Carnage Island (Reject Island)(22)

She moves away from Volt to sit by Tieran, head cocked.

Which must mean he’s either close or said something right. “Is it Clov or Clover?” I ask her.

Tieran holds up his hands. “Left is Clov. Right is Clover.”

She puts her head between his hands.

“Clov… with an E?” I guess.

The little wolf perks up, panting.

“Clove,” I repeat. “With an e.”

“Short for Clover?” Tieran asks.

She licks his cheek excitedly. Then freezes at realizing she essentially just kissed him.

My lips curl, curious to see what he’ll do.

This sort of easy candor isn’t exactly normal for our trio. But this is definitely a unique situation. It’s not every day an Omega ends up in our lair. They’re exceptionally rare, a diamond among our kind, and they deserve our worship and devotion.

Which is why I’m not surprised at all when Tieran merely runs his fingers through her fur while saying, “Clove is a beautiful name.” He adds a little purr to the statement, causing her to practically melt at his side. “I’m Alpha Tieran, as I imagine you’ve already figured out. That’s Caius and Volt.” His voice holds a note of wonder, my best friend clearly smitten with the girl.

Yeah, she’s definitely an Omega.

Volt saving her wasn’t exactly surprising. He would have been smitten with her the moment he heard she killed her own mother. That dance with Jack on the boat would only have cemented his desire.

However, the innate softness we all seem to be displaying for her is absolutely unusual for us.

Sitting on the floor and trying to teach her how to eat as a wolf? Yeah, that’s not something we would normally do.

Tieran would be more likely to lock her in a cage with her bowl and tell her to figure it out.

Volt would have suggested letting her go to fend for herself—something Tieran would have vetoed on principle because it’s his responsibility to protect all members of the pack.

And I would have taken my plate down to my room to ignore them all.

Yet here we sit around this table, captivated by this pretty little wolf when we don’t even know what she looks like yet in human form.

Her scent is a big part of the allure.

But it’s also the innate sweetness to her aura and the fighter we can all see lurking in her eyes.

This female is going to be fun once she shifts back into her human self.

“Are you tired, little one?” Tieran asks when Clove yawns.

She leans into him a little more, seeking the comfort of his Alpha touch—another thing only an Omega would ever truly do.

It’s possible this is the result of whatever trauma led up to her killing her mother, or perhaps the trauma of that specific event.

But I suspect it’s so much more.

Because her aroma is intoxicating and a drug to our senses.

Unless she’s been sent here as some sort of glorified trap. Pheromones can be altered, after all.

And if that’s the case, she’ll die. Painfully.

“Hmm, I’m translating that as a yes,” Tieran muses as she yawns again. “I don’t suppose you want to sleep in the guest room?”

She seems to consider it, but the shiver in her fur tells us everything we need to know—she won’t feel safe there.

“Just let her have her nest,” I say, taking the decisions away from her. I’m not trying to be cruel or pushy, I just want to make it easier on her. Somehow I just know she’ll opt for the guest room and then not sleep a wink.

Tieran’s expression says he suspected the same.

It’s the fighter beneath her skin, and now that she has control of her wolf, she’ll try to be independent. But her wolf knows what she needs—Alphas capable of protecting her from the predators outside.

Besides, it’ll be easier having her sequestered at the back of the den. That scent of hers is a beacon, and someone may just be stupid enough to try to follow it in here.

I would prefer to be the one to properly welcome whatever idiot is suicidal enough to enter, and not leave Clove upstairs to defend for herself. While that leap at Jack’s throat was impressive, it would not be enough to take down a determined Carnage Wolf.

And especially not a Carnage Wolf Alpha.

Clove doesn’t protest, instead choosing to follow Tieran as he leads her to the stairs. “I believe you know the rest of the way,” he tells her. “I’ll take the guest room for tonight so you can have your space.”

She seems to pause at that, the female inside thinking.

But a little nudge to her rump with his palm has her scurrying down the stairs.

He waits a beat, likely listening for her to do as she was told, then returns to the living area to start picking up dishes.

“She has to be an Omega,” I say conversationally as I help carry several empty plates to the sink.

“No shit,” Volt agrees, helping as well. “T just gave up his room to her. Only an Omega could accomplish that.”

Tieran snorts. “She’s fragile and I don’t want to risk her wolf taking complete control again.”

“You really think that’s why she can’t shift?” I wonder aloud. “Or is it the Alpha dick who did this to her?”

“We’ll know in the morning.” He starts scrubbing plates, telling me he’s even more distracted than he cares to let on. Because Tieran only cleans when he’s thinking seriously about something.