Posing for the Omega (For the Alpha #2)(31)

“So what’s going to happen now?” Koda nudged me with his muzzle.

Wasn’t that a good question. It had been a few hours since the fight and Svara had been tied back up for the time being, although this time she’d been tied in her four formv. I’d hinted to Zora that it might not be necessary to tie her up since she had already submitted but he’d given me a look that told me I needed to stick my foot in my mouth and shut it. He was probably right. The she wolf might have submitted but she was a feral raccoon if I’d ever seen one. Couldn’t trust that rabid ass. “Well the hunt for today is probably still going on and there is no way they can put it off.”

“You think alpha is still going to go on the hunt?” Koda shook his head ears laid flat. “Pregnancy has made you stupid and bigger. First you went savage on the luperci, then you wanted to keep the luperci untied, and now you think alpha is going to leave you unwatched. You’ve gone squirrely.”

Mother, I’m so happy you gave me a brother, but sometimes I think you’re a vindictive horse faced potato that just wanted me to suffer. I mean there was a lot left to be desired about my current situation - A LOT. Yeah, I was definitely leaning towards horse faced potato opinion. “Thank you, Koda.” Ass face.

“We still need to talk—” He shifted on his paws where he stood next to me outside my den. We’d come here after Zora had told me to wait for him there. He and Alloy and the other beta’s were talking not to far away. I’d wanted to tell him that I wanted to help, that I needed to help, but his command triggered something inside me like it always did. A need to do what my alpha wanted.

“Talk about what?” I asked Koda coming out of my head again. It was getting easier and easier to get lost in the vast empty cavern that was my mind.

“That Zora is a luperci. Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?”

“Really? It had nothing to do with you. You know it wasn’t intentional and I just needed time to take it in and accept it and I’m still not sure I’m ok with it. He says it’s not because I’m a luperci that he loves me, but what if he’s lying to me? I wonder if he’ll ever tell the pack? What about our pups will they know?” I took a deep breath and exhaled. I hadn’t meant to vomit up everything all at once like that, but out of all the things we were facing at the moment that was what he was stuck on?

“That’s a lot. You’re right. I can’t believe he’s a luperci too.” Koda shook his head. “Out of all the alphas you found the one just like you. That’s pretty fucking lucky if you ask me. All the other shit can be figured out. Right now we need to figure out this shit with the blood wolves and now Dey. I still can’t believe she’s a luperci too, and that she left.”

Remembering Dey stung. I was still in denial that she’d left us, left her pups. She loved her pups, every last one of them. Each of her litters was from a different Beta and she loved them all, I could see it in the way she looked at the youngest to her oldest. They loved her too and they’d agree with me that their mother wouldn’t abandon them, or abandon this pack. “She left for a reason I’m sure of it.”

“She lied about being a luperci, and about everything else.” Koda pointed out grimmly.

“You don’t know that she lied about everything.” It wasn’t looking good that she hadn’t though. She had to change a lot in her story for her not to be a luperci, was it so far fetched that most of it had been a lie?

“Ira.” Zora’s voice broke through my desolate thoughts and I watched as he padded towards me on big paws.

Koda stood. “I’m going to talk to Alloy.” He trotted off quickly leaving me sitting outside my den, alone as my mate stopped in front of me. I watched my brother trot off before looking at my approaching mate. This was either going to be a conversation about me getting into trouble, or about me staying out of trouble. It was a fifty/fifty toss at this point.

“How are you feeling?” Concern dripped from his voice as he got close enough to nudge my pregnant belly and lick a quick kiss across the sensitive skin. I didn’t try to hold in the soft but happy whine that escaped me. He was more than welcome to hear my happy sounds and maybe he’d take the hint and keep licking.

“I’m fine alpha.” Really, I was fine physically. Mentally I was one crap short of bat shit crazy, but that wasn’t what he’d asked about.

Zora growled and licked my belly again but this time over the scratch marks left behind my Svara’s claws. “She could have wounded you much worse than this.”

“But she didn't.” I grabbed his head from where he was licking me and made him look up into my eyes. “Thank you for stopping me earlier— it was the same as that time with Naga and Comira. I wanted to kill them.” My stomach tossed in a dangerous roll as I imagined tearing into another wolf till their blood soaked into the dry ground. “I’ve never wanted to do that to anyone.” How could I when I was so much stronger than the wolves around me?

Zora rumbled and leaned into my hands his large muzzle pushing up towards my face to nip at my jaw. “Your fear drives your instincts. There is no shame in being strong. There is no shame in being what you are Ira.”

Strong? Did he really see me as strong? I could imagine before when I thought he was only another wolf that I was physically stronger than most, but now knowing he was like me did he really see me as strong? Physically I was no doubt stronger than the other wolves, but mentally… yeah emotionally I was a hot mess. I always have been. “I’m not strong. If I was I would have been able to protect the others.”