Page 16 of Ginger Omega
She stopped eating while we all let out a chuckle. Poe knew what he was doing saying that. “I don’t think those two words go together, Poe. Explain?”
“The environment is cozy. Fireplaces. Blankets. Cabins in the mountains or woods. Comforting food. It’s irony. Juxtaposition. You get the reader comfortable and let their guard down and then things begin to change. Next thing they know, they’re in the middle of a psychological nightmare.”
Katie paused and looked around. “Am I in the middle of said book because this place is cozy and calming and secure and last night I slept like the dead.”
Another round of laughter. Our omega was sharp as a tack. “No. This is actually how we live, omega. Comfortable. Peaceful. Cozy is kind of my thing.”
She met my gaze. “You do it well, Vaughn.”
“Thank you. Poe, why don’t you grab one of your books for Katie? She has time to read while she waits for her truck.”
“That would be amazing. I’d love to read it. I might get spooked and run to one of you for safety but I’d love to read it.”
We’d love the running-to-us-for-safety part.
“Sure. Let me grab one.”
She finished her meal and patted her stomach. My wolf strutted inside me, knowing we had something to do with her safety and satiety.
“How about we all go for a run?” Holt suggested. “Unless you have a deadline, Poe?”
“Even if I did, I’d rather write all night than miss a run. Katie, are you in?”
A wide smile took shape on her heart-shaped face. “I haven’t let my wolf out in a long time. You’re sure you don’t mind if I join you?”
“We don’t mind at all. Let’s go.”
Holt was onto something. Our wolves would bond with their omega almost immediately. We would be able to better anticipate her needs once that bond was started. The more we could anticipate, the better mates we could be to her.
Plus, personally, even though I regarded myself as a gentleman, I would discreetly look for an alpha’s mark on her skin.
Perhaps Holt was right, and she was running from an alpha or a mating gone wrong.
We went outside and undressed, not an uncommon thing among shifters, but this was new. Katie didn’t show any sign of shyness, and I saw no mark on her perfect skin. Her curves had no end.
I couldn’t wait to get my greedy hands on them.
We shifted together, almost at the exact same time. Her wolf’s fur was red, the same shade as her human hair. And damn, our omega was fast.
Once we ran around the forest and we showed her the river and the small waterfall, I lay down on a rock near the water to rest.
Imagine my shock when Katie, her wolf, our omega, lay next to me, her head next to mine.
Poe and Holt took their places on the other side of her, and I felt something in me change. The bond was there. New and barely a whisper, but there, all the same.
Chapter Fourteen
Karissa
Eating breakfast and shifting with the males had been the best time of my life. No matter how much I told myself not to get attached, it wasn’t working. Holt and the others were nothing like any male I’d ever met, and every moment in their presence was a pleasure.
I’d been wary about males, even as a little girl. Watching the omegas interact with the alphas, I’d seen nothing good and dreaded the day when I would be old enough to be assigned to a mate. Omegas in our pack were not allowed to choose their mates, and the alphas either did not believe in fated mates or just didn’t care. I wasn’t sure. Matings were arranged to suit the pack alpha, to meet his goals and reward or punish the member.
Holt had suggested I skip my shift and take a day to relax, a sentiment echoed by the others, but that would not help me to pay for my truck repairs. I couldn’t get too comfortable and forget what I was doing. The diner was not such a bad place to go, and once I was beginning to work, I was able to put my worries to the back of my mind and serve the customers their food without much stress. The menu had been easy to learn, so all I had to pick up each day was the specials, and I took pleasure in coming up with ways to make them sound as delicious as they really were.
“Meat loaf today?” I asked Henry. “For lunch?”
“And dinner, too, with mashed potatoes with a corn-and-lima bean succotash. Very old-school.”
