quietly after a few moments of thought. “If the Council thinks the problem is solved by taking out the inner circle they could put another Omega there to be hurt as I was. You might want to get a recorder because I don’t think you could write this all down without your hand hurting.” “Would you like to discuss this with Taggart before we proceed?” “No, he supports whatever I choose,” I answered as I looked into his eyes. I knew what he was trying to figure out with the question.

32

Joyee Flynn

I’d read up on Stockholm syndrome and people suffering from it didn’t make choices of their own without deferring to their captors. “He wanted to run away to keep me safe. I was the one who wanted to come with Carson and give the Council a chance and he never complained and supported my choice.” “You’re very smart, Dewey,” he said with a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “That could make things more difficult.” “Because I’m smart enough to figure out your unasked questions and you don’t know if I’m telling you what you want to hear so I can be with Taggart or if it’s the truth.” I surmised after a moment of thought. “Exactly.” George looked as if he wanted to believe me, he really did, but I understood the position it put him in. “Bring Tristan in and I’ll let him see in my head as I talk. He can be my bullshit meter if you trust him.” “You’d be willing to do that?” His eyebrows shot up to his hairline in shock. “I have nothing to hide, George. I’m telling you the truth, nothing more.” He rubbed his chin in thought before smiling. “I don’t think that’s necessary since it was your idea. There are ways to see if your story is in sync with Taggart’s but not to the point that I feel he brainwashed you.” “Then let’s begin.” I took a deep breath as he pulled out a small digital recorder and turned it on. Then I told him everything. I didn’t hold anything back, letting loose all the things and pain I’d pushed back. It was one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do, reliving hell like that. But if it could keep one person safe later from bad people then my suffering through it was worth it. “I think that’s enough for today,” George said quietly an hour later. He looked a little pale. I’m sure he’d heard worse or just as bad of things as I was telling him. And while living it or witnessing it was

Dewey

33

horrid, listening to all the sordid details couldn’t have been easy either. I nodded my agreement, tired and ready for something fun instead of dark and painful. He shut off the recorder and he gave me a homework assignment before we talked again tomorrow. I was interested to know what he could already have me thinking about to help me. “I want you to write letters to Alpha Hooker, your Betas, and this Ryan saying everything you never could when they were around for fear of retribution. There’s no length requirement here, Dewey. Just go with what feels right and what you need to get off your chest. I want you to put how you feel on paper so later you can see how those feelings change as we work together more.” “I can do that as long as I can borrow a laptop,” I said with a snicker when he raised an eyebrow. “My handwriting sucks bigtime.” “I’m sure Tristan has one you can borrow,” George replied with a wink and then raised his voice. “Right, Tristan?” I heard a loud sigh from the other side of the door before it opened. “I wasn’t eavesdropping,” the large man mumbled as he joined us. “I was just hanging out in the hall in case I felt someone’s distress. Dewey doesn’t know you and talking to strangers is hard, George.” “You’re a stranger to him as well, Tristan.” George countered, but Tristan simply shrugged. “We’re both Omegas. It’s a different type of bond that makes us see each other as not being a threat.” I nodded in agreement with his assessment. Granted, Tristan was in a league of his own with how huge he was, but I never feared him. “So if you guys are done I have a surprise for Dewey.” “I like surprises,” I said cheerfully, ready to wipe away the past hour and the morose mood I was in. Tristan smiled widely as he threw me my jacket as we said our good-byes to George.

34

Joyee Flynn

Five minutes later I was in the passenger’s seat of his SUV, bouncing with excitement like a kid taking a trip to the candy store. Ohhh, I hoped we were going to the candy store. I’d never been to one. “So, I don’t know you and you don’t know me. I’ve only seen a bit of your past in the file the Council has on every Omega. I don’t mean to be condescending or assume things but I’d guess you were pretty sheltered before you were sold to your last pack like most of us were, right?” “Yeah,” I snorted, rolling my eyes at the mention of my childhood. “I hadn’t even seen a movie until the first time I was with Taggart for the week. My parents thought TV would rot my brain and their investment so I wasn’t allowed to watch it or use a computer. And Taggart couldn’t act like he liked me, much less loved me, so we had to be careful not being seen out together having fun. I’ve never even been to a damn mall.” “Excellent,” he drawled, with a wicked grin. “Then my surprise will be a welcomed adventure.” “I’m going with your excellent means that we’re going to have fun and not excellent that my childhood was crappy,” I teased him. “Yeah, pint size.” Now he rolled his eyes at me so I could see. “No one should have a crappy childhood. I’m not in favor of that. I just want to expose you to everything out there that you’ve missed.” He paused and bit his lip. “Well, maybe not everything. I’ll leave some of that for Taggart.” I frowned at the mention of my man’s name and Tristan must have seen it because he reached for my hand. “What if the Council doesn’t let us be together and my deciding to contact the Omega Network just bit us both in the ass?” “We’ve got some good people we’re working with on the Council. I don’t think anyone knew the mess that was out there in the packs and how the Omegas were being treated. They’ve given us the means to help and set things right. I can’t see them not working with us as

Dewey

35

long as Taggart can be Beta or Alpha material. Hell, I’ve seen them make exceptions all over the place to make amends for letting any of this happen.” “So you’re not worried?” “Pint size, all I have is worry some days,” he answered with a bitter chuckle. “I worry we won’t get everyone out in time. I worry the strain of rescuing others will be too much on my mating. I worry we’re going to be found out as the ones who started all this shit and my pack slaughtered for the shit we’ve caused. You and Taggart? No, I’m not worried.” “That’s a lot of worry,” I agreed, my own easing and my last concerns that Tristan wasn’t really my friend settled. “Thank you for doing it though. I can’t image how hard it’s been on your mating since I’ve never had a real one but you’re doing it for the right reasons and I can’t see your men not loving you more for having a kind heart.” “That’s what they tell me all the time. It’s still me that signed us up for all of this. I don’t think they could have ignored the situation any more than I could have though.” He bit his lip as he turned off the expressway. “This wasn’t supposed to be a depressing thoughts trip. It’s hard to just push it all aside and act like we’re normal, isn’t it?” “Yeah, but I’d be willing to give it a try now that you think I don’t have to worry about losing the man I love,” I answered after a few moments’ thought. “So where are we going?” “Shopping.” Tristan flashed me a toothy grin. “The High Council gives us a stipend for each rescued Omega to get them back on their feet and anything they need. It seems their guilt is eased if they give us the manpower for what we need and the funds to give you what you didn’t have.” “That’s better than spending the money Taggart made cage fighting,” I replied and then snapped my mouth shut. Tristan looked at me with wide eyes and then slammed on the brakes to avoid rearending someone. “I shouldn’t have told you that.”

36

Joyee Flynn

“No, I need to know, Dewey. I’m sorry, but I really have to know what’s going on. If we give a recommendation for you to be together and the Council finds out something like he was fighting for money, it could blow everything. Tell me what you know. I’m begging you because my family is on the line here helping you.” It made sense and it really was only fair he not be kept in the dark. “Alpha Hooker used to hold illegal fights for humans to come to and wager on. They were never the wiser that the fighters weren’t human and it generated money for the pack. It wasn’t an optional kind of thing either. But when Taggart and I first started getting together and fell in love he kept trying to convince me to run away. “I always used the excuse that we didn’t have any money and wouldn’t make it without funds to hide us. I found out a while ago that he started doing MMA cage fights for the prize money and hid it from the pack, putting it in a secret account under a false name. Even drugged-up on wolfsbane, doing the fights that Alpha Hooker required, he still was strong enough to do more on his own. So you might worry if he’s strong enough to lead or be part of an inner circle, but I know he can handle anything.” “I swear to fucking god that I have one of the only non-screwedup packs,” Tristan groaned. “We didn’t know anything about the fighting. That’s going to be a big headache but not on Taggart. We need to make sure no one else starts them up again now that Alpha Hooker is gone.” “Taggart’s not a violent guy,” I said softly after a few minutes of silence. “I hope you know that. I also hope you see that if he was abusing me or mind controlling me in some way he wouldn’t have been so adamant to remove me from an abusive inner circle.” “Yeah, I know, pint size.” He squeezed my hand and I let the topic drop. This trip wasn’t about convincing Tristan that my man was a good guy. I had the chance to point out a few things, and I did. Now it was time to have some fun and let Tristan mull what I said

Dewey

37

over, get to know Taggart, and give his approval to the Council for us to be together. “Holy shit,” I whistled as we pulled into a huge parking lot by an even larger building that was a mall in Denver. “I thought the same thing the first time I came here,” Tristan chuckled as he parked and we got out of the SUV. “We need to get you some new duds, pint size. If everything goes to plan the dire wolf pack is in Wichita, Kansas, so you need to move past your East Coast ways.” “I’m not sure what that means but my wardrobe does need some updating with clothes that aren’t torn.” I rolled my eyes at how lame that sounded but it was the truth. Most of what I had, even at Taggart’s old place, I had ditched because they were nothing better than rags. “I leave myself in your capable, well-fashioned hands, Tristan.” “Music to my ears.” He threw back his head in a play evil laugh. I couldn’t help but giggle at his antics and simply enjoy the moment. Fun was good and I needed lots of it. **** Four hours later I was somewhat regretting my decision to let Tristan take me shopping. My feet hurt, we had way too many bags, and I didn’t want to look at any more clothes, ever again. “I worry I might be straight,” I grumbled as we were in line to pay for more stuff. “I hate shopping.” “Okay, okay, no more clothes,” Tristan chuckled. “We’ll load up the SUV and move on to something fun like electronics.” “Do I get a cell phone?” My grumpiness was gone at the idea. I’d always wanted one and that way I could call Taggart tonight if that was allowed. Sure I could call on the house phone but it was different when I borrowed someone else’s stuff as opposed to doing it on my own terms.

38

Joyee Flynn

“Pint size, that ain’t all I got on the list to get you.” He gave me a wink as the lady had him sign another receipt. I looked at him a little warily. I wasn’t really sure I wanted to know what that meant but since he was happily mated with three men, I didn’t think it was something inappropriate. No, it was more he was way too excited and the last time he was excited I was clothes shopping for four hours. I was still thinking about how to handle the situation as we loaded the SUV when Taggart’s words the night before came back to me. “Okay, but I can say no now and if it’s four more hours of clothes then I say no.” “You’re not having fun?” Tristan asked quietly as we hopped in and he started up the vehicle. “It’s not that,” I hedged, not wanting to hurt his feelings. “I like hanging with you and it was fun the first couple of hours but now I’m tired and still worn out from everything. Maybe we just don’t have to go so balls-out on my first trip into civilization. You went so fast that I feel like my head’s spinning.” “That’s fair. Sorry about that. I just get so excited and I know it’s stupid because picking your own clothes won’t make you feel normal and all better. But for me making choices when I hadn’t for so long was difficult. And then I had to make some big ones right away so I just figured if you made a bunch of small ones when the time came you would feel more comfortable making decisions as you needed to.” He was rambling but I kept up with his logic and smiled at him. “I like the theory and you’re right, it’s getting easier to say no when I didn’t like something. Let’s just slow things down a bit maybe. I would really like a cell phone and permission to at least text Taggart. He knows that speaking with George would have been hard on me and I want to let him know I’m okay and having fun with you.” “Um, right, I was supposed to tell you that Jared talked to him. He called me when you were in the dressing room,” Tristan admitted

Dewey

39

sheepishly. I didn’t know a man that big could turn red like that. “Sorry, pint size.” I was quiet a moment while plotting my comeback line. “You’re so getting me the coolest phone they have and unlimited texts because I’m texting the man I want more than anything all night.” “Deal,” he sighed in relief. We glanced at each other and burst out laughing. He knew I wasn’t as mad as I played, but let me get away with it. The more time I spent with Tristan the more I wanted to become closer friends with him. He didn’t have a mean bone in his body and he really was one of those gentle giants some people called huge men. Next thing I knew we were pulling into the parking lot of Best Buy. Now I was totally stoked. I’d seen one of their ads once at Taggart’s house that he got from the newspaper and I found myself wanting everything in there… Even if I had no clue what it was. Everything in the ad just looked all new, pretty, and shiny. Who wouldn’t want it all? Tristan picked out a kick ass phone for me that I would never learn how to use all the stuff on. He said the iPhone could also be used as an iPod but I’d still need an iPad. I just looked at him and blurted out the first thing on my mind. “iDon’t know what you’re talking about.” He thought I was making a joke and started laughing until I kept staring at him with a vacant expression. Then he just told me to trust him, bought me way too much stuff, that cost more than all the clothes put together, and we were done. “You’re a little bit crazy, you know that?” I asked him when we pulled up to his house. “Yeah, but it’s the good kind of crazy that makes me so loveable, pint size,” he teased with a wink. “Now let’s get everything inside and I’ll show you how to text Taggart while we eat dinner. I’m sure he’s going to be so relieved to hear from you that we’re not tying you up by your toes.”

40

Joyee Flynn

“Maybe later since he stole our mate all day long,” Jared playfully growled as he appeared out of nowhere and started taking in bags. “Did you spend his whole stipend in one day?” “No, didn’t even make a dent in it.” Tristan leaned over and kissed his man before darting away with his hands full of bags as well. They raced off with my stuff and I wondered if I’d ever get to be in charge of this stipend. I doubt they were in the business of rescuing Omegas just to screw us over. But then again, I’d bring it up to Taggart tonight when we were texting just so he knew about it as well. Just thinking of being cool and texting my man made me grin. I was going to use this time to learn as much as I could and get caught up with the world around me. Alpha Hooker never let me do anything cool and kept me technology impaired like my parents had. Taggart had tried to show me but when we had such limited time together, there seemed to always be something else we wanted to do. Imagine that.

Dewey

41

Chapter 4 I did end up texting with Taggart most of the night. He’d asked me why I didn’t just call him so we could talk and I didn’t have a mature answer. How did I explain to the man I love that it felt more mysterious and a little dangerous texting like we might get caught and in trouble? As usual, I shouldn’t have worried, because he figured it out without my needing to say a word. Just to tease me he sent a few in code before we said our good-nights. I loved his playful heart and open mind. He never tried to derail my experiencing the world and Taggart just wanted to be a part of it. Which worked for me because I loved him. This morning he was coming for an early session with George to take some Council-approved leadership/IQ test… Thing. I didn’t understand all the rules of being an Alpha or the theory behind what was going on. But I did know that Taggart’s session yesterday must have made George believe he wasn’t a psycho if they were taking the next step. I knew we wouldn’t have much time together but I wanted to make sure I looked good so he wouldn’t forget me. It was stupid and insecure of me, I knew that. It’s just after everything I’d been through I wasn’t willing to take any risks that he’d decide I wasn’t worth all this trouble for. After showering I threw on what Tristan called my indecent cutoff jean shorts I’d bought that hung very low and showed the bottom of my ass if I bent over. Along with a short-sleeve plaid shirt I knotted. I didn’t care that’s how girls wore them… I looked hot.

