“I understand. I’m Nala.”
His other hand came up to stroke through my hair as he stared down at me, his purr throbbing to life between us. My knees gave out and I melted, the tightness in my chest finally coming loose.
No one had ever purred for me. Not even Nearden.
The monster caught me as I fell, clutching me to his broad, vibrating chest. The silkiness of his fur surprised me, and I couldn’t help but rub my cheek against him as he swept his arm behind my knees.
“I am Av’dag.”
My eyes drifted closed, and I felt him turn, striding away from my brother’s cabin. My body flooded with relief. My brother had arranged the mating without me, so he could arrange the dissolution of it without me as well. I held no remorse over leaving.
Tangling my fingers in Av’dag’s fur, I snuggled closer to his warmth, letting him take me wherever he wanted. There was a pinch of regret at leaving behind my nesting materials, but they were the same I’d used with Nearden, and I was glad to make a clean break. They would always remind me of him and my life before, and while I didn’t want to forget him, I wanted to start over.
Chapter 4
Av’dag
I marveled at the omega snuggled in my arms. Once she’d opened her eyes and looked at me, I’d expected her to scream and run. To get away. Escape.
And yet she’d accepted me keeping her without fuss. Offered her name, and allowed my arms around her.
The gods had blessed me.
Clutching her tighter, I broke into a lope, moving through the trees as fast as I could without risking injury to the omega. The scent of her heat grew, the sweetness of the slick coating her thighs making me salivate, and I needed to get her back to my caves before it was too late. I forgot the pain in my shoulder from the bear’s claws in the rush of excitement.
Already, I wanted to throw her to the forest floor and rut. To sheath myself in her tightness until my knot locked us together and I could make her mine. Until I’d fucked a babe into her belly so I could watch it swell.
My erection bobbed as I ran, heavy and uncomfortable. I tried to ignore the soft curves of the omega in my arms, but it was impossible. The sooner I got us back, the sooner I could find relief.
I raced up the mountain, taking a direct path back to the clan. I’d been tracking the bear for almost a day, but he had wandered, and I’d traveled slower to stay on his trail.
It was still a long trek. Nala fell asleep in my arms, her soft snores rising to mingle with my purr. Even when my strideslowed with the difficulty of the climb, I maintained my soothing vibrations to combat the cramps I could feel tensing her middle. She would whimper and wriggle, but never fully woke.
The caves of the clan spread over a wide territory, each of the alphas claiming a set of their own when they reached maturity. Being an older alpha, mine were near the center of the sprawl, and I tensed each time we neared the homes of other unmated males. I held respect and position in the clan, but would be challenged for a ripe omega if another alpha caught her scent before we made it to safety. It was a relief when the dark opening of my cave appeared ahead, and I let my steps slow.
Purr fading, I gently jostled Nala.
“Awaken, my omega, and see your new home.”
She stirred, rubbing her cheek against my chest before turning to look. Her eyebrows rose as we crossed the entrance, fingers tightening in my fur as I carried her deeper into the warren where she would be safe. Her body stiffened as I placed her on her feet and I thought for a moment that she had changed her mind about me.
“I cannot see. It is too dark.”
I cursed, having forgotten human vision was weaker than mine. Taking her hand, I pulled her to the wall and placed her fingers against it.
“Remain here.”
Though I felt her tremble, she stayed put with her palm pressed to the rock as I stepped away. I had no idea what the inside of a human home looked like, but I knew they used fire for cooking and light, so I went to the nook where I made my cookfire and knelt. It didn’t take long to get a flame, and I added an extra log to be sure it burned bright enough for her to see. I wanted her to feel comfortable enough to nest, as her instincts would drive her to do.
I watched Nala look around as the flames rose. They cast a warm glow on her golden skin, burnishing her dark hair with a red tint that sparkled off the grey we shared. Neither of us were new to life, and I thanked the gods for providing an omega already experienced in the world. I was too old to want an omega young enough to be my child.
She didn’t give much attention to the cave, but her gaze locked on the far corner where I slept. There was a natural depression in the stone from a small stream that came through the back wall. It had changed directions in the centuries before I claimed the space, pooling in the opposite corner to leave a perfect nesting place. Furs I had collected over the years lined the rock, piled deep to provide cushion and warmth in the cave’s chill when I didn’t have a fire.
I rose, drawing her focus.
“You may move now.”
She was perfect in her obedience.