Getting Close to the Omega (27 page)

you get taken by the Fae. You had to know I couldn’t be

trusted.”

“It wasn’t a question of trust,” Dean insisted, although he was

still cross. “You were sick, and you needed help, and it didn’t

matter what you were going to do to me, or what you had

planned, I still couldn’t let you die. But seeing as you brought

it up – why the fuck can’t you just accept and be happy in your

position as a beta wolf? Why did you feel you wanted to take

over Cloverleah – for goodness sake, take over any pack you

could? That wasn’t what your wolf was born to do. You have to

know that.”

“My father,” Kyron said simply, as he slid down the wall by the

door and sat on the floor. “He was always telling me how I

wasn’t any good. He was a lone wolf – I didn’t come from a

pack. After he kicked me out of the house for being gay…I

don’t know…I just wanted to prove to him I could be

somebody.”

“But you could have been somebody in Claude’s pack, or in this

one?” Dean said, trying to understand. “A strong beta wolf who

is loyal to the death for his Alpha and who could be trusted, no

matter what. That is important, can’t you see that?”

“How do you cope with it?” Kyron asked, and Dean thought the

man was trying to change the subject.

“Cope with what?”

“Being an Omega? I mean that’s the lowest anybody can be in

a pack, right?”

Dean saw red. Of all the arrogant, shitty things this stupid wolf

could say, he had to try and reinforce the belief that an Omega

was of no use to the pack. Pulling on his anger for strength,

Dean stood up, his hands on his hips and yelled, “How fucking

dare you? How dare you suggest that being an Omega makes

me any less than you! Do you see all the men in this house –

they’re here for me – to protect me and our pack. Does that

make me unimportant? Does it?”

“Do you know how important being an Omega is? No,” Dean

didn’t even give Kyron a chance to answer, even though he

saw that the man had opened his mouth to do just that. “You

are so busy thinking that you have to be an Alpha to be the

most important. But every fucking member of this pack is

important, regardless of what status their wolf, or spirit is.

Kane isn’t the Alpha because he’s the strongest, or because

he’s mated to a Shifter Guardian. He’s the Alpha, and we follow

him, because he cares about every single one of us, no matter

what status we are. He doesn’t treat Griff or Anton or Diablo or

Jax any differently than Troy or Josh, or Me!”

“This would be the perfect pack for you, you fucking idiot,

because we are all treated the same. Don’t you get it? I’m not

less because I’m the Omega – I’m fucking more and don’t you

ever fucking forget it.”

Dean came to a stop, panting for breath because he had been

so fucking angry, and realized that Kane, Matthew and Shawn

were all standing in the doorway clapping. Without a word,

Matthew hurried over and swept him up into his arms, hugging

him tight. Dean nuzzled his nose into Matthew’s neck and just

hung on – all of a sudden feeling really tired. Anger was such a

tiring emotion.

/~/~/~/~/

Matthew had started getting worried as soon as he realized

that Dean had blocked his thoughts. He knew his mate had

been struggling with having so many people around, and

because the threat to the pack was coming from Dean’s ex-

home pack. Not wanting his mate to be swamped with bad

memories, or anything like that, he had headed back to the

house immediately and met up with Kane and Shawn who were

just about to head up the stairs.

“Kyron’s in with Dean,” Shawn said, and Matthew was touched

to think that the Alpha Mate had been keeping tabs on Dean

while he was out. They all hurried up the stairs, just in time to

hear Kyron ask Dean about being a lesser wolf. Kane

immediately wanted to step forward and say something, but

Matthew had caught sight of Dean and laid a hand on Kane’s

arm. His mate had this.

And boy, Dean had gone ballistic, as well he should. Matthew

glared at Kyron over Dean’s head for ever suggesting that

Dean’s Omega status made him less important that anyone

else. Although it seemed like Kane was going to address that

issue.

“You had no right to suggest that Dean’s Omega status makes

him unimportant in this pack, Kyron. I thought, after the man

saved your life twice, you might treat him with a bit more

respect,” Kane said firmly.

“He’s an Omega,” Kyron protested. “He shouldn’t even be

allowed to talk to me like that.”

“You don’t seem to have learned anything from your recent

experiences,” Kane said. “If Dean is as unimportant as you

seem to think he is, why does his home pack want him back?”

“I don’t know,” Kyron shrugged. “Because he was stolen from

them, I suppose.”

“Dean escaped,” Kane snarled. “He escaped the abuse he had

suffered for years at the hands of a sadistic Alpha. He was

never stolen from his pack. He wanted to leave. And you lied

and told that same Alpha that he was being held hostage here,

which is why that pack is now wanting to attack us. But Dean

has always been free to leave here if he wants to.”

“Then he should go back. Save the rest of the pack from

having any problems,” Kyron said, and if it hadn’t been for the

fact that Dean was in his arms, Matthew would have killed

Kyron for his arrogance and ignorance. “Ron said that the rest

of the pack would be safe if Dean was returned to him.”

“I wonder if there will ever be any hope for you, Kyron,” Shawn

said sadly. “Maybe me and Dean were wrong. Maybe you would

be better off dead, because if you don’t change your attitude,

your wolf spirit will leave you.”

“Why do you think all of the men, who are in this house now

and ready to tear you apart incidentally, came here to protect

Dean, if he is as unimportant as you think he is?” Kane

persisted.