42

Joyee Flynn

Besides, Tag loved my abs and hip bones and I knew the outfit would drive him wild. Topping it off with my new boots and cowboy hat. I sauntered down the stairs, trying to get into the spirit of my sexy clothes. When I walked into the kitchen, Jared spit out his coffee in shock. They were all there, along with Taggart and George… And two men I didn’t know. Whoops! “Good morning,” I drawled and poured myself some coffee. “Nicely done, pint size,” Tristan chuckled. “I’m not sure I’ve ever walked into a room and gotten that reaction.” “What are you wearing?” Taggart growled as he stood up from his seat at the kitchen table. He turned to Tristan. “What have you done to my sweet Dewey?” “You don’t like it,” I whispered, feeling so stupid I wanted to melt into the floor. I hid behind the counter and lowered my hat when I felt tears burn in my eyes. “It’s not Tristan’s fault. He let me buy whatever I liked and I liked this outfit.” “What outfit? You’re practically naked,” Taggart snapped. “You look like you’re going to go work your corner in Texas or something.” “I’m sorry. I’ll go change,” I mumbled and went to dart out of the kitchen. One of the strangers moved in my way and I skidded to a halt. “I think you look ravishing, darling,” he purred as he eyed me over. “I’d be even more excited if I thought that outfit was for me but I get the feeling it’s not.” “I don’t know who you are,” I said nervously as I shot a glance to Tristan. Both these guys were as huge as Taggart and I really wanted to know what was going on. “Carson called the Betas from the dire wolf pack and asked them to come meet you,” my friend explained gently. “He got tied up with something going on with another Omega and didn’t get a chance to give us a heads-up. Sorry to spring this on you.”

Dewey

43

“No, it’s fine.” I wrapped my arms around my naked waist, trying to cover up as much of myself as I could. “Hi, I’m Dewey Seymour.” “Hello, Dewey Seymour. I’m Percy Ryan, Beta of the Wichita pack. This is my partner and Beta, Azyle Ives.” I nodded to the other man who was eyeing me over with lust. Then Percy reached for my hand and brought it to his lips. “I think you look stunning.” “Oh, thank you,” I gushed as I turned so red my ears even heated up. “I was a little nervous about letting you buy a ten-gallon hat for a five-gallon head but you pull it off, pint size,” Tristan said with a bright smile. “Yeah, I think our Omega should dress like that,” Jared mumbled as he eyed me over. Tristan smacked him upside the head and he growled. “I was just looking! There’s no rule that I can’t appreciate beauty when it’s standing in our kitchen.” “Stop ogling my man,” Taggart growled at everyone and in a flash my hand was gone from Percy’s. “Is this what you want? You want every eye in the room to be picturing you naked? Of course, it’s not hard with what little clothing you’re wearing.” “No, I just wanted you to,” I bitched as I pulled away from him. “We can’t touch and be together until we prove you’re not abusing me and our love is real. That didn’t mean I couldn’t dress sexy for you and give you something to think about while we jump through these hoops. You told me to try new things. I did and now you’re pissed. Just leave me alone then.” “Dewey,” he whispered, his eyes going wide and filling with sadness. I think he finally realized that he’d screwed up. “I’m not a slut, Tag,” I yelled, shoving his chest hard. “You’re the only man I’ve chosen to be with and you know that. I just wanted to have some fun and try something sexy to tempt you so you wouldn’t forget how good I can be to you. You’re going through all this shit just to be with me and I wanted to be tempting. Fine, I can’t pull it off but you didn’t have to embarrass me or make me feel like shit.”

44

Joyee Flynn

“Dewey!” I heard several gasps in the room and saw the disapproving look George was giving Taggart. “Don’t you dare write this down in your notes,” I growled at the man. “You have no idea how hard this is on both of us and he’s allowed to screw up with the pressure he’s under. He’s a good man. It just seems he doesn’t want a slut as his Omega.” “Dewey, wait,” Tag called after me as I turned and raced out the back door and onto the terrace. I kept running until I tripped over my boots when I hit the grass and almost fell. Running was pointless from someone who could easily catch me so instead I plopped down on the ground to cry. “Tristan loaned me his iPod so I could listen to the songs on it and see what I liked,” I blubbered as I angrily wiped away tears, not looking at Tag. I yanked off my hat and threw it to the ground. “The man said It’s Alright to Be a Redneck.” “I really don’t think this is what Alan Jackson meant, baby,” he hedged as he sat down next to me. I scooted in the other direction, needing space from him. Taggart sighed heavily. “I’m sorry.” “No you’re not.” “You’re right, I’m not sorry I got pissed,” he growled as he pounced on me. Now I was lying on the ground with his large body surrounding me, his huge hands on me. “You’re not mine yet officially and I got jealous. You walk around dressed like this and I won’t get the chance to make you mine because somebody better will come along and snatch you up.” “I wore it for you,” I said firmly, repeating what I’d said in the kitchen. “I knew we couldn’t be alone so I wore it anyways because Tristan and his men are so in love with each other it would never cross their minds to touch me. I didn’t know George would be there or the other Betas. And even though they were, so what? So what if I wore something a little too revealing? I’m not in downtown Denver!” “Uh-huh,” he moaned as he undid my shirt and kissed along my collarbone.

Dewey

45

“Stop, Tag,” I whispered as I tried to push him away. “Don’t wanna. You drive me insane and are so fucking tempting you could make a straight man beg to be with you.” Tag moved his hands to the button of the shorts and I started crying. What was wrong with him? “I said no!” I screamed and shoved him hard. He shook his head, blinking rapidly as if snapping out of a trance. “What is wrong with you? Why are you acting like this? You’ve never treated me badly or been mean to me. Now today you are being horrid to me. Anytime I’ve told you to stop before, you instantly have. Where is my Tag?” “We might be able to answer that,” Percy said quietly as he and Azyle joined us. In a flash Taggart was up with me in his arms, wrapped around him like a monkey. “He’s mine. You can’t have him. I love him and showed him what that meant. You can’t take him from me!” I glanced up at Tag, shocked at how he was acting. His eyes were wild and bloodshot. “What’s wrong with him?” I asked Percy. “Nothing, just want you,” Tag moaned as he slipped his hand down the back of my shorts. His lips found my collarbone again, knowing it was one of my hot spots. “All I’ve ever wanted was you. I’m sorry, baby. I’ll be better, be stronger. You can wear whatever you want after I claim you because I won’t be jealous then. I love the outfit, it just startled me.” “Tag,” I moaned as he rubbed his finger against my hole, pushing it in slightly even though it was dry. He seemed manic and out of control. I didn’t know what to do. “You have to knock him out, Dewey,” Tristan said quietly from behind me. “What?” I gasped as Tag’s other hand slid down the front of my shorts. I glanced at them over my shoulder and saw the worried faces. “Why?”

46

Joyee Flynn

“Because I can’t,” Tristan explained. “I can freeze him so he doesn’t get hurt but we need him out and I don’t want to drug him when that’s the problem.” “Fuck off and leave me to please my man in private,” Tag growled at them, shaking with the need to shift. “I love you,” I whispered against his lips. His eyes cleared for a moment and I saw my Tag. “Do it. I don’t know what’s wrong,” he whimpered. “Just promise you’ll give me a chance to apologize later. I love you more than anything, Dewey.” “I know you do.” I gave him a quick kiss and let go of my power. Tag’s eyes rolled up into his head and just as we started to fall to the ground, Tristan froze Tag. He waited until Jared and Percy were there to catch Taggart and then let go. I ended up in Azyle’s arms, shaking as my well-deserved nervous breakdown started. “Why is this happening to us? Why can’t we just have a moment’s fucking peace? What’s wrong with him?” I blubbered as I buried my face in Azyle’s neck. I think somewhere I knew I shouldn’t be in the arms of another man practically naked, but right then I didn’t care. And it wasn’t about sex. Dear god in heaven, that was the last thing on my mind. “I think it’s the wolfsbane,” George answered as he stepped closer and rubbed my back. “When you looked so shocked at Taggart’s reaction I started thinking of reasons he could be acting out of character. I don’t know him, so my initial thought was this was how he truly is.” “He’s not like this,” I wailed and Azyle’s arms tightened as he whispered gently in my ear. “He’s good and kind and loving. He doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. Tag’s never judged me or treated me like anything but a prince. That’s why I was so upset. I thought it was the stress of all of this but then his eyes were so wild like he wasn’t there.”

Dewey

47

“Wolfsbane is a drug,” George explained as Jared and Percy carried Taggart and we headed back inside. “Yes, it’s a drug to weaken a wolf, but just like any other drug it can be addictive and hard on one’s system when suddenly stopped. When was the last time he had any?” I thought about that a moment. “He was supposed to get his weekly dose the night of the hunt but he switched out the bottles and they shot him up with water. So the week before he had a double dose. Nine days then?” “I’ll call the pack doctor and see what he thinks,” Tristan said with a nod. “He might not be able to get off of it cold turkey.” “But wolfsbane hurts him,” I whimpered, hating the idea of giving him any more. “Yes, but there might be an easier way to get it out of his system without this type of reaction,” George explained. I nodded that I understood. They were the professionals here and I would defer to them. They’d proven that they had our best interests at heart. “I won’t tell the Council what happened other than he’s suffered by being drugged for so long. You’ve been thinking clearly and I don’t believe Taggart’s been abusing you, Dewey.” “Thank you. I swear he’s never once treated me like that.” I bit my lip, debating how much to tell him and then decided the truth was best. “I lied once and said I wasn’t as hurt as I was from my old Beta. We were having sex and my hole tore a bit. Tag never had a thought in his head as to keep having sex or annoyed he didn’t get to finish. He cried he was so upset he hurt me and it wasn’t his fault even. That’s the man he is.” “We believe you, pint size,” Cameron agreed with a sympathetic smile. “We got a chance to talk to him a bit after he had a session with George and you were out shopping with our mate. He loves you and no man could fake his feelings like that. Taggart was so excited for you to be free and experience new things as simple as shopping and

48

Joyee Flynn

picking out your own clothes. I think we were just shocked at his reaction today and didn’t know what to do.” “Me too,” I mumbled. Azyle set me down on the counter, standing between my thighs as he cupped my face in his large hands. “I’m sorry you had to suffer as you have and this is happening to Taggart when you love him so. It might be the wrong time but I had to let you know that having you in my arms and letting me comfort you when you needed it was wonderful. Even if you don’t become our Omega and things don’t work out as we want, I hope you know I’ll always be here for you, Dewey.” “You’re with Percy,” I whispered, feeling a little uncomfortable. “And we love each other,” Percy said gently as he moved closer. I looked around and realized they must have laid Taggart down in the living room because he wasn’t in the kitchen. “But something’s always been missing between us and I think it’s you.” I watched as Azyle’s hand moved down my naked chest and Percy ran his fingers up my thigh. I shivered at the contact, adoring their gentle touch. Then I snapped back to my senses. “Please stop. This isn’t the right time and I won’t do anything without talking to Taggart first.” “You’re right,” Azyle sighed as they both took a step back. “We’re sorry. We shouldn’t have been so thoughtless. It’s just you’re so beautiful and the way you care for Taggart just makes us want to be the ones you want as well.” I studied them both. Azyle had shoulder-length deep-brown hair that had a curl to it which was a stunning contrast to his bright-green eyes. Both of them were six seven or so and built like Taggart. It had to be a dire wolf thing that made them so big, but it was just good genes that made them so hot. Percy had light-blue eyes that shined with emotion, mostly lust, and black, short hair that I just wanted to run my fingers through. “You’re both stunning and it’s not that I’m not attracted to you,” I explained softly. “I liked being in your arms and the way you touched

Dewey

49

me. I just can’t right now, especially with what’s going on with Taggart. I would like to get to know you both better. Maybe we could just hang out today?” “We’d like that and we’ll try to keep our hands to ourselves,” Percy agreed. “You might want to change though if we have to behave because all I can think about is stripping you down naked and licking every inch of your body. Then we’d make you scream in pleasure as we made love to you all day and night.” “Wow,” I panted, my cock going hard. “You really know how to use that mouth of yours.” “Darling, you have no idea how talented my mouth is,” he drawled and reached for me. Azyle stopped him by stepping in front of Percy. “Sorry. You’re just so damn tempting.” “Thank you,” I giggled. They both groaned suddenly and I realized they were staring at my groin. I’d been pushing against my dick, trying to get it to behave, and they noticed. That and the shorts were so tight the outline of it was very obvious. “I’m going to go change.” “Here’s your hat,” Jared said with a wink as he handed it to me. I took it from him and raced from the room. I quickly changed, throwing on the most unappealing yoga pants and T-shirt I’d bought. The T-shirt was baggy but the yoga pants were formfitting. They were probably for women but they were so comfortable I didn’t care if they were made for animals. I liked them. When I was done I headed back downstairs and followed Taggart’s scent to the living room. He was still out for the count on the sofa and I knelt on the floor in front of him. “I’ll take care of you, Tag,” I told him as I held his hand. “I don’t know what’s going on but I’ll talk with the doc and handle it. I can do this, okay? You’ve taken care of me for so long that I hope you trust that I’ll do what’s right by you and for us. I was nervous I made the wrong choice by letting them give us sanctuary but now I’m not.

50

Joyee Flynn

“Tristan’s a great friend already and I like his inner circle. George has already been a big help to me and I think we both need to talk about what happened so we can set things right. What if we had been on the run and this happened to you? We wouldn’t have been able to get help in time and something bad could have happened to either of us. I want more for us. A real home and a good pack. Maybe Percy and Azyle coming here is good too. “They seem nice and they’ve been respectful of what I want. If we get to know them now before moving to a new pack we can all be a team. I know you’ll make an awesome Alpha and they’ll see it too. I won’t do anything or go anywhere if it doesn’t include you, Tag. You’re everything to me.” I didn’t expect an answer since obviously he was unconscious. I just needed to say what was on my mind. Maybe his subconscious would hear me and he wouldn’t be scared. The pack doctor came then with Tristan. They both gave me sad smiles as the doc went to work. He drew Taggart’s blood and took his vitals as I numbly watched. The doc was still doing his thing as I was lifted up. I slowly glanced at Percy, feeling as if this was all a dream or a nightmare. He lowered me onto Azyle’s lap and then sat next to us on the love seat. “I can’t lose him,” I whispered to no one in particular. “He’s my whole world.” “We understand that but we need to know if you have room in your heart for two more,” Azyle said as he nuzzled my neck. It wasn’t sexual, though it was hard not to get turned on. It was a wolf thing, his way of showing me comfort. “Yes,” I admitted as my cheeks heated up. “As long as it was all of us together and not me with you guys and me with Taggart, I think it would work. But I can’t say that for sure.” “Nothing in life is for sure,” Percy agreed as he lifted my hand to his lips. “We do the best we can and just take things one day at a time.”

