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

it’s going to be fine. They can’t
make you leave. You’re my mate and that makes you part of the pack.
Your father’s plans are moot.”
    “It’s gonna be bad.”
    “Are you planning to leave me?” he asked,
raising a brow.
    She snarled, baring her teeth in displeasure.
“No.”
    He chuckled. “Then whatever shit hits the fan
out there, we’re still good.”
    She straightened but stayed pressed against
him. “You tried to make me leave earlier.”
    He shrugged. “I didn’t want you to regret
having me as a mate.”
    Her nails dug into his back. “I don’t want
you to regret me, either.”
    “No regrets,” he said, tucking a lock of hair
behind her ear and kissing her forehead.
    “Hell or high water,” she said, echoing his
words to her earlier.
    Since she didn’t have clothes, he pulled a
shirt and pair of shorts from the dresser and gave them to her, and
then tugged on his jeans. He wasn’t particularly happy about being
interrupted, but at least they were getting it over with and then
they could go back to bed. When she was sufficiently covered, he
walked with her out to the front room and found Malachi, Ren, and
Dade sitting on the couch, and Acksel pacing.
    “What the fuck happened?” Acksel
demanded.
    Jeremiah wanted to order the wolves out of
his house. He was tired of being walked all over, and he especially
didn’t like being called on the carpet in front of Honey. “She
followed my scent in the woods because we’re mates. Now we’re mated
and you’re interrupting our mating night.”
    Acksel growled sharply, but Jeremiah didn’t
back down. Honey, however, dropped to her knees next to him and
tilted her neck.
    “What the hell?” Malachi asked, staring in
surprise at her.
    Acksel made an annoyed sound. “Get up, Honey,
I’m not that kind of alpha even though I’m pissed enough right now
to see fucking red. I don’t give a damn about your mating night,
Jeremiah. I give a damn that I promised her father that she would
be out of here by dawn. Now I have to tell him she’s mated. I’m
going to look like an asshole who can’t control his pack.”
    Jeremiah helped Honey stand back up. She was
trembling, her eyes wide with worry, as he tucked her close to his
side.
    Dade stood and moved to Acksel, whispering in
his ear. Acksel snorted in annoyance and then exhaled loudly.
    “At sunrise, I want you both at my house so
we can call your father. Don’t be late.”
    The wolves stood and headed outside. Dade
turned to look at them. “It’s a good thing to find your mate.
Whatever other shit happens, you’ve found your other half, and
that’s worth celebrating. See you two at dawn.”
    “Thanks, Dade,” Jeremiah said. The older male
nodded and left, pulling the front door closed.
    Jeremiah walked to the door and flipped the
deadbolt. He had never once locked the doors of his home, but
Acksel and the others just walking inside as if they owned the
place had rubbed him raw. Pack hierarchy was one thing, but there
was also general decency, and walking into his home unannounced and
uninvited, making demands, and scaring the hell out of his mate
were not acceptable under any circumstances.
    Honey sat on the couch with a weary sigh.
“Your alpha looked mad enough to spit nails.”
    He leaned against the door and closed his
eyes. “It doesn’t matter.”
    “I think he… thinks I’m using you to stay
here.”
    He opened his eyes and found her looking
incredibly sad. Joining her on the couch, he slid his arm over her
shoulders and pulled her close. “I know you’re not. I feel so
connected to you, it’s like I can’t imagine my life without you in
it. These are incredibly sucky circumstances, but we’ll get through
them.”
    “Do you always look for the bright side?”
    “I guess I do, because of what I’ve had to
put up with. It’s hard to be a male who can’t shift, to be treated
like a second-class citizen because of a flaw in my genetics.”
    She cupped his cheek and he