“They’re not here for Dean,” Kyron argued staunchly. “They

came because you are mated to a Shifter Guardian and they

want to curry favor with you. Why does no one understand that

as an Omega wolf, Dean is not important?”

“Pack meeting, now. Shawn summon everyone, including those

on patrol,” Kane growled, grabbing Kyron by the arm, and frog

marching him out of the room. Shawn quickly followed him,

holding his hand up to indicate five minutes to Matthew.

Matthew nodded, but he refused to let go of Dean who had

spent the entire conversation nestled into Matthew’s neck.

Lifting his head, when they were finally alone, Dean said, “why

does he hate me so much?”

“Oh little one, he doesn’t hate you,” Matthew was quick to

assure

him.

“He

doesn’t

understand

you.

Kyron’s

understanding of pack hierarchy, wolf status and everything

else is so old school and so ridiculously stupid, that he can’t

see straight. He’s ignorant, little one. You accept who you are,

and you’ve made a success of your life. I think that is why

Kyron targeted this pack in the first place. You are all misfits

and been cast out from your packs, but you have all survived

and gotten stronger because of it. It’s not something he has

done, so he doesn’t understand.”

“So he attacks, like he did with the pack and then me,” Dean

said, and Matthew thought it sounded like he understood.

“Yes, little one, that’s it exactly. I am so proud of the way you

stood up for yourself, by the way. I really am.”

“He just made me so angry. I went to bat for him, despite what

he’d done to me, and then he still thought he was so much

better than me. It was like he was doing me a favor even

talking to me, and I didn’t want to talk to him anyway. I came

up here to be on my own for five minutes.”

Matthew didn’t like the sound of that – he didn’t like the idea

that Dean might feel he had to talk to other pack members,

especially Kyron, when he wanted some privacy. But he also

didn’t like the fact that Dean was worried enough about their

situation, to want to get some space, even from him – which

was probably what the mind block was about.

No time to talk about it now, though. Cupping Dean’s buttocks

protectively, Matthew said, “Got time for a kiss before the

meeting?” He loved the way that Dean immediately lifted his

face – his mate needing the connection as much as he did.

“Dean, Matthew.” A call came from downstairs a few minutes

later, and Matthew reluctantly lifted his head. Dean’s eyes

were half closed, his lips were puffy and his cheeks were a pale

pink against the lightness of his skin. Just perfect, Matthew

thought.

When Matthew and Dean got downstairs Matthew could see

that the living room had been rearranged, with the furniture

pushed back against the wall, to create a large space in the

middle where most of the men were waiting. The core

members of the Cloverleah pack, were all to one side, along

with Damien, Scott, Claude and Paulo. Everyone else, all of

the enforcers, were on the other. Kyron was stood in the

middle of the space, covered in a blue haze – stasis field again,

Matthew guessed. Kane indicated that he and Dean were to

come and join the rest of the pack and Matthew kept his arm

around Dean as they hurried into place.

“Okay, listen up everyone,” Kane said loudly. “After talking to

Damien, Claude and Paulo, we have decided that everyone

should have a chance to hear what Kyron has to say about

Dean, our Omega, who is the reason you are all here putting

your lives on the line. All of the Alpha’s have agreed that you

are all, as wolf shifters, entitled to your own opinion in this

debate and at the end of the meeting, if anyone doesn’t want

to be here, then they have the right to leave, without

consequence. Understood?”

The non-pack shifters all said, “Yes Alpha,” including the two

bear shifters from Claude’s pack, Matthew noticed.

“Right,” Kane said. “For the benefit of those who don’t know

this. Our pack is under attack because Dean is an Omega wolf

and his home pack wants him back. Dean doesn’t want to go,

for very good reasons, and the Cloverleah pack support his

decision.”

“Kyron here,” Kane continued. “Who was the one who informed

the Jefferson City pack of Dean’s whereabouts in the first

place, and then lied and told their Alpha that Dean was being

held hostage by us, argues that Dean should be sent back to

Jefferson City because, as an Omega wolf he has no

importance in pack hierarchy. The Alpha from Jefferson City

has claimed that he will leave our pack alone, if we give Dean

back to them. Kyron, you can speak – lay out your argument

and convince us of why Dean has no importance because he is

an Omega.”

Kyron glared and balled his fists, but he couldn’t escape the

stasis field. Although he could be heard quite clearly when he

did start to speak.

“Wolf shifters since the beginning of time have been taught

that the weakest members of the pack are the ones that put us

at risk,” Kyron began strongly. “They can’t fight, they bring no

value to the pack in terms of resources and their only use is for

fucking or menial tasks. Dean is an Omega wolf – the lowest of

the low. There is a reason that they died out – because they

are useless as individuals and of no use to the pack

whatsoever. Yet all of you here are being asked to risk your life

to save his and the lives of the men who support him. I say

Dean should be handed back to the Jefferson City pack, so that

we can all get on with our lives in safety. Who agrees with

me?”

Matthew held a trembling Dean in his arms and for a moment,

he thought Dean was going to speak up and say that he agreed

with Kyron. But Dean kept silent, and so did everyone else.

After a few moments, Kane stepped forward and said, “Right.

You have had your say, Kyron. Now, as Alpha of this pack, I

am asking the men on this side of the room to quickly argue