Dewey

51

“I can do that.” I snuggled back against Azyle, taking the comfort he offered. The stress of the day must have gotten to me because I fell asleep right there in his lap. I wasn’t one for napping but it was one hell of a day and I still hadn’t had breakfast. **** Falling asleep was bad though because I couldn’t hold someone unconscious if I was. I woke to a fierce growl as I was moved suddenly. Then warm lips found mine and I recognized Taggart’s scent. I kissed him back passionately, giving myself over to him completely. “Mine,” he snarled before plundering my mouth again. I felt my T-shirt get ripped off of me before he yanked down my pants. Then he lifted me up so my thighs were on his shoulders and started licking my hole. I opened my eyes to see four startled expressions. “He woke after you fell asleep and seemed to ignore everything but you,” Tristan explained. “Get him some slick before he fucks me dry,” I moaned, no longer caring about the witnesses or anything else. Taggart needed me even if he wasn’t thinking clearly and I would be there for him. “Taggart, take this and don’t hurt Dewey,” Tristan said gently as he handed the bottle of slick to my man. “We’ll give you some privacy… Not that this ever happened.” I nodded as Taggart lowered me to the couch. I was an unclaimed Omega again since they nulled my contract with my inner circle and there were severe penalties for having sex with me. “No, the Betas stay,” Taggart growled when they went to leave. He slicked up his fingers and then tossed Azyle the bottle. “You want him and if we can all get along and be his inner circle, Dewey will be better protected. No penetrating him until the deal is done but you can test if you guys have chemistry with him if Dewey agrees to it.”

52

Joyee Flynn

“Tag?” I whispered, checking his eyes to see if they were clear. “Is this you or the wolfsbane talking?” “I’m here,” he answered quietly as he licked my bottom lip. “I feel weird and all I can think of is having you, showing you how I feel so you forgive me. But I’m all over the place too. Is this because of the wolfsbane?” “We think so.” I gasped as he pushed a finger in my ass. “Are you sure you want them to join in? We don’t even know them and I don’t want you to get crazy jealous again.” “No, I’m not sure but we need to see what’s here.” He nodded to Percy and Azyle. They hesitantly moved closer and knelt on either side of Taggart as I was spread out on the sofa like a buffet. “His neck and collarbone are especially hot spots for him. He likes his nipples played with and he’s not into the burn of dry sex so you have to use lots of lube when playing with him.” “We can do that,” Azyle said hesitantly as he searched my eyes. “Are you okay with this?” “Yes. Tag’s right that we need to see if the chemistry is even here between all of us,” I replied firmly, hoping I got my point across. I must have because they both nodded. Azyle leaned over to kiss me as Percy moved his hands under Tag’s shirt. “Focus on Dewey,” Tag moaned. “I want both of you,” Percy countered. Tag nodded and pulled his finger out of me just long enough to get his shirt off and then pushed two back into me. “We can all play while you take Dewey. I can’t wait to see how pretty he is when he comes.” “It’s like nothing I can put into words.” I blushed at Taggart’s praise and my dick twitched. They all saw it and groaned. Azyle went back to kissing me and I thought my body was going to go up in flames already with what they were doing to me. I couldn’t even imagine what it would be like for them to take me all at once. But I’d like to find out one day.

Dewey

53

Chapter 5 I couldn’t get enough air or have enough blood in my brain to realize fully what was going on. I was stretched out now and Tag had undone his jeans because he was rubbing the extra slick on his cock. “Tell me this is okay and I’m not taking advantage of you,” he said gently. “I always want you,” I moaned as Percy bit my nipple gently. “I love you, Tag.” I realized how awkward it was to tell one of the men I was with that I loved him while I barely knew the other two. “Percy and Azyle are growing on me too.” Wow, that was lame. In my defense most of my blood was in my groin so there wasn’t a lot left for my brain. I arched my back and gasped as Tag pushed his huge dick inside of me. Percy and Azyle moaned and someone’s hand moved to my cock and started stroking me. I couldn’t even keep track of all the hands and lips that were solely focused on my pleasure. “Too much,” I whimpered as I thrashed on the couch. “Everyone only took me one at a time before.” “Just enjoy it, Dewey,” Azyle purred in my ear as he licked along my neck. “We’ll catch you.” I nodded because in theory it made sense. Right then though, it felt as if my body was going to explode into a million pieces. I tried my best to hold back my orgasm as six hands and a few lips played my body like an instrument. “I have to come, Tag!” I cried out as I focused on his eyes. They shined with love for me and he nodded. I let go, hoping they’d catch me as Azyle had said. I screamed like a man possessed as I climaxed harder than I ever had before. My cock went off like a geyser and I

54

Joyee Flynn

had a moment to appreciate the fact that I hit all three of them with at least one stream of cum before the black dots started to appear. Taggart came hard as well, grunting out his love for me as he filled my ass with his seed. I’d have thought Percy and Azyle being there would have made it less intimate and a little awkward. But it was just the opposite which gave me hope we could all be a family one day. “Protect him,” Taggart gasped when he was spent and trying not to flop down on top of me. “I leave Dewey in your hands to love and protect.” “Tag?” I whispered, tears filling my eyes in fear. This sounded a lot like a good-bye. “Respect him and don’t breach him until we figure out all the paperwork and I get better,” he ordered Percy and Azyle. “If you mistreat him in any way you will understand why I’m more than capable of being Alpha of the dire pack and will feel my wrath. We clear?” “Yes, Alpha,” they both answered immediately. I really felt like I missed something. “Tristan!” I screamed as Tag’s eyes rolled up into his head and he dropped to the floor. I hadn’t made him pass out so what the fuck was going on? Watching the man I love writhe on the floor in horror, I fought Percy and Azyle to get to him. Why were they holding me back? “Help him!” “You can do more damage than good if you don’t know what to do,” Azyle explained and then sighed in relief when Tristan came flying into the room with the doc. “He just went down and started seizing. I think he knew it was coming because he gave us a warning on how to treat Dewey.” “He really loves you,” Percy whispered as he held me tight and stroked my hair. “Instead of calling for the doc to get help he was so worried about what would happen to you if he was out for the count.”

Dewey

55

“It sounded like a good-bye,” I sniffled, wincing when the doc injected him with something. Tag settled down and simply looked like he was sleeping now. The tension in my muscles dissipated a bit but I was still shaking. I couldn’t get over how drastic of a turn our lives had taken and I was more scared now for Tag than I had been when we’d decided to leave our old pack. “We can’t take any chances with him,” the doc said quietly to Tristan. “I need to move him to my clinic immediately and start the full physical. Whatever is wrong with him is getting progressively worse and if I don’t figure out what’s going on now there’s no telling what could happen next.” “Do it,” Tristan replied as he lifted Taggart up over his shoulder. “I’m coming with,” I blurted out as I scrambled out of Azyle’s lap and yanked on my pants. My shirt was toast but I so didn’t give a shit right then if I went naked to the clinic. Tristan and the doc shared a quick look. “Not this time, pint size. The doc is going to keep him out and do a bunch of tests you won’t want to see or can’t get in the way for. As soon as he’s done I’ll take you over to see Tag, okay? You’re going to sit there and worry and you can do the same thing from here where you’ve got people to support you.” I thought it over for a moment. I didn’t like it but it made sense. I also wasn’t taking any chances. Getting right in the doctor’s face, I let him know how serious I was. “You hurt him or pull some madscientist experiments on him and I’ll knock you out permanently. We clear? Tag’s my whole world and if you fuck him up or don’t fix him there won’t be a rock or hole you can hide in from me.” “Tristan and the High Council can attest to the fact that I’m a good doctor,” he said gently, understanding my threats came from fear. “I want to help him, that’s all. I don’t even have an evil madscientist laugh, I promise.” “Good. Keep it that way.” I gave him the best smile I could muster right then, appreciative that he didn’t blow up at my craziness.

56

Joyee Flynn

I moved around Tristan and gave my unconscious man a quick kiss. “Pass all your tests and get better, my love. I’ll come see you soon.” I was proud of how strong I was when Tristan left with Tag over his shoulder, the doc trailing behind them. I didn’t cry, I didn’t break down, and I didn’t demand to go with them like a child. I stood there, praying to whoever was listening that this wasn’t the end for us. Fate wouldn’t have saved us from hell only to have me lose Tag. She couldn’t be that cruel. No, I refused to believe it. “Ah!” I screamed when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I’d been so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t realize Azyle and Percy had joined me. “Sorry, was just thinking fate wouldn’t screw me after I just got rescued. Didn’t see you guys get off the sofa.” “No worries,” Azyle said gently. “So Tristan was telling us he got you an iPad but you didn’t know how to work it. I’m kind of a techie dork. I could help you if you want?” “I don’t think I could concentrate right now…” I trailed off, realizing what they were trying to do. I nodded and was rewarded with two bright smiles. It was worth a shot. “I’d like to take a run around the grounds too after breakfast if that’s okay?” “Sure,” Percy agreed right away. “I’d love to get to know your wolf too. I bet you’re the most handsome white wolf in the world.” “I doubt that.” I rolled my eyes and let him see as we walked out of the living room. Suddenly I was up in Azyle’s arms squirming to get down. “Too soon?” he whispered gently, sounding a bit hurt. “I’m sorry.” “No, I’m sorry,” I sighed as we reached the kitchen. “I just feel all over the place. Maybe I just need some time to myself.” “No, you don’t,” Cameron said as he shared a glance with Jared. “If you’re alone right now, you’ll retreat into your own mind and let the sadness overwhelm you. The doc is smart, like scary smart. He’ll fix Taggart right up and then he’s going to be annoyed you were sulking when you could be getting to know your potential Betas.”

Dewey

57

“Yeah, okay,” I agreed, not really feeling the idea of being sociable. I grabbed my iPad off the counter and unplugged it from charging. I handed it to Azyle and gave him the best grin I could muster. “Bring me into the current year then.” We sat down and Azyle began his instruction. He was a good teacher, patient and able to put what he was showing me into lay terms. I snacked on fresh muffins while drinking my coffee as I soaked up everything he was saying. A few hours later I could confidently connect to Wi-Fi, open a browser, search the Internet, and send an e-mail with the account he set up for me. It was a good start and he never made me feel stupid. Azyle made contacts in my e-mail, saving his, Percy’s, Tristan’s, and Carson’s emails in there for me. Then he did the same for my cell phone, giving me all the numbers I could ever need if something happened or I just wanted to talk. We were sitting down to lunch when George appeared again. It seemed he went with Tristan and the doc to help assess Taggart and write up a report for the High Council. “He’s doing better,” George said as Jared made him a sandwich after kissing Tristan in greeting. “He’s not convulsing anymore and sleeping soundly. The doc was right, Taggart’s going through withdrawal symptoms from the wolfsbane. He’s going to set him up on a very small dosage of the stuff so his body isn’t in shock from it suddenly missing. The plan is to wean Taggart off of it in a way that his system won’t freak out without doing any damage to him.” “When can I see him?” I choked out, my voice full of emotion. “The doc says it’s best if you stay here for a few days. Taggart’s linked to you emotionally and we can scent people even in our sleep. He thinks that if Taggart smells you that he’s going to fight being kept asleep and it could jar his system.” George eyed me over for a few moments. “I think you and I have built a bond of trust, Dewey.” I nodded. “Yes, I think you have my best interest at heart and you aren’t out to hurt me or Tag.”

58

Joyee Flynn

“I’ve never met this doctor before but I trust him. I have medical knowledge given what I do and he’s being careful in his treatment. I approve this course of action and I think it’s what’s best for Taggart.” “So do I,” Tristan added, giving me a sympathetic smile. “I do know the doc. He’s the one who helped me when I suddenly grew over a foot. He’s a good man, Dewey. He’ll get Taggart better and back in your arms as quickly and safely as possible.” “Okay, then I’ll hang out here,” I mumbled. “He’ll call if there’s any change or Tag needs me, right?” “I gave him your cell and told him to call you first if he needs consent for anything.” I nodded to Tristan, understanding the words but not liking any of this. “Can you focus enough to have a session with me?” George asked smoothly. “I think it best for us to get into the habit of talking when you have a crisis on your hands, even if it’s by phone later.” “We can do that but I think Percy and Azyle need to be there as well. They need to understand what they’d be getting themselves into if I’m to be their Omega.” “If that’s what you want,” Azyle said hesitantly as he glanced at Percy. “But we don’t want to make this any harder on you.” “I doubt anything else could get worse right now.” I laughed bitterly and grabbed my plate and soda, heading to the living room where George and I had talked last. They could follow or not. It was best that they know things off the bat, but maybe this wasn’t the right way to do it. Whatever, it was easiest for me then and that’s all I cared about. Did that make me a bitch? Yeah, probably. But I figured everyone would cut me a little slack since what was going on. They all followed me into the room and when George was seated and turned on the digital recorder I picked up where we left off. For an hour I went into detail about months four through eight of being with my last pack. The day before we went over the months one

Dewey

59

through four and while Percy and Azyle now missed it… I got the feeling they understood what happened then too. “Still want me?” I asked in a hoarse voice, thick with emotion. I didn’t cry this session, too worn out from everything with Taggart. But it was still hard and I was exhausted. Percy was the first to speak. “I want nothing more than to hold you and try to make it all better.” I stared at him with my mouth hanging open. What sane person had that kind of reply? I glanced to Azyle, who nodded. I might have had a crazy moment because I burst out laughing. “Either you guys are nuts or you just want a fixer-up project.” “Or they see your strength and the amount of life in you after all you’ve been through,” George said calmly. I wasn’t sure what to make of the statement until he clarified. “Most people wouldn’t be handling this as well as you are, Dewey. Hell, if my mate was in the hospital for wolfsbane poisoning I’d be curled up in a ball sobbing.” “Are you saying I’m cold?” I whispered, my heart hurting at the idea. “On the contrary,” George answered with a grimace. “You care and are so loving that you still have hope. Most people wouldn’t be able to process their anger enough to be able to function right now.” “I’m angry. I just can’t believe this is where our story ends.” “Which is hope and impressive that you’re looking at the situation like that.” “I’m glad you think so,” I said with a sigh. “I think it’s a little demented to sit here and try to scare two hot, nice men off with my past.” “It’s being honest after you’ve been hurt so many times,” Azyle replied as he took my hand. “People have failed you and it’s your way of making sure we’re up to the task of being with you. I’d want to know if we had the stomach to deal with all of this if the situation was reversed.”

