His Omega's Keeper

“I said would you like to come with Marcus and me to the movie?” she asked, giving me an anxious look. “I know you probably don’t want to stay home alone in this big house after…well, after what happened. Maybe you should come with us—it would be good for you to get out and get back to normal.”

“No thanks,” I said and tried to smile. “I wouldn’t want to ruin your date night. Besides, I have a lot of work to catch up on. I have some midterms to make up online.”

Marcus had gone to JMU and talked to all my professors, explaining what had happened and had gotten all of them to agree to let me complete the semester via computer. I suspected he might have made some small “donations” in order to make that happen but hey—what’s the point of being richer than God if you can’t bribe people into doing what you want, right?

“Are you certain you’ll be all right alone here?” my mom asked anxiously. “I hate to leave you all by yourself!”

“Are you kidding? With the increased security around here, I never feel alone,” I told her. Which was true, there were armed guards everywhere now and a brand-new computer surveillance system at all the doors and downstairs windows.

“She’s right, darling. The new security system is absolutely impregnable.” Marcus took my mother’s hand in his and, looking deeply into her eyes, brushed her knuckles gently with his lips.

“Oh, well then…” My mom’s cheeks flushed softly as she returned his loving gaze and they got lost in each other for a long moment, forgetting that Jake and I were even there at the table with them.

Fated Mates, I thought. Alpha and Omega—they were meant for each other.

I felt a burst of jealousy at the thought. Why was it that my mother had been allowed to find her perfect, Fated Mate and I was denied the right to find mine?

Well, it sounds like your “perfect mate” is going to go down to the local pack grounds and knot everything that stands still long enough to be knotted, whispered a little voice in my head. So maybe he’s not so perfect after all.

“Well, I’m headed for the pack grounds,” Jake said, rising from the table, right on cue—almost as though he’d heard my bitter thoughts.

“Have fun, son.” Marcus gave him a fond grin. “And don’t forget that mask!”

“You know it!” Jake grinned back. And then, without so much as a glance in my direction, he sauntered out of the dining room. After a moment I heard the front door slam and a moment after that the sound of his car engine roaring to life.

He’s really going, I thought, feeling sick. And that same little voice whispered, He’s really going to cheat on me.

I couldn’t sit there one minute longer—I couldn’t. I needed to go upstairs and scream and cry into my pillow and try to deal with the horrible waves of my Heat Cycle, which were tearing through me, making me feel empty and void inside.

“Can I be excused?” I asked, pushing my plate away. “I’m really full and I have a lot of studying to do.”

“Oh, well—I guess dinner is over anyway,” my mom said, sighing.

“We’d better get going if we’re going to make that movie, darling,” Marcus murmured to her.

I turned away before my mom could ask me again, one more time, if I was sure I didn’t want to go with them. I didn’t. I couldn’t stand to see them cuddling and making eyes at each other and reveling in their perfect love when the only man I cared about was driving away from me right now, intent on having sex with strangers.

I ran up the stairs and barely made it into my bedroom before the tears came.

THIRTY-THREE

I cried for what felt like hours, but was probably more like thirty minutes, before I heard the light tapping at my windowpane.

My heart froze in my chest and I curled into a ball on the bed.

They’re back! I thought, terror gripping my throat like an icy fist. Oh my God, the Worshipers of the Moon! They’ve come to get me again!

But just as I was about to have a full-blown panic attack, I heard a deep, familiar voice hissing softly,

“Ani? Come on, Ani—let me in!”

“Jake?” I jumped off the bed and rushed to the window. Throwing it open, I looked down and saw Jake flat against the wall, clinging to the trellis. “Oh my God, you nearly gave me a panic attack!” I told him, frowning.

“Sorry—not like I could come knock on the door to your room,” he rumbled, looking up at me. “Come on, let me in before the damn guards see me!”

I crossed my arms over my chest.

“Why should I? Don’t you have better things to do—like finding some slutty Were girl to knot, down at the local pack grounds?”