The Omega's Heart (Wilde Creek Four) by R.E. Butler

select few. The
omegas had still worked for him and the rest of the pack when
called for, but it wasn’t like it was now, with the omegas finally
feeling like an integral part of the pack instead of strays hanging
around for scraps. Honey believed her father was going to give her
away in a mating, but those plans were out the window since she was
now fully mated to Jeremiah and there wasn’t anything but death
that would separate them.
    He curled his hand, looking at his fingers
where claws would emerge when he was pissed. If her father was
planning to give her away, he was probably getting something in
return. An alliance, or territory, or something else he valued more
than his own flesh and blood. Jeremiah didn’t understand that.
Family should be first in all things. Not that he’d experienced
that from his own parents. Disowned by one, abandoned by the other.
He spoke on the phone to his mom once a week, but his father hadn’t
wanted anything to do with him in years.
    Jeremiah was ashamed of his lack of shifting
abilities, but Honey didn’t care, so he was going to stop caring,
too. If his mate accepted him for what he was, then he could accept
himself as well, and to hell with everyone else. It would suck to
watch her leave to hunt on the full moons while he was stuck at the
alphas’ house, but he’d be proud to have a mate who could shift and
hunt.
    He covered his mouth as he yawned, not
wanting to wake her. She had drifted off to sleep so quickly, he
wondered if she hadn’t been sleeping well. Or maybe he wore her
out. Smiling to himself, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and then
closed his eyes.
    He’d just dozed off when the front door
creaked as it was opened. In a heartbeat, he was in a defensive
crouch on the floor in front of the bed. His skin prickled as fur
emerged, his anger at his mate being disturbed fueling his partial
shift. His gums tingled as his fangs elongated and his fingers
ached for just a moment as thick claws emerged.
    The bedroom door opened and Acksel, Ren,
Dade, and Malachi stood in the hall. “What the fuck, Jeremiah?”
Acksel snarled.
    “Get out of my house.” Jeremiah growled the
words. “I might be your omega but this is my house and you
have no right to come in here.”
    He felt Honey move on the bed and he wanted
to warn her to stay covered, but he felt her press her naked chest
to his back as her arms looped around his shoulders.
    “Calm down, Jeremiah, it’s okay,” she cooed
the words into his ear, her palms rubbing up and down his chest as
if she were petting him.
    Acksel sniffed loudly and groaned. “Are you
fucking kidding me? She’s leaving, Jeremiah. I don’t care what
happened tonight, she’s on her way out of town. Whatever you’re
trying to accomplish by screwing one of my pack members, Honey, it
won’t work.”
    She made a soft, shocked gasp and Jeremiah
straightened from his crouch with a sharp growl. “She. Is. Mine!”
He roared the words as Honey hid behind him, her arms now wrapped
around his stomach as he glared at his alpha.
    “Whoa, shit. They’re mated,” Malachi said in
surprise.
    “Stand down, son,” Dade said to Acksel.
“Someone’s going to get hurt.”
    Acksel gnashed his teeth. “You have two
minutes to get dressed and get the fuck into the front room.” He
spun on his heels and stomped down the hall; the others
followed.
    Honey’s whole body trembled against him as he
stared at the doorway until everyone was gone. He scented the salty
tang of her tears and turned, wrapping his arms around her. His
partial shift receded, but only because he didn’t want to hurt her.
He was still pissed as hell.
    “They’re gone,” he whispered.
    She burrowed against him, locking her arms
around him tightly. “I’m sorry.”
    He stroked her hair, hating that she was so
upset. “For what? Rocking my world? Making me the happiest guy on
the planet?” She peered up at him, cheeks wet with tears, lower lip
trembling. “Hey now, sweet wolf,