60

Joyee Flynn

“Fair enough.” I nodded as I stood, staring at our joined hands. “I think I’m going to take a nap.” They both stared at me curiously and I realized I’d have to spell it out for them with how careful they were being. “You could join me if you want. No funny stuff, just a nap. You said you wanted to hold me and right now I could use the comfort.” “We’re in,” Percy agreed as they got to their feet. I smiled shyly, not sure if this was the right move. But it felt right and that had to mean something. We said our good-byes to George and they walked with me to my room. I dropped Azyle’s hand so I could pull off my pants before lifting the covers. I froze with one knee on the bed when they both groaned. “Not sure we can keep from any funny stuff if you’re naked, baby,” Percy explained as he moved behind me and ran his hands over my naked ass. “You’re so damn tempting.” “I know you could make me get in the mood if you kept doing that,” I said evenly, proud that my voice didn’t show the way he was affecting me. “But I am tired and just want to rest.” I glanced at him over my shoulder before meeting Azyle’s eyes. “Maybe after I catch a nap we can play. It’s just hard for me right now. I know Taggart said it was fine, but I’m scared and worried about him. Being intimate with you guys kinda feels like I’m cheating.” “Then we can wait until you work through what’s on your mind.” Percy leaned down and kissed my shoulder before letting me go. I nodded as I scooted into the middle of the king-size bed. They both got undressed and moved to either side of me. Yeah, I totally ogled them, appreciating the view. But right then I wanted the puppy pile that was comforting to shifters, not sexual activity. When we were settled, I was plastered to Azyle’s side as he wrapped an arm around me and kissed my hair. Percy was at my back, making sure there was barely an inch of me not covered by them. It was great but it also made me horny because I could feel they were

Dewey

61

both turned on. And I didn’t mean because I could feel their emotions. No, I felt their hard-ons. I fell asleep with a smile on my face. It was nice to feel attractive and sexy enough to turn on two such hot, virile men. Go me. **** I awoke to four hands and two sets of lips on my body. My eyes snapped open in time to see both of them take a nipple into their mouths. I gasped at the contact and turned fully onto my back. “If you want us to stop we will,” Azyle said in a husky tone, his voice full of desire. “We can fuck each other to calm back down but we thought some distraction might help you as well.” “And we woke up with this gorgeous, sexy little man in our arms and are doing our best not to plunder his hot body.” Percy gave me a wink as he ran his hand between my legs, cupping my sac. On instinct I moaned and spread my legs wider. “Tell us what you want, baby. We’ll stop or give you anything you need.” “No breaching me,” I whispered, licking my lips as I stared at Percy’s huge cock. Maybe it was a dire wolf thing that they were all so hung? “But I’d like to taste you while Azyle rubs off on me.” “We can do that,” Azyle moaned. In a flash I was on my hands and knees. I opened my mouth for Percy as Azyle licked the crack of my ass. He got me nice and wet and I realized he didn’t know where the lube was. I didn’t have any since we’d packed it in with Tag’s stuff. Just the thought of my man left me in a sobered state. “Where did you go?” Percy asked when I closed my mouth right as he was going to move his cock past my lips. I stared up at him with tears in my eyes. “Oh, you went to Taggart.” “I’m sorry,” I whispered as I sat back on my heels, giving Azyle enough time to move out of the way. “I was thinking I didn’t have any

62

Joyee Flynn

slick because it was in Taggart’s bag. And then it hit me. Can I really give another man head while he’s in the hospital?” “If you’re questioning what’s going on then we’re going too fast,” he said gently as he cupped my cheek. “What are you comfortable with, Dewey?” Before I could answer he leaned in and brushed his lips over mine. “Is that okay?” “Yes,” I breathed and he did it again. “What about this?” Azyle asked as he kissed along my shoulders and neck. “Is this too much?” “No, feels good,” I admitted as I shivered. “Maybe it’s just not going past what we did when Tag was here.” It was a thought and the only thing I could come up with right then. “Then we won’t go any farther than that until you’re ready,” Percy agreed. “Hand jobs and kissing only.” He went back to kissing me as Azyle fingered my hole. He didn’t push in, simply teasing me. Percy wrapped his large hand around my cock and I gasped into his mouth. “You are so fucking perfect and beautiful,” Azyle cooed as he sucked on my neck. “The way you respond to us is amazing and so damn sexy I almost cream myself every time you gasp or cry out.” “Uh-huh,” I mumbled against Percy’s lips. I reached down and took Percy’s cock in one hand while finding Azyle’s with my other one. They both moaned at the contact. I was in awe that I couldn’t wrap my hand all the way around their dicks. The only man who I’d had that with—no, I wasn’t going to go there right then. I wasn’t doing anything wrong and Percy and Azyle deserved my full attention. “Where’s the slick and how kinky are you?” Azyle whimpered and it took me a moment to catch up with him. “There’s something I know we’re both dying to see.” “What?” I gasped for air now that Percy wasn’t kissing me. Damn that man could kiss. My head was spinning from his kisses.

Dewey

63

“Please finger yourself since we can’t breach you,” Percy begged. “We want to see you ride your fingers as we jack off on you.” “If you are both touching yourselves, how will I come?” I asked blatantly as they looked at me with such lust I shivered. “We’ll suck you off?” Azyle offered. “Deal,” I agreed. I let them go and spread myself out wide, moving my knees almost to my sides. “I grabbed the slick from earlier,” Percy admitted as he poured some onto my hand. I pushed two fingers into my ass, loving the way they both groaned and watched intently. They stroked their cocks faster, moving down the bed so they had a good view. “I think you need a third finger, baby.” “Oh yeah,” Azyle moaned. I was getting into the kinky mood now and I had a better idea. “You guys can’t breach me but I have a toy in my bag.” They both looked at me with wide eyes before scrambling out of the bed. Moments later Percy jumped back up with a thick dildo in his hand. He quickly slicked it up as I pulled my fingers free. “Is that good?” Azyle asked as I cried out when Percy pushed it in me. “Faster!” I demanded. Percy was using his left hand to please me with the toy as he used his right one to spank his meat. “I’m going to come.” “Do it, baby,” Azyle moaned as he eyed over what the toy was doing to me. “You’re so fucking hot.” That was enough to push me over the edge. I cried out as I came, not even having touched my own cock. Pumping my hips in the air, I took as much of the toy as I could, riding it to draw out my pleasure. They both groaned and I felt the first splashes of their cum mix in with mine on my stomach. I watched in awe as these two hot men were so turned on by me that they couldn’t hold back. All the while keeping their promise to Taggart and me.

64

Joyee Flynn

Percy didn’t seem to think once was enough because he was still fucking me with the toy. Azyle leaned over and licked my still-hard cock. “We both came so we owe you one more,” Percy explained. I nodded, focused on what they were doing to me. “Come for us, Dewey. Let us see that we please you.” And I did. I couldn’t believe they got me to climax again so quickly but they did. It was just as good as the first one and when I was spent Percy slowly pulled the toy out from my hole. Then they each leaned over to kiss my groin in several spots, licking where the dildo had been. “Was it good, baby?” Azyle asked as they snuggled down on either side of me. “Too much?” “No, it was just right. You both were perfect,” I answered before kissing him. It was true. It was enough to be a great distraction and something my body needed but not too much where I felt uncomfortable. I just wished we had taped it for Taggart for when he got better. He would have enjoyed the show.

Dewey

65

Chapter 6 A few days later I was having the best dream. It wasn’t that I woke up, so it had to be a dream since Taggart was there with me. “I’ve missed you,” I whispered as I snuggled against him. “If you die you’ll take me with you, right? I don’t want to live in a world where you’re not there.” “No more talk like that,” he chastised gently as he held me close. “I’m going to be just fine. We’re going to be just fine, my love.” “Good.” I kissed his chest, unable to get over how real he felt in even a dream. But at the same time, it made sense. I knew every inch of Tag as well as I did my own body. “Make love to me?” “We can’t right now. Azyle and Percy are waiting for us.” He paused and then his voice went lower as if worried someone else would hear us. “Have they been good to you, baby? Did they keep their promises and treat you right?” “Oh yeah,” I giggled as I opened my eyes and looked into his deep-blue ones. “They’ve been taking real good care of me. We have tapes for you to watch. I wanted you to see what you missed. I let them take me with the dildo you got me, so they never breached me but only the toy did. And they’ve been fucking me with it all over the place. I think they really like me. They’re both very kind and good men.” “So you like them?” he asked hesitantly. “Yes, but I love you.” I frowned. My dreams of Taggart shouldn’t have insecurities in them. “Do you think I’d want them instead of you? Please don’t think that, Tag. I like this dream.”

66

Joyee Flynn

“No, I’m not jealous and this isn’t a dream, Dewey.” He chuckled as I stared at him in confusion. “I simply want to make sure they’re a good fit with us before we move on to what’s next.” “Wait!” I gasped as I sat up, moving so I was straddling his hips. “You’re really here? How are you out of the hospital? They said I couldn’t see you until today.” “And now you’re seeing me.” He gave me a wicked grin as he spread his arms wide. “Like what you see?” “Are you better?” I moved my hands over his body as if that would prove this was real to me. “I’m not still asleep?” “No, pint size,” Tristan chuckled from the doorway. “You’re awake.” “Tag!” I exclaimed and wrapped myself around him. “I missed you!” “You said that when you thought you were dreaming.” He held me tightly, burying his face into my neck. “I’m so sorry about what I said to you, Dewey. I was all over the place and I can’t explain what was going on in my mind. You know I love you, yeah?” “I know. So are you all better? What did the doctor say?” I didn’t want to focus on Tag’s guilt. Even if the wolfsbane hadn’t been screwing with him, everyone’s allowed to have an off day where they blow up over something. “I’ll tell my little redneck on one condition.” He waited until I rolled my eyes and nodded, my chin resting on his chest. “Will you wear that outfit for me again? I want to see it now that I’m in my right mind.” “Are you sure?” I believed him but I wasn’t sure my ego could take another hit if he ended up not liking it. “Oh yeah,” he moaned, grabbing my hips and moving my ass over his jeans-covered erection. “Deal.” “The doc says I’m fine. He’s set up a system to wean me off the wolfsbane. I take a small-dose injection of it every day for another

Dewey

67

week before we keep lowering every week. In six weeks it will be out of my body and I’ll be fine. I feel great actually, better than I have in years.” “That’s awesome,” I whispered, my eyes filling with tears. Tag was okay. “Hey, none of that.” He cupped my cheek and pulled my head down to his. He kissed me gently but I could feel his passion and desire to do more. Instead he pulled back. “Tristan heard from the High Council. They have a ruling on whether I can lead the dire wolf pack and keep you as my Omega. As long as you sign the contract and I can beat both Betas in a fair fight then I’m in.” “Fight them?” I pushed myself off of him and crawled out of the bed. I found the clothes he wanted me to wear, yanking them on and ignoring Tristan’s presence. “Yeah, this dominance shit drives me insane. When is the High Council going to learn that the strongest physically isn’t necessarily the best leader? They want a fight? Fine, we’ll give them a fight.” I stormed out of the room in my tiny shorts, boots, shirt tied in front, and my cowboy hat. Both men had their jaws hanging open in shock and it wasn’t until I got to the top of the stairs that I heard either of them moving. “Dewey, wait!” Tag called out. I ignored him and raced down the stairs, through the kitchen, and out the back door. “Hey, baby,” Azyle said with a smile as he finished setting up a webcam and laptop. I knew what both things were now, thanks to him. “You come to watch the fight? The High Council’s representative just came on.” “Councilman Stratts,” the man on the screen introduced himself. “Nice to meet you, Omega Seymour.” “You too, sir.” I gave him a nod just as Tristan and Taggart came racing out the back door. “I have something to say and you’re not going to like it, but I also find a visual is always best.” “Okay then,” he drawled, looking curious as to what I meant.

68

Joyee Flynn

“Percy, Azyle, can you please move into his view and get into fighting stances?” They both nodded and did as I asked as Tristan groaned. “Dewey, please don’t blow our shot to be together,” Tag pleaded. “If I show you my point for the record, hoping that it may help our race move into the current age, will you hold it against me and Tag?” I asked him, raising an eyebrow. “No, Omega Seymour. You have me intrigued and being one of the few Councilmen who is in love with his Omega, I’ve always been appalled at how they’ve been treated. I welcome potential proof of why things should be changed.” “Good deal,” I said brightly as I rubbed my hands together. “Attack me.” “What?” Percy and Azyle gasped together, their eyes going wide. “Humor me and trust the man you want to be your Omega and attack me,” I ordered, giving them a frown. They both nodded and readied themselves. Right before they were going to leap at me, I simply waved my hand and both of them were out like a light, falling to the ground with a thump. “I win. I get to be Alpha now because I won the fight.” I turned to face the Councilman on the screen. He smiled as he wrote down some notes. “Point proven, Omega Seymour. You’ve made your point, son.” “Good. Now I understand that an Alpha needs to be strong, but that doesn’t mean only physically. There are other ways to be a good leader. That’s why an Alpha has two Betas, enforcers to keep him safe. I would appreciate you passing along my point and thoughts, Councilman Stratts. We wouldn’t be in this predicament with so many abused Omegas if physical strength wasn’t equated to leadership material.” “Agreed. In this instance though, I do need to see that Taggart Becket can handle himself. An Alpha does have to be able to hold his

Dewey

69

own. He’s already taken our other tests and passed with flying colors.” “Other tests? There are other tests besides the leadership and IQ test?” I felt my face pale as I turned to Taggart and Tristan. “You didn’t say you took other tests. You said you had to beat Percy and Azyle in a fight to prove you could be Alpha. I didn’t want you guys to fight, thinking there was another way and—” “Breathe, my love,” Tag interrupted me as he knelt in front of me and cradled my face in his hands. “Yes, there is more than a physical fighting abilities test to be an Alpha. I didn’t have time to explain that because you wigged when you heard I’d be fighting Percy and Azyle.” “I don’t want any of you to fight or get hurt,” I panted, feeling as if I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs. “We’ve seen dominance battles, Tag. They’re bloody and people die sometimes. I can’t lose you. “Omega Seymour, if I may?” Councilman Stratts asked and I turned to face him. “That’s not how they are supposed to be, son. My understanding is that you’ve witnessed some MMA fights as well?” “No, why would I know anything about that?” I replied in a panic. “It’s okay, I told the High Council everything.” Tag rubbed my back and I sighed in relief. “No, I didn’t want Dewey to find out how I was getting money for our escape.” “I understand, but I meant that your old Alpha made the pack fight for bets?” “Yeah. I understand what your point is, Councilman. But those fights are not a good example either. They were no-bars, brutal, winner-take-all kind of fights.” Tag rubbed his chin for a moment in thought and I knew something was going on here. What it was? I had no clue. “Dewey, do you remember when we were watching that movie where the students were training to be in the Navy? The one with the boxing fights?”

70

Joyee Flynn

“And the really hot guy we were both drooling over?” I chuckled, nodding. Then just like that the lightbulb went off over my head. “You’re saying dominance fights are supposed to be more like that with rules and a referee?” “Yes,” they both answered. “Oh, well now I feel silly,” I mumbled. “It’s still violent but I can understand it. There was structure and points to determine the winner. Sometimes it was who was left standing, but they still got hurt.” “Nothing major that won’t heal in an hour or so, Omega Seymour,” the Councilman said gently. “We need proof that Taggart can protect you and the pack if necessary.” “Okay, then I’ll stop being a brat.” “You’ve been through a lot, Omega Seymour. Give yourself a chance to adjust to the fast-coming changes. It’s understandable when certain things worry you after the pack you’ve been exposed to.” “Thank you, Councilman.” I gave Tag a quick kiss and mentally released Azyle and Percy. “Can we not do that again?” Percy groaned as he came around, rubbing his head. “This wasn’t our idea, baby. We just want to show the Council that Taggart can lead and get you guys home with us. Our pack needs a lot of help healing and Azyle and I feel you are the right people to do it.” “I’m sorry.” I knelt in front of him and gave him a kiss. “You’re forgiven but only because you’re wearing my favorite outfit,” he mumbled against my lips. “I still require some TLC when we’re done.” “Deal,” I giggled. I did the same to Azyle before moving out of the way with him. Percy and Taggart were up first. They both stripped off their shirts and kicked off their shoes for better mobility. I didn’t know how they could fight in jeans but it wasn’t me out there so whatever they wanted. Azyle wrapped an arm around me as I chewed on my nails, not wanting to watch but unable to look away.

