Page 4 of And Omega Makes Four
I nod in agreement. “That’s perfect. I promise I won’t be any more trouble.”
“You’re not any trouble, River.” Frankie pats my shoulder warmly as he steps back from the car and gestures to the newly cleared seat. “Make yourself comfortable. We’ve got a long ride ahead.”
As I climb into the back seat, I can’t help but feel a little bit like a lamb surrounded by three hungry wolves. I’m just one omega, and any one of them could easily overpower me.
But my options are limited, and I’ve got no choice but to trust them. For now.
3
KYLE
This omega is trouble.
I glance in the rearview mirror at him from time to time as the miles slowly fade away behind us. He seems pleasant enough, chatting happily with Devon about random things. It’s not a particularly deep conversation, just surface-level stuff. The weather, the scenery, food, music…
Nothing about who he really is, why he’s out here alone on the highway, or why he looks like he’s been through hell and back again. My instincts are telling me he’s hiding something, and it’s probably gonna bite us in the ass. Hard.
My grip on the steering wheel tightens as I focus on the road ahead.
Frankie keeps glancing my way, and I can sense his concern. He’s worried I’m gonna kick the kid out on the side of the road. Or that I’ll lose my cool and snap at him. Again. But he doesn’t need to worry that much.
I’m not an asshole.
Whatever River’s hiding from us will come out eventually. Or it won’t. Either way, he’s an omega wolf traveling alone. I’m not just gonna leave him to fend for himself. But if it comes down to choosing between him and my pack, well…
It’s an easy choice.
Unclenching my jaw, I take a deep breath and roll my head across my shoulders to try and loosen up a bit. These long car rides have been hell on my muscles. I’m looking forward to stopping for a few weeks and getting the chance to really stretch out. It’s been so long since I’ve shifted that sometimes I can’t even feel my wolf anymore. I hate it.
“So, you’re all brothers?” I hear River ask Devon.
“Sort of,” Devon says with a light chuckle. “I mean, we grew up together. We’re all from the same pack. We’ve been together for as long as I can remember.”
“But you all have different parents?”
“Yeah, we did.” Devon has a slight touch of melancholy in his tone.
“Oh...” River falls silent for a moment as if turning the thought over in his head.
“Oh, look.” Frankie speaks up, pointing to a road sign. “Only ten more miles. We’re almost there.”
“Good,” Devon says with an exasperated sigh. “I need to pee.”
“You should’ve gone at the gas station.” The trees along the sides of the road are beginning to thin out, and the number of visible houses increases. Hopefully, this sleepy little town is just that and there are no surprises waiting for us. I’ve had enough surprises to last a lifetime. “Where are we heading exactly?”
“Ummm...” Frankie pulls up his phone and begins looking up directions, calling them out to me as we enter the tangled streets of the little rural town. It’s a quaint locale, busy for a town its size, with people hanging banners and buntings advertising an upcoming festival.
“Seventy-seventh annual Spring Flower Festival,” Devon says, reading off a banner as we pull up to what seems to be one of the only stoplights in town. “You think this is why they’ve got so many help wanted ads up?”
“If it’s the sort of event that people travel from out of town to see, then probably.” Frankie looks around and shrugs. “Do you know anything about it, River?”
He glances back at the omega who seems surprised to be called upon.
“Oh, um...n-no.” River blinks in momentary confusion. “I mean, it might be the kind of thing people travel for. I just...I’ve never heard of it. My pack is kind of, um, isolationist, I guess? We’ve never really mingled with human events much.”
“Isn’t that hard to do?” Devon frowns as he looks at River. “I mean, with the way technology and stuff is now, if you don’t adapt...”
River’s brow furrows, and he shakes his head. “I-I don’t know. What does it matter, anyway?” The omega bristles, suddenly defensive.