Dewey

71

“Go!” Tristan called out, obviously being the referee for the fight. Tag and Percy circled each other for a moment, looking for an opening. Tag was the first to strike, blocking a punch of Percy’s when the man saw Taggart was coming in. He clocked the Beta in the face and then swiped Percy’s feet out from under him. “You still have wolfsbane in your system,” Percy grumbled as he jumped back up onto his feet. “You shouldn’t be this fast.” “Oh, but I am,” Taggart chuckled before hitting Percy in the solar plexus with the heel of his hand. The fight went on for at least ten more minutes. Tag blocked most of Percy’s attempts, moving with the grace of a dancer. Percy, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have much experience with someone who really knew how to fight instead of just someone using anger and their fists. “I yield,” Percy panted from the ground where he was on all fours. “Yeah, I’m so done.” He shook his head and glanced up at the Councilman on the screen. “I can yield, right? Taggart’s totally kicking my ass and well, I hurt.” “Yes, Beta Ryan,” Councilman Stratts chuckled. “You may yield as long as you put forth true effort as you obviously did.” “Okay, good.” Percy flopped to the ground and lay on his back. “Your turn, Azyle. Good luck, babe. You’re going to need it.” “I saw that,” Azyle mumbled as he pulled off his shirt and toed off his shoes. “Make sure Percy’s still alive, Dewey. Taggart gave him quite a beating.” “I did not,” Tag snickered. “A beating is throwing punches after the other person can’t fight back. Percy was holding his own.” “Hot and kind,” Percy groaned in pain. “And a liar!” “Hush now,” I whispered as I moved under his head so it was lying in my lap. “I can’t play nursemaid to you if you’re not going to behave.” “Will you be my naked nursemaid after this is done?” Percy teased. I rolled my eyes at him and leaned over to give him a quick

72

Joyee Flynn

kiss. His eyes stayed closed as he rested, but I couldn’t miss the big grin on his face. “The beating was worth it just for that.” “Charmer.” I focused on Tag and Azyle, who had already started. “Is it fair that Tag has back-to-back fights like this?” “Baby, he kicked my ass with wolfsbane in his system. I think he’ll be just fine,” Percy bitched. “You’re a whiney little thing when you lose,” I teased. “Yeah, well, you already love Taggart and you’re his. We’re still trying to woo you and getting my ass handed to me in front of you isn’t the type of manly prowess I was hoping to show off.” “Remember I was the one against this whole fighting for dominance from the beginning. This ain’t the way to turn me on. Go bench-press a car. That would get me hot,” I countered with a wink. “Shit!” Tag growled and my head snapped up. I was just in time to see Azyle hit the ground, unconscious. “I’m sorry, my love. I was holding back so I didn’t hurt them. The punch just got away from me though when he moved.” “You were holding back?” Percy and Councilman Stratts yelled at the same time. The Councilman sounded shocked but Percy was more along the lines of pissed. “Well, yeah,” Tag answered sheepishly as the tips of his ears turned red. “You said I had to beat them in a fight, not wipe the ground with them. I want them to be my Betas and work as an inner circle should. Not have them resent me for life because I embarrassed them in front of a Councilman by whooping them.” “It’s official. I have no ego left,” Percy grumbled, always the sarcastic smart-ass of the group. “Should I resign as Beta?” “No, you had great form and were a competent fighter,” Tag praised with a smile. “I think you’d be a great Beta and enforcer. We’ll work on how you can get a little faster so you have the drop on a potential opponent.” “And on that note,” Councilman Stratts drawled. “Tristan, the contracts should be in your e-mail. We’re going to forgo the normal

Dewey

73

claiming ceremony as previously discussed. There’s too much anger and worry in the pack for them not to return as a united front.” “Agreed, Councilman. Thank you so much for your time and help with all of this. I think the dire pack will be much better off with their new Alpha. We’ll be here to help them in any way we can.” “You’re definitely big enough now to fit in with them,” he replied with a wink. I stood there like a moron, completely clueless. They traded a few more witty comments before ending the conversation and Tristan closed the laptop. “Umm, anyone else know what they were talking about?” I asked when everyone simply sat there. “Oh, right, sorry,” Tristan answered as he leaned over and ruffled my hair. “I was basking in the glow of my great negotiation skills. I think they really have improved. I mean, I impressed myself this time.” “That’s not easy to do,” Jared said as he, Cameron, and Rhyce joined us in the backyard. “What did you pull off now, our little magician?” “Bite your tongue, shorty,” Tristan threw right back with a wink. “Taggart’s the new Alpha of the dire wolf pack now that he’s proven he can handle himself in a fight by kicking his Betas’ asses. Oh, and he admitted he was even holding back. That was impressive in my book as well. The contracts for the new inner circle are in my e-mail, with a bunch of perks for our new Omega friend, including but not limited to his stipend being transferred into an account of his own. “Also, given the stress to Dewey and Taggart, along with the trauma the dire wolf pack has undergone because of crazy ass old Alpha with the boy-toy harem, I got the High Council to forgo the normal claiming ceremony. They all sign, and take as much time as they want to consummate with their new Omega however they want. The only rule is that Dewey have all three of their mating bites by the time they move to Wichita. So go me, give me a medal.”

74

Joyee Flynn

“Wait, whoa, huh?” I gasped as I moved out from under Percy’s head. I got to my feet but it seemed all that news was a little much for me in new shoes because I started to go right back down. Tag had to have moved faster than a speeding bullet because he had been at least twenty feet away and suddenly he was there catching me. “Dewey? Are you okay?” he asked in a worried tone. “Yes? No, not really,” I admitted as my legs gave out. Tag lifted me into his arms as I clung to him as if he was the only solid thing in my world. I looked over at Tristan, whose good mood had faded. “I’m so sorry. I know you did this for me, for us but it’s just too much too soon. I need a moment to breathe.” “You take all the time you need, pint size,” Tristan said, giving me a wink and a smile. “I shouldn’t have thrown it all on you like that. I just got excited that you didn’t have to go through another claiming ceremony.” “I will be too, when I catch up.” I reached out for him and Tag got the idea and walked over to Tristan. The moment he was within reach I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “You’re a good friend. I appreciate everything you’ve done. I’ll thank you for real later though.” “Good deal.” He did his typical ruffling of my hair. I couldn’t look at Percy or Azyle… Who was still unconscious so I was pretty sure it made me the worst person ever. I just needed a moment to catch my breath. I couldn’t breathe. I was clutching my chest when another hand moved under mine. “I’m here,” Tag whispered in my ear. I nodded, looking around to see we were in my room. How had that happened? “You’re always here when I need you.” I stared into his eyes and my heart started to calm back to its normal pace. I realized Tag had been so focused on saving me and doing what was best for me there was a question neither of us had ever asked. “Is this what you want? Do you even want to be Alpha of the dire pack?”

Dewey

75

He sighed as he laid me down on the bed and joined me. “It’s weird to be honest. I mean, I was doing it at first because I want you more than anything and I’d do anything to be with you for real, as your mate. But then talking with the High Council and taking the Alpha tests, something just fell into place. This feels right. These people need a leader who cares and an Omega who will love and help them.” “And it’s your birth pack that your father was Alpha of,” I added, letting him know I understood how hard this was for him. “No, there’s more than one dire wolf pack.” I stared at him with big eyes and Tag simply shrugged. “People don’t talk about it because we’re almost as rare as Omegas. There are a few small dire packs on the outskirts that recognize the High Council as the ruling body but keep things internal. I don’t think they really ever check in, choosing to live off the land in remote areas. That’s where I grew up, in the middle of nowhere.” “How did I not know that?” I was shocked. We’d talked about so much in our time together. I knew it was normal for people to be together for decades and still find out new facts about their partners. I kind of just thought by now I knew everything about Taggart that was basic like where he was from. “You had a screwed-up childhood and I didn’t want to go on and on about mine when it was a good one.” He gave a one-shoulder shrug and kissed my cheek. “I had loving parents, two great sisters, and a good pack. It seemed crude to talk about it when you went through hell.” “It’s not like you were going to rub your good childhood in my face, Tag,” I said quietly. “But to know you I have to know everything about you, like the fact you grew up in the sticks.” “Fair enough.” He was quiet a moment as we both gathered our thoughts. “To answer your question, yeah, I’m happy with the path we’re on. If we had run like I wanted, I don’t even know what would have happened when I freaked out when the wolfsbane was leaving

76

Joyee Flynn

my system. We would have always been on the run and I wouldn’t want that for us.” “I agree. But do we want to be part of the inner circle or be mated with them?” “I think we’ll just have to go with the flow and see how things progress. You’re getting along with them, right? I like them too. Tristan set it up so besides claiming you there’s no real rules and we can do what we want. So let’s get to know them and let things fall into place as it feels right.” “Yeah, that’s cool. I do like them and we’ve been having fun. I can deal with a go-with-the-flow plan.” The moment I admitted that to Tag, my world seemed to stop spinning. “We can do this.” “Yeah we can,” he agreed. “If nothing else, this time you get a choice, Dewey. You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” “You know Omegas need an inner circle, Tag.” I snuggled up against him, letting his large frame comfort and protect me. “I choose you, my love. I’ll always choose you no matter if it means walking through hell to get to you. Adding two hot, sweet men to our bed isn’t what I’d call being in hell.” “Me neither.” We shared a look that let me know he liked the idea just as much as I did. Good. We were on the same page… As always.

Dewey

77

Chapter 7 “Hey, how are you feeling?” I asked Azyle a little while later when Taggart and I joined everyone back in the kitchen. “Better but not best,” he admitted with a shrug. When I stared at him still he sighed and pulled the bag of frozen vegetables away that he had been holding against his face. “Tag!” I exclaimed and raced over to Azyle. “You were too rough.” I plopped in Azyle’s lap, wincing when he groaned. “Sorry, I didn’t think you’d be hurt there too.” “Someone landed a nice kick to my hip,” Azyle griped with no real malice. “I fell like a crash-test dummy.” “Poor baby,” I cooed as I took the frozen veggies from him and tenderly touched his cheek. “You just need a hot soak and some TLC and you’ll be right as rain.” “What about me?” Percy pouted. I bit my lower lip and glanced at Tristan. “Got a tub big enough where I can take care of them both at once?” “Yeah, in our master suite.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “You know they’re totally playing this up for the attention.” “Yes, but they’re going to be my men now and I take good care of the people close to me,” I said quietly, hoping no one would freak out that I made the official decision. I was wrong. “Really?” Azyle gasped. I nodded and suddenly I was spread out on the kitchen table as he used his bruised mouth to show me how much he liked the idea. “Ouch.” He went back to kissing me. “Ouch, sorry.” One more time. “Okay, fuck, that hurts.”

78

Joyee Flynn

“Then you can kiss me when you’re better.” I giggled at his antics. “Let’s get you guys up in the tub and cleaned up so I can rub some salve on those bruises.” “Whatever you say, baby,” Percy purred and then stood with a groan. “Damn, Taggart. I’d be scared to fight you when you weren’t holding back.” “Yeah, yeah, I’m already paying for it,” Tag said sullenly. “It wasn’t my idea to fight and I did my best to win without hurting you guys. Now Dewey’s upset with me and you guys are getting the special treatment.” “I’m not upset with you, my love.” I helped Azyle stand and let him put his arm around my shoulders… Even if I really was too short for it. “You’re invited to the tub as well. And you get a blow job for being the winner and keeping us all together.” A bright grin spread across his lips and out of the corner of my vision I saw him stick his tongue out at Percy who did the same back. “But since I’m not a pedophile, anyone who acts like a child will be treated like one and not get any sex,” I threw over my shoulder as I walked through the kitchen door with Azyle. I heard Tristan laugh first before everyone else joined in. Azyle leaned over so only I could hear what he wanted to say. “Nice one, Dewey. I love how quick and funny you are.” “Are you happy that Tag’s going to be Alpha and I’ll be your Omega?” “Yeah, baby. The more I get to know you the more glad I am we made the trip. I think we’re all a perfect fit.” His hand rubbed up and down my arm as we climbed up the stairs. Just as we got to the top, Percy and Tag finally decided to join us. I thought about what Azyle said… And I agreed. Even the playful banter between Tag and Percy showed me that we were all of the same temperament. They had just had a dominance fight today and not even a few hours later they were sticking their tongues out at each

Dewey

79

other. There was no animosity or residual testosterone from the fight. It was simple, easy with all of us and I liked that. “Where are you?” Percy asked when we got to the master suite bathroom. “Are you not okay with this? We can soak on our own, baby.” “I’m here, just thinking,” I answered, starting with his first question. “Yes, this is fine. I was just thinking about something Azyle said. I like the fit of the four of us together.” “And we’ve not even had sex yet to see how we fit,” Percy teased. I blushed and went to fill the tub. I bit my lip because I was also a little annoyed. I’d been just thinking we were on the same page and Percy’s making smart-ass comments when I was being serious. Maybe it was just his way but this was one of the biggest decisions of our lives and I wanted to make sure it was right. “It’s just his way,” Azyle explained as he sat on the side of the tub next to me and ran his fingers through the filling water. “Percy’s had a rough life and he uses humor as a deflection when things get too serious.” “Yeah, my parents didn’t try to beat me to death with a belt if they were laughing,” Percy mumbled and turned away to undress. I stared at Azyle and then Taggart with wide eyes. They both nodded that it was true. So Taggart must have gotten the Betas’ files from the High Council and read up on them. “My father used to starve me for a day as a child when I’d ask a question. He used to say no one cared what an Omega thought and the sooner I learned that and how to be blindly obedient the more money they’d get for me,” I whispered. I hated to reveal such a horrid memory but sometimes it helped people to know they weren’t the only ones. “And when they did let me have a whole thousand calories in a day, which was the diet they put me on since I was seven, I had to run a few miles to stay thin.” “When did the running start?” Percy asked quietly, turning back towards me when he was naked. Azyle calmly leaned over and

80

Joyee Flynn

grabbed some apple-scented bubble bath, pouring it into the massive tub. “It was three miles a day when I was ten. Then by the time I was sixteen it was fifteen miles a day.” “When I first met Dewey you could see every rib, every joint, and his cheekbones looked almost ready to pop out of his skin,” Tag said as he pulled me up into his arms. “But he was still the most breathtaking man I’d ever seen.” “Tag gave me my first candy,” I giggled, remembering how it happened. “He had peanut butter cups on his table after he won me during the hunt. I asked him what they were and he just about shit a brick.” Tag chuckled as he kissed my shoulder and helped me out of my shirt. I had left off the boots and hat but still had the tiny shorts. Those I lost thanks to Azyle’s gentle hands. “That’s when we found out you have quite the sweet tooth,” Tag teased. “He ate the whole bag of them before I even figured out what movie to play since he’d never been allowed to watch TV.” “And then you brought home a bag of Twix from the store the next day.” I groaned, loving that candy. Tag smiled as he lost his own jeans before everyone stepped into the tub. We settled down and I realized all eyes were on me. “What?” “You groan over candy and I think all of us just about shot our loads, baby,” Percy practically purred. “You are just too sexy for your own good.” “And now we’re going back to the serious topic,” I replied, uncomfortable with all of them eyeing me over as if I was dinner. “I think your deflecting our group advances is a serious topic,” Azyle said in a nervous tone. He glanced over to Taggart, who nodded. “What aren’t you telling us?” “Um, well, being with you and Percy was my first ménage,” I admitted with a sigh. “And we didn’t even have intercourse. My old Alpha was only with me during the claiming ceremony and the Betas

Dewey

81

were one at a time. Then the hunts were one person on me so…” I trailed off and spread my arms as if to say, this is new to me. “Oh so are we freaking you out?” Percy really did have a way with words but I did appreciate his candor most times. Right then though? It made me blush. “That would be a yes.” He glanced down at his lap and I saw his erection wilt. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” “No, it’s not that.” I bit my lip and tried to figure out what I wanted to say. “I just need to go slow. I mean, don’t you guys? Isn’t this all weird to you?” “No, we’ve been in plenty of ménages in our pack.” Percy shrugged as if no big deal. “Glad we’ll just be one of many,” Tag bitched, rolling his eyes. I can’t say I wasn’t feeling the same way. “You know what?” Percy growled, narrowing his eyes at both of us. “Fuck this. I can’t say anything right with you guys. I feel like I’m constantly walking on eggshells and I’m sorry that this might be petty, but that’s not how I want to live my life.” He stood in the tub and groaned as he held his ribs before stepping out of the tub. “Percy,” Azyle called out but the only reply he got was Percy’s middle finger. “Well that went well.” “I’ll say,” I sighed, reaching over and turning off the tub before sinking lower into the warm water. “And yet you probably think this is all his fault, right?” Azyle was getting defensive about his partner and that made things tricky. “His fault? No, not at all,” I admitted with a shrug, proud of my reply when Tag nodded in agreement. “But it won’t always be walking on eggshells as he puts it. I’ve been careful with what I say with you guys too. I love Tag but when it was just us did I ever make you feel as if I wished he was there instead of you?” “No, you were always right there with us.” “Exactly. I was paying attention and being considerate of our new relationship or whatever we were starting before we knew where we

82

Joyee Flynn

stood. I think that’s all we want from Percy as well. We all have issues and baggage and while you’ve been there for mine I’ve worked hard not to dump it all over you. Tag and I had lots of kinks to work out and some dancing around each other when we were new.” “What Dewey is saying, Percy,” Tag said, his voice louder than mine had been. I sighed. His sense of smell was way better than mine. I had assumed Percy had left the master bedroom but it seemed he was right there. “Is that starting a relationship is tricky especially with four people so if we don’t start off right, laying a solid foundation, then there will be lingering questions or issues which none of us want.” “It just feels like you guys keep picking on everything I’m saying when I am trying not to stick my foot in my mouth,” Percy replied, his voice muffled slightly since he wasn’t in the doorway. “I can’t help that I’m blunt. We all have a past and previous lovers. Why is my being honest about it so bad?” “Because you basically acted as if Dewey was strange because he was worried about being in a ménage,” Tag countered. I heard feet thunk to the floor and loud footsteps come back towards us. “That’s not fair,” Percy growled as he stomped back into the bathroom. “I said I was sorry for making him uncomfortable. He asked me if I was freaked out about it and I explained why I wasn’t. I didn’t say he was being a baby for having concerns. I have some too. It’s natural to have them when you’ve never been in this kind of situation before.” “Okay, I concede your point.” Tag nodded and sank down in the water. “Can we just all agree to ease up a bit and not jump all over each other if things come out wrong? This has all been really stressful and I think we’re all on edge.” He glanced at Percy. “I shouldn’t have been a bitch. I just didn’t like feeling as if you didn’t care either way if we became lovers because you had other options in the pack.” “Oh, I didn’t mean it to sound like that,” Percy mumbled as he stepped back into the tub. He was quiet a moment before nodding.

Dewey

83

“Yeah, I can see how it might have come off like that. It wasn’t meant to be.” He glanced over to Azyle as if looking for help. “What Percy means is that we love each other and we have a good relationship but something’s always kind of been missing,” Azyle explained as he stared at me. “We think it’s been you. We’re both Betas, not always all that tender and unsure of how to handle emotional things. So we never moved onto that level like you and Taggart have. It’s more like we’re best friends who love each other and share a bed. We don’t know what comes next.” “Yeah, like we need a small blond who’s our glue,” Percy added with a smile before eyeing over Tag. “And a strong Alpha to keep us in line when we both throw our hands up in the air and have sex as if that fixes everything.” “That’s what you think we do?” “Well, yeah,” Percy answered with a shrug. “Even when we were debating coming here we argued, had sex, and then packed. I just caved because it was what you wanted instead of being able to voice how I was feeling.” “Why didn’t you want to come?” I asked curiously, no judgment or offense, but needing to know because I thought it might be important. “Our last Alpha was a whack job,” Percy explained as he glanced down at his lap. “We didn’t have the full detail on Taggart when we left. All we knew is he might be Alpha material but had escaped from his old pack with their Omega. Not exactly reassuring stuff. Plus, if he was Alpha material, I didn’t understand why he didn’t just beat out the old Alpha.” “I thought you were just scared to get a new Alpha and be back in the same position,” Azyle said, shock written in his expression. “No, I wanted to wait until we got more information from Carson. That’s all.” “Oh.” Azyle leaned over and wrapped an arm around Percy, leaning his head on the man’s shoulder. “See, we don’t work as just

84

Joyee Flynn

the two of us because we miss each other a lot. I could never have gotten Percy back into the tub. I think we’re too alike sometimes to ever see things from another perspective.” “And you think adding us to the relationship will help?” I kind of understood but it was some roundabout logic that I wanted clarified. “We love each other. You guys love each other.” Azyle nodded. “So it’s not that none of us are incapable of love or closed off. We like you guys and so far I think Dewey likes us. It really does take a full, functioning inner circle to give an Omega what he needs. I think we would all fit.” “I agree.” Tag smiled at me. “So what do we do next? Tristan said we needed to sign contracts and we all have to claim Dewey before we move to Wichita.” “Sounds good to us as long as Dewey’s ready,” Percy said gently. I took a deep breath and met his eyes as I nodded. “Then we have a plan.” Fuck, this was scary. **** Half an hour later I was looking over a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo that made my head hurt. Finally I just flipped to the last page and signed my name where it was left blank for the Omega. “You’re not going to finish reading it?” Tristan asked quietly, worry lacing his tone. “You’ve read it, right?” “Yes, of course.” “It makes sense to you?” “Yes, but—” “These terms are good to you?” I asked, interrupting him. He nodded and rolled his eyes at the way I was acting. “Then I’m in. I trust you, Tristan.”

Dewey

85

“Us too,” Azyle agreed and took the pen from my hand, signing in his spot. Percy did the same but Tag started from the beginning and read the whole thing. That was my detail-oriented man. “So if Dewey comes to you and says he’s unhappy at any time you’ll bring him back here for sanctuary and he’ll have two years to find another inner circle?” “Yes,” Tristan hedged. “It’s nothing against you, Taggart. We’re adding it to all the new Omega contracts so the inner circles start taking this seriously as opposed to acting like they’re bought goods.” “No, I think it’s a great idea.” He signed his name and smiled. “Now we claim you, my love.” “Okay,” I squeaked, wanting to slam my head into the table at sounding like such a dork. Before anyone could say anything, I jumped up from my chair and raced up to my room. I heard three sets of feet on the stairs just as I hopped onto the bed. Finding the slick Azyle had left there from the other day, I set it by my hip and got naked. “Well if that isn’t an offering from the heavens I don’t know what is,” Tag said with a growl. In a flash they were all in the room, door closed, and yanking off their clothes. “Let’s start slow this time.” “How do you mean?” Azyle asked hesitantly. “Why don’t either you or Percy take Dewey, while the other takes the first, and Dewey can suck me off? We’re not leaving in the morning where we have to hurry all of this. I think we just need to make the group connection while handling everything else. I mean, our stuff still has to be packed and shipped to Wichita. I had to leave my car behind, et cetera.” “And I’d like to know more about the pack and Wichita before we just blindly move there,” I added, wondering if I shouldn’t have asked that before I signed my name on the line. Well, if the pack sucked it wouldn’t have stopped me from going. But it would help to know what we were walking into.

86

Joyee Flynn

“Good plan. I get Dewey,” Percy chuckled as if he’d just called shotgun to get the front seat of a car for a road trip. He was such a goofball. “Fine, but one day the reverse might be done,” I teased as I got into position on all fours. “No worries,” he whispered in my ear as he molded himself to my back. “I like cock in my ass and you’ve got a nice one. Anytime you want to try something new and top, you just let me know, baby.” “Thank you.” It meant the world to me that he’d even offer. I doubted I’d ever take him up on it but if I ever did, it wouldn’t be for a long, long time. He kissed my shoulder and I felt cool lube being poured down my crack. I moaned when his finger pushed inside of me. I stared up at Tag and let him see on my face how much I was enjoying it. “You really are the hottest thing ever,” he cooed as he lay down on the bed so he could kiss me. “I love you. If this gets to be too much you just say the word and we stop.” “No, I want this. I am glad you thought to do it this way instead of me taking you one at a time.” “You don’t like being the center of attention.” I never thought about it that way but when Tag said it out loud… I had to agree. I didn’t like all eyes on me. Sure, I liked when it was Percy or Azyle or Tag but all of them at once just made me feel like I had crap on my face and I should hide. “Thank you for caring enough about me to know that,” I whispered against his lips. He smiled and pulled my head to his, plundering my willing mouth with his tongue. At the same moment, Percy’s one finger became two and I moaned as he stretched me wide. “Fuck, his ass like sucks me right in,” Percy moaned as he added another one. “I can’t wait to feel it on my cock.” I made little mewling noises of agreement, so wound up and horny now that I might die if someone said we needed to stop. They both got the idea and Percy pulled his fingers free, replacing his cock in my hole.

Dewey

87

“Don’t you need to be stretched?” Taggart asked as he knelt in front of me and held his dick up as if it was my favorite treat… Which it was. “He likes some pain,” Azyle answered. I heard him grunt as Percy cried out in pleasure. “I just open him up slightly, slick up my cock, and shove it in. Drives him crazy.” “Yes, fuck me while I fuck Dewey!” Percy begged. I smiled up at Tag while I swallowed his cock down. At least things would never get boring with our new Betas… Apparently. “You okay, my love?” Tag asked me as Percy started thrusting from the force of Azyle moving behind him. Part of me wanted to laugh. Did he really expect me to answer right then since I had his dick in my mouth? “If you’re not just stop what you’re doing. Don’t bite though, please.” “Has he bit you before?” Azyle asked hesitantly, all moving ceasing. “No!” I yelled around Tag’s dick which came out more like, “Mow” of course. I think they got the point because Tag gave me a wink and Azyle went back to drilling Percy, which pushed the man’s dick deep into me. It felt fantastic… Much better than the dildo they’d been using on me. And I didn’t think anything could get better than that. It seemed I was wrong. I did everything I could to stay upright through the immense pleasure but it was hard. The force Percy was taking me with, by way of Azyle, was incredibly forceful. Don’t get me wrong, I loved every second of it. But if someone pushed me hard enough, even during sex, it made me almost fall over. Tag seemed to be happy with the blow job I was giving him because he moaned as his sac drew up. I was so focused on that that my own orgasm sideswiped me. Screaming out, I shot my load all over the bed as I sucked on the cock in my mouth as if my life

88

Joyee Flynn

depended on it. I was riding the waves of bliss when I felt Percy’s teeth sink into my neck. Another whirlwind climax hit me from the bite. Maybe that was a dire wolf effect because I never had that when my last inner circle claimed me? Either way I wanted more and often. My body started to shake from the exertion on me. “Dewey!” Tag grunted and came in my mouth as Percy filled my ass with a moan around my flesh. I heard Azyle distantly as my eyes just about rolled up into my head. “Holy shit,” Percy gasped as he licked the bite and braced his weight on his hands. I appreciated it because if he collapsed on me then Azyle would have on both of us and I wasn’t strong enough to take them both. Tag flopped back onto the bed, pulling out of my mouth. The moment he did I was dragged onto my side. We lay there a bit, a tangle of limbs and still connected. “I’d say that worked well,” Azyle gasped. Oh yeah. He took the words right out of my mouth but I didn’t even have enough air in my lungs to agree. I was still shaking from the aftershocks of my climax when my eyes closed and I was dead to the world. And Percy’s cock was still in my ass. Fuck it. They could clean me up while I slept.

Dewey

89

Chapter 8 The next day I was sitting in my room packing up all my new clothes Tristan had bought for me with my stipend. Tag was busy with the High Council enforcers who had taken control of our old pack. He was figuring out how to get the rest of his stuff and his truck sent to Wichita along with his house being sold. Azyle was working on transport for what we did have since all of us and our belongings wouldn’t fit in his little four-door car they arrived in. He had asked me if I wanted to pick what we rented for the trip but I just shrugged. It was only an eight-hour drive so I didn’t care as long as someone didn’t simply tie me down to the roof. Percy was making arrangements at our new pack, getting rooms set up, and informing the two Elders of the pack what was going on. They had decided not to blindside anyone and give them the heads-up we’d be there sometime tomorrow. Because they had all claimed me last night. We were official and I was now the Omega of the Wichita pack. I got to be with Taggart for the rest of my life with the added bonus of two guys I was falling for. So why did I feel like I was going to curl into a ball and sob? On top of that, something was going on inside of me too, not just emotions. I felt different. It was like no matter if I was inside or outdoors there seemed to be a static electricity charge following me. Probably not but I couldn’t think of any other way to describe it. I knew that Tag knew something’s up with me but when he asked I told him I just needed a little bit of space. And like the wonderful man he is, he gave it to me. Percy and Azyle weren’t as quick to want to leave me alone.

90

Joyee Flynn

“Let him process,” Tag said quietly when they all had been out in the hall. “There has been a lot in very little time happening and I don’t think he’s just had a moment to himself to catch up.” “No, we were afraid to leave him alone when you were in the hospital,” Azyle admitted. They backed off and went on their way. So I’d been in my room the past hour packing… I didn’t have that much stuff to pack. But Tag had been right. I wanted some time to just take a breath and deal. There was a knock at the door, snapping me out of my thoughts. I smelled Tristan and invited him in. “Want to talk, pint size?” he asked with a tender smile as he leaned against the frame of my door. “It’s stupid,” I mumbled as I put away my iPad in the backpack made just for keeping valuable electronics safe. “Try me.” I sighed and motioned for him to come in and close the door. Then I led him into the bathroom and turned on the shower. He raised an eyebrow at me but sat on the closed toilet lid while I hopped on the counter. “One thing I’ve learned in my time with Taggart is that dire wolves have even better hearing than normal ones. That man can hear a conversation from almost a mile away,” I explained. “That’s impressive.” Tristan whistled and giving an appreciative nod. “Okay, so I get the covert measures then but what’s going on with you, Dewey? We all know something’s up.” “I think I’m defective,” I blurted out but then kept rambling when Tristan’s jaw just about dropped to the ground. “All I wanted was to be with Tag and I got that. So why do I want to cry and scream? I got Percy and Azyle in the deal as well and they’re great. I mean, they’re hot, sweet, smart, and into me. What the fuck is wrong with me that I feel like my life is ending instead of finally beginning for real?”

Dewey

91

He leaned over and placed his hand on my knee and took a deep breath, implying I should do the same. I did and nodded when I felt as if the bathroom wasn’t going to spin out of control with me. “And there’s some weird electrical charge following me around,” I whispered as I stared at him with tears in my eyes. If anyone would understand freaky… It was Tristan. “I keep worrying I’m going to shock anything I touch like when your socks rub the carpet and it’s dry. But it’s more. I feel it in my gut.” “Which would you like me to address first?” he asked, giving me a wink. “Dealer’s choice,” I giggled as I wiped my eyes. “Could you hand me the toothpaste first?” I thought it was an odd request but I went with it. I turned towards the sink on the counter I was sitting on, and leaned over… And then I screamed when the toothpaste levitated a few inches above the counter and started coming towards me. “Dewey, wait,” Tristan said evenly when I leapt off the counter. “The toothpaste is possessed!” I shouted, looking at him as if he was insane for being so calm about this. “Run, dumbass! There’s a poltergeist or something!” I bolted from the bathroom and towards the stairs. I heard several sets of footsteps pounding up the stairs. Sometimes I did love that dire wolf hearing. “What’s wrong?” Tag asked as I threw myself into his arms and was so freaked out I crawled over his shoulder like a cat and onto his back. “Baby, what’s going on?” “Where’s Tristan?” Jared bellowed which snapped me out of my daze. I pointed toward my room with a shaky hand. Just then Tristan stepped out into the hallway with his hands raised in surrender. Except he was holding the fucking toothpaste. “Get that away from me!” I yelped and ducked my head behind Tag’s neck as if that would help or something. “The toothpaste is possessed. It moved all on its own!”

92

Joyee Flynn

“What?” Jared and Tag exclaimed together. I simply hid and shook with fear. “He’s coming into a new power and I might not have handled it well by answering his question with a visual,” Tristan grumbled. “What does that have to do with the floating toothpaste?” I asked as I raised my head and looked at the man. Then everyone was looking at me funny like I’d grown another head. “Wait for it,” Rhyce drawled with a chuckle. “Pint size will catch up in a minute.” “I’m not so sure,” Percy snickered and shook his head. “He thought the toothpaste was possessed.” “Don’t be mean,” I growled at him and wished I was big enough to pull a hockey move and yank his shirt over his head so he couldn’t see. Suddenly his shirt moved just like that. “Holy fuck! I did the toothpaste and that!” “Yeah, Dewey,” Tristan said with a wink. “It seems along with feeling emotions and being able to knock people out, you’re a telekinetic. You can move things with your mind. I figured it out when you said you felt an electrical charge following you around. I’ve met another telekinetic and that’s how he described it. You use the electrical charges found in the air to move things.” “Like shirts?” Percy grumbled as he righted his clothes. “You were being an ass,” I answered and waved him to be quiet. We had more pressing matters. “Is that why I’ve been so depressed today too?” “You’ve been depressed?” Tag asked, not sounding happy. Suddenly I wasn’t on his back anymore as he yanked me so I was hanging on to his front again. “Why are you depressed?” Suddenly I couldn’t breathe. I felt Tag’s, Percy’s, and Azyle’s sadness at my question so strongly that it was overwhelming. It was almost like a physical pressure on my chest that hurt. “What did we do wrong to upset you?” Percy asked in a concerned tone.

Dewey

93

“What can we do to help?” Azyle added. “Back off, guys,” Tristan whispered as I clutched my chest. “Your emotions are swarming him.” He lifted me out of Tag’s arms and knelt on the ground with me, letting me sit. “You’ve never had that many people you care about upset at once, have you?” “No, only ever cared about Tag,” I gasped, letting my body flop against the wall. “I can’t breathe.” “Yes you can. Focus on something small, the way your heart is beating. Count the beats and push everything else out of your mind,” Tristan instructed. I nodded and did as he said, the pressure alleviating slowly. “How did you know to do that?” I asked when I calmed down. “Tricks of the trade, pint size.” He gave me a wink and cupped my cheek. “It gets easier. You learn to control it.” “Control what? I don’t get what’s—” Percy started but Tristan barely flicked his wrist and froze the man. “If you focus on something small while everything starts to get hairy you can still control what’s going on. I felt their sadness too, and it’s hard not to get swarmed by it and feel like you’re falling over a cliff. I focus on making things easier, like Percy not talking just did.” “I felt a change in the electrical impulses in the air when you did that,” I whispered, staring at Percy. I concentrated, not on what he was feeling but the fact he was frozen. I felt something snap into place mentally and I undid what Tristan’s powers had done. “Good, you’re learning,” the other Omega praised. “Now freeze him again.” “I’m not a guinea pig,” Percy bitched before I made him go stiff. “It’s the same concentration that makes each gift work,” Tristan explained as he searched my eyes. “Do the thing with the shirt again.” He placed his hand on my arm and closed his eyes. I focused on Percy’s shirt, this time pulling it completely off his body and over his head, setting it on the floor. “Yeah, that’s cool. I got it now.”

94

Joyee Flynn

I wanted to ask what he meant but instead he focused on his inner circle and as one all the flies went down on their pants. Sharing a glance with Tristan, we both burst out into peals of laughter. “Always good when you learn a new trick, baby,” Jared chuckled as he zipped his jeans back up. “Why don’t we give you some space to practice so the six of us aren’t standing around frozen as you strip us?” “Thank you, Jared.” Tristan gave him a wink and released Percy. “I’d really like to help Dewey with some control before he goes and learn how he can blanket Taggart with his power before he leaves.” “And then we’ll talk?” Tag asked me quietly. I could see the fear in his eyes. Before I could answer, Tristan did. “It’s not contract signer’s remorse, Taggart. It’s normal when one door in our lives closes that there is some sadness that things didn’t work out like we might have thought they were going to.” “That’s fine if that’s what Dewey’s feeling,” he hedged as he stared at me. “I’m just worried it’s more than that.” “I don’t know. I just feel dread and my new power was freaking me out so everything got worse and I was scared to leave my room. I don’t know what’s going on in my head.” I stared at my hands a few moments while everyone waited for me to say more. I just didn’t know what to say. “I’m going to talk with Tristan while we eat lunch separately and then maybe we can all go for a run before we talk.” “I think that’s a great idea,” Azyle agreed as he stepped towards the stairs. “My wolf definitely needs to stretch his legs some before the trip back.” Tag suddenly felt as panicked as I did at the mention of Wichita. I glanced at him and realized I wasn’t the only one worried about what we’d agreed to. In a weird way it actually made me feel better that I wasn’t alone in my fears. He gave me a knowing look and then everyone went back to what they were doing before I freaked out about the toothpaste.

Dewey

95

“What do you feel like for lunch?” “Whatever, I’m not really that hungry,” I mumbled as I got to my feet. “Comfort food it is then.” He gave me a wink when I looked at him in a questioning way. Not saying a word, he pulled out his cell and started typing away. When he was done he gave me a bright smile. “Lunch will be ready in twenty so let’s go take a walk while the cook makes it.” “Wow, I so want a cook to make me whatever I want when I’m in the mood,” I gushed as we headed down the stairs. “Do you have your phone?” he asked and I nodded. “Text Azyle and ask if the Alpha house has a cook. As we think of things on our walk, just shoot off questions. Don’t read the answers yet, but just put the questions out there. One step at a time.” I pulled out my phone and did just that, feeling a little less worry about what was coming tomorrow when we arrived at Wichita. Silly maybe, but emotions didn’t always make sense. “You’ve been depressed when you shouldn’t have been before, haven’t you?” “Dewey, you have to stop putting it like that,” he answered with a sigh as we stepped out of the front door and walked down the driveway. “There’s no right or wrong way to feel when stuff happens to us. I know George would have told you that because Carson says it all the time.” “Yeah, but there’s appropriate responses to things and this isn’t appropriate.” “Bullshit,” Tristan snickered, shaking his head. “Appropriate is a relative term, for one. Two, you didn’t just call someone an asshole and try to kill them for being nice to you. Your whole world is changing. Yes, you have Taggart and now you know your Betas. But let’s be real here, Dewey. You’re scared about Wichita and I would think you to be an idiot if you weren’t.

96

Joyee Flynn

“I love my men but even if for whatever reason we had to up and change packs, take over leadership of strangers in a few place—I’d be shitting midnight-blue kittens right now.” “Midnight blue, huh?” I teased but gave him a smile that let him know I appreciated what he was saying. “I just feel like trouble follows me like a rabid dog. I know what happened at my old pack wasn’t my fault and neither was how my parents treated me or my childhood. But I’m twenty-three years old and I don’t know that I’ve ever just had a day where nothing bad happened. “Even the good days with Tag, there was always some shit going on. When we finally get free and to safety, he has a shit reaction to the wolfsbane leaving his system. I mean, it just weighs on me and I can’t handle it all, all the time. I just want to crawl into bed and cry instead of being excited and learning more about Wichita. I don’t want to feel that way. I want to let go of my past and stop being such a fucking baby about it.” “Enough,” Tristan growled as he grabbed my shoulder and spun me to face him as we reached the edge of the property. “You’re not weak. You’re not a baby or whiney or bitchy or out of line for how you feel! This isn’t the movies where everyone can keep their cool as they land on their head after a tragedy. This isn’t a story, Dewey. It’s your life. You suffered through hell and you’re scared it could happen again at your next pack. “I’d be worried if you weren’t ready to have a breakdown.” He took a deep breath as if getting himself under control as he released his hold on me. “We all break, Dewey. We all freak out here and there. It’s part of the human condition or part-human condition like us. I’ve seen each of my men break down and I do. It’s not about size or age or being a baby. It’s about that one person can only take so much before it’s too much.” “I get all that,” I sighed as I turned and continued to walk along the edge of the property. “But yesterday everything’s fine. Well, not fine, but I signed my name and let them claim me. Now all of a

Dewey

97

sudden I’m sad. It just seems I should be excited and ready to go but I’m not. And it makes me feel like an ungrateful bastard considering what everyone did to make this happen.” “Ahh, I get it now,” he said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and steering me back towards the house. “And I have to tell you something that doesn’t help. You’ve been feeling people’s emotions for a few years now. Normally it’s no big deal because the only one you cared about was Taggart. It’s different now, pint size. You have friends and men who care about you. You’re feeling their emotions and not realizing that it’s affecting you.” “What do you mean?” He lost me on that one. I glanced up at the tall man, laughing that I was actually a year older than him and he had his act together so much better than I did. “When did you start feeling like this today?” Right then I was glad that he was like a vacuum to me as another Omega. I couldn’t focus on anyone else’s shit right then. Then the answer hit me when I was done with that thought. “Breakfast. I was excited because Percy and Azyle said the Alpha house needed updating and some color. I like color and Taggart used to let me pick things out for his house from catalogs. I think it all came together well and he liked it. I wanted to make our new house a home.” “Then what happened?” There was a point to this and it was like right there but I just couldn’t connect the dots yet. “Taggart got a call from the High Council enforcers. He wasn’t happy that no one cared he had to leave everything behind.” “And he got upset,” Tristan filled in for me. “And then Jared had to get on the phone and he was annoyed to say the least. Then Carson called me with a problem so I was upset and Percy and Azyle are stressed trying to get everything ready so you guys can leave. Plus they’re worried about their new pack, because it still is a new pack to them too.” “Are you saying I soaked in all the worry?”

98

Joyee Flynn

“Yeah, we can use the sponge analogy if you want.” He nodded in agreement as we slowed our pace when we got closer to the house. There were ears everywhere. “Think of how fast you soaked up how to freeze someone which is my gift. It was easy, right? Once you could put the pieces into place and see how it worked in your mind.” “That’s exactly how it felt.” I stared at him kind of funny, wondering if he could read my thoughts. “I can’t read the thoughts of another Omega unless they let me,” he chuckled, having figured it out. “I know because that’s how I’ve felt and Carson too. It’s like snapping pieces of the puzzle together and suddenly you can see where the rest of the pieces go like as if it was put together.” “Yeah,” I whispered, feeling a little bit better. “We soak things up because of whatever makes us Omegas, pint size.” Tristan opened the door for me. “There are days I don’t pay attention to everything and suddenly I’m crying in the corner all alone dreading that someone will find me. We have kick ass gifts, there’s just negatives as well sometimes. This is one of them. If you don’t watch it, next thing you know you’re sucked into a depression.” “And it’s one of the reasons you need an inner circle to keep you grounded,” Jared said quietly as he moved to grab the door and shoo us in. “We were worried. It took me a few minutes to figure it out but if Dewey’s getting overwhelmed you could be as well.” “But we explained what was going on to his inner circle while we were stalking you from the window,” Cameron admitted sheepishly. I shrugged, letting them know it was all good. Everyone burst out laughing and I felt the mood of the room change so fast I stumbled and leaned against the wall. “Baby?” Azyle whispered as he moved to help me stay standing. “You’re saying this is because I care about everyone in this room?” I asked Tristan, needing to get a handle on this. “Yes, but it might also be that you’re telekinetic. Maybe it’s also a change in the electrical impulses in the room when the mood

Dewey

99

fluctuates. I’ll call the guy I know and see what he thinks. I used what you showed me to open their flies earlier but I don’t feel the cloud of electric charge like you said.” “I’d appreciate some insight,” I said honestly. I yelped when Azyle swung me up into his arms. “I can walk.” “Nah, you’ve got three men to carry you around always.” I rolled my eyes at his antics. He carried me to the kitchen as everyone followed and we sat down to lunch. My stomach growled when I saw the spread. Tristan did awesome, because every comfort food known was being brought over by the cook. “At least I’ll never get fat with three virile men keeping me busy,” I chuckled as I dug into the mac and cheese, fried chicken, and mashed potatoes. I glanced up to see the men in question giving me lust-filled looks. Yeah, I was going to stay skinny. Rock on.

100

Joyee Flynn

Chapter 9 “Pull over!” I shouted the next afternoon when I saw the sign that Wichita was ten miles away. “What?” Tag asked, glancing over at me. When I started gagging with my hand over my mouth, he got the idea of what was going on real fast. He quickly pulled over onto the shoulder and I undid my seat belt as I opened the door. I practically dove out of the SUV and scrambled into the grass… And tossed my cookies. I heard squealing tires and knew Percy and Azyle had pulled over as well. They had been driving in front of us to lead the way since they knew where we were going. “What happened?” Azyle asked as he came racing over toward us. I sat back on my heels and shook my head. Which wasn’t the best idea. “I don’t know,” Tag admitted as he gently rubbed my back. “He just demanded that I pull over. Maybe it’s nerves? We passed a sign that we’re getting close.” I wasn’t ready to open my mouth to try and talk, afraid of what else might come out. Instead I gave him a thumbs-up to let him know he got it right on the head. “Hey, it’s okay, my love,” he whispered in my ear. “I’m scared too. Today we’re just going to check out our new house and get settled. That’s all you have to focus on for now.” “New house, got it.” I took a bottle of water Percy offered to rinse out my mouth. “Sorry, guys. All of a sudden I felt as if I was plummeting a hundred feet or something.”

Dewey

101

“No worries, my legs were getting cramped.” Percy smiled and gave me a wink. Goofball. “Apparently, so did my stomach,” I grumbled as Tag helped me get back on my feet. They all chuckled nervously as I climbed into the passenger’s seat, staring at me as if wondering what to do next. “I’m okay, guys. Let’s go home.” “Everything’s going to be okay, Dewey,” Azyle said gently and then kissed my hand. I nodded, praying he was right. He closed the door and they got back into the vehicles. Then we pulled back onto the road and were on our way. Twenty minutes later we were pulling into the long driveway of a mansion right out of Gone with the Wind. I hadn’t seen the movie, but it looked like what I remembered from the book at least. “Wow.” Taggart whistled and I couldn’t agree more. “The upkeep on this place must be a nightmare.” “There’s my logical pessimist,” I teased. He responded with an eye roll as he parked next to Azyle’s car. I climbed out and took in the grandeur of the house. “I can’t believe we’re going to be living here. Do I get my own wing?” “If you want,” Azyle chuckled as he walked over to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “But I’d prefer if we all slept in one of the master suites. I find I like waking up to you.” “Me too,” I admitted with a blush. I took a deep breath as I glanced at my men. “Let’s do this.” They nodded and I grabbed my bag before we headed to the front porch. Just as we got to the front door, it opened. “Welcome,” an older man said with a bright smile. “I’m one of the two Elders of the pack, Francis.” “Nice to meet you, Francis. I’m Taggart Becket and this is my mate, Dewey Seymour.” They shook hands before the Elder turned to take mine. I was pleasantly shocked since most Elders I met looked down on Omegas.

102

Joyee Flynn

“The pack is excited to meet you tonight and I’m thrilled you’re here. This is a good pack that has had a very rough time and needs the strength you will give it, Omega Seymour.” “Just Dewey is fine,” I said nervously. “I’ll do what I can but I’m not sure I’m the solution.” Then something he said hit me. “Tonight? I thought we were meeting everyone tomorrow.” “They didn’t want to wait but I promise it will be informal. We’re just having a cookout and a pack run around the grounds.” He gave me a soft smile and I couldn’t help returning it. He was like the sweet grandpa everyone wishes they had… If they had shitty grandparents like I had. “You okay with that?” Tag asked me cautiously, eyeing me over as if I was going to throw up on the Elder. “Yeah, we can handle this.” I sounded a lot more confident than I felt but I’d figure out a way to get it together. “How are the boys?” Percy asked after hugging Francis. “Are they excited to meet an adult Omega?” “What boys?” I mumbled to Taggart, hoping he knew what was going on. “I have no idea,” he answered and glanced from Azyle to Percy, who both looked guilty as hell. “We suck,” Percy blurted out. “We thought the High Council told you. Everything’s been moving so fast it never crossed my mind.” “Tell us,” Tag growled, the order apparent. “Remember Tristan told you our last Alpha was a sick fuck who was completely off his rocker?” Azyle hedged as he glanced at Francis, whose expression was calm as if wondering what our reaction would be. “Yeah, something about having a boy-toy harem he abused,” I answered as the light went off over my head. Everyone was so worried and focused on that I was an Omega that things just clicked into place. “His harem was underage Omegas?”

Dewey

103

Azyle nodded and sighed. “We didn’t know he had them locked in the basement until he tried to assault an Omega in sanctuary with Carson. We’d only been here a few weeks then. We took the old Alpha into custody and he was executed, but not before he confessed to having over a dozen Omegas he kidnapped from various packs.” “Why haven’t they been returned to their home packs?” Tag asked and I nodded. That seemed like the logical move to me. “He didn’t kidnap all of them,” Percy mumbled, looking really uncomfortable. “We say it that way because most of them don’t know that their parents sold them. Only two were kidnapped and their home lives were for shit so the Council said they could stay with us.” “How many?” I pinched the bridge of my nose. Tag growled and I got the feeling we were on the same page. How could no one have told us about this? “Fifteen. There’s one who’s going to be twenty-one in a few months and the youngest is fourteen.” “Fourteen!” I shouted and lowered my voice when I realized the Omegas might be around. “So you’re basically saying we’ve got like fifteen kids we adopted by joining this inner circle?” “Well, they’re not ours,” Azyle said as Percy shrugged. “They just live here since now that the pack knows about them we’re prepared to protect them. I mean, what better place to hide some Omegas from predators than in a dire wolf pack?” Tag looked a little confused as well. “You’re all idiots,” I growled before turning to Francis. “I’d like to meet them right away and speak with them. Do they have rooms or what’s been done since they’ve been discovered?” “They’re sharing a few rooms,” he replied with a smile. “I knew you would understand the moment I shook your hand, Dewey. They need you.” “What am I missing?” Tag asked, his eyebrows drawn together. “They’re kids, Tag!” I exclaimed, totally exasperated with them. “They’re kids who’ve gone through hell and been abused. We need to

104

Joyee Flynn

get George here ASAP. They need rooms of their own, routines, school. You get where I’m going here. It’s not like they need their diapers changed but they need to be taken care of.” “Oh shit,” Azyle whispered. I wanted to scream you think? They were thinking of them as mini adults, but they weren’t. “Let’s go meet my new kids,” I said to Francis as I walked into the house. He led me up a grand staircase and down the hall to large adjoining rooms that looked as if they were a nursery once with a playroom. There was a flurry of movement as the seven in this room moved into the corner as a group as if scared of a potential threat. “Hey, guys.” I kept my tone soft as if talking to scared animals because that’s what they looked like. “I’m Dewey, the new Omega of this pack.” “So what happens to us if you’re the Omega now?” one older boy asked. He looked only a little younger than me so I guessed he was kind of their leader and the one who was going to be twenty-one soon. “We’re going to be a family,” I answered gently as I moved into the room and sat on one of the mattresses that was on the floor. They’d been doubling up for now but that would change right away. “You have a new Alpha now, a good Alpha who I love and will take good care of this pack. We’re going to take care of you now. You don’t have to be afraid anymore.” “Percy and Azyle have been very nice to us,” he hedged as he glanced at Francis. “And the Elder has as well in their absence.” “I’m glad. From now on anything you need, I’ll see it gets done.” I decided to bite the bullet and be honest with them. “We didn’t know about you guys when we signed up to run the pack but we’ll figure it out. For now I’d like to get to know you all and see what needs to be handled right away. I’ve got a psychologist I’ve been working with that we’re going to call in to come talk with you guys and we’ll figure it out so you guys can get your own rooms.”

Dewey

105

“Why were you working with a psychologist?” He relaxed a bit as if guessing the answer and feeling better that there was hope now. “I think you know why.” I stared at him and he nodded. “You’re not the only Omegas who’ve been abused but there is life and hope past that. I’m with a good inner circle now who really care for me. We won’t let anyone else hurt you.” I turned to see the adjoining doorway filled with more of them. Damn. They were just everywhere. I’d learned from Azyle that there was indeed a cook at the Alpha house, so that would be a big help in feeding fifteen extra mouths. They all seemed in good shape, wearing new clothes, and not just having been stuck in these rooms and forgotten. “What’s your name?” I asked the one who’d talked to me. “Brody.” He leaned in and whispered to the group huddling around him for protection. Since he was about my height, maybe an inch or so taller and bone skinny, he’d be about as effective as a wet towel in a fight. They probably just gravitated to him as the oldest. “He’s one of us, guys. I say let’s trust him.” “He’s pretty,” one of the youngest ones replied. I couldn’t help but smile. “We think so,” Tag said quietly from the doorway. “Dewey’s one of the sweetest men I’ve ever known. He kept me sane when my old pack was drugging me so I couldn’t fight the abusive Alpha that was hurting him.” “They got you too?” that same boy asked with wide eyes. “But you’re huge!” “Doesn’t matter when it comes to bad people,” Tag explained. “How about a snack before the party tonight and we can all get acquainted? I know I’m going to have to talk to the cook about meals because I’m a really picky eater so maybe you guys could tell me what you like as well and we can add it to the list.” “Lunch sucked ass so none of us really ate,” he replied as he took a step out from behind Brody and moved to Tag. “You’re not going to hurt us or make us call you Daddy, are you?”

106

Joyee Flynn

“No, munchkin,” Tag whispered with tears in his eyes as he ran his hand over the boy’s hair. “We’ll keep you safe and be a real family if I have to fight every person on the planet to make that happen.” He glanced at Percy and Azyle, who nodded. “There was a big mess to clean up here but now that your Betas brought us in to help and take care of the pack we’ll set things right.” Slowly they all moved away from Brody as the others came in from the adjoining room. “I keep a secret stash of ice cream in the extra freezer I’d be willing to share,” Percy offered. The man looked scared and out of his league, but I loved him for trying. “That’s sounds great,” Brody agreed with a smile, helping us try to bridge the gap. Everyone followed the Betas out of the room as Tag and I hung back. “I’m Connor,” one boy announced as he pulled on my shirt. “Hey, Connor, it’s nice to meet you.” I held out my hand and he looked at it funny before slipping his small hand into mine. We shook and his mouth broke out into a grin. “I don’t have to go back to my ma, right? She’s mean because my dad left her and she hates all wolves.” “No, Connor. You’re staying with us.” He launched himself into my arms and hugged me. “I’m glad you came here, Dewey. We need you.” “I’m glad too, buddy. We’ll figure this all out.” I cleared my throat when I started to get choked up with the overwhelming emotions I was feeling. “You better go get some ice cream before it’s all gone.” “Okay.” He let me go and kissed my cheek before racing from the room. We waited until we heard his steps on the stairs. “Talk to me,” Tag said gently as he knelt in front of me and took my hands in his.

Dewey

107

“We can do this,” I declared, feeling a confidence like I’d never experienced before. “We can help them and give them what we need. I know we can.” “It’s a lot to take on, baby.” “Is your point that we should hand them over to the High Council? I saw the way that boy affected you.” “No, that’s not what I’m saying. I just, I don’t know, needed to say it out loud I guess.” He leaned over and laid his head on my lap. “I want to help them too, show them what a real family’s like. We can do this.” “Yeah, we can.” “Well good thing we love you guys because real families should have lots of love,” Azyle said from the doorway. Tag’s head popped up so fast that he almost crashed into mine. “I wasn’t expecting that reaction,” Percy mumbled as he glanced from me to Tag. “Don’t hit Dewey because we admitted that.” “I wasn’t going to, you dork,” Tag chuckled as he stood and helped me to my feet. We walked over to them, not sure what to do. “Really?” “Well, yeah. Don’t sound so shocked. You’re both really loveable. I think we loved Dewey from the first time he smiled at us,” Azyle answered. Then things got tense. “Are we alone in this?” “No,” I admitted nervously as my cheeks heated up. I glanced to Tag who was smiling. “You’re good with that?” “Yeah, baby. I love them too. They make us a family.” “Sweet. So we’re not in trouble for forgetting to tell you about the Omegas?” Percy’s face was pale and I realized he thought this was a deal breaker. “No, but we love you anyways,” I said honestly as I hugged him. His arms moved around me as he leaned over and pulled me closer. “We’ll figure this out, okay? I think we can help them and show them what a real family is like.”

108

Joyee Flynn

“Sorry we didn’t handle this the best. There was a lot to do with the High Council when the true nature of our old Alpha was revealed,” Azyle admitted. Tag pulled him into a hug and then joined with us into a big group hug. “We were out of our league with them. I didn’t realize we were treating them like adults until Dewey got upset.” “It’s all good,” I said quickly, feeling how sorry they were from their swirling emotions. “We just go forward from here and nothing else matters other than what we do now.” “Well said,” Tag agreed with a smile. And that’s what we did. We moved into the master suite, a loving foursome. Azyle and I worked together to get each of the abused Omegas their own rooms or bunk beds for those who weren’t ready to be on their own. The cook jumped on board with making more “kidfriendly” meals instead of all the old Alpha’s likes that the kids kept not eating. The Elder, Francis, ended up being a reliable source of help, working with the High Council when we needed a hand. George was coming next week to start talk with the Omegas and start them in therapy. It turned out Tristan and Carson had no clue there were fifteen Omegas that the old Alpha had collected. They worked with the High Council and got our pack named as a sanctuary pack as theirs were. And the pack themselves? They were some of the most wonderful people I’d ever met. They were a little gun-shy for a while, as were we. But everyone was eager to help and do whatever we needed to benefit the pack. Several of the men who tried to fight the old Alpha and were friends with the Betas who had mysteriously disappeared were now guards for our house. It was just an extra security measure considering that the fifteen Omegas, plus myself, in the house are worth millions to predators who might stop at nothing to get at them.

Dewey

109

And I’m happy. We’re all happy and in love. Signing the contract and deciding to become a part of this pack and this inner circle was the best decision of my life. And Tag’s an amazing Alpha. I’ve never seen a pack that loves their Alpha like they do him. Just not in that way. I may share him with Percy and Azyle as we all do each other. But that’s it. He’s ours. And he, nor I, would want it any other way. Thank the heavens for that because my men hold my heart and they take good care of it.

THE END WWW.JOYEEFLYNN.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Joyee dreams of one day living on enough land to have a few horses, and find a couple of cowboys or pool boys of her own. A lover of men, Joyee is all about them in any form in her books; vampire, werewolf, shape-shifter, military . . . It’s all good! She loves to get lost in fantasy that only books can bring. Her wide interest in reading is reflected in her writings, whether short stories, romance, or mystical. Currently Joyee lives with her dog, Marius, named after a vampire from Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire series.

For all titles by Joyee Flynn, please visit www.bookstrand.com/joyee-flynn

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com